Provides a conceptual overview of the four studies on management writing included in this issue. Relates research on written management communication to evolving conceptions of workplace literacy. Argues that stronger emphasis should be placed upon innovative methods of creating organizational attention to managers' writing as both process and…

Investigates the relationship between perceived supervisor communication competence and supervisor satisfaction as a result of quality circle involvement. Finds that supervisors who participated in quality circles for six months were perceived as being more communicatively competent than their counterparts who had just joined the program. (MS)

Presents a year-long study of the duties, skills, and knowledge required of business- and technical-communication professionals in Boston, Massachusetts. Focuses on six categories of practice: technical communication, publishing, public relations, marketing, development, and training. Suggests that in the next decade communication practitioners…

Investigates retrieval and reporting of superordinate and subordinate concepts in oral or written recollections. Finds no differences in total number of superordinate, subordinate, or reader-generated ideas recalled; however, does find differences between oral and written recall, depending on initial or ending position of text information. (RS)

Studies the development of a political ideology that draws on the resources of myth. Analyzes how Pat Robertson's concepts of apocalyptic fulfillment provided an ideological basis for his 1988 presidential campaign, but resulted in significant rhetorical problems. Finds that the transformation in Robertson's apocalyptic vision stemmed from his…

Examines which leadership model provides a better explanation of the relationship between leadership behavior and group outcomes--the group leadership influence model or the leaderless group discussion model. Discusses implications for group leadership from a leaderless group discussion perspective based on the findings of a laboratory descriptive…

Assesses the compliance-resisting strategies children use when rejecting pressure to smoke. Finds that strategies vary with conditions such as relationship, number of people present, amount of pressure, and risk for future smoking. Suggests that researchers consider situational variations and risk status for future smoking when developing…

Finds that experience and education can produce extensive changes in the style and content of men's and women's writing, eliminate the dominance of gender-based writing characteristics, and help students develop a variety of styles. Suggests that instruction can help students develop varied, androgynous styles important for job-related…

Examines the relative importance of verbal, nonverbal, and social normative information in judgments of honesty and deceit. Finds strong support for the nonverbal cue primacy model and no support for the social-normative model. Suggests additional research is warranted on the relative strength of these sources and the manner of combination to form…

Analyzes, rhetorically, the concept of otherness, a central element in Mexican culture. Argues that the themes of otherness in the writings of Ohio Mexican Americans are symbolic representations of the pervasive ambivalence with which Mexican culture views its history and anticipates its future. (SR)

Examines the effects of sex and violence in rock music videos on viewers to determine the appeal of and emotional responses to the videos. Finds that videos containing the highest level of sex were judged most appealing and resulted in more positive moods. Finds also that viewers did not enjoy violent videos. (KEH)

Proposes and analyzes Video Audience Simulation Technique (VAST), an electronic instructional aid related to video robotics, used to simulate audiences for public speakers, providing realistic speech rehearsal, instructor control of audience feedback to facilitate learning, and portrayal of specialized audiences unavailable in normal instructional…

Examines Supreme Court decisions on information policy during the 1980s. Finds they support socioeconomic class divisions by: providing relatively few protections for media available to those of low socioeconomic status; directly limiting expenditures for court costs; deferring to labor law; and defining informational rights and responsibilities…

Examines how a warehouse manager and three subordinates display social structure through their use of power and social distance language forms. Shows how some conversational resources distinguish "in,""middle" and "out-group" relationships, whereas others neutralize group membership. (MM)

Uses cluster strings and co-citation maps at various levels of aggregation to trace the development of research on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) from 1982 to 1987. Includes major findings and shifts in research emphasis. Explores the relationship of changes in bibliometric structure to changes in scientific knowledge and…