A study investigated the manner in which communication strategies (passive, active, and interactive) were used by new employees in the early stages of the employer-employee relationshiip to gain knowledge of their supervisors, thereby reducing uncertainty. Twenty-six full-time new employees from several organizations in the midwest were…

This paper investigates the composition of women's mentoring relationships. The traditional male mentoring model is rejected in favor of an alternative model that more closely reflects female mentoring relationships. The paper proposes that women's friendships may serve as a closer match to their mentoring relationships than the traditional male…

This paper integrates the findings of past research which has focused on the individual acquisition of organizational commitment and the effects of that acquisition. The paper first reviews the literature on the three related constructs of commitment, identification, and socialization, providing a critique of the literature that has investigated…

This paper examines some of the various findings contained in the current literature on humor in the workplace. In recent years, the communicative role of humor in the workplace has received attention--particularly in management-related publications. Consequently, the paper explores the emergence of humor as a management tool and the advantages…

This paper is based on the premise that culture creates realities that include a repertoire of symbol interpretations and communication patterns on which people automatically draw, and that this pattern is as manifest in professional cultures as it is in national or ethnic cultures. The paper takes a systematic look at hospital nursing culture,…

This paper provides an overview of current student development programs that include values education and that represent collaborative work between student affairs and academic affairs divisions. It examines a variety of programs, including freshman seminars designed to promote retention, interdisciplinary courses and seminars at all levels, and…

Large publication tasks with short flow times require that several editors be assigned to work together as part of a larger publication team that includes management, engineer-writers, publishing logistics personnel, word processor operators, illustrators, and printers. Team-edited publications have special problems, and the technical editing and…

Based on J. E. Grunig's four models of public relations practice (press agent/publicity, public information, and two-way asymmetric and two-way symmetric practice), this paper examines the potential applicability of these models to internal communication systems in organizations. Following an introduction, in which Grunig's models are briefly…

A study assessed the specific courses and educational needs professionals considered important in the proper undergraduate preparation of future public relations practitioners. A survey questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 1,000 human resource managers and public relations practitioners from the national membership of two professional…

A study investigated the relationship between shared communication links and the process of organizational innovation in a privately owned medical clinic providing comprehensive medical care to children and adults. Participants were the physicians and physician assistants employed at the clinic. Data were collected through questionnaires before…

Using H. Dennis' (1974) five-factor communication climate construct framework as a predictor variable, a study investigated the relationship between perceptions of communication climate and job satisfaction of supervisory employees in the banking industry. A systematic random sample was drawn from 68 commercial banks in Orange County, California,…

To assess the communication practices of not-for-profit (NFP) agencies, a study conducted a local survey of 105 NFP organizations in Cleveland, Ohio, in the spring of 1987, specifically examining their public relations activities and campaigns which manage and diffuse information about NFPs to the larger community. First, a focus group sample of…

A study surveyed minority journalists at newspapers and television stations in Ohio to determine how overall job satisfaction is linked to perceived communication satisfaction, satisfaction with intrinsic and extrinsic aspects of a job, perceived racial discrimination, and general variables such as years in journalism, position, and the number of…

The annual reports of 197 publicly held American corporations were analyzed to determine the relationship of corporate social responsibility activities to boundary-spanning activities (attempts to relate the firm to the outside world). Data gathered included (1) the number of directors from inside and outside a corporation, (2) the number of…

Using ethnographic research tools, this study explored the role that the symbolic action of administrators played in the the social construction of reality. Case study data were provided to illustrate meaning management at the school district level. Framing this analysis is the application of the categories of critical theory to the study of…