States that a video introducing a company to various audiences is a common genre of promotional material in Finland. Applies theories of both advertising and semiotics to analyze the first minute of a video produced for a Finnish company that manufactures log buildings and wraps its image around a concept of leisure. (PA)

Describes a business communication class assignment that helps students discover the assumptions and expectations of business culture, and develop the skills needed for the world of work in at least four areas: team skills; time and project management skills; use of technology to research, prepare, and present the project; and networking with…

Examines the roles played by technology and the rhetorical practices surrounding that technology in the formation of work roles and the relationships at a small Internet start-up company. Investigates the technical/social split in the workplace, how it is created and enacted, and how it impacts workers and daily work as well as the perceived…

Considers the design of corporate communications for electronic business and discusses the increasing importance of corporate interaction as companies work in virtual environments. Compares sociological and psychological theories of human interaction and relationship formation with organizational interaction theories of corporate relationship…

Institutional communication channels need to be clear so that administrators have the information necessary to make informed decisions whenever and wherever required. The secret is to treat the arrival of information--the good, the bad, and the neutral--in essentially the same way, and always thank the person who brings the news, regardless of its…

Investigates individual, relational, and organizational factors that influence how and from whom new hires seek information when they experience uncertainty in the workplace. Suggests that new hires' information-seeking strategy choices are determined by perceived social costs of seeking information, which are inversely related to overt…

Tests the relative effects of several antecedents to users' behavioral coping responses to quality programs in four organizations. Finds that users' attitudes, concerns for performance, normative influence, uncertainty, and their perceptions of the context of change affect each of three dimensions of their behavioral coping responses. (SR)

Describes how general semantics formulations have been applied to facilitate better interpersonal relations and more effective organizational functioning in "Project SHARE," a 12-month, K-9, New York City, school-based, drug prevention program serving over 26,000 students, teachers, parents, and other residents of Community School…

Examines the relationship between negotiation strategies and the quality of negotiated outcomes among undergraduate students. Finds that: impasse negotiations showed the frequent use of contention and sequences that paired similar (either cooperative or competitive) strategies; settlement was associated with decreased contention and sequences that…

Ten suggestions to camp directors explain ways to communicate with parents, handle their complaints, and thereby protect and promote the camp's image. Strategies include assigning staff skilled in conflict resolution to resolve complaints, focusing on prevention or early resolution of parent complaints, maintaining communication, avoiding heated…

Examines self-report data from organizational members of a federal government health information and education network piloting innovative intervention strategies to disseminate cancer information to the public. Suggests the existence of a new innovation role: the Devil's advocate. Explores the nature of resisting innovation, existing innovation…

Suggests that communication faculty should work toward structural realignments in universities to encourage cross-disciplinary work; design majors around competencies, not departments; encourage interdepartmental "communication dialogues"; read a broad range of literature and work toward expertise in a topic, not just a discipline; attend more…

Camps should always have a crisis management plan, but the events of September 11, 2001, make it especially important. Honest communication with parents is paramount--directors should choose their words carefully and control the tone of their voices. Examples are given of crises involving weather, transportation, and a shooting. Questions to…

Uses 10 months of field research in a high technology start-up to identify six basic narratives types in three main categories deemed essential in founding and governing a new company. Shows how these stories enable founders to justify the existence of the company; convince others to devote funds and other key resources to the company; and make…

Analyzes texts published by ExxonMobil on the issue of climate change, employing both rhetorical analysis and discourse analysis to show their uses and potential value in business communication research. Shows how both reveal the socially constructed nature "reality" and the social effects of language, but are never the less distinct in…