Defining small talk as "superficial talk about matters of little concern," a study examined the role of small talk in the work place. Subjects, 51 white collar workers and clerical employees at three corporations, an Eastern state university, and two small businesses completed a questionnaire concerning the following questions: (1) What…

A study examined how age and the period of adolescence affect communication satisfaction and other organizational variables. Psychological and sociological profiles suggest that there should be differences between three age groups: "Traditionalist," individuals whose adolescence took place during the late 1950s; "New Breed,"…

Focusing on the analysis of communication networks within organizations with an eye toward implications for study of external communication, this paper (1) develops a systems theory/communication view of the nature of formal organizations, (2) illustrates the notion of holistic organizational communication networks in organizations which include…

A practical process for developing or improving student recruitment programs for Catholic schools is presented in this handbook. Planning for and preparing the recruitment program is discussed in the first half of the document. The booklet reviews the process of assessing the school, its program, and its image; identifying the financial, material,…

A need exists for development of communication competence as a part of management. Although public relations literature has dealt with the nature of management counseling and when and why it should be practiced, the literature has not clearly defined the importance of audience analysis, location of the management counseling sessions, and…

To assess the pervasiveness of quality circles in American corporations, as well as to ascertain perceptions of their impact in terms of various organizational outcomes, a 45-item questionnaire was mailed to personnel directors of the Fortune 500 corporations. Some time after the initial mailing, a follow-up mailing was executed to maximize the…

Questionnaires were mailed to 261 agencies involved in public relations and publicity services, 56 agencies involved in advertising, and public relations directors of 183 corporations and other nonagency organizations in order to determine the knowledge and skill areas important to agency and organizational public relations employers. In an effort…

A study investigated relationships between subordinate perceptions of the communication competence of self and supervisor, and subordinate perceptions of supervisor and work satisfaction. The hypotheses were the following: (1) subordinates' satisfaction with their supervisors will vary as a function of their perceptions of their supervisors'…

In response to the current intensified public interest in education, some professional organizations have undertaken to draft public policy responses. These responses are constrained by a variety of issues. When practitioner task forces analyze policy under time constraints, they face issues in policy definition, and the definition used affects…

A study examined the effect of social style training on the workers of a state agency in the midwest. The Social Style Training Workshop was a half-day session designed to provide participants with an assessment of their social style as perceived by their coworkers. In addition, participants examined the meaning of various social styles, their…

One section of a spring 1979 Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) survey on communication in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions examined how members exchange information with external groups including the university administration, faculty, users, support groups, other libraries, and the profession in general. According…

This field study suggests that there exists a direct relationship between an organizational culture and the conflict resolution communication approaches used within the organization. A collegiate greek lettered organization was chosen for study due to the strong identity such organizations generally promote. The organizational culture is defined…

Although most speech communication writers view coercion as negative, coercion is a legitimate form of influence used as often in open societies--and more often within organizations--as persuasion. Where coercion is the influence means of habit or choice, a clear conception of its nature will increase its effectiveness; and a clear conception will…

To determine the most effective communication style for women in management, a study examined which of three power/gender speech strategies--stereotypical feminine (powerless), stereotypical masculine (powerful), and mixed stereotypical masculine/stereotypical feminine--was perceived most effective for a male or female when communicating with a…

This report provides the specifications for a bibliographic format which is a detailed and structured method for recording a number of mandatory and optional data elements in a computer-readable bibliographic record for exchange purposes between two or more computer-based systems. The specifications are designed to permit local designers to devise…