Introduction: Genre analysis is an approach to study communication patterns and thus it can be applied to the specific context of meetings. This research investigates the use of genre analysis in the design of electronic meeting systems. Background: The primary goal of genre analysis is to understand how virtual communities use digital…

This paper describes the means by which an in-house evaluation for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) was constructed to facilitate communication among different levels of the agency. The VDOT underwent a decentralization process, beginning in 1986, under the direction of a decentralization committee. In early 1989, a qualitative…

Focusing on the benefits derived from using plain English in business and technical writing, this document summarizes the presentations at a forum of Better Business Bureau council members. Titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "English: Number One Language of Business" (W. H. Tankersley); (2) "What Is Plain…

An employer survey was designed and conducted to assess the availability of employment opportunities for individuals holding a master's degree in Corporate and Professional Communication within the primary geographic area of Radford University, Virginia. Surveys were mailed to 5,004 companies and organizations categorized as follows: (1)…

A guide to mutual gains bargaining (MGB) is presented for faculty union leaders and college administrators, as well as school systems. MGB is based on applied behavioral sciences concepts and the use of bargaining teams and emphasizes problem-solving and improving communications and campus relationships. Two different uses of the mutual gains…

Research on sex differences in communication has produced mixed and contradictory results. An erroneous overlap exists between self reports of male-female behaviors, others' reports of perceived behaviors, and stereotyped projections based on social conditioning. The solution to this confusion in gender communication research may be triangulation,…

Noting the call for research that links argument theory with negotiation, this paper examines the nature and function of argument negotiation in current organizational bargaining research theories. Five perspectives are extrapolated to define "argument" and demonstrate how different viewpoints can affect understanding of the negotiation…

The environment or climate of a school is determined by more than its physical characteristics. Among the other factors affecting school environment are the school's philosophy, students, communications, teachers, discipline, parents, support services, issuance of awards, and special programs. A positive school environment can be fostered by…

Educational policy research has yet to account for the movement and manifestations of federal and state policies in local school districts. In an effort to describe and explain major consequences of policy, this study examines the policy ingression process (the movement of policy in the form of statute and regulation from the district…

This chapter focuses on the need for a revised relationship between schools and the courts through the concept of preventive law. The chapter reviews court cases and presents an overview of conflict resolution models and strategies for reducing litigation. Preventive law assumes that greater use of its strategies affords a lesser need for conflict…

This essay discusses collective bargaining at a small college in Illinois. After a historical review of the conditions in the 1960s that gave rise to collective bargaining units in higher education, recent alternatives and adjustments to the bargaining process are presented, as typified in the recent experience of Carl Sandburg College in…

This pamphlet discusses group problem solving in schools. Its point of departure is that teachers go at problems from a number of different directions and that principals need to capitalize on those differences and bring a whole range of skills and perceptions to the problem-solving process. Rather than trying to get everyone to think alike,…

The first of a projected series of three studies addressing the differing organizational contexts of the special education director's work and the resulting consequences, this investigation examined the work of a special education director in a "staff" position with respect to the consequences to the district at this organizational…

Very little has been written in the area of the application of structured or planned groups in college settings, particularly in making a direct connection between theories of college-student development and the use of groups to facilitate and encourage that development. Information is provided in this book for all in higher education who are…

A number of studies consistently identify the importance of communication skills, both oral and written, as vital to employability. Speech communication departments, however, have been slow either in responding to industry's needs or in informing students of the high correlation between communication skills and employability. Some of the possible…