This study is an attempt to evaluate the Business Writing course at North Texas State College and to determine whether the course as it is now presented meets the needs and desires of the students.

Thesis (M.Com. (Development Theory and Policy))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic and Business Sciences, 2016. / Many ICT projects continue to fail despite the use of established projects methods and techniques as the proper communication systems required for successful project outcomes have been lacking. It is generally believed that the adoption and diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) makes a contribution to a nation‟s economic and sustainable development. The explosion of social media is changing the way we communicate and therefore the processes involving project management information systems. Research shows that as technology usage lags, so does per capita income, skills development and productivity. Despite much global literature that relates to the failure of ICT projects, what is absent from the literature is knowledge of the relative contribution of different factors to ICT project success in the South African context. This study sought to address this absence. From a review of the literature on social media tools and knowledge sharing and reuse, four propositions relating the use of social media and adoption of certain knowledge management practices to the success of ICT projects were generated about the likely impact of these variables on ICT project performance. The research study was conducted over twenty-month effort. Both qualitative and quantitative data were obtained. The qualitative study based on a grounded theory analysis of ICT professionals, derived propositions that were tested empirically. Bivariate correlation analysis, multiple linear regressions and multiple hierarchical regression analyses were applied. Results indicated that knowledge management adoption mediates the relationship between social media usage and ICT project cost performance. Additionally project type was found to play a moderating role in the relationship between knowledge management and project performance. Implications for practice and theory are discussed.

Esta dissertação busca compreender como e porque as marcas utilizam referências históricas e narrativas passadas em suas estratégias presentes, e qual o impacto desta prática na relação com seus consumidores. Para isso, recorremos primeiramente às teorias pós-modernas, que justificam essa tendência como uma resposta à atual carência de afeto e relacionamento das pessoas. A dificuldade cada vez maior de construir laços efetivos com outros indivíduos faz com que o homem procure estes valores em outras instâncias, como no consumo e nas marcas, que se revestem, cada vez mais, de referenciais emocionais. Além das estratégias tradicionais de preservação e disseminação da memória empresarial - como Centros de Memória e Museus Corporativos -, observamos a presença de um conceito novo, a pseudo-história, narrativa fictícia criada por empresas recentes, com o objetivo de criar um \"passado mitológico\" para a organização e criar uma atmosfera de encantamento para seus públicos. A pseudo-história envolve a presença de um herói fictício (o fundador da empresa), que vive uma jornada épica até a fundação do negócio. Por meio de uma pesquisa quantitativa com os consumidores da Hollister - organização que utiliza a pseudo-história como estratégia - buscamos compreender como esta narrativa é percebida e recebida pelos seus clientes. / This dissertation analyzes how and why brands use historical references and narratives in their contemporary strategies, and the impact this practice has in relation to its consumers. To achieve this objective, we first analyzed postmodern theories that support this trend as a response to the current lack of affection and relationship between people. The increasing difficulty of building effective links with other individuals makes one look for these values in other contextes, such as in consumption and brands - which are trying to communicate emotional references. In addition to the traditional strategies of preservation and dissemination of corporate memory - as Centers of Memory and Corporate Museums - we observed the existence of a new concept, the pseudo-story, a fictional narrative developed by new companies, with the goal of creating a \"mythological past\" for the organization and an atmosphere of enchantment for their audiences. The pseudo-story involves the presence of a fictional hero (often the founder) who experiences an epic journey in the process of founding the business. Through quantitative research with consumers of Hollister - an organization that uses pseudo-history as a strategy - we seek to understand how this narrative is perceived and received by its customers.

This study was designed to determine the general volume of multi-image production in Dallas County, Texas from 1979 through 1981 as categorized by: the presentation, number of projectors utilized, and by relevant aspects of presentation with analysis of 85 respondents. The questionnaire yielded 633 variables in the computer analysis. The study revealed significant growth in multi-image production with the 1981 total being more than twice the 1979 total. 1988 consensus indicates that the multi-image use is dictated by the business climate. Having been adopted initially, it is retained by those who find it effective and a suitable medium for larger screens.

Today’s business and IT systems have strongly focused on effective communication. The communication based on poor foundation might create huge communication problems for the system designer and user. These communication problems have a severe impact on the efficiency of information system and most importantly when it comes to the building of a new information system through co design process. For any business organization, IT plays a huge role these days. Although this is not given much emphasis sometimes, it is important to understand that the use of IT in business cannot be taken for granted because it is viewed as part of business organization these days. The business needs to continuously make investments in their IT systems. This will not only help the organization, but the industry as a whole. Effective communication is extremely important for business and IT systems now-a-days. With the help of this particular thesis, the importance of effective communication would have been reflected accordingly. The purpose of this research is therefore to analyze the communication problem between the designer and user during co-design mainly in the field of business and information technology and to create an understanding for how it is possible to create a better communication between the different parties in system development through co-design. Research can also be classified on the basis of the structure of the problem to be solved into exploratory, descriptive and casual research. The research can be regarded as exploratory research because large amounts of data can be gathered from the past researches and literature. Exploratory research explores the parameters of the problems in order to identify what should be measured and how best to undertake a study. In this research the qualitative data is gathered through detailed interviews and literature review. This helps in better understanding through words. Data is generated through the method of triangulation. The results will be presented using detailed analysis of data gathered from interviews and the analysis of theoretical part. It is a very challenging task to meet the changing needs of the business world. Designing effective information technology for this purpose is also very challenging. The co-design of business and IT systems has a lot of benefits for the organizations. The information technology is basically used to support business and its functions. Therefore it is extremely important that the information technology is aligned with the business processes. It should be considered as a part of the business and should not be designed independently. Effective Communication is important for managers in the companies in order to perform the fundamental management functions, i.e., Planning, Leading, Organizing, and Controlling. Communication facilitates managers to execute their jobs as well as responsibilities. Communication provides a foundation for planning. All the vital information should be communicated to the managers who consecutively should communicate the plans in order to apply them. Organizing also needs efficient communication with others regarding their job task. Hence, we can say that “effective communication is a basic element of successful business”. In other words, communication works as blood of organization. Strong literature review as well as strong capabilities towards research methodology and analytical part will certainly enhances the productivity of this thesis and will furnish good understandings among the readers. / Program: Masterutbildning i Informatik

Esta dissertação busca uma reflexão crítica sobre a comunicação nas relações de trabalho no contexto da comunicação organizacional no Brasil. A partir de investigações preliminares sobre esta área de conhecimento, notamos que suas discussões a respeito desta temática apresentavam poucas análises críticas apoiadas nos aspectos que tem configurado as transformações contemporâneas no mundo do trabalho. Este cenário despertou nosso interesse em compreender como determinados estudiosos, bem como a Associação Brasileira de Comunicação Empresarial (ABERJE), ambos considerados vozes representativas da área, concebem as relações entre organizações e trabalhadores por meio da comunicação. Com base neste objetivo principal, desenvolvemos esta dissertação, em suma, seguindo duas etapas de nosso percurso metodológico. A primeira refere-se às análises de certas vozes autorais significativas para a área da comunicação organizacional. Já a segunda contempla análises da revista Comunicação Empresarial publicada pela associação. As análises deste periódico foram balizadas, em grande parte, pelos estudos do campo da sociologia do trabalho, cujas discussões nos possibilitaram entender as distintas modificações concernentes ao mundo do trabalho. Finalmente, constatamos, em especial, que a área da comunicação organizacional, a partir do seu pensamento hegemônico calcado na gestão estratégica, apresenta interesses orientados a planejar estratégias de comunicação que possam auxiliar as tentativas de organizações em mobilizar a subjetividade do trabalhador, buscando incorporá-lo à própria racionalidade das organizações. / This dissertation seeks a critical reflection on the communication in working relationships in the context of organizational communication in Brazil. Beginning with the preliminary investigations on this field of knowledge, we noticed that discussions about this subject have not expressed enough analyses supported by aspects that form contemporary transformations in the world of work. This scenario proposes an understanding: how certain scholars, and the Brazilian Association for Business Communication (ABERJE), both considered representative voices from this field, comprehend the relationships between organizations and workers through communication. From this main objective, we developed this dissertation, in short, in two steps. First, we analysed important voices of scholars from field of organizational communication. Second, we analysed the magazine published by ABERJE. This analysis of the magazine have been supported by studies of sociology of work; it help us to understand changes about the world of work. Finally, we verified that the field of organizational communication, from its hegemonic thinking based on strategic management, tries to plan communication strategies that can help organizations in their attempts to mobilize the subjectivity of the worker to rationality of organizations.

Det är sedan länge konstaterat att intern kommunikation har stor betydelse för företagets framgång. Syftet med att kommunicera intern ekonomiinformation är att redogöra för den ekonomiska situationen samt att ge en bild av företagets framtida utveckling. En viktig faktor med intern ekonomiinformation är att skapa målöverenstämmelse. Företag upplever ofta kommunikationsproblem och svårigheter med att nå ut med intern information. Det uppstår barriärer i kommunikationen mellan sändare och mottagare, vilket orsakar att budskapet inte når fram. Företag med hierarkisk struktur med flera ledningsskikt tenderar att uppvisa sämre kommunikation jämfört med mindre företag. Syftet med studien är att identifiera organisationsbetingade barriärer som kan uppstå i kommunikationen av intern ekonomisk information mellan vd -mellanchef -medarbetare i ett storthierarkisktföretag. Genom undersökning av kommunikationsprocessen ämnar studien att urskilja barriärerna samt ge förslag på hur dessa kan överbryggas. Studien har även för avsikt att utröna vad som fordras för att intern ekonomiinformation ska få en målöverensstämmande verkan.För att svara på syftet utfördes en fallstudie av kvalitativ karaktär. Intervjuer genomfördes med utgångspunkt i en teoretisk kommunikationsmodell som sedan låg till grund för analysen. Resultatet visar att otillräckliga ekonomikunskaper, skilda ekonomikunskaper mellan sändare och mottagare, tidsbristsamtför mycket eller för lite ekonomiinformation är barriärer som kan uppstå. Resultatet visar även att det fordras att informationen som kommuniceras är anpassad så att den är relevant och lätt att förstå för mottagaren för att den ska verka målöverensstämmande. För att överbrygga dessa barriärer rekommenderas att företag erbjuder kompetensutveckling och att sändaren av informationen skapar sig en uppfattning både om mottagarens kunskapsnivå och informationsbehov för att sedan anpassa informationen efter det. Slutligen är det viktigt att göra en prioritering av hur arbetstiden ska fördelas, så att det ges tillräckligt med tid till kommunikation av ekonomiinformation. Ett förslag till vidare forskning är att inrikta undersökningen mot individbetingade barriärer som kan uppkomma i kommunikationen av intern ekonomisk information. / For a long time it has beenestablished that internal communication is of great importance for business success. The purpose of communicating internal financial information is to describe the financial situation and to give a picture of the company's future development. An important factor with internal financial information is to create goal congruence. Companies often experience communication problems and difficulties in reaching out with internal information. It occurs barriers in communication between the sender and the receiver, causing the message not getting through. Companies with hierarchical structure with multiple management layers tend to show poorer communication compared to smaller companies. The purpose of the study is to identify organizational barriers that may arise in the communication of internal financial information between the CEO -middle manager -employees in a largehierarchicalcompany. Through examination of the communication process, the study intends to distinguish the barriers and give suggestions on how these can be bridged. The study also intends to determine what is required for internal financial information to have a goal congruence effect. To answer the purpose, a case study of qualitative character was performed. Interviews were conducted on the basis of a theoretical communication model which formed the base for the analysis. The result shows that insufficient financial knowledge, different financial knowledge between sender and receiver, lack of timeandtoo much or too little financial information are barriers that can arise. The result also shows that the information which is communicated should necessarily be adapted to become relevant and easy to understand for the receiver in order to work goal congruently. To overcome these barriers, it is recommended that companies provide competence development and that the sender of the information creates an understandingof boththe receiver’s knowledge level and information needs in order to adapt the information accordingly. Finally, it is important to prioritize how working hours should be distributed, so sufficient time is provided for communication of financial information. A proposal for further research is to focus the study on individual-related barriers that may arise in the communication of internal financial information.

<p>The purpose of the thesis is to study Swedes who live in Australia about their thoughts concerning differences between the cultures and their communication styles in the following four areas; Power Distance, Masculinity verses Femininity, Affective verses Neutral, and Time.</p><p>I have chosen a qualitative approach for this study. My research is based on 10 telephone interviews; conducted with Swedes who work for various companies in Australia.</p><p>My theoretical chapter includes theories in the field of communication science and culture. Four scientists’ theories are explained; William B. Gudykunst's Anxiety /Uncertainty Management theory, Edward Hall’s High-and Low-context theory, Geert Hofstede’s national culture theory, and Fons Trompenaars’ culture business theory.</p><p>My research concludes that there are some main differences between the Swedish and Australian culture and between Swedes’ and Australians’ communication style. My research shows that Sweden is a low-power distance, feminine and neutral culture. While Australia is a higher power-distance, masculine and more affective culture, compared to Sweden. My study also confirmed that the time aspect is not as flexible communicated in Sweden as it is in Australia. All these culture differences are reflected in the cultures’ communication style. For example, Swedes are characterized by a team-oriented, open and equal communication style, whereas Australians use a more hierarchical, assertive and unilateral communication style. While group discussions, personal responsibility, and a high flow of information are common in Sweden, Australia is more characterized by delegation and protectiveness of territories, authority, and information flow.</p>

The purpose of the thesis is to study Swedes who live in Australia about their thoughts concerning differences between the cultures and their communication styles in the following four areas; Power Distance, Masculinity verses Femininity, Affective verses Neutral, and Time. I have chosen a qualitative approach for this study. My research is based on 10 telephone interviews; conducted with Swedes who work for various companies in Australia. My theoretical chapter includes theories in the field of communication science and culture. Four scientists’ theories are explained; William B. Gudykunst's Anxiety /Uncertainty Management theory, Edward Hall’s High-and Low-context theory, Geert Hofstede’s national culture theory, and Fons Trompenaars’ culture business theory. My research concludes that there are some main differences between the Swedish and Australian culture and between Swedes’ and Australians’ communication style. My research shows that Sweden is a low-power distance, feminine and neutral culture. While Australia is a higher power-distance, masculine and more affective culture, compared to Sweden. My study also confirmed that the time aspect is not as flexible communicated in Sweden as it is in Australia. All these culture differences are reflected in the cultures’ communication style. For example, Swedes are characterized by a team-oriented, open and equal communication style, whereas Australians use a more hierarchical, assertive and unilateral communication style. While group discussions, personal responsibility, and a high flow of information are common in Sweden, Australia is more characterized by delegation and protectiveness of territories, authority, and information flow.

Nella dissertazione si intende indagare il problema delle varietà della lingua tedesca, con particolare attenzione alla loro percezione da parte di parlanti provenienti dai tre centri principali, la Germania, l'Austria e la Svizzera. Le istituzioni di questi Paesi hanno avvertito la necessità di fissare le particolarità linguistiche attraverso grammatiche, dizionari, glossari. La trattazione ha inizio con una breve descrizione dello sviluppo del concetto di testo e dell'insorgere della sua consapevolezza negli studi linguistici. In seguito, si introducono la tipologia testuale e la componente culturale, con considerazioni sui molti approcci e scopi attraverso i quali entrambi i fenomeni sono stati affrontati nelle discipline più disparate, per giungere a collocare in modo più puntuale l'evoluzione dell'interesse per il pluricentrismo nella lingua tedesca. L'ipotesi più accreditata presso gli esperti è che la varietà di appartenenza venga segnalata sul piano lessicale, sintattico, grammaticale e pragmatico. Infine, si descrivono i risultati che un semplice sondaggio sulla comprensione di testi del settore assicurativo hanno evidenziato e li si confronteranno con quanto riportato dai dizionari di riferimento che fanno parte del codice delle varietà. / The dissertation investigates the problem of the German varieties, and in particular how a text is perceived by native speakers coming from its three main linguistic centres, namely Germany, Austria and Switzerland, where the institutions have felt the need to fix the different characteristics of their own variety in dictionaries, grammars and glossaries. The first Chapter is devoted to the development of the concept of textuality in linguistics. Chapter two considers some of the various approaches to text typology and culture in the different disciplines to introduce the question of pluricentricity in German. The hypothesis generally supported by the main scholars is that the varieties are signalled at the lexical, syntactic, pragmatic and grammar levels. The last chapter deals with the results of the interviews about the comprehension of some insurance texts and compare them to the dictionaries acknowledged in the code of the three varieties.