本研究旨在瞭解台灣地區大學生社會焦慮的現況，並探討影響社會焦慮的相關因素；其次，探討社會焦慮對溝通行為造成之影響;最後，再探討影響溝通行為之相關因素。 本研究取樣對象為台灣地區公私立大學院校學生，有效樣本共計572人(男生274人，女生298人)。所採用的研究工具包括「互動焦慮量表」、「外表知覺量表」、「依附風格量表」、「目標導向量表」、「間接談話風格量表」和「溝通滿意度量表」六種。研究中所使用的統計方法包括皮爾森積差相關、單因子多變量變異數分析和典型相關。 本研究的主要結果如下： 一．社會焦慮的現況方面： 大學生的社會焦慮接近中等程度，大學生表示在一般社會互動情境中最容易感到害羞、不自在；其次，與權威人物互動時會感到相當程度的焦慮;而在陌生情境則會感到有點焦慮。 二．性別、依附風格、外表知覺及目標導向與社會焦慮之關係： (一)男生的陌生情境焦慮顯著高於女生;女生則比男生更容易在社會情境中感到緊張、不自在。 (二)逃避型與焦慮矛盾型的大學生顯著比安全型的大學生更容易感到社會焦慮。 (三)大學生外表知覺中的「性感魅力」、「外表自評」與社會焦慮之負相關最高。 (四)大學生目標導向中的「成長取向」、「証明取向」與社會焦慮中的「緊張彆扭」之負相關最高。 　三．社會焦慮與間接談話風格、溝通滿意度之關係： (一)大學生的社會焦慮與間接談話風格之關係：「緊張彆扭」與「間接詮釋」之負相關最高；而「權威人物焦慮」、「陌生情境焦慮」與「間接表達」之間呈正相關。 (二)大學生的社會焦慮與溝通滿意度有顯著的負相關，其中「陌生情境焦慮」、「緊張彆扭」與「對談話整體性的滿意反應」之負相關最高。 四．性別、依附風格、外表知覺及目標導向與間接談話風格、溝通滿意度之關係： (一)性別在溝通行為上之差異：男生顯著地比女生更常使用間接談話風格；而女生的溝通滿意度顯著高於男生。 (二)依附風格在溝通行為上之差異：逃避型與焦慮矛盾型顯著地比安全型的大學生更常用間接的方式來表達；其溝通滿意度也顯著低於安全型的大學生。 (三)外表知覺與溝通行為之關係：「外表對人際之影響」、「外表對事業之影響」與間接談話風格呈顯著的正相關；「外表自評」、「性感魅力」、「重視外表」與「對談話整體性的滿意反應」之正相關最高。 (四)目標導向與溝通行為之關係：「証明取向」、「成長取向」與「間接詮釋」之正相關最高；「成長取向」、「証明取向」與「對談話整體性的滿意反應」、「自由互動」之正相關最高。 　五．大學生的依附風格、外表知覺及目標導向與社會焦慮、間接談話風格、溝通滿意度之間共可抽出四組顯著的典型相關。 本研究根據上述結果加以討論，並提出若干建議以供未來研究及教育與輔導工作之參考。 / The first purpose of this study was to assess the degree of social anxiety of college students in Taiwan. The second purpose was to investigate how gender, attachment style, physical attractiveness and goal orientation approach related to social anxiety. The third purpose was to study how social anxiety influences style of language use and communication satisfaction. The Chinese versions of the Interaction and Social Anxiousness Scale (Leary, 1983), Attachment Scale (Mikulincer, 1990), Goal Orientation Inventory (Dykman, 1998), Physical Attractiveness Inventory (Wu & Liu, 1994), Conversational Indirectness Scale (Holtgraves, 1997), and Interpersonal Communication Satisfaction Inventory (Hecht, 1978) were administered to 572 college students from 13 universities in Taiwan. The results supported most hypotheses. College students’ social anxiety was of moderate degree, but significantly higher than the American samples reported in Leary’s study (1983). There was no difference between males and females on overall social anxiety; however, males were more anxious in meeting strangers and females felt more uncomfortable in social situation. In comparison with secure students, both avoidant and anxious-ambivalent students were significantly more socially anxious. The more students perceived themselves to be physically unattractive, the more socially anxious they felt. Both growth-seeking and validation-seeking goal orientation approaches were negatively correlated with social anxiety. The study also found that social anxiety was positively and significantly correlated with indirectness of conversation, but negatively and significantly correlated with interpersonal communication satisfaction.

This researcher investigates the role of communication satisfaction in job satisfaction in the Department of Communications, a government policy-making institution that deals with post, telecommunications, and broadcasting services in South Africa. This study describes communication satisfaction as the overall degree of satisfaction an employee perceives in his total communication environment and job satisfaction as the degree of satisfaction the individual feels with his job. Focus groups are used to explore the role of communication satisfaction in job satisfaction in the Department of Communications because they are appropriate and suitable in capturing the discussions reflecting emotions, particularly uncovering individuals' feelings about their environment. The emphasis is on finding out how communication motivates and makes employees satisfied in their jobs. Qualitative content analysis, based on transcriptions from audiotapes, is used for interpretation and analysis of the data. These transcnptions reflect the descriptive nature of the data and people's own spoken words. / Communication Science / M. A. (Communication)

This study explores the contribution of communication on organisational commitment within the Cenacle of Salvation Church. Religious institutions are increasing at a speedy rate and their employees are also increasing, it is therefore, important to explore areas of employee wellness such as commitment in these institutes. Through a mixed method research within the Cenacle of Salvation Church in Lesotho, the study exploredcommunication as a contributing factor to organisationalcommitment. Allen and Meyer’s model (1991) of organisational commitment does not include communication as one of its elements, this is the gap the study aimed to fill. Interviews and surveys were conducted, and the study found that communication within the church is very effective, different communication methods are used in the church to keep employees abreast and this enhances their commitment. The study also foundthat communication strategies such as feedback play a major role in influencing organisational commitment.Therefore, it can be said that communication is a contributing factor to organisational commitment.Nonetheless,the study recommends that the church keeps up with the latest technological media and communication channels to further enhance employee satisfaction with the communication in the church and thereby remain committed. The study further recommends thatcommunication interventions and workshops should be expanded internationally sothat the church can learn from other international churches regarding waysused to keep their employees more motivated and committed through communication. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication Science)

No description available.

The purpose of the study was to identify and transform, as necessary, constructs of communication satisfaction and to develop a hybrid quantitative audit of organisational communication satisfaction for collectivist contexts that is both reliable and valid, using Amos Graphics for structural equation modelling. The objective was also to develop a full latent variable model and to test its fitness to the data collected from a random sample of civil servants across Addis Ababa’s civil service bureaus. The study comprised three sequential parts, namely pilot, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (Main Study One) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (Main Study Two). These were used as per the existing framework in instrument development and validation. The pilot study indicated the need for more robust data. After a series of tests, principal factor axis factoring with oblique rotation was used as the most appropriate for perceptual data, out of several options on the EFA menu. The initially hypothesised six-factor solution with the dimensions of horizontal communication, personal feedback, supervisory communication, communication climate, relational trust and job satisfaction was found to be unfit for the data on conceptual and statistical grounds and psychometric analyses which involved the use of eigenvalues and the scree plot. A more appropriate two-factor solution based on the more precise parallel analysis strategy was consistent with current research that communication satisfaction is best conceptualised in terms of informational and relational domains as operationalised using the EFA procedure. The two-factor solution led to the formation of a 17-item scale out of the original 30-item measure, with two latent dimensions namely relational satisfaction and informational satisfaction. The items of the new EFA-generated organisational communication satisfaction scale were renumbered consecutively and the scale was cross-validated on a xiv new sample of 288 civil servants from the Addis Ababa City Administration. The cross-validation necessitated model respecification and re-estimation. The respecified model underwent validation at different levels. All seven aspects of validity, namely content validity, construct validity, factorial validity, reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity and nomological validity, were addressed and found to be adequate. However limitations are also indicated as avenues for further enquiry. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)

M.A. (Health Studies) / The purpose of this study was to explore and describe communication effectiveness and communication satisfaction experienced by professional nurses in selected public health care services. Quantitative, explorative and descriptive research was conducted to determine the communication effectiveness and levels of communication satisfaction. The Downs and Adrian (2004) structured questionnaire was adapted and used to collect the data. The study population consisted of three groups of professional nurses, namely nurse managers (n=18), operational managers (n=22) and professional nurses (n=90). The study highlighted areas of effective and ineffective communication, as well as areas of communication satisfaction and dissatisfaction, among professional nurses. The findings revealed that although professional nurses are satisfied with their supervisor-subordinate communication, they are dissatisfied with personal feedback between all categories of professional nurses. Recommendations for the improvement of the communication effectiveness and communication satisfaction of professional nurses are aimed at creating an organisational atmosphere conducive to two-way communication. / Health Studies

After facing the economic recession, the South–African and global business sectors started revaluating their human capital and the positions they represent within an organisation. Each individual now had to prove that they contributed towards the organisation’s bottom line, as each and every cent had to be counted and accounted for. Some functions within organisations could easily prove their contribution towards the bottom line by providing production or sales outputs. The public relations practitioners and the corporate communication efforts they offered, however, faced a bleak future, as their contribution towards the tangible assets was very rarely recognised (Kim, 2000:276). The financial services sector however, in which an advisor’s contribution towards the organisational bottom line is easily quantified, started to acknowledge the need for this sector to improve upon its ‘softer’ intangible assets such as client communication and client relationships. The sector believes that communication establishes relationships, and sound client relationships is the only way to sell financial products and services, as people seldom entrust their life earnings or financial dreams to strangers (Christiansen & DeVaney, 1998:7). Public relations practitioners know how to use communication optimally in the quest for building client relationships, and financial services need those skills in order to sell their products and contribute towards the bottom line. These two functions could thus work together towards the achievement of their goals - public relations to prove their bottom line contribution, and the financial services sector towards improving client relationships. These statements led to the general Research Question of this study: “What is the nature of the relationship between (i) corporate communication efforts, (ii) client communication satisfaction and (iii) client relationship satisfaction, and these concepts’ relationship to (iv) client economic contribution, within a financial services organisation?” This Research Question is answered from the systems theory as meta–theory with the support of the strategic communication, excellence and relationship management theories, and Futurum Financial Group (FFG) services as the financial services organisation for this study. A qualitative and quantitative research approach was followed to establish the constructs, and the relationships between the constructs. The Financial Advisors and public relations practitioner in FFG have a good understanding of the need for strategic communication efforts, and a relationship between their efforts and the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction could therefore be indicated. A further relationship between the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction and the client economic contribution was also established. Recommendations to improve the situation within FFG included a better focus on database administration, corporate communication consistency, Financial Advisor diligence, and providing clients with more frequent updates regarding their financial situation. The greatest strengths were client–advisor trust and corporate communication professionalism. This study thus contributes to the argument that communication efforts add tangibly, by means of client economic contribution, to the organisation’s bottom line, within the financial services industry. The study furthermore provides some recommendations for the financial services industry to improve their communication skills in order to build client relationships. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

After facing the economic recession, the South–African and global business sectors started revaluating their human capital and the positions they represent within an organisation. Each individual now had to prove that they contributed towards the organisation’s bottom line, as each and every cent had to be counted and accounted for. Some functions within organisations could easily prove their contribution towards the bottom line by providing production or sales outputs. The public relations practitioners and the corporate communication efforts they offered, however, faced a bleak future, as their contribution towards the tangible assets was very rarely recognised (Kim, 2000:276). The financial services sector however, in which an advisor’s contribution towards the organisational bottom line is easily quantified, started to acknowledge the need for this sector to improve upon its ‘softer’ intangible assets such as client communication and client relationships. The sector believes that communication establishes relationships, and sound client relationships is the only way to sell financial products and services, as people seldom entrust their life earnings or financial dreams to strangers (Christiansen & DeVaney, 1998:7). Public relations practitioners know how to use communication optimally in the quest for building client relationships, and financial services need those skills in order to sell their products and contribute towards the bottom line. These two functions could thus work together towards the achievement of their goals - public relations to prove their bottom line contribution, and the financial services sector towards improving client relationships. These statements led to the general Research Question of this study: “What is the nature of the relationship between (i) corporate communication efforts, (ii) client communication satisfaction and (iii) client relationship satisfaction, and these concepts’ relationship to (iv) client economic contribution, within a financial services organisation?” This Research Question is answered from the systems theory as meta–theory with the support of the strategic communication, excellence and relationship management theories, and Futurum Financial Group (FFG) services as the financial services organisation for this study. A qualitative and quantitative research approach was followed to establish the constructs, and the relationships between the constructs. The Financial Advisors and public relations practitioner in FFG have a good understanding of the need for strategic communication efforts, and a relationship between their efforts and the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction could therefore be indicated. A further relationship between the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction and the client economic contribution was also established. Recommendations to improve the situation within FFG included a better focus on database administration, corporate communication consistency, Financial Advisor diligence, and providing clients with more frequent updates regarding their financial situation. The greatest strengths were client–advisor trust and corporate communication professionalism. This study thus contributes to the argument that communication efforts add tangibly, by means of client economic contribution, to the organisation’s bottom line, within the financial services industry. The study furthermore provides some recommendations for the financial services industry to improve their communication skills in order to build client relationships. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe communication effectiveness and communication satisfaction experienced by professional nurses in selected public health care services. Quantitative, explorative and descriptive research was conducted to determine the communication effectiveness and levels of communication satisfaction. The Downs and Adrian (2004) structured questionnaire was adapted and used to collect the data. The study population consisted of three groups of professional nurses, namely nurse managers (n=18), operational managers (n=22) and professional nurses (n=90). The study highlighted areas of effective and ineffective communication, as well as areas of communication satisfaction and dissatisfaction, among professional nurses. The findings revealed that although professional nurses are satisfied with their supervisor-subordinate communication, they are dissatisfied with personal feedback between all categories of professional nurses. Recommendations for the improvement of the communication effectiveness and communication satisfaction of professional nurses are aimed at creating an organisational atmosphere conducive to two-way communication. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The purpose of the study was to identify and transform, as necessary, constructs of communication satisfaction and to develop a hybrid quantitative audit of organisational communication satisfaction for collectivist contexts that is both reliable and valid, using Amos Graphics for structural equation modelling. The objective was also to develop a full latent variable model and to test its fitness to the data collected from a random sample of civil servants across Addis Ababa’s civil service bureaus. The study comprised three sequential parts, namely pilot, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (Main Study One) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (Main Study Two). These were used as per the existing framework in instrument development and validation. The pilot study indicated the need for more robust data. After a series of tests, principal factor axis factoring with oblique rotation was used as the most appropriate for perceptual data, out of several options on the EFA menu. The initially hypothesised six-factor solution with the dimensions of horizontal communication, personal feedback, supervisory communication, communication climate, relational trust and job satisfaction was found to be unfit for the data on conceptual and statistical grounds and psychometric analyses which involved the use of eigenvalues and the scree plot. A more appropriate two-factor solution based on the more precise parallel analysis strategy was consistent with current research that communication satisfaction is best conceptualised in terms of informational and relational domains as operationalised using the EFA procedure. The two-factor solution led to the formation of a 17-item scale out of the original 30-item measure, with two latent dimensions namely relational satisfaction and informational satisfaction. The items of the new EFA-generated organisational communication satisfaction scale were renumbered consecutively and the scale was cross-validated on a xiv new sample of 288 civil servants from the Addis Ababa City Administration. The cross-validation necessitated model respecification and re-estimation. The respecified model underwent validation at different levels. All seven aspects of validity, namely content validity, construct validity, factorial validity, reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity and nomological validity, were addressed and found to be adequate. However limitations are also indicated as avenues for further enquiry. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)