Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wyoming, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on August 3, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 78-89).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Pennsylvania State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [232]-243). Also available online via the Pennsylvania State University's Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archives website (http://etda.libraries.psu.edu/).

Les « crises financières internationales » sont des événements forts qui remettent en cause l’ordre du secteur financier tout en impactant le reste de la société, notamment aux niveaux économique (baisse des crédits par exemple) et social (chômage par exemple). Elles présentent donc l’intérêt de situer clairement les valeurs et les normes que l’État et ses représentants défendent lorsque ceux-ci communiquent sur ces « crises ». Notre recherche s’appuie sur les activités de communication des membres de l’exécutif (les ministres et le Président de la République) pendant le « krach boursier de 1987 », la « crise asiatique de 1997-1998 » et la « crise des subprimes de 2007-2008 ». Il existe en effet un lien symbolique entre les activités de communication des membres de l’exécutif et la communication de l’État. Les ministres et le Président sont légitimes pour incarner l’État et le faire agir au travers de leurs activités communicationnelles. À partir de ce lien, il est possible de comprendre le rôle de la communication de l’État pendant une « crise financière internationale ». Cette thèse interroge la participation de la communication étatique au gouvernement de la société française. Elle porte également sur les rapports de collaboration et de concurrence que les représentants de l’État entretiennent, par l’intermédiaire de la communication, avec des acteurs différents – comme les journalistes ou les acteurs politiques d’autres États – participant à la construction d’une « crise ». En somme, notre recherche propose d’inclure la communication de l’État dans des logiques de domination et de rapports de force. / "International financial crises" are meaningful events who question the order of the financial sector while impacting the rest of the society, notably at economic (drop of credits for example) and social levels (unemployment for example). In consequence, they clearly show values and norms that the state and its representatives stand up for when they communicate. Our research is based on communication activities of the members of the executive (ministers and the president of the Republic) during the "stock market crash of 1987", the "asian crisis of 1997-1998", and the "subprimes crisis of 2007-2008". Indeed there is a symbolic link between communication activities of the members of the executive and State communication. Ministers and the President are legitimate to embody the State and make it act through their communication activities. From this link, it is possible to understand the role of the State communication during an "international financial crisis". This thesis examines the participation of State communication in the government of French society. It also addresses the collaborative and competitive relationships, through of communication, that State officials have with different actors - such as journalists or political actors of other States - involved in building a "crisis". In short, our research suggests to include the communication of the State in logics of domination and power relations.

A tese aborda a comunicação estatal pró-ativa como garantia de direitos constitucionais em Estados Democráticos de Direito. Para tanto, apresenta excertos jurídicos da Teoria do Estado, o conceito de público segundo disciplinas das Ciências Sociais, com destaque para a publicidade estatal habermasiana, chegando às diversas reflexões dos pesquisadores italianos sobre a comunicação pública, suas subdivisões e modelos. Desses modelos resulta a sugestão de uma proposta passível de aplicação no Brasil e em outros países da América do Sul, particularmente Colômbia e Venezuela, para uma comunicação estatal pró-ativa capaz de garantir direitos fundamentais nas suas sociedades, se possível por meio de emendas constitucionais. / The thesis focuses on States proactive communication as a guarantee of constitutional rights in Democratic States. To this matter, presents legal excerpts from State Theory, the concept of Public based on Social Sciences disciplines, highlighting States propaganda as Habermas posits it, reaching several reflections of Italian researchers on public communication, its subdivisions and models. From these models originated a suggestion of a proposal applicable to Brazil and other South American countries, particularly Colombia and Venezuela, of a proactive State communication capable of guaranteeing fundamental rights in their societies, if possible through constitutional amendments.

A tese aborda a comunicação estatal pró-ativa como garantia de direitos constitucionais em Estados Democráticos de Direito. Para tanto, apresenta excertos jurídicos da Teoria do Estado, o conceito de público segundo disciplinas das Ciências Sociais, com destaque para a publicidade estatal habermasiana, chegando às diversas reflexões dos pesquisadores italianos sobre a comunicação pública, suas subdivisões e modelos. Desses modelos resulta a sugestão de uma proposta passível de aplicação no Brasil e em outros países da América do Sul, particularmente Colômbia e Venezuela, para uma comunicação estatal pró-ativa capaz de garantir direitos fundamentais nas suas sociedades, se possível por meio de emendas constitucionais. / The thesis focuses on States proactive communication as a guarantee of constitutional rights in Democratic States. To this matter, presents legal excerpts from State Theory, the concept of Public based on Social Sciences disciplines, highlighting States propaganda as Habermas posits it, reaching several reflections of Italian researchers on public communication, its subdivisions and models. From these models originated a suggestion of a proposal applicable to Brazil and other South American countries, particularly Colombia and Venezuela, of a proactive State communication capable of guaranteeing fundamental rights in their societies, if possible through constitutional amendments.

D.Tech / No transformation is subtler, yet more explosive, than the mega shift from an industrial to an information society. In an industrial society, the strategic resource is capital whereas in an information society, the strategic resource is information. These mega trends are evident, to a greater or lesser degree, also in South Africa. At the same time, South Africa has to meet the challenges inherent in the transition to participatory democratic government. Crucial in both these global and local challenges is the management of information and public opinion. One of the primary role-players in achieving this is the public relations (PR) practitioner. Effective public relations depends in many ways on achieving the right balance between over-reacting and under-reacting to events in the environment, as they manifest, inter a/ia, in public opinion. The fundamental tool for achieving this balance in managing public opinion is information. This requires that information be utilised in a strategic way to manage the perceptions constituting public opinion. PR practitioners working in the field of political communication in South Africa need to contribute to the establishment of a framework of political communication based on full acceptance of the requirements of a participative democracy. This involves, inter alio, improving access to information and developing efficient two-way communication between decision-makers and stakeholders. The Free State Provincial Government Department of Finance, Expenditure and Economic Affairs identified the need to improve communication with its stakeholders. To achieve this, an appropriate communication strategy and supporting action plans had to be formulated. This communication strategy and action plans formed the point of departure of this study. Of particular importance for this study were the related principles of the systems management approach, the systemic approach to political communication and the two-way symmetric model of public relations. Both the systems management approach (from a public relations perspective) and the systemic approach (from a political communication perspective) emphasise the need to achieve equilibrium within the system by balancing communication input and output. The two-way symmetric model explains public relations as an attempt to adjust the socio-political environment to suit the political principal, as well as to help the political principal adjust to his/her environment. The PR practitioner plays a vital role in assisting his/her principal to achieve equilibrium and to adjust to the environment. A starting point in evaluating whether communication equilibrium has been attained is to evaluate the communication processes in political public relations. One method of evaluating these processes is by means of a communication audit. The main aim of this study was to develop an evaluative model for political public relations. The objectives of the study were to determine whether the Department, as a political communication system, was achieving communication equilibrium by balancing communication input from its stakeholders with appropriate communication output. The study further recommended steps to achieve communication equilibrium and devised a means of monitoring and evaluating progress with implementation. It resulted in the development of a model for the attainment of communication equilibrium in accordance with the demands of the two-way symmetrical model of public relations.

People can differ in their attitudes toward apalic syndrome patients. Health care staff, however, would always be professional. They deal with a human being, a person who can sense. This fact should form a framework for both health care professionals and patients´ families. Especially nurses should be very sensitive, calm and good-tempered so that they could take adequate care of apalic patients. The empiric part of the thesis was elaborated through qualitative and quantitative research survey. The qualitative method, an interview, was used in the first phase of the survey. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the family members of apalic patients and the nurses of health care facilities. Although the interviews for the family members and the nurses differed in some parts, they contained common identification questions and specific information. The interviews were anonymous and consisted of 16 questions for the family members and 10 questions for the nurses.