The HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe is one of the highest globally, standing at 14.5% for the ages 15-64 years, and notably 16.7% for women and 12.4% for men. The urban areas have a slightly higher prevalence rate than the rural areas in Zimbabwe. A phenomenological study was carried out whose objective was to formulate guidelines to improve HIV and AIDS communication for women in Zimbabwe, as a key contribution in mitigating the HIV epidemic. The study took place in Harare and Bulawayo, which house most of the urban population. Young urban women aged 20-29 years who have lived in either city for at least the last 12 months, were interviewed using face-to-face in-depth interviews (n=25) and eight focus group discussions took place (n=62). Purposive, convenience, cluster and snow-balling sampling were used. Key informants were purposively sampled, using the snowball method; in-depth face-to-face interviews were held (n=5). The key informants, who provided expert knowledge on the study topic, comprised NGO and government entities in HIV and AIDS communication work. Colaizzi’s method of analysis was used. The UNAIDS Communication Framework for HIV and AIDS gave the direction for the study. It highlights the context in which people live in, and emphasizes that, unlike previous communication models, knowledge alone is inadequate to effect behaviour change. The context is comprised of government policy, culture, socioeconomic status, spirituality and gender relations, with emphasis on the community and regional cooperation, in Africa’s case. The themes for the study were Communication, HIV and AIDS knowledge, Perceptions and belief, and Urban women’s context.The key findings were: mass communication generates awareness for HIV and AIDS while interpersonal communication has a role to play in translating awareness into behaviour change; the knowledge level on HIV and AIDS of young urban Zimbabwean women is high; their risk perception is low; the context they live in is primarily a patriarchal one and one of urban poverty and this makes them vulnerable to HIV infection. It is envisaged that the guidelines, informed by the study and literature, will assist the government and its partners in HIV and AIDS communication strategy and implementation. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Health communication is a vital part of health care and treatment. For patients living with HIV, effective health communication is crucial. This study aimed at describing health communication from the perspective of HIV-positive patients by uncovering their experiences as they interacted with various medical staff members at Stanger Hospital. Guided by a review of various health communication models, data were collected via individual interviews and non-participant observation. The findings showed that interactive communication was favoured by all the respondents, especially communication that was patient-centred. Such communication encompassed education on how to live and cope with HIV. Obstacles to effective communication such as power differentials, lack of time and privacy at public health care clinics were identified. The study found that the different medical staff members at the clinic to various degrees addressed distinctive communication needs of HIV-positive patients. This study contributed to effectively understating the communication process as a whole. / Sociology / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

Syfte – Idag saknas det ett standardiserat arbetssätt för att hantera kundkrav samtidigt som det finns stora utmaningar i hanteringen av dem. Därmed är syftet med denna studie:  Att definiera ett ramverk för hantering av kundkrav inom Grafisk kommunikation. För att kunna besvara syftet i studien har en frågeställning tagits fram som utgångspunkt för studien. Hur kan Requirements Engineering, sociala relationer och kommunikation tillsammans bidra till att förbättra hantering av kundkrav inom arbetet med Grafisk kommunikation? Metod – För att besvara frågeställningen har studien arbetat med datainsamlingsmetoden, semistrukturerade djupintervjuer. Intervjuerna har genomförts  för att få fram primärdata. Metoden har valts ut för att säkerställa en kvalitativ ansats i studien. I studien har även litteraturstudier genomförts som en viktig del med syfte att ge en bakgrund kring befintliga teorier, metoder och verktyg. Resultat – Studien är av tvärvetenskaplig art och dess resultat behandlar områden så som Requirements Engineering, Grafisk kommunikation, sociala relationer och kommunikation. Områdena har studerats för att se hur de kan samverka för att säkerställa en högre och jämnare nivå av de projektresultat som reklambyråer och konsulter inom reklam- och kommunikationsbranschen levererar. Studien resulterade i ett ramverk för hantering av kundkrav inom Grafisk kommunikation. Ett ramverk beståendes av två olika kategorier som berör både den praktiska processen samt den social kommunikativ dimensionen kopplat till hantering av krav. Studiens resultat beskriver också vilka element som bör finnas i en iterativ designprocess samt hur ramverket kan användas tillsammans med en sådan typ av utvecklingsprocess. Implikationer – Studien anses kunna bidra till forskningsvärlden då dess resultat har öppnat upp nya dörrar för ytterligare områden att applicera Requirements Engineering på. För näringslivet och det vardagliga arbetet inom reklam- och kommunikationsbranschen har resultatet visat att ramverk för hantering av kundkrav inom Grafisk kommunikation bör kunna medverka till att stödja verksamheters arbetsprocesser och säkerställande av en mer jämn kvalitetsnivå. Utvecklingsprocesser och dess slutresultat skulle ha större möjlighet att bli framgångsrika, samtidigt som användningen av projektets resurser med stor sannolikhet skulle kunna effektiviseras genom den struktur som ramverket för med sig. / Purpose – There is no standardized approach for how to managing Customer Requirements, while there are significant challenges in managing them. Thus, the aim of this study is: To define a framework for the managing of Customer Requirements in Graphic Communication. In order to find the purpose of the study, a research question was developed and used as basis for the study. How can Requirements Engineering, Social Relationships and Communication improve the managing of Customer Requirements in Graphic Communication? Method – The study worked is based on one data collection method, semi-structured interviews, in order to answer the research question. The interviews were conducted to obtain the primary data. The method were selected to ensure a qualitative approach in the study. The study has also literature studies conducted as an important element in order to provide a background on existing theories, methods and tools. Findings – The study is of an interdisciplinary nature and its results concern areas such as: Requirements Engineering, Graphic Communication, Social Relationships and Communication. These areas have been studied to see how they can interact and ensure a higher and uniformed level of project results, as advertising agencies, consultants in communication and advertising industry delivers. The study resulted in a framework for managing Customer Requirements in Graphic Communications. A framework consisting of two different categories that can affect both practical processes and a social communicative dimension linked to the handling of requirements. The study’s result describes the elements that should be in an iterative design process and how the framework can be used in conjunction with such development. Implications – The study is considered to contribute to the research world, since its results have opened up new doors for additional areas for applying the Requirements Engineering. For business and everyday-work in the advertising and communication industry, the result demonstrated that the framework for managing Customer Requirements in Graphic Communications should help to support operations work process, and ensuring a more consistent level of quality. Development processes and its final result would have greater opportunity to be successful, while the use of project resources with high probability could be improved and more efficient through the structure framework brings.

La perte de conjoints et d’amis, la réduction progressive de leur mobilité et l’éloignement de plus en plus fréquent des enfants, plongent souvent les personnes âgées dans un isolement qui peut générer des dépressions qui ont à leur tour un impact négatif sur la santé. Des études médicales ont même démontré que l’isolement social augmente le risque de mortalité des personnes âgées. Alors que de nombreux programmes de recherche s’intéressent à développer une variété de solutions technologiques liées à la fragilité physique et/ou cognitive des personnes âgées pour qu’ils puissent rester le plus longtemps possible à domicile, nous nous intéressons à leur fragilité sociale qui limite leurs capacités à rester en contact avec la société. Nous émettons l’hypothèse que les technologies de l’information ont un rôle important à jouer pour apporter une solution à l’isolement social des personnes âgées. Mais concevoir des services adaptés et s’assurer de leur appropriation restent des questions ouvertes, auxquelles nous tentons de proposer des réponses, à la fois au niveau méthodologique et instrumental. Nous présentons une démarche de conception de services pour les personnes âgées, qui s’appuie sur la participation des futurs utilisateurs dans le cadre d’un «Living Lab». Nous illustrons cette démarche grâce à notre participation à un projet européen dont l’objectif est de développer des applications de télévision sociale pour contribuer au développement des interactions sociales entre pairs / Encouraging seniors to stay at home as long as possible is associated with a higher risk of social isolation. Extensive researches have established the strong relationship between social isolation and health, considering social engagement as an important component influencing psychological well-being and self-esteem of elderly people. In other words, aging well at home cannot be reduced to the management of physical and cognitive frailties and technologies should also tackle the quality of life of the elderly by fostering their social interactions especially for those who are living alone. We postulate that ICTs could alleviate elderly loneliness, in order to cope with their social frailty. However, designing appropriate services and ensure their adoption by the elderly remain open questions, which we try to provide answers at both methodological and instrumental level. We propose an approach to design services for the elderly based on the participation of the future users as part of a "Living Lab". We illustrate this approach by our participation in a European project aiming at developing and evaluating Social TV services. The objective is to foster social interactions among peers to enhance or restore social ties, with the goal of increasing psychological well-being and self-esteem of the elderly living alone

The impact of computer-mediated communication (CMC) on relational behavior is a topic of increasing interest to communication scholars (McQuillen, 2003; Tidwell & Walther, 2002). One of the most interesting issues that CMC raises concerns the impact of CMC on relational maintenance and development. Using dialectical theory, social exchange theory, social information processing theory, and the hyperpersonal perspective as theoretical frameworks, this study used quantitative and qualitative analyses to identity potential effects of CMC on relationships. Study 1 (n=317) examined the effects of CMC on relational closeness, satisfaction, and social support. Study 2 (n=196) explored the reasons individuals provide for privileging computer-mediated forms of communication, and the perceived effects of using CMC in relational communication. Results indicated that quality of CMC predicted increased perceptions of social support and relationship satisfaction. Results further suggested that CMC enabled participants to manage more effectively relational tensions of autonomy-connection and openness-closedness. Specifically, individuals used CMC to retain higher levels of conversational control, and to maintain greater numbers of relationships with decreased levels of investment. This paper concludes with a discussion of implications and directions for future research.

Al vínculo emocional entre empresa y trabajador se le conoce como employee engagement. Mantener un buen nivel de employee engagement resulta clave para que los empleados sean más productivos e incluso reduce el índice de rotación laboral. Sin embargo, con la fuerza laboral millennial la rotación laboral tiene un índice mucho más alto que antes, ya que, a diferencia de generaciones anteriores, ellos cambian de empleo con frecuencia. Las empresas deben invertir constantemente en contratar nuevo personal. Por eso, mantener un buen nivel de employee engagement con los empleados millennials es una prioridad. Una forma de incrementar el employee engagement es el employee communication, término que hace alusión a todos los procesos comunicacionales que suceden dentro de una empresa para comunicarse de manera efectiva con los empleados. En el presente trabajo se analiza cómo influyen las estrategias del employee communication en el employee engagement de los empleados millennials de la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas. La investigación presenta un paradigma naturalista con enfoque cualitativo que utilizará como herramienta entrevistas. / The emotional bond between an organization and its employees is known as employee engagement. Workers with a high level of employee engagement are known to be much more productive, and their job rotations rates are lower than those of the average employee. However, with the work force being mainly integrated by millennials, companies are having higher rotation levels than before, because, unlike past generations, millennials prefer changing jobs frequently. This represents a great loss for companies, since they must constantly invest in hiring new personnel; therefore, maintaining a good level of employee engagement with millennial employees has become a priority. One of the factors known to increase employee engagement is employee communication, a term that refers to all the communication processes that take place within a company to communicate effectively with employees. In this work, we analyze the best employee communication strategies to improve employee engagement from millennials working in the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas. The research presents a naturalistic paradigm with a qualitative approach that will use interviews as a tool. / Trabajo de investigación

ABSTRACT The researcher set out to gain an in-depth understanding of the possible influence of a reality-altering event on interaction behaviour (communication). The alteration in interaction behaviour referred to within the context of this study, is the communication phenomenon identified, explained and labelled as part of the study, which the researcher termed “re-communication”. This study partly aims at developing a re-communication conceptual framework that explains the re-communication phenomenon. In order to explain this unexplored communication phenomenon and develop a re-communication conceptual framework for it, the study focuses on how either strategic or spontaneous communication could be utilised in any reality-altering event to disclose information that would alter the co-constructed social reality between people. This information could be communicated either by the individual, who experienced a reality-altering event, or by persons or forms of communication external to the individual. Within the context of this study, the disclosure becomes the reality-altering event. Therefore, the proposed re-communication conceptual framework firstly addresses the elements that influence disclosure or non-disclosure. Secondly, it focusses on self-preservation communication strategies used to avoid disclosing or concealing the reality-altering event. Thirdly, the framework focuses on the actual reality-altering event, which, in this case, occurs when a gay individual’s sexual identity is disclosed to colleagues. Lastly, the framework looks at re-communication, which involves a perceived alteration in communication post-disclosure due to the altered reality. It is argued that the co-constructed social reality between a gay individual and a colleague is altered from a position of being unaware of the individual being gay to becoming aware. It is further argued that, because heterosexuality is regarded as the norm and the language and meaning ascribed to dominant symbols in society support heteronormativity, people often assume that a colleague is heterosexual and construct their reality based on this notion. Going into an interaction, both the gay individuals and their colleagues have their own social reality, which they have constructed through their experiences, as well as the co-constructed social reality they share with each colleague with whom they interact. This study was conducted within an interpretivist research paradigm and from the position of the theoretical foundation of symbolic interactionism, social constructionism and constructivism. A qualitative, exploratory research design was selected to collect the data by means of in-depth semi-structured interviews and narratives. Based on the insights provided by the participants, re-communication as a communication phenomenon was identified, explained and labelled and the resultant re-communication framework was developed. The re-communication conceptual framework was synergised by means of a thematic textual analysis and was guided by a number of assumptions and postulations arising from a strong theoretical foundation and a comprehensive literature review, which were supported by the findings. In this study, it was found that a reality-altering event is complex and multiple elements influence the way in which gay individuals’ sexual identity are disclosed or not disclosed within the organisational context. However, it has been discovered that communication is the vehicle for self-preservation and for disclosing information that will lead to a reality-altering event. Regardless of how small the influence or how limited the time, post the reality-altering event, the disclosure influences interaction behaviour (communication) and alters the co-constructed social reality between gay individuals and their colleagues. The colleagues go from a position of not knowing an individual was gay to knowing. It is noted that disclosure of a sexual identity and/or any other reality-altering event is not a once off reality-altering event, but rather a continuous process for gay individuals, because each time a new colleague enters the organisational contexts of gay individuals, they need to consider if – and if so, how – they want to disclose. In some cases, disclosure take places by others and the gay individual needs to decide how to deal with colleagues now knowing s/he is gay. The most significant contribution of the study is the identification, explanation and labelling of a previously unexplored communication phenomenon – that of re-communication – and the development of a re-communication conceptual framework that could contribute to the organisational reality in a two-fold manner. Firstly, such a framework will provide insights into and possible sense making of the disclosure experiences of gay individuals in the organisational context. Secondly, the outcome illustrates the importance of inclusive and positive organisational climates and/or cultures and the concomitant impact of positive engagements on organisational practices such as inclusive climates and cultures for sharing, employee loyalty, better team cooperation, trust among employees, increased employee wellbeing and more effective communication processes within organisations. / Communication Science / D. Phil. (Communication)

The aim of this thesis is to describe, by means of compounding disciplines of Computer Mediated Communication and Human-Computer Interaction, how interpersonal communication is transformed by the read recepit function which occurs in contemporary Instant Messaging applications. Besides the impact of the function itself on interpersonal communication, this thesis also explores the effect of other Awareness Cues on its acceptance and interpretation.

This study explores the challenges faced by high school science learners when they use English language as a medium of instruction in a South African context. Questionnaires were administered and focus group interviews were conducted with both science learners and science educators. Results indicated that learners are challenged in a number of ways when English is used to teach science especially if English is not their home language. Both learners and educators prefer to be taught and teach science respectively in English though ideally learners would like to be taught in their home languages. To overcome these challenges a home language scientific register should be drawn to cater for all learners’ home language, learners should also be proficient in English or language of science instruction. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / People who have disabilities that are visible often manage the boundaries around private information regarding their disability (Braithwaite, 1991) because the choice becomes how much should be revealed. The purpose of this study is to use Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory to explore the way people who have a visible disability manage privacy boundaries in communicative interactions and also the way the boundaries around private information are managed over time. The study was conducted through in-depth interviews with seven individuals who have a visible disability about their experiences in managing private information. The individuals described experiences both among other people with a visible disability and with people do not have a disability. Results from a thematic analysis revealed the presence of five main themes and several sub-themes.