Excerpt:The purpose of this research study was to explore the topic of organizational communication in higher education and examine staff members’ perceptions about their level of communication and job satisfaction in their workplaces.

Comprometimento organizacional é um tema complexo e que vem gerando, na literatura e na prática, discussões em relação à análise dos antecedentes e das variáveis que possam avaliá-la. Para as organizações que vem passando por uma transformação rumo a participação estratégica tão almejada e nem sempre alcançada mostra imperativo o gerenciamento de um comprometimento afetivo. Para este trabalho foi realizada a análise da literatura existente, seguida de uma pesquisa de campo. Por meio de uma pesquisa exploratória, descritiva e quantitativa, buscou-se responder se existe relação entre uma comunicação interna eficaz e o comprometimento afetivo das pessoas nas organizações. A literatura mostrou que a comunicação é um dos principais fatores de comprometimento e que o processo de comunicação é um processo fundamental na estratégia do comprometimento. Assim, essa comunicação deve ser planejada, dispondo de canais e instrumentos diversos, permitindo assim a atuação sinérgica de todas as áreas da organização. A partir destes aspectos e conceitos elaborados, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa de campo, que envolveu 79 funcionários de uma empresa do ranking das ?100 Melhores Empresas para Você Trabalhar?, de 2003, publicada pela Guia da Revista Exame, da Você S. A. Os resultados demonstraram que existe uma forte dependência e associação entre a comunicação interna eficaz, planejamento da comunicação organizacional e o comprometimento afetivo, permitindo concluir que o comprometimento afetivo está associada a comunicação interna eficaz. / Organizational commitment is a complex theme that has been generating, both in literature and practice, discussions concerning the relationship between the past data and variables that may evaluate them. The organization looking for the strategic participation but not exactly finding that shows the need of an affective commitment. In order to find out that, it was searched the existing literature followed by a field research. Through an exploratory and descriptive research, it was explored if there is any relationship between an efficient internal communication and the affective commitment among people within an organization. The literature showed that communication is one of the main commitment factors and that the communication process is fundamental in the commitment strategy. It means, communication must be planned, with different channels and tools, permitting in this way, all areas to act synergistically in the organization. Elaborating these aspects and concepts, it was developed a field research, involving 79 employees from a company presented in the ?100 Melhores Empresas para Você Trabalhar? ranking, in 2003, published by the Revista Exame Guide, Você S. A. The results demonstrated that there is a great dependence and association among an efficient internal communication, organizational communication plan and the affective commitment, so that it´s possible to conclude that the affective commitment is associated to an efficient internal communication.

The purpose of this research study was to explore the topic of organizational communication in higher education and examine staff members’ perceptions about their level of communication and job satisfaction in their workplaces. This study was also designed to test the relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction by analyzing the significance of different dimensions of Communication Satisfaction with the view that satisfaction is multifaceted. A total of 463 non-faculty staff members from different units of a single higher education institution participated in this study. This study included non-teaching staff, including student workers and both full-time and part-time staff members. A modified version of Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) developed by Downs and Hazen was used to collect data. The study used a Likert-type scale with a 7-point scale and had eight dimensions (personal feedback, relationship to supervisors, horizontal and informal communication, organizational integration, organizational perspective, communication climate, media quality, and job satisfaction). The statistical analyses of the data from eight research questions revealed some significant relationships and differences. The results found that staff members perceived their level of satisfaction with communication satisfaction dimensions personal feedback, relationship to supervisors, horizontal and informal communication, organizational integration, and media quality from somewhat satisfied to satisfied, and communication satisfaction dimensions organizational perspective and communication climate as somewhat satisfied. The results found significant differences among different dimensions of CSQ, indicating that communication satisfaction is multi-faceted. The staff members perceived their level of job satisfaction to be among somewhat satisfied to satisfied range. The results indicated that gender and number of years in service do not seem to make a significant difference among staff members’ level of satisfaction, but level of education and job classification does. There were strong positive relations found among all dimensions of CSQ. A strong positive relationship and statistically significant correlation was found between overall communication satisfaction and job satisfaction scores, indicating that when staff members feel satisfied with communication in their workplace, they also tend to feel satisfied with their job in their workplace.

Submitted by Noeme Timbo (noeme.timbo@metodista.br) on 2018-03-20T20:10:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 FabianaGaviolli.pdf: 3390419 bytes, checksum: 7fc1a667a8deb55a265974d0f7a879c0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-20T20:10:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FabianaGaviolli.pdf: 3390419 bytes, checksum: 7fc1a667a8deb55a265974d0f7a879c0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-30 / This dissertation addresses the use of diagnosis as an instrument that if it is used strategically can provide conditions for organizational communication to create value. The diagnosis is the foundation of planning by establishing priorities, support the formulation of strategies and point out discrepancies between perceptions of the real world scenario and the projected scenario. This research is bibliographical and contains semi-structured interviews with organizational communication agencies that offer the diagnosis on their own services menu as a way to align concepts and practices of the diagnosis in organizational communication. The main goal is to investigate how the diagnosis may contribute to the valuation of organizational communication for organizations. At the end of this study, we present a suggestion of Public Relations Diagnostic Model for Organizational Communication and through this model, we show how to reflect the contrast found between theory and practice of diagnosis in Organizational Communication. The considerations presents a prognosis, as a result of this study as a diagnosis and it is a warning for that the relationship between the academy and the market that could be greater and better. From this behaviour, we would be able to foresee the future of strategic organizational communication leaving a speech and become practical reality in the organizations. / Esta dissertação aborda o uso do diagnóstico como um instrumento que, se usado estrategicamente, oferece condições para a comunicação organizacional gerar valoração. O diagnóstico é o alicerce do planejamento por estabelecer prioridades, embasar a formulação das estratégias e apontar discrepâncias entre percepções do cenário real e do cenário projetado. Essa pesquisa é bibliográfica e contém entrevistas semiestruturadas com agências de comunicação organizacional que ofertam o diagnóstico em seu menu de serviços, como forma de alinhar conceitos e práticas do diagnóstico em comunicação organizacional. O objetivo é investigar como o diagnóstico pode contribuir com a valoração da comunicação organizacional para as organizações. Ao final do estudo, apresentamos uma sugestão de modelo de Diagnóstico de Relações Públicas para a Comunicação Organizacional e por meio dele refletimos sobre as diferenças encontradas entre teoria e prática do Diagnóstico em Comunicação Organizacional. As considerações apresentam um prognóstico, fruto desse estudo como diagnóstico, é um alerta para que o relacionamento entre a academia e o mercado seja maior e melhor. A partir desse comportamento, poderemos futuramente vislumbrar de fato a comunicação organizacional estratégica deixando de ser apenas um discurso e passando a ser realidade prática nas organizações.

Syftet med denna studie är att kartlägga vilka slags miljöfrågor som Sveriges största demokratiskt uppbyggda miljöorganisation, Naturskyddsföreningen, presenterar i inlägg av slacktivistisk karaktär på sin Facebooksida. Vidare syftar denna studie till att få en förståelse för hur Naturskyddsföreningen, i inlägg av slacktivistisk karaktär, uppmuntrar till och initierar slacktivism vid presentationen av vissa slags miljöfrågor. Studiens syfte har legat till grund för följande frågeställningar: 1) Vilka slags miljöfrågor presenteras i inlägg av slacktivistisk karaktär på Naturskyddsföreningens Facebooksida? och 2) Hur presenteras vissa slags miljöfrågor i inlägg av slacktivistisk karaktär? Den första frågeställningen besvaras med en kvantitativ innehållsanalys för att kartlägga förekomsten av olika typer av miljöfrågor i inlägg av slacktivistisk karaktär. Den andra frågeställningen besvaras med en kritisk diskursanalys som, genom att se till ordval och grammatik, synliggör inläggens underliggande premisser. Baserat på studiens huvudsakliga resultat kan vi konstatera att miljöfrågorna ‘Mat & livsmedel’ och ‘Skog- & naturvård’ förekommer mest frekvent i inlägg av slacktivistisk karaktär. Resultaten påvisade även att dessa inlägg hade en högre grad av spridning än inlägg av icke-slacktivistisk karaktär. I bakgrund mot studiens första teori, dagordningsteorins första nivå, kan vi dra slutsatsen att Naturskyddsföreningen erhåller potential att inom mindre nätverk kunna påverka dagordningen angående vilka miljöfrågor som anses vara viktiga inom dessa nätverk. Vidare visade resultaten att Naturskyddsföreningen, genom ordval och formuleringar, inkluderar andra diskurser inom slacktivistdiskursen och således spelar på rådande samhälleliga värderingar (att god hälsa är viktigt), normer (att engagera sig i och bry sig om miljöfrågor) och strukturer (etablerade lagar och regler) för att individualisera miljöfrågor såväl som lösningar i form av slacktivistiska uppmaningar. I bakgrund mot studiens andra teori, dagordningsteorins andra nivå (framing), är det möjligt att dra slutsatsen att Naturskyddsföreningen använder sig av en slags framing genom att inkludera andra diskurser. I likhet med frames kan dessa påverka vår uppfattning av miljöfrågan och främja den presenterade lösningen - en slacktivistisk uppmaning. / The purpose of this study is to map out what kind of environmental issues that the environmental organization, Naturskyddsföreningen, present through slacktivist posts on their Facebook page. Furthermore, the study aims to gain an understanding of how Naturskyddsföreningen, in their slacktivist posts, initiate and encourage slacktivism. Our two research questions are: 1) What kind of environmental issues are presented in slacktivist posts on Naturskyddsförening’s Facebook page? 2) How are some environmental issues presented in slacktivist posts? The first research method used in this study was a quantitative content analysis with the objective to map out what kind of environmental issues that were presented in slacktivist posts. The material for this method consisted of 169 Facebook posts published by Naturskyddsföreningen. A critical discourse analysis was used on 5 slacktivist posts to get somewhat of a clue about how Naturskyddsföreningen present some environmental issues in a slacktivist way. One of the main results shows that the kind of environmental issues that are most frequently presented through slacktivist posts concerns ‘Food & groceries’ and ‘Forest & nature conservation’. The results also show that slacktivist posts was spread by shares and likes to a higher degree than non-slacktivist posts. In light of the study’s first theory, the first level of agenda setting, we can conclude that Naturskyddsföreningen holds the potential to influence the agenda within smaller Facebook networks. By certain choices of words and formulations Naturskyddsföreningen include other discourses that are built upon current societal values, norms and structures within the slacktivist discourse. These discourses, much like the second level of agenda setting, help frame and individualize the issues and promote the presented solution - slacktivism.

Studien har genomförts som en fallstudie på Electrolux huvudkontor i Stockholm och syftar till att studera de kontorsanställdas uppfattningar gällande det egna användandet av interaktiva funktioner på företagets intranät eGate. Genom att undersöka deltagande och engagemang i förhållande till systemet ämnar studien försöka identifiera faktorer som kan påverka användandet. Följande frågeställningar har formulerats; Hur uppfattar anställda på Electrolux huvudkontor det egna användandet av de interaktiva funktionerna på intranätet eGate? Vilka faktorer har betydelse för de anställdas delaktighet och engagemang på Electrolux intranät eGates interaktiva funktioner? En inledande enkätundersökning genomfördes bland samtliga anställda på huvudkontoret. Resultatet från enkätundersökningen låg sedan till grund för studiens huvudsakliga undersökning som bestod av tre fokusgruppsintervjuer med anställda på olika positioner inom organisationen. Det empiriska materialet har tolkats utifrån teorier om organisations- och kommunikationskultur, medieanvändning, deltagande och engagemang. Resultatet visade att användandet skiljer sig på individnivå men att det även finns likheter och skillnader på gruppnivå. Trots intranätets potential att decentralisera den interna kommunikationen och skapa interaktion mellan samtliga anställda inom organisationen, visade studiens resultat att respondenterna primärt använde intranätet för informationsinhämtning och att kommunikationen där följde traditionella, vertikala linjer. Resultatet visade indikationer på att den rådande organisations- och kommunikationskultur som respondenterna upplevde sig befinna sig i påverkade deltagandet och engagemanget. Utöver detta identifierades ett antal andra faktorer, vilka indikerar ha påverkan för deltagande och engagemang på eGate. Resultatet visade att dessa faktorer verkade på olika sätt beroende på individid eller grupp och att de både kunde främja och begränsa deltagandet och engagemanget.

Title: "You get what you ask for” - A comparative study of two organizations and how they, with the help of communicative strategies, work with their employer brands. The purpose of this study was to compare how two organizations use communication strategies as a part of their employer brand strategy. The study is based on the fact that today it has become increasingly important for organizations to work with their employer brands. Globalisation has led to new competitive situations for organizations and therefore the need for communication has increased. The two organizations in this study have different preconditions regarding recruitment. One organization is a part of the public sector and has large recruitment needs. The other organization is smaller and privately owned and do not have the same recruitment needs. The study also aims to identify if the communication strategies differ depending on the differences between the organizations and how much competition there is for jobs. To succeed with this, theories related to marketing, organizational theory, organizational culture and organizational communication was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and six employees were interviewed. The analysis showed that both organizations thought it was important to work with their employer brands but they worked in different ways to strengthen them. One organization had a stated strategy and the other had not. One thing both organizations had in common was that they considered their employees to be important assets, but they worked a little different to strengthen their organizational cultures. In the external communication one organization were more cautious while the other organization argued that they needed to be more daring to be able to strenghten their employer brand. The result indicates that the strategies differ between the organizations. The difference is mostly due to the different preconditions the organizations had right from the start. The fact that one is part of the public sector and the other one is a private organization is a thing that matters. Their sizes and their different working areas also influence their work with the employer brand. Keywords: Employer branding, organizational theory, organizational communication, marketing, word of mouth, Backhaus and Tikoo

Ideology is a powerful means of persuasion in contemporary audience appeals. Through the means of ideographic and fragmentary analyses provided by Michael Calvin McGee (1980, 1990) and Saindon (2008), I examine the rhetorical appeals made by the Liberty Counsel, an evangelical Christian organization, which provides legal counsel for cases regarding “religious liberty.” Through an ideographic and fragmentary analysis, I conclude that the Counsel utilizes the ideograph as a superseding means of denoting its ideology. Further, I argue that is the ideograph that represents the ontological nature of the organization’s philosophy and serves as the guiding principle for many of the other ideographs that the organization employs. Further, the ideograph displays relative influence for the Liberty Counsel with and from other organizations, as illustrated when is compared to competing ideologies, such as that from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The importance of the ideograph is incumbent upon its utility in understanding a “snapshot” of the rhetorical situation. Rather than attempting to draft ideological archetypes, as the initial ideographic form attempted, this new ideographic form accepts the relativistic cultural influences and accounts for them synchronically.

It has been argued (Greer, 2013) that supervisors are a critical component in organizational effectiveness. Supervisors are required to hold many roles within the organization (Evans, 1965). Specifically, employees often see supervisors as representatives of the organization, while the organization depends on supervisors to maintain production (Greer, 2013). Many supervisors also fill a variety of other organizational roles such as mentor, trainer, motivator, disciplinarian, evaluator, and leader (Evans, 1965). For these reasons, effective supervisors are crucial to organizational success. The present study developed a behaviorally based training program for supervisors for a poultry processing organization. The training program content included displaying supervisor citizenship behavior and providing effective feedback. Examples of actual situations in the form of critical incidents were collected from incumbents serving as subject matter experts (SMEs). The critical incidents were then edited, retranslated, calibrated, and used to provide specific behavioral examples in the training program.

Experts estimate that by 2013, every adult in the world will own a mobile phone. Mobile technologies are one of the fastest growing and most widely adopted technologies in history. This study seeks to understand the impacts of an increasingly mobile culture in the United States, focusing on how being “always on” impacts individuals' relationships with work. Being always on refers to an individual’s propensity to remain continuously connected to the world through a web-enabled, mobile technology device, such as an iPhone or BlackBerry. Influenced by Clark's (2000) work-family border theory, I conducted 49 in-depth interviews, in order to develop a communicative model of being always on. The model is characterized by using new mobile technologies, needing to be connected, blurring boundaries between work and non-work spheres, identifying with work, working long hours, and having work-life balance. Being always on is linked to a strong work identity and desire for control over one's time. However, being constantly connected with a smartphone also means being more connected to work; it has become easier to work longer hours, have work leak into personal time, and slowly but ultimately lose control over the boundaries between work and non-work domains. Ironically, individuals who are always on in order to gain more control over their time may actually end up giving up more control than they gain. However, always-on individuals actually feel like they have an appropriate work-life balance, which complicates traditional understandings of the meaning of “balance.” Instead, these findings suggest always-on individuals actually “atomize,” a term that refers to the breaking down of communicative tasks into small pieces to can be completed anywhere, at any time, enabling flexibility and control. / text