Search

This article examines the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication and the commitment to CSR in practice, specifically on the topic of employee diversity. A large-scale textual analysis is used to investigate CSR communication and the factors that differentiate news organizations. By integrating the scholarship on CSR communication, journalism, and management, the article furthers the understanding of ways news organizations publicly signal the implementation of diversity practices. In addition, the article proves useful as news organizations seek ways to institutionalize their CSR communications and evaluate their own commitments to diversity initiatives as an organizational priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication education relies heavily on experiential learning, but such an approach rarely provides opportunities for students to participate in inter-disciplinary collaborations and build inter-organizational relationships. The current paper describes a simulation, called 'The Trifecta,' in which students in the disciplines of journalism, public relations and video production worked together to produce media content over a six-week period in a fictional municipality. Debriefing research following the simulation showed that students gained not only technical knowledge, but also began to see how to build and maintain effective relationships across disciplines as well as point out ineffective relationships. To this end, 'The Trifecta' stands as an example of how communication education must push toward a third paradigm which crosses into innovative problem solving from students and mentoring from instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaders spend countless hours creating written instruments, such as letters, e-mails, and reports. However, as important as writing is to leadership communication, there is a paucity of research in the area, particularly in relation to gender differences. The purpose of this study is to investigate if differences exist between the prose of male and female leaders. Data were collected via a survey in which respondents were asked to assign gender to the introductory sections of the CEO's annual letter to shareholders, noting the rationale for such selections. The results show that the writing style of both female and male CEOs is gender ambiguous. Business leaders have adopted elements of "traditional" gendered attributes to create an institutionalized form of gender indistinct writing. Yet, given that gender is both performative and culturally constructed, this study calls for future research on how readers affirm the gender of leaders, not only through what is presented, but by placing written discourse into a larger matrix of thought and experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Director Kevin Smith understands guys, particularly the men of Generation X and of the Northeast corridor. In Smith's "View Askewniverse," his canon of films and assorted projects, much attention is given to time and place. Although his first feature, Clerks (1994), remains a critical and pop cultural marker of success, our work looks to review the relationship between gender, time, and physical space that takes place in Chasing Amy. We do this by considering the numerous male narratives that take shape, underscoring traditional notions of masculinity and/or challenging these very perceptions predicated on the settings in which events takes place. For Smith, the age-old adage rings true: location, location, location. Accordingly, masculinity functions in his films not in a sweeping essentialized sense, but rather as an identity marker forged in a distinct place. Smith's approach to navigating his film or helping the viewer to do so is nothing if not overt. Shot in four locales, comic conventions, suburban NJ, urban NYC, and at a nondescript diner along the road of one of the many tributaries that spill in and out of Gotham, gender is brought under scrutiny. Smith notes each location, whether through drastic shifts in scenery, collocating main street USA with Broadway, or by simply opening the scene with text--a stark indicator of the here and now. In these localized vignettes, stories are told--particular narratives uttered--each with a distinct tone, highlighting the plurality of masculinity predicated on distinct moments rather than some overarching gendered script. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research note was to investigate how female leaders in the securities industry use communication to overcome masculine norms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with female leaders in the industry to investigate how they use communication to not only survive in the securities industry, but also to thrive in it. Two specific, yet interrelated, findings were identified. Every female leader interviewed demonstrated an enhanced ability to develop and convey succinct messages that are tailored to the audience. Irrefutably, all 11 of the female leaders interviewed for the current project have adopted the same unique communication competency-one that is unlike traditional communication models. The research findings make a twofold contribution to the literature. First, they explore the consequences of gender in everyday work-life interactions. Second, they illuminate how certain women have handled institutionalized structures within the industry to reach the top of their profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]