Communication Theory Research Articles

Integrated Marketing Communication Activities of PT. Prima Inti Nusa in Building a Positive Corporate Image

This study aims to analyze and evaluate the integrated marketing communication activities carried out by PT. Prima Inti Nusa in building a positive corporate image, as well as to analyze and evaluate the supporting and inhibitingfactors in building its positive image. The theory used in this research is Marketing Communication Theory. The research method used is qualitative research with constructivism as its core paradigm. The number of informants in this study, reaching data saturation, is nine people divided into two categories: four key informants and five triangulation informants. Data collection in this study is conducted through interviews and nonparticipant observations. The results show that to build a positive image manifested through word of mouth, PT. Prima Inti Nusa uses a mix of sales promotion and personal selling. Supporting factors include the positive attitude ofthe marketing team and a mindset ofnot being easily satisfied, while inhibitingfactors include the negative attitude ofthe marketing team, a mindset of being easily satisfied, and negative issues spread by competitors

Influence of Ethical PR Practices on Corporate Image during Scandals in Tanzania

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the influence of ethical PR practices on corporate image during scandals in Tanzania. Materials and Methods: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study indicated that maintaining ethical standards significantly mitigates reputational damage. Ethical PR strategies, including transparency, accountability, and timely communication, help companies navigate crises more effectively. Transparency ensures that all relevant information is disclosed promptly, fostering trust among stakeholders. Accountability demonstrates a company's commitment to taking responsibility for its actions, which can help regain public trust. Timely communication ensures that the company controls the narrative, reducing the spread of misinformation. Studies indicate that companies employing ethical PR practices during scandals tend to recover faster and sustain less long-term damage to their corporate image. Additionally, these practices can turn a crisis into an opportunity to showcase the company's integrity and commitment to ethical standards, potentially strengthening its reputation in the long run. Overall, ethical PR practices are crucial in safeguarding and enhancing corporate image during and after scandals. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Situational crisis communication theory (SCCT), stakeholder theory and image restoration theory may be used to anchor future studies on assessing influence of ethical PR practices on corporate image during scandals in Tanzania. Encourage organizations to establish proactive ethical guidelines for PR professionals. Advocate for the establishment of a regulatory framework that mandates ethical practices in PR. This policy can help standardize ethical behavior across the industry, enhancing corporate accountability.

Don Schultz: Integrated Marketing Communication Theory and the Internationalization Path of Chinese Enterprises

This paper explores the Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) theory of the world-renowned marketing master Don Schultz and its implications for Chinese enterprises. By analyzing Dr. Schultz's lecture and interview content in Beijing, this paper summarizes his views on marketing concepts and, in conjunction with the characteristics of the Chinese market, proposes a series of suggestions on how Chinese enterprises can achieve internationalization goals through Integrated Marketing Communication.

Extrinsic motivators driving adults purchase intention on mobile apps: The mediating role of self-efficacy and facilitating conditions

ABSTRACT Technology is evolving at a rate greater than adults can learn its usage. Albeit this, post-pandemic, data of various agencies indicate them to be the fastest-rising segment among new internet users and increasingly contributing to the m-shopping business. This poses the question of identifying factors driving this trend by exploring previous literature. For this consumer segment, extrinsic motivators have always been a priority for adopting and using any new technology established by various information and communication theories (ICT). Furthermore, self-efficacy in using targeted technology as well as facilitating conditions have been equally important. This study, among the first few, tries to understand the extrinsic factors that influence m-shopping trust and m-shopping intention of adults (sample of 712). Mediating effects of facilitating conditions (FC) and perceived self-efficacy (PSE) were analyzed for the relationship between extrinsic motivators and behavioral intention revealing interesting findings. PSE and FC showed no direct effect on the development of m-shopping trust and no mediating effect on its relationship with extrinsic motivator. However, the same was significant for m-shopping intention. The findings of the study show a significant effect of extrinsic motivators on dependent variables.

Communicating Global Governmentality: The United Nations Global Compact, BP, and the Implicit Violence of Human Rights Discourse

ABSTRACT The reports the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) requires of its members provide an opportunity to study the shifting role of the private sector within the regime of human rights discourse. Using British Petroleum as a case study, I combine technical communication theories of power with Foucault’s concept of governmentality to examine the rhetorical strategies in UNGC-BP communications, finding a disconnect between human rights principles and company reporting that validates rather than rejects corporate violence.

“Other People Thought I was Dirty or Crazy”: Identity Conversations About Medical Exceptions to Masking

ABSTRACT Changes in society and how others view us often have an impact on our own identity. For some people, societal changes may prompt reflection and sense-making. With the global health pandemic COVID-19, many changes evolved in mandates and restrictions to mitigate the pandemic. One of these mitigation efforts involved the use of face masks. For some people, wearing masks is medically challenging. This study seeks to understand the lived experiences of those who cannot wear masks and find out how they coped with the situations in which they found themselves during the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions. The experiences of people with medical difficulty wearing face masks led to strained relationships with family and society, impacting their identity. Using the photo-elicitation interview method, a qualitative study obtained ten interviews that showed experiences connected to current literature on ostracism, invisible disability, and the communication theory of identity.

Four decades of biological measurement advancing mediated communication theory: a review of literature from 1980–2020

ABSTRACT A corpus of 135 peer-reviewed articles from 1980–2020 in, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journal of Communication, Media Psychology, and Journal of Media Psychology were identified that present data from biological measures (EEG, fMRI, eye-tracking, ECG, EDA, fEMG). Qualitative analysis uncovered seven key theories in the field that have been advanced using data from these measures: (1) desensitization, (2) selective exposure, (3) general aggression model (GAM), (4) excitation transfer, (5) theories about absorption (presence, flow, and narrative engagement), (6) theories of limited cognitive capacity (LC3MP and LC4MP), and (7) virality and message effectiveness.

Adaptive EWMA control charts for the Rayleigh distribution

Numerous supplementary Shewhart monitoring designs have emerged, customized to data that follows specific non-normal distributions like the Rayleigh distribution (RD). The Rayleigh distribution has a variety of applications in modeling theory of communication, physical sciences, diagnostic imaging, life testing, reliability analysis, applied statistics and clinical studies. The exponential weighted moving average (EWMA) design is frequently advocated in the literature because of its ability to swiftly detect smaller process alterations. However, the common EWMA chart may not perform optimally in detecting all changes in the process parameters. To address this limitation, this study introduces an adaptive EWMA structure for monitoring quality characteristics following the RD, called the adaptive Rayleigh EWMA (AREWMA) chart. To determine the design parameters of the AREWMA chart, a Markov chain model is utilized. Analytical results are then used to assess the performance of the AREWMA chart in comparison to existing competitors. The comparative analysis illustrates the strengths of the proposed AREWMA chart in detecting shifts of various magnitudes during parameter monitoring. Finally, we present a practical application of the proposed AREWMA chart in the manufacturing industry, utilizing real data on the time of failure eld-tracking of devices in a system. Our analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of the AREWMA chart in detecting a range of shifts in the manufacturing process, highlighting its utility for continuous monitoring and quality control.

Обвинительное заключение как акт коммуникации

The indictment as the final act of the preliminary investigation is considered from the point of view of the theory of communication. The informational, discursive and connotative meanings of this document are highlighted. Its complex legal nature as a triune procedural decision has been established. Proposals aimed at reducing information redundancy while strengthening the argumentative discourse of the indictment are made.

"Talking About Funerals Won't Make You Dead": Dialogic Tensions in Death Café Design and Facilitation.

Death Cafes (DCs) explicitly encourage conversation and constitute space to explore the dialogue around death and dying. This study draws on scholarship from communication and dialogue theory to explore the design features and facilitation practices used within DC meetings. Through qualitative analysis of the DC webpage and interviews with facilitators, the study uncovers how DC facilitators structure and manage conversations to help attendees normalize death conversations and manage the death anxiety of others in their lives. The analysis highlights three main tensions within the DC structure and facilitation guidelines: structure versus openness, authority versus equality, and conversation versus information. These fundamental contradictions are inherent in DCs, and facilitators need to manage them in order to promote meaningful dialogue among DC participants. This study deepens the theorizing around DC facilitation practices and has implications for death and dying practitioners hoping to foster dialogue about end-of-life topics.

“Knowledge Strategies” for Indigenous Studies on Intercultural Communication in Non-Western Countries in the Global Power Structure

According to Michel Foucault’s power/knowledge theory, knowledge is not produced in a vacuum; the construction of any knowledge system implicitly contains power relations. The “knowledge strategies” for Indigenous studies on intercultural communication should evolve and improve in response to shifts in the global power structure. With the development of globalization and the evolution of communication technologies, this study interprets the current global power structure as a “dual structure” in which the international society and the world society coexist and develop together. This structure leads to a complex trend of simultaneous “centralization” and “decentralization”, as well as “homogenization” and “hybridization” in the global cultural order. For scholars from non-Western countries, Indigenous studies on intercultural communication need to interpret the new global power structure, expanding their research perspectives and topics to a global dimension. This approach links Indigenous conceptual resources and methodologies with an open and diverse global cultural order. This study proposes “knowledge strategies” for Indigenous studies on intercultural communication in non-Western countries and introduces a third level of significance for intercultural communication beyond daily interaction and cultural interaction: community building. Regarding the research purpose, this study aims to provide a new perspective for the study of intercultural communication theory, promoting an equal dialogue between Western and non-Western knowledge systems of intercultural communication, and enhancing the inclusiveness and humanistic awareness of this discipline.

Application of Politeness Theory in Digital Communication: Impacts and Implications for Online Interactions

The objective of this research is to gather data pertaining to the significance of polite language usage on social media platforms and the influence of impolite language on social media interactions. This research, which focuses on language politeness in social media, employs a qualitative research method that collects data and then analyzes it in a way that produces a complete written work. The source data for this research are obtained from a variety of websites offering related information and a number of published works addressing the same background. The analysis of these diverse sources is an essential component of the research process. The findings presented here are limited to an investigation of social media, polite language, and the potential implications of applying politeness theory in everyday life. The data collected for this study was analyzed and sorted into categories that can be used as material for this research project's writing. From these analyses, it can be concluded that there is a notable influence of polite language in the digital media world and its impact on everyday life. The implementation of politeness in digital language has a positive influence in real life, as observed in this study.

Designing social media to foster user engagement in challenging misinformation: a cross-cultural comparison between the UK and Arab countries

Challenging others who post misinformation is a type of social correction that complements algorithm-based approaches. However, participation rates in such social acts remain limited. In this paper, we study design techniques that leverage principles of persuasive system design and communication theories to foster such prosocial behaviour across two distinct cultural contexts: the British and the Arab. A total of 462 participants completed an online survey (250 UK, 212 Arabs). The study compared the two cultural contexts regarding willingness to challenge misinformation and the persuasiveness of seven design techniques to increase that willingness, namely predefined question stickers, thinking face reaction, sentence openers, fact checker badge, social norm messages, tone detector, and private commenting. Moreover, it explores the impact of individuals’ characteristics on their perception of the techniques as being more or less persuasive than a standard comment box. The study found that the willingness to challenge misinformation was significantly higher in the Arab context than in the UK context. Moreover, except for the private commenting, all techniques were more impactful in the Arab context than in the UK context. Some techniques, such as predefined question stickers, were more effective in both cultures compared to the standard comment box, while others, like the fact checker badge, were more effective only in the Arab context. However, in the UK, sentence openers had a lower impact. Furthermore, personality traits, age, and perspective-taking showed the potential but also the varying impacts on the persuasiveness of the techniques on users’ correction of misinformation across both cultural contexts while pointing to the need for considering both personal and cultural factors in designing social-correction-based solutions.

Closing the Gaps: An Examination of Student Self-Sabotage, a Willingness to Ask for Help, and Personal-Enacted and Enacted-Relational Identity Gaps in the Student-Instructor Relationship

ABSTRACT The authors investigated students’ (N = 262) perceived personal-relational and enacted-relational identity gaps (for communication instructors) as mediators for the relationship between students’ self-sabotage and students’ willingness to ask their communication instructors for help. The study offers empirical support for the communication theory of identity by observing personal-relational and enacted-relational identity gaps as mediators explaining the relationship between participants’ self-sabotage scores and their willingness to ask for help. Additionally, the study overviews the implications and outlines how communication instructors may combat student self-sabotage and identity gaps.

Post Crisis Communication Strategies Used in Crises Preparedness in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry in Naivasha Sub-County

Purpose: This study sought to evaluate the post-crisis communication strategies used in crises preparedness in the tourism and hospitality industry in Naivasha Sub-County in Nakuru County of Kenya. Methodology: Mixed research methodology was used in the study, particularly the dominant-less dominant parallel/simultaneous (QUAL + quan) design. A quantitative sample of 362 and a qualitative sample of the key informants was drawn from a population of 1092 employees using the multi-stage and purposive sampling techniques, respectively. The instruments of data collection were questionnaires for survey of the 362 respondents and interview guides for the key informant interviews. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data and were subjected to regression analysis using SPSS software whereas qualitative data was analyzed thematically. Findings: The study found that various post-crisis communication strategies were used in crises preparedness in tourism and hospitality industry on Naivasha subcounty. A communication strategy that emphasizes protection of the reputation of the organization was popular among a larger portion of the respondents 60% (n=177). The study also revealed that as a post-crisis communication strategy, the management in the hotels was keen to give information that focuses on coping psychologically with a crisis situation. The hotels also ensured that keeping the image of the hotels through communication strategies would enhance crises preparedness. The findings in post-crisis communication strategies included the messaging that focuses more on rebuilding of the organization’s profitability. This was found to be strongly and positively associated with restoration of the hotel’s image (r=.610). Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The situational crisis communication theory guided the study. The study recommends that the Cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Tourism develop policies that spell and guide crisis management plans that acknowledge effective crisis communication strategies in hotels in the country. This study findings will inform academia and be a base for scholars in mass communication in carrying out further studies in communicative strategies used in crises preparedness. The study will also inform the hotel and hospitality management on the importance of allocating adequate resources on communicative strategies to be prepared for crises.

Language, disciplinarity and identity: an autoethnography of an international interdisciplinary doctoral student

PurposeWhile higher education has been encouraging interdisciplinary research, few studies have been conducted to understand how interdisciplinarity shapes the identity construction of scholars, especially doctoral students who may already strive to socialize into academia.Design/methodology/approachTherefore, this study adopts the approach of autoethnography to analyze my lived experience of developing disciplinary literacy and constructing interdisciplinary identity as a Chinese international doctoral student at a North American university. Communication theory of identity (CTI) is the theoretical framework through which I understand the negotiation among my personal, enacted, relational and communal identities while communicating my research through diverse literacy practices.FindingsThis autoethnography reveals that interdisciplinary doctoral students can flexibly use discursive resources from different disciplines and literacy practices in both English and their first language to dynamically create interdisciplinary identities communicable to different discourse communities. Their identities in different disciplines can develop simultaneously, rather than suppressing one for the development of the other as they do interdisciplinary research.Originality/valueThis study first extends current scholarly discussion of disciplinary literacy to a less-investigated setting, i.e. doctoral education in higher education. Second, it adds an additive and current layer of interdisciplinarity to the existing understanding of international doctoral students’ identity construction. Third, it helps to understand how the development of disciplinary literacy can facilitate disciplinary identity construction and how disciplinary identity construction can facilitate the development of disciplinary literacy.

Frequency modulation increases the specificity of time-resolved connectivity: A resting-state fMRI study.

Representing data using time-resolved networks is valuable for analyzing functional data of the human brain. One commonly used method for constructing time-resolved networks from data is sliding window Pearson correlation (SWPC). One major limitation of SWPC is that it applies a high-pass filter to the activity time series. Therefore, if we select a short window (desirable to estimate rapid changes in connectivity), we will remove important low-frequency information. Here, we propose an approach based on single sideband modulation (SSB) in communication theory. This allows us to select shorter windows to capture rapid changes in the time-resolved functional network connectivity (trFNC). We use simulation and real resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to demonstrate the superior performance of SSB+SWPC compared to SWPC. We also compare the recurring trFNC patterns between individuals with the first episode of psychosis (FEP) and typical controls (TC) and show that FEPs stay more in states that show weaker connectivity across the whole brain. A result exclusive to SSB+SWPC is that TCs stay more in a state with negative connectivity between subcortical and cortical regions. Based on all the results, we argue that SSB+SWPC is more sensitive for capturing temporal variation in trFNC.

Integrating youth participatory action research and health communication to inform youth and young adult covid-19 vaccine communication research.

COVID-19 vaccination rates remain lower among adolescents compared with adults. Youth participatory action research (YPAR) offers opportunities to inform youth vaccine communication at the local and population level. However, few studies have integrated systematic health communication research with YPAR. In the current study, a diverse team of paid high school interns, undergraduate student mentors and communication researchers in West Philadelphia YPAR programs developed a theory-informed communication survey to measure teen COVID-19 vaccine beliefs, information sources and behavior. The survey was distributed locally and informed youth-created vaccine campaign messages. In addition, YPAR-derived survey measures complimented a qualitative online elicitation survey with US young adults. Responses were coded using inductive content analysis, informing measures for a subsequent population-level study of young adults. This research followed protocols approved by an Institutional Review Board. Applying a YPAR framework elevated youth voices in the study development process. Communication theory and methods aided the development of survey studies to advance both local YPAR program objectives and population-level research. Future implications are discussed.

‘They trusted me, even if I’m a tom like this’: exploring sexual-professional identity communication of LGBTQ+ primary schoolteachers

ABSTRACT This study investigates the communication strategies employed by Thai LGBTQ+ primary school teachers to negotiate their identities. The Communication Theory of Identity was used to examine the interplay between sexual-professional identity gaps and societal expectations at school. The study involved semi-structured, in-depth interviews with ten participants. The teachers’ internal recognition process leads to compromising overlapping identities and the delineation of spaces within the school. This process has been achieved by varying communication styles, some of which are influenced by Thai cultural norms – avoiding confrontation and mis-expectation compensating – that enable the teachers to keep their teacherly positionality intact. Considering overlapping identities, one has to employ a culturally and professionally sensitive communicative strategy, which enables teachers to advance professionally, ascend the social ladder, and secure greater career prospects. These strategies contribute to the establishment of mutually beneficial relationships in the workplace by reducing the power disparity between LGBTQ+ teachers and dominant hetero-others.

English-language news representations of the Fukushima nuclear-treated-water discharge at the initial phase in Japan and neighbouring countries

There is a gap in our knowledge that has not been filled much yet: the interplay between uncertainty and transparency, as well as the social amplification of risk and potential manipulation, interconnected with the media agenda-setting theory in risk communication. To fill this gap, this study investigates how China’s, South Korea’s, and Japan’s leading English-language newspapers present their respective stands on the issue of the Fukushima nuclear-treated-water discharge in the initial phase between 1 January 2021 and 31 May 2021. Discourse analysis reveals divergent discourses in the selected newspapers, with The Japan Times employing scientific evidence, discussions of radioactive emission, proactive measures, details on contaminated water treatment, treated water disposal, and counter-blaming tactics to construct the discourse of image protection; China Daily utilising arguments from the politically-driven US-Japan alliance, expert discourse on the lack of a scientific basis, and empathy for the fishery trade to create the discourse of politically-driven public health concern; and The Korea Herald using accusations of Japan’s irresponsibility, historical facts, geopolitical problems, and violations of human rights to construct the blaming discourse. The analysis also reveals the striking similarities among the three press coverages, which underpin the discourse of transnational alignment and shared concerns, highlighting environmental, human health, and economic concerns related to the fishing industry. Even though the three news outlets had different points of view, both CD and TKH focused on the lack of transparency in Japan’s handling of uncertainty in risk communication and the social amplification of risk. In contrast, TJT amplified the safety of the nuclear-treated water discharge to attenuate people’s perceptions of its risk. Theoretically, this study demonstrates the close relationship between the handling of uncertainty in risk communication and transparency, as well as the social amplification of risk and potential manipulation, with practical implications for newsrooms to communicate risks.