Mary L Kish, 1/19/2009 · 0 comments
The NCUR 2009 Review Committee recently announced the acceptance of nine papers authored by communication management and design (CMD) students for presentation at its annual conference to be held April 16-18, 2009, at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
The accepted papers include
"The Generation Gap in the Modern Workplace" by Madalyn Averbach
►"I chose this topic due to my experience in different internships, observing how the generation gap affected a company's internal communications," remarked Averbach. "In terms of workplace diversity, age is something that tends to be over looked. With the retirement age being extended, this will be a more prevalent issue. There were many interesting case studies and statistics which I had the opportunity to explore." She plans a career in event and meeting planning and would eventually like to own her own business.
"There's No 'I' in Team: Effect of Organizational Teams on Individual Autonomy" by Brian Cicero
►Focusing on the reorganization trend in many corporations to flatter, team-based structures, Cicero examines how this shift has created less autonomy and more control of individual workers. "I think teamwork is getting a bad reputation," he said, "not because it is ineffective, but because organizations are designing them poorly with the wrong goals." After graduation, he hopes to be part of a creative development team for educational children's television programming.
"Eliminating Groupthink" by Ara Eckel
►The paper proposes that by changing group dynamics through a 3-step process, grouthink can be eliminated—use collaboration for decision-making; eliminate titles; adopt horizontal structure. "I chose groupthink as my topic because group work is here to stay. We all work in groups. The challenge is figuring out how to make group work more effective and efficient to increase satisfaction and promote equality," explained Eckel, who is aiming for a career in movie production.
"Building an Internal Corporate Identity through Computer Mediated Communication" by Renee LaDue
►LaDue compares the strategies used by organizations to promote their corporate identity externally to the strategies they use to build internal identity. "Starbuck's inspired me," said LaDue. "Their free coffee for voting campaign was immediately followed by their campaign advertising their participation in the Product (red) campaign." She is considering either Teach for America or several in-house corporate communications teams in the northeast after graduation, with an eye in the future on law school.
"The Emerging Technology Narrative Approach (ETNA) to Crisis Management" by Andrew Longcore
►This paper examines the use of websites, blogs, and text messaging as tools for disseminating key messages during a crisis situation, finding that they are especially useful in developing a narrative approach to crisis management. "I chose this subject because I am fascinated by crisis communication. The courses I have taken at Ithaca College, as well as informal discussions with faculty members in the Strat. Comm. Department, have furthered my interest," commented Longcore, who hopes to teach at the college level in the future.
"The Leadership 'Double Bind' in the 2008 Election" by Janelle Mackereth
►Focusing on Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, the paper examines how gender and leadership roles played a part in the 2008 election, analyzing how people perceived the women as well as how they were portrayed by the media. "I was looking for a topic that I could really delve into and learn more about, one that was timely and relevant because I was researching as the election unfolded." Mackereth is interested in working for a non-profit organization, possibly in the arts or education field. Before settling down, though, she wants to teach English abroad for a year or two.
"The Digital Divide and Technological Imperialism" by Virginia Moore
►"I'm so excited to have been chosen for this event," said Moore. "Not only is it extremely gratifying to see my work being recognized beyond the classroom, but I am also looking forward to sharing the research I am passionate about with others."
"Corporate Social Responsibility in a Post-Enron Business Environment" by Andrea Palmer
►"I chose the subject because corporations are becoming so huge and powerful, I believe they need to be held accountable for their actions. Also, catalysts such as corporate corruption and climate change are forcing corporations to examine their practices." Palmer's career goals are varied: event planning, internal communications, or marketing. And, she hopes to use her Spanish language skills as well.
"The Impact of Mobile Technology on a Developing Generation" by Laura Rowett
►Although she is part of the "mobile generation" and understands the reasons behind the popularity of text messaging, Rowett believes that "the effects of this practice on the current generation of pre-teens and teens may be detrimental to the development of the skills that arise from face-to-face communication with other people." After graduation she plans to travel to learn more about and experience different cultures before settling down into a career.
The mission of NCUR—the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research—is "to promote undergraduate research scholarship and creative activity done in partnership with faculty or other mentors as a vital component of higher education." The CMD student papers were written as final submissions for the required senior course, Critical Issues in Communication: Theory, Application, and Policy, during the fall 2008 semester with Amy Becker-George as instructor.
"The students did exceptional work all semester," said Becker-George. "They each selected a personal interest topic within the field of communication to explore by conducting a literature review in order to become mini-experts on the topic. Their selections were comprehensive and expansive. The final project requires them to write an in depth research paper, to design a conference-type poster, and to give an oral presentation. All of the students selected for the NCUR conference illustrated hard work and brought insightful fresh perspectives to communication."
The NCUR conference started in 1987 and now hosts 2,000 students and their faculty mentors annually from across the USA who present their research through posters, oral presentations, visual arts and performances.
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