Communication.

Integrated Marketing Communication: The Data Warehouse Solution. James D. Christian, Francis Marion University 

This paper introduces the concepts of data warehousing within the context of an integrated marketing communication program. First,-the theory, terminology, and techniques associated with data warehousing, data farming, data mining, and data exploration are examined. Then, various integrated marketing communication strategies (Growth, Harvest, Maintain, Divest, and Innovate) are linked to a solution provided by data warehousing. In each case, examples from actual companies are used to illustrate how the solution suggested is being utilized. In addition, areas of concern, including customer privacy; computer-based discrimination; misidentification of Website visitors; and illegal activities, are addressed. Several examples of how companies collect data are also provided. Examples are provided to illustrate how the collected data may be misleading when compared to direct observation of shoppers' buying habits. The target audience for this paper consists of graduate students preparing for mid-level management positions and mid-level managers wishing to update their marketing knowledge.

Desperate Housewives and Dutiful Househusbands: A Historical Perspective and Comparison of the Portrayal of the Family in the 1950s to the New Millennium. Brian Proffer, University of Michigan-Flint 

This presentation deals with representations of the family in television programs beginning in the 1950s when the family was represented as a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) in numerous "family" programs such as Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver. During this time minorities and diversity existed in the United States, but did not appear on main stream television. This study traces the changes that occurred in portrayals of the family in the decades following the radical social changes of the 1960s. The focus is primarily on the changes reflected in such programs as Father Knows Best (1954-1960), Leave it to Beaver (1957-1963), All in the Family (1971-1979), Sanford and Son (1972-1977), The Cosby Show (1984-1992), Full House (1987-1995), Married With Children (1987-1997), Roseanne (1988-1997), Friends (1994-2004), Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005), and Will and Grace (1998-2006), and Desperate Housewives (2004-Present), (Internet Media). The latter program deals with a new representation of family as non-blood related individuals functioning as a family. I have attempted to demonstrate the representation of the family in popular culture, particularly in television, reflects changes not in the family itself, but in our perception of the family over this period of time.

Encouraging Community Involvement with 'Below-the-Radar' News Coverage. Timothy J. Boudreau and John A. Palen, Central Michigan University 

Newsletter coverage of often-ignored governmental bodies increased subscribers' civic involvement, a 2005 survey found. Published by one of the study's authors, the newsletter covers city government and schools in a community of 40,000 that also hasan established daily newspaper. Estimated readership of the newsletter is 500. In a survey of all subscribers, 91 percent of respondents said reading the publication affected their civic involvement. Twenty-eight percent reported attending at least one public meeting in response to reading something in the publication; 37 percent reported writing at least one letter to media. The authors suggest this increased involvement might relate to the newsletter's focus on less visible, "below-the-radar" government bodies where issues often emerge. These include planning commissions, zoning boards of appeals, library boards, airport advisory commissions, cable access advisory commissions, and a charter school board. In 2005, more than half of the newsletter's 209 articles related directly to such government meetings. The authors discuss implications of their findings for larger, more traditional news media.

Risk Messages: Theoretical Dimensions of Design, Use and Implementation. Patric Spence, Calvin College

This study reports the theoretical dimensions behind a psychometric instrument measuring the constructs of hazard and outrage and its validation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The study then explores the interplay of perceived hazard and outrage in relation to evacuation from the New Orleans area with specific attention on demographic differences. Audience perceptions of hazard and outrage during Katrina are then used to illustrate the utility of the scale in examining these responses across different demographic groups. Ways this information can be used to design messages that alert audiences to hazards yet successfully neutralize outrage are discussed.

Doctoral Education: An Historical Examination of Communication Ph.D. Programs at Three Michigan Universities. Doris J. Fields, Eastern Michigan University 

The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of speech communication Ph.D. programs at three Michigan universities: Michigan State University (MSU), University of Michigan (U of M), and Wayne State University (WSU). The research details the development of the doctoral degrees in speech, identifies the primary forces that contribute to the development of doctoral programs, reviews past and present doctoral degree requirements, presents sample dissertations titles from doctoral candidates, summarizes institutions and examines the current state of doctoral programs in speech communication at Michigan universities.

Group Communication in the Online Classroom--A Case Study. Jeannette Kindred, Eastern Michigan University

Every year, more and more students arc enrolling in online courses. In many of those classrooms, students are required to work in groups on many different kinds of group projects. Because this method of learning is becoming so common, it is important to study how students communicate in online groups, and to uncover what patterns may lead to successful or unsuccessful group project outcomes. Such knowledge will help both teachers and students of the online classroom. For this research, several online student groups were observed. Results related to participation, task and social communication, gender, and student strategic choices are discussed. Participation varied widely, and students chose various communication methods besides online discussion. Task and social communication was noted, but the task communication was not always efficient. Participation levels and outcomes were also different based on the gender makeup of the groups. Finally, this study highlights ways in which students seem to be drawing on face-to-face classroom experiences as a model for how to interact in the online classroom.

Beyond Game Theory: Utilizing Negotiation Research in the Study of Interpersonal Conflict. Diana Hadad, Wayne State University

This literature review examines the applicability of negotiation, research to the study of" interpersonal conflict. Once firmly the domain of business scholars, this area of inquiry provides a foundation for the study of individual decision making and dyadic interaction in conflict situations. Negotiation research has been primarily limited to three approaches: Game Theory, individual differences, and social cognition. The first and most extensively explored is Game Theory, an approach that has been utilized by business scholars to examine transactions with fixed parameters. Its application to interpersonal conflict is limited because reactions do not generally fall within pre-established boundaries. Game Theory does, however, offer interpersonal scholars data regarding circumstances under which subjects deviate from game rules in order to privilege their relationships. The individual differences approach focuses on the impact of personality factors and psychological states. This assists our understanding of how similar conflict situations can have vastly different outcomes. The third approach is a social, cognition approach, which emphasizes that decisions are influenced by the perceptions and biases of decision makers. Combined, these approaches expand scholars' understanding of negotiation as an activity that serves to maintain and enhance personal relationships.

Save the Day, Fad in Love, or Be Frightened: Your Favorite Movie Genre May Affect Your Communication. Amy Capwell Burns, University of Toledo 

Tin's study used narrative analysis to examine the communication between opposite-sex characters in films. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not 25 of the top moneymaking films seen by large numbers of people portray stereotypical sex differences in nonverbal communication differently based on the genres to which the films belong. The study used research that demonstrated sex differences in naturally occurring nonverbal communication as a basis for comparison. The following nonverbal behaviors were included: number of smiles, reciprocated smiles, eye contact, body posture, number of gestures, invasion of space, and pitch. The films were placed into five genres that included: action, comedy, drama, science fiction, and horror. The results of the study demonstrated that the representations of nonverbal communication behaviors did differ across genres. This means that the genre of a film an audience member is watching may either reinforce or break stereotypes for communication and therefore influence viewers' communication behaviors. Since each genre is made with a specific type of audience in mind, people may be learning communication behaviors based on the type of genre they enjoy watching.

Iraqnophobia: Framing Our Enemy through Political Cartoons. William J. McGinnis, Winthrop University (SC)

The events surrounding war often generate expansive collections of visual images that remain virtually untouched by journalism historians. These images include literally thousands of political cartoons that appear in daily newspapers across the United States. The satirical nature surrounding political cartoons could hastily lead to a lack of regard to their significance as an historical source. However, several scholars have recognized that, for numerous reasons, political cartoons arc indeed unique cultural and historical sources that should not be easily dismissed. Political cartoons document a nation's wartime perspectives about the underlying assumptions about their enemy. These assumptions often justify public support of the war itself. But do these images accurately reflect the images of enemies, or do they form specific frames that are presented for other purposes? This study examines the political cartoons containing images of the enemy -Iraq--compiled within the online Slate Magazine. The researcher relies on frame analysis to examine the work of major syndicated cartoonists to see how they used frames to depict the enemy; investigates their use of visual stereotypes and determines if these wartime cartoons might be considered propaganda.

These abstracts were edited by the Chair of this section, James D. Christian.