THE ICA COMMUNICATION AUDIT AND PERCEIVED COMMUNICATION EFFECTIVENESS CHANGES IN 16 AUDITED ORGANIZATIONS

This study brings to light evidence on the benefits of a methodology for evaluation of organizational communication processes and outcomes—the ICA Communication Audit. The audit procedure was developed and tested by ICA (International Communication Association) Division IV, between 1974–1974. Sixteen field tests of the audit have been conducted from 1974–1977. This study undertook an “after” survey of the 16 audited organizations to determine the degree to which the audit was perceived to improve organizational communication effectiveness as well as overall organizational effectiveness. The findings confirmed the ICA Communication Audit as a valid diagnostic methodology and organization development intervention technique which improved both communication awareness and processes in a majority of audited organizations.     

Priming Prejudice How Stereotypes and Counter-Stereotypes Influence Attribution of Responsibility and Credibility among Ingroups and Outgroups

The research examines the effect of priming negative stereotypic and positive counter-stereotypic portrayals of African Americans (Study 1) and women (Study 2) on interpretations of actual media events. A counter-stereotypic portrayal of an African American male led participants to subsequently make more external or situational attributions of responsibility to other African American males involved in unrelated media events (i.e., Rodney King and Magic Johnson), whereas stereotypic portrayals led to more internal or personal attributions. Similarly, a counter-stereotypic portrayal of a female tended to increase the perceived credibility of females involved in unrelated media events (i.e., the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings and the William Kennedy Smith/Patricia Bowman rape trial) whereas stereotypic portrayals decreased their perceived credibility. Study 2 also revealed an ingroup-outgroup bias in the interpretation of media events, with females tending to be more sympathetic toward other females. Implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions made for future research.     

Nozick on Self-esteem

ABSTRACT This paper considers Robert Nozick's account of self-esteem, as presented in Anarchy, State, and Utopia. I criticise three aspects of it. First, the claim that people gain self-esteem only when they believe that they possess greater quantities than others of some valued talent or attribute. Secondly, the view that there will always be a conflict of interests between people over the acquisition of self-esteem. Thirdly, the proposal that the most promising way to improve levels of self-esteem across a society is to educate people so that they value a number of different activities and attributes. I argue against Nozick that there are non-comparative standards of doing something well or successfully that provide a person with a means of self-assessment; there is no necessary conflict of interests over the acquisition of self-esteem; reforming basic social and economic institutions is a promising way for a society to increase levels of self-esteem.