MA in Communication | Thesis

HONORS THESES

Author: Adrienne Ammerman
Title: Reproductive Health at School-Based Health Centers: Two Case Studies in Crisis Communications

Abstract: Controversy surrounding reproductive health issues at school-based health centers (SBHCs) arises frequently at the community level and in the news media, and can have lasting repercussions for the strength and sustainability of the movement. In this thesis I present two case studies of reproductive health communications crises at SBHCs. The case studies feature in-depth interviews of key stakeholders involved in the crisis, as well as textual analysis of internal and external communications documents and news media coverage. In both cases no one was harmed, the law was on the side of the SBHC, and the SBHC eventually had the support of the community – including parents and students. In both cases the media incited much of the crisis, and the interviewees perceived the resulting coverage – particularly at the national level – as highly sensationalized. The first case had much more extensive and negative coverage than the second case, with more serious repercussions on national SBHC policy. It is possible that the manner in which SBHC stakeholders managed the crisis had some impact on the tenor and duration of the news coverage, as well as the resulting political backlash (or lack thereof). A surprising finding of this study is the extent to which, in retrospect, the interview participants viewed the crises as positive events for themselves personally and for school-based health care. Read the full paper.

Author: Carolyn Perry
Title: No Relationship Is Safe”: In-Depth Interviews with HIV-Positive Black Women

Abstract: Through in-depth interviews with 12 HIV-positive African American women, this study explored the perceptions of HIV/AIDS prevention messages from the perspective of those for whom prevention efforts failed. Findings indicate that current HIV/AIDS prevention messages are neither informative nor prevalent enough to adequately connect with at-risk black women. Further, a surprising one-half of the women in the study revealed that they had been infected through unprotected intercourse with men they believed were long-term, monogamous partners. Results also suggest that the female condom could be a popular, empowering tool for increasing safe sex in black women. Future HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns should seek to increase condom use among women in relationships and promote the convenience and pleasure associated with the female condom. Read the full paper.

Author: Alicia Biggs
Title: Brand Integration and Commercial Effectivness

Abstract: A brand integration advertisement is a modern form of commercial that combines two brands (an advertiser and the television network the ad airs on).  Very little research exists on these innovative ads and how viewers perceive them, compared to how viewers perceive standard commercials.  In this study, I conducted an experiment with 164 total participants, who were randomly assigned to one of two conditions.  One group of participants (n = 70) viewed a five-minute program with a brand integration ad in the break, and the other group (n = 94) viewed an identical segment, except the break included a standard commercial.  Both groups completed surveys that measured whether brand integration ads have different effects than standard commercials on viewers’ attitudes toward the television network airing the ad, attitudes toward the featured product, intent to purchase the product, and the perceived link between the ads and the program.  Results showed no significant difference between participants’ attitudes toward the television network, attitudes toward the product, or intent to purchase the product, regardless of whether they viewed a brand integration ad or a standard commercial.  Results also showed that participants were more likely to draw a link between the brand integration ad and the program it aired within than between the standard commercial and the same program.  Read the full paper.

Author: Michael B. Green
Title: Op-Ed Issues and Authors in Regional U.S. Newspapers

Abstract: This study examined author and issue characteristics in non-columnist op-eds using a content analysis of randomly selected op-eds from U.S. regional newspapers in 2009. The results indicated that local authors and issues gained significantly more coverage on the op-ed page than did non-local authors or issues. The most commonly published op-ed authors included professors, advocacy group representatives, trade association representatives, and politicians. The issues of healthcare and state and local government administration received the most op-ed coverage.  Read the full paper.

Author: Marjorie Henriquez
Title: Does it pay to advertise good deeds? The inclusion of a corporate social responsibility message on home pages

Abstract:  Many companies are engaged in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities but do not always communicate this engagement to the public—in many cases, because the benefits and risks of such communication are unknown. This experiment examined how the inclusion of a CSR message on the home page of a retailer’s website affected public perception of trust of the website, the retailer, and its products, as well as the public’s intention to purchase from the retailer. The experiment was conducted via an online survey among 75 adult Internet users. Participants were randomized to examine the home page of a fictitious retailer’s website with or without a CSR message prominently displayed. Questions following the home page assessed perceptions of trust and intention to purchase. The results suggested that the CSR message had no significant effect on consumers’ perceptions or intention to purchase. Read the full paper.

Author: Michiko Izawa
Title: What Makes Viral Videos Viral: Roles of Emotion, Impression, Utility, and Social Ties in Online Sharing Behavior

Abstract: With the proliferation of social media, it is now easier than ever for anyone to share information with many people at once, causing some content to be consumed by an enormous audience solely by being forwarded from one to another virally. This study focused on YouTube videos as a form of content and examined what makes people share them online through their social networks. The online survey was conducted with 176 participants, who watched two videos on YouTube, answered whether they had shared or would share each video using various social media, and rated each video in terms of emotions aroused, impressions aroused, and utilities served by the video. They also assessed how frequently they used each type of social media and how close they felt to the people they were connected with through each medium. Results revealed that those who had shared or would share the videos felt happiness, humor, surprise, fear, sadness, and anger more strongly than those who had not shared or would not share the videos. Those more likely to share also found the videos more enjoyable, intense, informative and less provocative; thought the videos were useful, important for society, and reflected their tastes; and anticipated that people would feel happy and grateful to them for sharing the videos. Also, it was suggested that people tend to share content using the social media they use most frequently and they feel stronger connections with others through. Read the full paper.