Control Through Communication

A superb historical analysis of the philosophical and technological forces that led to the development of communication genres and processes in the modern American corporation.

Communication and Control: Tools, Systems, and New Dimensions examines a wide range of communication structures and control systems from low- to high-tech and advocates a media ecological view of human communication in a time of intelligent, learning machines.

Tracing the development of communication markets and the regulation of international communications from the 1840s through World War I, Jill Hills examines the political, technological, and economic forces at work during the formative century of global communication. The Struggle for Control of Global Communication analyzes power relations within the arena of global communications from the inception of the telegraph through the successive technologies of submarine telegraph cables, ship-to-shore wireless, broadcast radio, shortwave wireless, the telephone, and movies with sound. Global communication began to overtake transportation as an economic, political, and social force after the inception of the telegraph, which shifted communications from national to international. From that point on, says Hills, information was a commodity and ownership of the communications infrastructure became valuable as the means of distributing information. The struggle for control of that infrastructure occurred in part because the growing economic power of the United States was hindered by British control of communications. Hills outlines the technological advancements and regulations that allowed the United States to challenge British hegemony and enter the global communications market. She demonstrates that control of global communication was part of a complex web of relations between and within the government and corporations of Britain and the United States. Detailing the interplay between U.S. federal regulation and economic power, Hills shows how communication technologies have been shaped by these forces and fosters an understanding of contemporary systems of power in global communications.

A modern mathematical approach to the design of communication networks for graduate students, blending control, optimization, and stochastic network theories alongside a broad range of performance analysis tools. Practical applications are illustrated by making connections to network algorithms and protocols. End-of-chapter problems covering a range of difficulties support student learning.

In the belief that power is something that is negotiated by participants in the instructional process and with the goal of understanding how communication and power interact, this book looks at power and instruction in many different ways. Drawing from the lessons of the social sciences generally, it examines research that has been conducted by instructional communication specialists, looks at newer approaches to power, presents a status report on what is now known, and points to the divergent directions that offer opportunities for future scholarship.

Social media are rapidly and dramatically transforming the communication landscape. They are purported to provide reputational benefits by promoting transparency and enhancing possibilities for stakeholder engagement. However, they also present reputational risks by exposing organizations to new types of crises, stakeholder criticism, and digital activism. This textbook provides a comprehensive look at social-mediated developments in corporate and organizational communication and examines the consequent implications for reputation management. The book takes a grounded approach in bringing together perspectives from communication and management and from scholarship and practice. It helps the reader make sense of digitalization in corporate communication and its consequences for organization–stakeholder relationships, trust, engagement, leadership, and reputation. Covering a wide spectrum of topics such as branding, consumer engagement, employee relations, crisis communication, corporate responsibility and sustainability, and the return on investment (ROI), the book maps key changes in the evolving communication landscape, with an understanding of the strategic benefits and challenges for corporate reputation. Key Features • Blend of theory and practice of social-mediated communication and implications for reputation management • International focus with contemporary (and classic) examples and cases • Link with professional practice in “Voices from the Field” feature • Discussion questions and activities to encourage critical reflection and informed application

What's the most common family form today? In what ways can we define "family" that ensure it is inclusive of all family forms? Despite the current diverse nature of family forms, which functions are fulfilled by the family regardless of its makeup> In what ways do family members function to nurture and control each other through their changing roles and rules to maintain their family identity? Family Communication examines the role communication plays in family development and maintenance--from a consideration of what constitutes a "family" (according to various governmental, religious, and social science orientations), to the initiation of dating relationships and romantic commitment, to adding and raising socio-emotionally competent children. Also explored are the roles that communication plays in maintaining intimacy and closeness in the family and in managing family conflicts and tensions. In addition, unique emphasis is given to how cognitions and emotions influence communication outcomes in the family. Despite the diversity of family forms today, families all share one thing in common--they all include some form of nurturing and control: support and development and behavior control and limitations; nurturing communication to encourage intimacy development and maintenance and controlling communication to resolve conflict and change undesirable behavior. By organizing the study of family communication around the concepts of nurturing and control, author Beth Le Poire emphasizes the central role that communication plays in both families if origin and newly formed families.

Anyone who can successfully read people can communicate and hold power.