OrganiZational communication and organiSational communication: Binaries and the fragments of a field

In this paper, I employ personal narrative to help cast light on connections and tensions between organiZational communication research, as produced in the United States, and organiSational communication research, as produced in Aotearoa New Zealand. I address the issue by highlighting three sets of differences between these bodies of research: canonical, institutional and theoretical. I then unpack how these differences are apparent in my own university before sketching out three ways in which we might productively use such tensions to achieve radical engagement, and critique disciplinary others, identities, and locations

Spatial price integration and price transmission among major fish markets in India

The domestic fish marketing system in India deserves to be developed into a strong network of efficiently functioning markets, as more than three-fourths of the country’s total fish production is channellised domestically. With the unleashing of a new global economic order, the efficiency of markets needs to be dealt with utmost importance. The degree of spatial market integration and price transmission between the major coastal markets in India have been reported using monthly retail price data on important marine fish species. It has been observed that degree of integration and rate of price transmission differ according to species. The highest integration has been observed in mackerel, probably because of its affordability to all income classes, resulting in a wide consumer base. Among various markets, a near full transmission of prices has been observed between Kerala and Tamil Nadu markets, except in the case of shrimp. Even though a major landing centre, the price movement in Maharashtra market has been found independent of other markets. The spatial market integration between major shrimp markets in the country has appeared to be the least, possibly because of its greater market share outside the country. The study has suggested to devise strategies to bring about greater integration between these markets so that both fishermen and the fish-consuming community in the country are benefitted.Marketing,

Title: Ultrasound (US) Imaging Use in the Management of the Difficult Tracheal Intubation

The ultrasound has been in clinical use since the early 1900s, but its use in the airway has not been published extensively so far. Combining the skills of USG with thorough knowledge of regional anatomy can prove to be a boon to improving the quality of care being delivered to patients. Preoperative use of USG at different levels of the neck combined with the risk assessment methods can help to organize predictors of difficult airway and difficult laryngoscopy. Basic comprehension of USG physics, transducer selection, and probe orientation and a better understanding of airway anatomy contribute to the accuracy of ultrasound interpretation. In day-to-day practice, there is a potential for failed tracheal intubations followed by failure of gaining adequate access to the airway, thus posing challenges to anesthesiologists. Besides predicting difficult airway, USG provides an incentive to properly place an endotracheal tube (ETT) to an adequate depth, estimation of the size of ETT particularly helpful in children and obese, laryngeal mask airway (LMA) confirmation, surgical airways, and post-extubation stridor assessment and thus prevents the risk of reintubation. With the promising and increasing number of evidence exists, there is potential for incorporation of upper airway USG into further standard of care assessment, monitoring, and imaging modalities

Why Facebook doesn’t cause protests

Anyone who has followed the recent spate of political unrest in the Middle East and elsewhere could be forgiven for thinking that a full-scale global revolution is underway, caused by digital social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter. Several media commentators, at least in the western world, create a narrative where authoritarian regimes in far-off lands such as Iran, Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, and now Libya, are dramatically undermined by the free flow of information enabled by new technologies. In this simple formula, Internet growth is equated with democratization. Technology does play a pivotal role in contemporary social protests, but its role is actually a lot more complex, and definitely not causative. It is worthwhile though to first consider why such techno-centric explanations of social change capture our imagination in the first place

Outsourcing as symptomatic: class visibility and ethnic scapegoating in the US IT sector

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze recent debates about outsourcing in the USA, using examples from IT sector, especially in the context of India. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a critical commentary and uses methods based in rhetorical criticism. Findings – The author argues that to fully understand the outsourcing issue, it has to be considered a symptomatic discourse rather than a causative one. Specifically, it is argued that the outsourcing debate in the context of IT work evidences class issues in as much as it involves white collar visibility. Moreover, the debate is also symptomatic of ethnic tensions in the form of ethnic scapegoating. Some implications of the debate are discussed. Originality/value – The paper is of value to those interested in debates about outsourcing, and highlights the importance of a communication-oriented perspective

Volunteering and professionalization: Trends in tension?

The last several decades have witnessed the proliferation and popularity of volunteering both as a means for individuals to connect with social issues and as a way of sustaining nonprofit organizations; indeed, it dominates contemporary discussions about civic engagement. Whereas some social theorists have promoted volunteering as a benchmark to assess democratic participation, civic-mindedness, social capital, and trust (Putnam, 2000), others have questioned the uncomplicated associations among volunteering, civic engagement, and community (Ganesh & McAllum, 2009). Like Snyder (2001), we position volunteering as a “hybrid strain of helping” (p. 16309) that falls between spontaneous bystander intervention and highly obligated caregiving. Specifically, we propose that volunteering involves sustained identity investments by volunteers performed and realized in organizational settings

Qualifying engagement: A study of information and communication technology and the global social justice movement in Aotearoa New Zealand

Scholarly commentary has underscored the importance of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) in organizing the Global Social Justice Movement (GSJM). This study examines key communicative assumptions regarding technology and activist participation in the GSJM by asking three research questions: (a) what impacts of ICT-enabled brokerage are evident in the GSJM in Aotearoa New Zealand; (b) how are activists' attitudes embedded in the metaphors they use; and (c) what concerns do activists express about ICTs? Findings suggest strong associations between GSJM activists' conceptualizations of communication and their highly diverse attitudes toward and engagement with ICTs. Contrasts between activists and scholarly discussions of ICTs and the GSJM are highlighted

Running the race: Competition discourse and broadband growth in Aotearoa New Zealand

The objective of this study is to understand key aspects of contemporary discourse surrounding telecommunications development in Aotearoa New Zealand after the privatization of telecommunications in the late 1980s. We identify various characteristics of discourse on competition and telecommunication and trace how competition discourse was rhetorically positioned in attempts to produce economic, political and cultural outcomes. In particular, we argue that a race metaphor underpinned discussions about competition in broadband development. The race metaphor itself was raced inasmuch as it tapped into national anxieties about Aotearoa New Zealand’s place in the ‘developed’ world in order to motivate action on broadband policy. We also found that competition discourse in relation to broadband policy exhibited inherent contradictions in promoting control, in the form of increased regulation, while simultaneously promoting freedom, in the form of ‘unbundling’. Implications for understanding broadband growth as well as competition discourse itself are discussed