The ontic uniqueness and irreducibility of language and communicative actions

ABSTRACT

The main focus of the argument presented in this (the first of two) article(s) is directed towards an investigation into the uniqueness and irreducibility of language and communicative actions. It is done on the basis of the distinction between what is ontically given and what can be articulated through the theoretical endeavours of an ontology. The argument unfolds with reference to the inherent anatomical limitations of animals in the articulation of truly human language, and by mentioning the fact that, strictly speaking, the human being does not possess a single 'speech organ.' It also takes into consideration what Plessner has called the 'mediated immediacy' of language, and the inherent ambiguity and choice present in linguistic meaning (Cassirer, Nida and de Klerk). A brief explanation of the transition from the rationalistic epistemic ideal of Enligthenment to the historicism of the nineteenth century and to the eventual linguistic turn (end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries) serves to elucidate why language as such eventually became a new horizon for reflection during the twentieth century (Heidegger and Gadamer). It is mentioned that Hegel provided a starting-point for communication theory and also that the dialogical principle in the thought of Buber aimed at subject–subject relations at the cost of subject–object relations. Against this background the discussion returns to the problem of uniqueness and multivocality. Examples of primitive (indefinable) terms in mathematics, the discipline of kinematics and the science of linguistics are mentioned. As a first example of the analogical employment of terms, the multivocality of causality is assessed – with specific reference to communicative and historical causality. The brief assessment of the positions taken by Jaspers and Habermas, and the objection against (unfounded) reductionism should be seen as a transitional introduction to the follow-up article (in a later issue of Communicatio) in which the ontic interconnectedness and interdependence of language and communicative actions will be examined in more detail.     

Business’ societal involvement: towards a moral view

Abstract

Businesses which function according to a neoliberal framework objectify society by seeing it as a mechanism to enhance profit. Businesses become involved on a societal level so as to portray themselves as caring and to generate positive publicity. This article critically discusses this relationship between business and society and then investigates two alternatives, namely, alternatives along the socialism-capitalism continuum and alternatives beyond the socialismcapitalism debate. In this relationship, conservation, eco-operation, empowerment, accord, succour and justice are important to business. The managerial relationship between business and society is analysed against the background of businesses’ involvement in society.     

Challenges in donor–NPO relationships in the context of corporate social investment

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to highlight challenges in the relationship between corporate donors and recipient NPOs within the context of corporate social investment (CSI) in South Africa and to link the relational challenges to problems NPOs face in general. It is theoretically argued that CSI forms an important part of sustainable development and that NPOs, in turn, form an integral part of many organisations’ social investment. The challenges faced by them need addressing for the sake of NPOs, donors and society as a whole. It was found that although the stakeholder relationship generally shows both positive and negative perceptions of the parties involved, the challenges that exist can be traced to challenges in the everyday functioning of NPOs, including resource limitations and dependence; staffing problems; and strategy, management and environmental challenges. These challenges facing NPOs manifest in their relationship with donors and can be seen in the power imbalance in the relationship that favours donors, the lack of transparency by NPOs, divergent views on commitment, the questioned competence of NPOs, time constraints in the execution of activities, a perceived incomprehension by NPOs of the realities of the business world, and an unwillingness on the part of donors to allow NPOs some decision-making power.     

An Integrated Model for Communicating Within and About Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives have two main objectives, namely, contributing to sustainable development; and adding strategic value for organisations. These objectives imply that organisations should communicate about CSR initiatives with stakeholders to add strategic value, whilst also communicating within CSR with the beneficiaries of these initiatives to contribute to sustainable development. In the field of CSR communication, however, the majority of the literature focuses on communication about CSR, while communication with the beneficiaries within CSR is often overlooked. This article presents an integrated model for communication both within and about CSR initiatives. The constructs of such integrated communication are analysed in order to identify similarities and point out differences. The ultimate aim is to present a holistic model for CSR communication that covers the content, nature and aims of such communication. The model is based on a literature study involving the two-way symmetrical approach, the reflective paradigm, strategic communication management and the participatory approach to communication for social change. Integrating communication within and about CSR in a single model is a complex undertaking, which entails incorporating constructs of communication from diverse theoretical fields flowing from different meta-theoretical assumptions. To date, this model is the first attempt to integrate communication within and about CSR on a theoretical level.     

Towards contextualising stakeholder relationship indicators for corporate–community relationships

Abstract

In circumstances that are substantially different from the norm, new ways of thinking about those alternative contexts are necessary. In the context of corporate governance and corporate social investment (CSI) the relationship between corporate donors and community organisations is regarded as important, but the indicators used to describe this relationship need revisiting. The argument in this article is that context-specific indicators are needed to bring the true nature of the corporate–community relationship to the fore. In addition, a suggestion is made that such indicators be both rigorous and relevant in describing the relationship. In an interpretative, qualitative exploration of data from individual interviews it was revealed that well-known relationship indicators were inadequate to describe the relationship between corporate donors and community organisations accurately. The article could serve as the first step in reviewing stakeholder relationship indicators from organisational communication research and adapting these indicators to a specific context.     

Participatory Communication,Theatre and Peace: Performance as a Tool for Change at the End of Conflict

This article presents insights on a participatory theatre initiative implemented in Kenya, with the aim of understanding the changes that were initiated towards the re-establishment of peace between communities. The project was carried out in the aftermath of the post-election violence that took place in the country between 2007 and 2008. Amani People’s Theatre organised a number of theatre-based activities adopting a participatory approach, which ensured the involvement of community members from different tribes. Participants used the plays to re-enact the events, experienced during the conflict and the issues that still affected their communities as a result of those events, and worked together on finding solutions. The article begins with a literature review on Theatre for Development and its progress towards a more participatory approach. This is followed by an introduction of the project and the context in which it took place. The study design and Theory of Change developed for the analysis are then presented, opening the path to a discussion of the findings generated through that framework. Lastly, final reflections bring to light a number of issues that must be considered when working with participatory theatre in peace interventions.     

中俄两国经贸关系发展现状及其广阔前景

中俄两国是重要的经济贸易伙伴。在经受了2008年全球金融和经济危机冲击后,中俄两国经贸关系全面恢复和迅速发展。在中俄政府总理定期会晤制度框架下,建立了两国经济合作对话与协商机制。近年来,中俄贸易规模不断扩大,能源领域的合作日益深化,相互投资不断增加,地区间的经济贸易关系全面发展。全面提升贸易质量,扩大贸易规模,增加相互投资,深化能源合作,推动地区间和边境地区经贸合作,加强经济现代化领域合作,将成为中俄经贸关系发展的重要方向。     

The Place of Sociology in the Study of Political Communication

Robert K. Merton's Mass Persuasion (1946) and related 1940s communications research represent a body of work that repays those who read it carefully today. Merton charted a world that became our own, one marked by the interplay of mass media, celebrity, and “public images” that traversed cultures of entertainment, moral life, and politics. In this essay, I read Mass Persuasion through a later Merton article discussing the role of reading and rereading classic texts in the human sciences. After extending Merton's arguments about the functions of predecessor texts, I amplify aspects of Mass Persuasion that remain instructive within political communication and related fields today.     

Diversionary cheap talk: economic conditions and US foreign policy rhetoric, 1945-2010

ABSTRACT

This study explains how the economy affects the foreign policy rhetoric used by American presidents. When economic conditions deteriorate, presidents criticize foreign nations to boost their approval ratings. Presidents use this “diversionary cheap talk” in response to the misery index of unemployment plus inflation, which poses a unique threat to their popularity. They target historical rivals, which make intergroup distinctions most salient. Diversionary cheap talk is most influential for and most frequently used by Democratic presidents, whose non-core constituents prefer hawkish foreign policy but already expect it from Republican presidents. I test the observable implications of the theory with the American Diplomacy Dataset, an original record of 50,000 American foreign policy events between 1851 and 2010 drawn from a corpus of 1.3 million New York Times articles.     

An analysis of corporate social responsibility communication on the websites of banks operating in Ghana

CSR communication has received increased attention from researchers in recent times. The extant literature indicates that philanthropy dominates the CSR communications of most firms in Africa. Furthermore, the existing literature shows that state-owned firms’ CSR communication focuses more on environmental and community issues. Thus, this study examines the differences between local and foreign banks with regard to their CSR communications. It also examines which stakeholder groups banks pay great attention to, in their CSR communication. Data were collected from the websites of 26 banks operating in Ghana. using quantitative content analysis as analytical technique, it was found that foreign banks are better at communicating customer and employee CSR information than local banks. In addition, the findings show that state-owned banks report more information on donations and philanthropy.     

The Internet,Public Spheres,and Political Communication: Dispersion and Deliberation

The theme of the Internet and the public sphere now has a permanent place on research agendas and in intellectual inquiry; it is entering the mainstream of political communication studies. The first part of this presentation briefly pulls together key elements in the public sphere perspective, underscoring three main analytic dimensions: the structural, the representational, and the interactional. Then the discussion addresses some central themes in the current difficulties facing democracy, refracted through the lens of the public sphere perspective. In particular, the destabilization of political communication systems is seen as a context for understanding the role of the Internet: It enters into, as well as contributes to, this destabilization. At the same time, the notion of destabilization can also embody a positive sense, pointing to dispersions of older patterns that may have outlived their utility. Further, the discussion takes up obvious positive consequences that follow from the Internet, for example that it extends and pluralizes the public sphere in a number of ways. Thereafter the focus moves on to the interactional dimension of the public sphere, specifically in regard to recent research on how deliberation proceeds in the online public sphere in the contemporary environment of political communication. Finally, the analytic category of deliberative democracy is critically examined; while useful, some of its rationalist biases, particularly in the context of extra–parliamentarian politics, limit its utility. It is suggested that the concept of civic cultures offers an alternative way to understand the significance of online political discussion.     

老工业基地国有企业社会责任与国有企业改革研究

企业社会责任是一个"多元"概念,拥有不同的维度和权重。不同性质和特点的企业履行企业社会责任的方式也存在着区别。国有企业模范的履行企业社会责任需要更多地注重国有经济的功能方面。在不同的时代背景下,国有企业社会责任有不同的偏重。老工业基地的地域特点和发展方式转变的时代背景,决定了我国老工业基地国有企业社会责任的特殊性。老工业基地国有企业改革与此背景下的老工业基地国有企业社会责任相融合,有利于实现老工业基地又好又快地发展。     

International communication: shifting paradigms,theories and foci of interest

Abstract

This article aims to be a stock-taking exercise of the development of paradigms and foci of interest, in attempts to theorise the vast developments and far-reaching changes as well as the impact and effects of global communication in the world of today. Attention is firstly given to the current nature, impact and implications of global communication in the first decade of the 21^st century, as well as to a shift in emphases in the (sub)discipline of international communication. A critical overview is then given of discourses on the free flow of information, modernisation theory, dependency theory, the structural theory of imperialism, world system theory, hegemony, political economy, critical theory, the public sphere, cultural studies, the information society and globalisation. Since many of these paradigms have been borrowed or taken over from media studies, international relations or other (sub)disciplines, attention is given specifically to their application in theorising international communication. The article concludes with a critical overview of the current ‘state of the art’ with regard to the body of theory in international communication.     

Identity and culture in theorising African perspectives of communication: The case of an African cinematic model

Abstract

Since communication refers to the sharing of information by any effective means, there is no doubt it entails the ability to make meaning of realities. In this sense, communication is cultural as much as it is human. Since that is the case, its theories cannot be fabricated in the abstract, but must be anchored in people's everyday lifestyles and cultures. Hence, like every other discipline, Africanising communication science is as much a possibility as theorising its perspectives from African contexts and experiences. Focusing on the negative challenges confronting the continent might make scholars see only the difficulties that problematise the application of theories to Africa's reality, which only betrays the Anglo-American stereotypical views of the continent. The argument is made here that the starting point of any theory of communication has to lie with the identity and culture of those involved in the communication process. Specifically by using selected films from Africa, this author considers the exploration of African identity and culture (from a bottom-up paradigm) as the primary starting point to tease out relevant theories of communication for and from an African cultural context.     

政府在我国城市公共安全中的角色分析——来自治理理论的启示

公共安全本身的控制难度较大,加之城市特性的扩大作用,使得城市公共安全很难受到政府单方的、完全的、全方位的管理。也就是说,对政府而言,城市公共安全的可管理性是有限的。治理理论对我国城市公共安全管理的启示在于政府的责任并非是无限的,但它需明确自身的应有角色并有效履行相应责任,促成一个能够有效维系城市公共安全的治理网络并在其中发挥领袖角色,即先行者、指导者、沟通者和激励者。     

Transatlantic trade and monetary relations: The nature and limits of conflict

The furore that greeted news that negotiations were to start on a transatlantic free trade agreement revealed not only the potential importance of any putative deal, but also the tendency of Europeans to view international politics almost uniquely in economic terms. This neglect of security and broader geostrategic issues is short-sighted and dangerous. It is precisely the liberal world order in place since the Second World War that has allowed Europeans to develop their economic potential. Leaving it to the United States to preserve that order is an increasingly problematic strategy, with the US ever more reluctant to police the world in the way it once did. The US has, for many years, asked its partners to contribute more to the preservation of common security interests. Given the failure of these attempts to date, it might be time for Washington to resort to tougher tactics in an attempt to entice Europeans out of their geostrategic retirement.     

东北地区资源安全与社会经济发展

东北地区是我国开发历史最短的地区之一,在东北亚地区及我国的战略地位举足轻重,东北地区社会经济发展始终对全国产生重要影响。目前,东北地区面临诸多的困难与问题,但有利因素也很多,许多潜在优势尚未发挥出来。为此,应加强对东北地区的深入研究,在东北老工业基地改造和经济结构调整的过程中,采取正确的战略对策,坚持不懈地努力,尽量实现东北地区的现代化。     

Opinion Formation in Social Media: The Influence of Online News Dissemination on Facebook Posts

ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore the influence of online news dissemination on public opinion in social media and examine what factors determine the influence. Online news stories (N=51) from 37 sources and Facebook posts (N=317) on the construction of Africa’s first modern international railway line, the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway line, were retrieved between June and November 2017 for the period April 11, 2012 to November 30, 2017. Comparative content analysis of online news and Facebook posts revealed that there was positive correlation between frame repetition by news media and prevalence of the frame in social media opinion. The results showed that there were statistically significant associations in the presence of positive as well as negative frame tones between news articles and Facebook posts. However, the relationship in the use of neutral frame tone between news and opinion was not significant. Regarding composition, short news stories exert more influence on social media opinion than longer news articles, as indicated by negative correlation between news article length and its influence on opinion. Overall, the results suggest that online news dissemination strongly influences opinion formation in social media.     

The Strength of Weak Terrorist Ties

The current age of technology, mass communication, and globalization makes networks analysis an especially useful tool for understanding cell-based terrorism. Some concepts from traditional networks analysis may be especially relevant. The Strength of Weak Ties hypothesis (SWT) is particularly promising and will be used here to demonstrate the usability of traditional networks analysis for studying modern terrorism. The findings suggest that the strength of weak terrorist ties may improve Al Qaeda's operational capabilities despite the group's decentralization following the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan beginning in 2001.