http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/topic/13/business-and-communications Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Fri, 19 Jun 2026 04:22:08 -0400 Fri, 19 Jun 2026 04:22:08 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1913/securitization-framing-and-the-threat-of-right-wing-militias-under-donald-trump By Mia Wolosky - This paper assesses the political preferences and ideologies of the Trump administration and how they influenced framing issues in a way that has underestimated the threats of right-wing militia groups in the United States. President Trump and officials within his administration used rhetoric to place emphasis on the security concerns associated with immigration and far left-wing groups, while failing to condemn violence coming from the right. This paper analyzes how framing, and the securitization of certain issues, downplayed and encouraged the persistent threat of far right-wing domestic terrorists... Tue, 05 Oct 2021 10:23 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1913/securitization-framing-and-the-threat-of-right-wing-militias-under-donald-trump http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1910/covering-climate-change-a-sentiment-analysis-of-major-newspaper-articles-from-2010--2020 By Amy M. Patronella - This research lies at the nexus of political communication theory relating to emotional affect and political processing and the burgeoning field of sentiment analysis. News coverage can affect opinion both through the information it provides and the emotional reaction it generates. To better understand the affective content of news coverage of climate change, we mobilized two dictionary tools to perform an unsupervised sentiment analysis. Using 2,017 articles about climate change from 11 major U.S. newspapers between 2010-2020, this study assesses both the valence and top eight basic emotions... Thu, 23 Sep 2021 08:26 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1910/covering-climate-change-a-sentiment-analysis-of-major-newspaper-articles-from-2010--2020 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1904/industrial-safety-factors-that-present-barriers-to-reporting-workplace-incidents-and-contribute-to-cultures-of-non-reporting By Rana M. Van Tuyl - This research study explores factors that present barriers to reporting workplace incidents and contribute to cultures of non-report. The research purpose was to explore human, workplace/organizational, and external factors identified by industrial sector personnel working in the oil and gas industry in Northern Alberta, Canada to build an understanding of why cultures of non-report develop as a subculture. The participant organization was a multinational that provides construction and technical services on industrial facilities. Data was collected through one-on-one, semi-structured interviews... Tue, 08 Jun 2021 08:52 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1904/industrial-safety-factors-that-present-barriers-to-reporting-workplace-incidents-and-contribute-to-cultures-of-non-reporting http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1872/the-role-of-the-media-in-the-cuban-revolution-resource-mobilization-theory-and-cultural-framing By Ezekiel Vergara - On January 1st, 1959, a small band of Cuban rebels shocked the world, overthrowing the American-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. These rebels were especially known for their guerrilla tactics and their leaders, such as Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Yet, aside from these military tactics and leaders, the Cuba rebels also tactfully utilized the media. Notably, Castro’s forces benefitted greatly from an article published in the New York Times. As such, this paper applies the theories of resource-mobilization and cultural framing to the New York Times’ article on... Fri, 05 Feb 2021 01:24 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1872/the-role-of-the-media-in-the-cuban-revolution-resource-mobilization-theory-and-cultural-framing http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1636/suicide-terrorism-as-a-tactic-how-dominant-yet-subtle-representations-form-identities-and-meanings By Frank Mariscal - Although terrorism has been present in the world for centuries, it is only since the 1980s that suicide terrorism has become an object of study for academics and an existing concern for government professionals. While discourses on suicide terrorism have evolved, and passed through small, but varied cycles of resurgences, one of the bigger revivals of suicide terrorism discourse appeared in 2001, after the horrific attacks of 9/11. This paper analyzes the two major discourses surrounding the motivations that terrorist organizations in the Middle East have for utilizing the tactic of suicide bombing... Sun, 30 Apr 2017 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1636/suicide-terrorism-as-a-tactic-how-dominant-yet-subtle-representations-form-identities-and-meanings http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1568/the-conceptual-access-network-thesis-theorizing-the-success-of-new-internet-based-products-services-and-technologies By La Shun L. Carroll - The Conceptual Access-Network Thesis proposed suggests that the development or success of any new internet-based product, service, or technology will ultimately be contingent upon how well it satisfies the criterion of providing access to or creating a network of potential users, products, and services. The significance of this thesis is that, as a criterion, the principle not only explicates how internet technology evolves but can explain what underlies a range of technologies beyond that of the internet, which include chemical forms such as Insulin and highways that are based on the tenets of... Mon, 13 Mar 2017 10:29 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1568/the-conceptual-access-network-thesis-theorizing-the-success-of-new-internet-based-products-services-and-technologies http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1564/belonging-in-a-new-home-discursive-othering-of-latin-american-immigrants-in-us-print-media By Bill Kakenmaster - The year 2015 saw heightened racial and ethnic tension in the United States, with particular regard to Latin American immigrants and the U.S. presidential election. Discourse theory assumes that identity (re)production serves to legitimize, institutionalize, and eventually internalize hegemonic and resistant discursive portrayals of political actors and actor groups. Some discourse analysts attempts to "reveal racism" in society and combat that racism. Yet, to the extent that "racism" represents a series of systemic and systematically oppressive power structures, highlighting racist prejudices... Sat, 31 Dec 2016 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1564/belonging-in-a-new-home-discursive-othering-of-latin-american-immigrants-in-us-print-media http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1508/juxtaposing-sexist-and-feminist-understandings-of-pro-life-an-analysis-of-reproductive-rights-rhetoric By Caroline B. Connor - Near the end of 2015, in the midst of recent presidential and congressional debates, House Republicans proposed a bill to defund Planned Parenthood, blocking all of the organization’s federal funding, after the release of videos discussing Planned Parenthood allegedly selling fetal tissue. Sources suggest that after the release in these videos, there was also a rise in death threats against abortion providers, which has been primarily linked to the rhetoric revolving around the fetal tissue controversy (Alter). After a shooting in a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic in November of 2015... Fri, 16 Dec 2016 04:24 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1508/juxtaposing-sexist-and-feminist-understandings-of-pro-life-an-analysis-of-reproductive-rights-rhetoric http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1504/artistic-expression-for-political-change-comedy-as-counter-terrorist-action By Zoe D. Fine - In March of 2015, National Public Radio published an online news story called “Egyptians Fight ISIS Fear-Mongering With Punchlines And Parody.” Author of the piece, Leila Fadel explains in the story that some individuals and organizations use comedy as a tool of subversion, as a means of defusing jihad and other terrorist acts (2015). Making themselves and others laugh serves to counter ISIS or ISIL, the violent extremist group famous for using weapons such as “highly-produced videos of brute violence” including recordings of a man being burned alive in a cage, Christians... Wed, 07 Dec 2016 02:50 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1504/artistic-expression-for-political-change-comedy-as-counter-terrorist-action http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1490/the-internet-of-things-a-look-into-the-social-implications-of-google-glass By Kelly N. Widerschein - In its beta release, Google Glass was positioned as a groundbreaking technology - a glimpse into a future that has long been promised in science fiction. It was met with media fanfare and consumer interest, despite costing more than most PCs on the market and significantly more than even the most capable smart phones. While now widely seen as an expensive flop, the introduction of Google Glass generated crucial research for a future, successful rollout. Due to privacy concerns, widely publicized engineering flaws, and high cost, the general public rejected the beta version of Google Glass. However... Thu, 03 Nov 2016 04:59 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1490/the-internet-of-things-a-look-into-the-social-implications-of-google-glass http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1554/nutritional-communications-across-climates-a-comparative-research-study-between-ecuador-and-the-netherlands By Morgan Messelink - A study in May 2014 analyzed food labels in Quito, Ecuador, to better understand the culture's nutritional communication. The study explored what is considered to be a healthy diet in Ecuadorian culture and how this is communicated, and also to what extent nutrients in packaged food are effectively communicated via labelling. Data was gathered using a mixed methods approach; first using quantitative methods with a survey administrated to students at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Following the completion of the survey, participants were then asked to volunteer for a questionnaire containing... Sun, 30 Oct 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1554/nutritional-communications-across-climates-a-comparative-research-study-between-ecuador-and-the-netherlands http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1479/models-of-internet-monetization By David Perell - Predicting the future of the news industry begins with understanding the history of newspapers and the current news delivery landscape. Because the Internet has brought fundamental shifts to news distribution, successful organizations of the future will capitalize on the digital world's economics and scale. This study documents the recent adjustments in American newspaper distribution and predicts the business models required for news organizations to survive. This research found that the Internet will foster the development of both scale dependent and ad-supported publications and niche organizations... Thu, 27 Oct 2016 04:56 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1479/models-of-internet-monetization http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1454/tweeting-2016-how-social-media-is-shaping-the-presidential-election By Matthew Das Sarma - Something seems different about 2016. Something many of us just can’t place our fingers on. Sure, The Donald looms disconcertingly over us, a threatening testament to American fear, but it’s not like he has transformed the political atmosphere all that much. Historically, politicians have spanned the whole spectrum of negativity and bigotry—anti-radical, anti-Catholic, anti-Black, anti-Asian, anti-Semitic, anti-foreigner, anti-Left, and anti-pretty-much-everything else. While former Republican candidate Ted Cruz and Republican nominee Donald Trump continue to echo this tradition... Mon, 26 Sep 2016 11:06 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1454/tweeting-2016-how-social-media-is-shaping-the-presidential-election http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1450/the-right-to-privacy-in-a-digital-age-reinterpreting-the-concept-of-personal-privacy By Alyssa M. Brumis - The right to privacy dates back farther than 1890, when Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis penned The Right to Privacy: “In the very early times, the law gave remedy only for physical interference with life and property, for trespasses vi et armis” [by force and arms] (Brandeis, 1890). However, in today’s society, privacy has become more complex than simply “physical interference.” The birth of the World Wide Web has created a new landscape for which current legal standards are inadequate. “The law’s struggle to conceptualize privacy has often stunted... Fri, 16 Sep 2016 08:53 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1450/the-right-to-privacy-in-a-digital-age-reinterpreting-the-concept-of-personal-privacy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1422/the-crispr-fantasy-flaws-in-current-metaphors-of-gene-modifying-technology By Alex J. Maben - CRISPR gene-modifying technology continues to revolutionize fields involving biological research. Rapid advancements, however, have sparked a vibrant bioethical debate scene. This research focuses on the effective usage of CRISPR metaphors in scientific communication. Specifically, I argue that the current figurative terminology—gene editing, targeting, scissors, etc.—exhibit underlying oversimplifications that bias public perspectives on CRISPR. Though the actual experimental science occurs in lab, the world learns about the discoveries through literary expression. It is thus... Mon, 13 Jun 2016 10:59 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1422/the-crispr-fantasy-flaws-in-current-metaphors-of-gene-modifying-technology http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1471/motives-for-engaging-with-the-kardashian-reality-television-family By Kayla Hammer - Reality television has been around for more than a half-century, dating back to the hidden cameras in Candid Camera in 1948. Today, one of the most popular reality television shows is Keeping Up with the Kardashians, an inside look at a celebrity family based in Los Angeles. This study explored why college-aged women feel a personal connection to the show and why they've been following the family for nearly a decade. Based on six interviews conducted with interested viewers, the study found that these women watch the series to escape reality, participate in surveillance, and feel personal connectedness... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1471/motives-for-engaging-with-the-kardashian-reality-television-family http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1470/standardization-of-international-advertising-strategies-a-content-analysis-of-pantene-pro-v By Kailyn Schmidt - With products available in more than 180 countries, Procter & Gamble is one of the largest global advertisers. Considering today's global marketplace, it has become increasingly necessary for multinational companies like Procter & Gamble to effectively communicate with people from diverse nations. This study examined the extent of standardization practiced by the company for its Pantene Pro-V line of products and which components are most commonly standardized or adapted. Analysis showed that Procter & Gamble practiced a moderate level of standardization, which allowed it to maintain... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1470/standardization-of-international-advertising-strategies-a-content-analysis-of-pantene-pro-v http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1472/evaluating-the-internal-communications-of-the-triangles-best-places-to-work By Kristen DeMaria - Fun. Creative. Engaging. These adjectives may come to mind when thinking of the best places to work. But what makes a company culture successful? This study evaluated internal communications in companies deemed "Best Places to Work" by the Triangle Business Journal and its influence on corporate culture. Interviews with five professionals from the "Best Places to Work" listing revealed a close connection between internal communications and corporate culture. The study found that providing an environment where open communication and feedback are encouraged reflects the corporate culture and aids... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1472/evaluating-the-internal-communications-of-the-triangles-best-places-to-work http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1473/an-analysis-of-legos-response-to-an-attack-on-its-partnership-with-royal-dutch-shell By MaryClaire Schulz - However, LEGO's 50-year partnership with oil and gas corporation Royal Dutch Shell caught the attention of Greenpeace in July 2014, which launched a campaign attacking the toy company for supporting a corporation threatening the Arctic environment. Greenpeace's attack on the partnership peaked with its release of a YouTube video titled "LEGO: Everything is NOT awesome," a work by BAFTA-winning creative agency Don't Panic. The video depicted an Arctic landscape that was made of LEGO bricks and taken over by Shell oil drillers, showcasing the environment as it is slowly submerged in oil. Greenpeace... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1473/an-analysis-of-legos-response-to-an-attack-on-its-partnership-with-royal-dutch-shell http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1475/yoga-on-instagram-disseminating-or-destroying-traditional-yogic-principles By Skyler Cowans - Today, more than 15 million Americans practice yoga, making the ancient Indian discipline synonymous with the Western society's culture of wellness. As a way to market themselves, practitioners and instructors of yoga have utilized Instagram – and its more than 300 million accounts – to virtually share their favorite poses, sequences, and yogic philosophies. This paper examines the popular culture of yoga on Instagram and how it relates to the ancient Indian traditions of which the practice was built upon. The study found that while some observed themes of yoga on Instagram reflected... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1475/yoga-on-instagram-disseminating-or-destroying-traditional-yogic-principles http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1446/the-burrito-behemoth-chipotle-mexican-grill-and-its-model-for-success By Nealay Vasavda - Chipotle Mexican Grill has revolutionized the fast food industry. In a short time, the brand has served as inspiration for the growing "fast casual" segment of the food industry and has become an American cultural phenomenon. Through its use of social media and corporate social responsibility marketing strategies, the brand has adapted to a growing segment of the consumer market and has taken the United States by storm. Today, Chipotle has turned its focus to its presence as an international brand. This paper analyzes Chipotle's marketing tactics, how they were applied to its London branches as... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1446/the-burrito-behemoth-chipotle-mexican-grill-and-its-model-for-success http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1477/how-youtube-developed-into-a-successful-platform-for-user-generated-content By Margaret Holland - Since its development, YouTube, the world's third most popular online destination, has transformed from a video-sharing site into a job opportunity for content creators in both new and mainstream media. Based on content analysis, the study examined how three prominent YouTubers have created a successful personal brand. Analysis revealed the common characteristics that these online celebrities shared, the appeal of their content to viewers, and their use of traditional media to strengthen their branding. The study also found that younger viewers prefer watching YouTube videos because they were... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1477/how-youtube-developed-into-a-successful-platform-for-user-generated-content http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1476/examining-preadolescent-television-programming-and-the-rise-of-generation-me By Johanna Rosen - The results showed that the top five values in the most popular preadolescent shows from 2007 were fame, achievement, popularity, image, and financial success. In contrast, the top five values in 1997 were community feeling, benevolence, image, tradition, and self-acceptance (Uhls & Greenfield, 2011a). The value of fame rose from the 15th spot in 1997, to the first spot by 2007, while the importance of valuing community feeling and benevolence dropped to the bottom of the list by 2007 (Uhls & Greenfield, 2011a). Greenfield expresses his concern with these results: "When being famous and... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1476/examining-preadolescent-television-programming-and-the-rise-of-generation-me http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1478/a-content-analysis-of-celebrity-instagram-posts-and-parasocial-interaction By Janabeth Ward - Instagram allows users to share a snapshot of their lives with a mass audience in a matter of seconds. This capability and power has not gone unnoticed by celebrities, who are highly aware of the impact their social media accounts have on fans and the relationships they create. The purpose of this study is to find fan engagement and the parasocial phenomenon in celebrities' Instagram activity. It analyzed 50 Instagram posts of three female singers—Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Ariana Grande—to find which categories of posts engage fans. It also investigated the parasocial phenomenon... Tue, 31 May 2016 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1478/a-content-analysis-of-celebrity-instagram-posts-and-parasocial-interaction http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1359/psychological-effects-of-fitness-advertising-on-female-collegiate-athletes By Jenny Gallagher - In recent decades, research has focused on the powerful effects of advertising on negative body image. While researchers have studied how the general female population reacts to various advertising techniques, little research has been published on how female collegiate athletes are affected by fitness advertisements. This study examined how these athletes respond to fitness advertisements and which tactics generate positive responses. Based on a focus group conducted with female Division I athletes, the study found that resonating fitness advertisements must be realistic and tell a relatable story... Thu, 18 Feb 2016 04:32 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1359/psychological-effects-of-fitness-advertising-on-female-collegiate-athletes http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1364/instagram-and-branding-a-case-study-of-dunkin-donuts By Kally A. Lavoie - One of the newest social media tools available to brands is Instagram, a mobile app that allows users to capture and share images and videos with followers (Instagram, 2015). Officially launched in October 2010, Instagram gained 1 million users within its first month, and the app had 300 million active monthly users by April 2015 (Costill, 2014; Instagram, 2015). As a largely visual social media tool, Instagram allows businesses to reach consumers and strengthen its brand in new ways. This case study aimed to discover how Dunkin' Donuts used Instagram to strengthen their brand. This study analyzed... Thu, 18 Feb 2016 04:32 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1364/instagram-and-branding-a-case-study-of-dunkin-donuts http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1351/the-life-and-death-of-the-hippie-a-dance-with-the-devil-and-the-media By Sarah E. Forman - The media has always had a strong propensity to influence our opinions and behaviors, creating and destroying public images for hundreds of years. For many, the media is seen as a representation of reality, an interpretation and understanding of cultures, sub-cultures, issues and ideas, however, this is no longer an acceptable approach for engaging with and evaluating what we now know to be such a powerful aspect of our society. It is not merely commentary, but in many cases, the media plays an active role in the construction, and at times deconstruction, of political and social issues, which... Sat, 06 Feb 2016 12:25 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1351/the-life-and-death-of-the-hippie-a-dance-with-the-devil-and-the-media http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1325/updating-academia-rethinking-the-methodology-of-academic-discourse By Nick D. Piron - Academic writing retains myriad formal and informal conventions that can include awkward citation-structures, the use of complex phrasing and jargon, definitions inside text, and arcane writing customs specific to each sub-genre, among other things. These cumbersome norms serve as hurdles that demonstrate an author's credibility. However, such conventions form a secondary discourse that do not weigh on the quality of the idea while nevertheless serving as gatekeepers to the publication and distribution of ideas. Furthermore, this focus on establishing credible ethos has the tendency to delay and... Wed, 06 Jan 2016 10:57 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1325/updating-academia-rethinking-the-methodology-of-academic-discourse http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1357/how-university-websites-portray-study-abroad By Gina Apperson - Study abroad has become an important aspect in higher education in the United States, as the phenomenon of globalization has grown increasingly important to how universities equip students for the professional and social world. In 2014, the Institute of International Education proposed the Generation Study Abroad campaign to provide more study abroad opportunities, with the goal of reaching 600,000 students studying abroad by 2019, more than a twofold increase from the 2013-2014 academic year ("Generation Study Abroad," 2014). As study abroad becomes more relevant and timely for university students... Wed, 18 Nov 2015 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1357/how-university-websites-portray-study-abroad http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1358/image-repair-and-crisis-response-of-professional-athlete-adrian-peterson By Ryan Winters - During the 2014 season, a disastrous year in terms of public relations for the NFL, Adrian Peterson was among those who tainted the league's reputation. Domestic violence was at the forefront of the controversy, and Peterson's child abuse case caused additional damage to the league's image. This qualitative content analysis scrutinized Peterson's attempt to repair his image through the media after receiving public backlash from his child abuse charges. The study found that his media messages used evasion of responsibility and reducing offensiveness as his chief strategies, but their effects were... Wed, 18 Nov 2015 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1358/image-repair-and-crisis-response-of-professional-athlete-adrian-peterson