George W. Musambira

Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Technology: Analyzing Hofstede's Dimensions and Human Development Indicators

Correlations between Hofstedes dimensions of power distance and uncertainty avoidance and selected indicators of the Human Development Report (HDR) were analyzed. Three communication technology indicators—that is, cell phone subscription, Internet use, and the number of telephone mainlines—were predicted to measure the development of a nation. Results indicate a negative correlation between high power distance and communication technology in terms of the three technologies examined in this study. We found a negative correlation between power distance and human development. Negative correlations were also found between uncertainty avoidance and two cell phone subscription as well as internet use.

“In My Heart for Eternity”: Normalizing Messages to the Deceased

Despite an historical tendency among psychologists to pathologize continuing attachment to the deceased, scholars of grief have come to appreciate that maintaining a connection to the deceased can be a healthypart of bereavement. Using Fishers perspective on narrative, data from The Compassionate Friends bulletin board were analyzed, both quantitatively and qualitatively, to unravel how messages to the deceased contribute to a healing story of bereavement. It is argued here that messages to the deceased can be healthy due to cathartic emotion expression and maintenance of a relationship that brings solace and meaning to the bereaved.

The Transformation of East Africa’s Economy Using Mobile Phone Money Transfer Services A Comparative Analysis of Kenya and Uganda’s Experiences

This article utilizes a combination of popular literature and scholarly sources to compare the mobile money transfer service experiences in Kenya and Uganda; two East African countries that are members of a revived regional common market ahead of a political federation by 2015. While different outcomes to the introduction of mobile money transfer services are highlighted about each country, similarities that are typical of developing countries with their populations struggling to cope with the various uses of New Information and Communication Technologies (NICTs) are also underlined. The article underscores the transformation of the social and economic lives of the people of East Africa by mobile money transfer services, especially in the rural areas where formal banking services have been largely absent. In the wake of the cut-throat competition among the telecom companies to fill the banking void in the rural areas of East Africa and to tap into the lucrative international business of foreign currency remittance by East Africans in the diaspora, the local populations have become the unintended beneficiaries of Information and Communication (ICT) innovations. In this essay, Kenya and Uganda’s mobile money transfer service experiences are juxtaposed along five dimensions: a brief history of the service, political, economic and socio-cultural contexts, as well as evaluation and user perceptions of the services. It is argued that one way to further consolidate analysis of the ongoing radical economic make-over of rural East Africa is to engage existing communication technology theories. An example of two complementary communication technology theories, diffusion of innovations and the dual capacity model, that can be used to inform and explain some of the outcomes is provided.

From “Publish or Perish” to “Grant or Perish” Examining Grantsmanship in Communication and the Pressures on Communication Faculty to Procure External Funding for Research

Although communication program faculty have traditionally not enjoyed large grants for research, administrators are pressuring them to garner external funding. This article examines the success rate of securing external funding that communication administrators reported for their units. Results show that while the pressure has increased on most communication programs, the success rate for getting those grants has not. In addition, support for seeking grants is not growing with the pressure, and there seems to be little difference in support between high research-oriented programs and those in lower Carnegie classifications, with the exception of help from graduate students.

Predictors of sexual behaviour among church-going youths in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross-denominational study

We surveyed church-going youths in Nairobi, Kenya, to investigate denominational differences in their sexual behaviour and to identify factors related to those differences. In comparison with youths attending mainline churches, the youths surveyed at Pentecostal/evangelical churches were less likely to have ever had sex. Furthermore, although male youths in the mainline churches were more likely than their female counterparts to have ever had sex, no such difference emerged between the male and female youths attending Pentecostal/evangelical churches. For youths from both types of churches, not only individual religious commitment (being ‘born again’) but also contextual religiosity (i.e. the extent of socialisation in their faith communities) explained the variations in their sexual behaviour and attitudes. Finally, the effect of denomination on ones intention to have sex in the next 12 months was mediated by the frequency of talk about spiritual issues with church confidants.

Analysis of Refereed AEJMC Convention Paper Productivity in Journalism and Mass Communication

This study analyzed all Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication refereed convention papers from 1999 to 2008 with regard to author names and author institutional affiliations, in order to rank by productivity individual scholars and institutions globally. All refereed papers sponsored by twenty-seven AEJMC organizational units were examined by author name and affiliation to establish institutional productivity patterns and rankings based on the Carnegie Classification system, and individual productivity rankings per organizational unit. The link between top paper productivity and refereed regular paper productivity was assessed with regard to AEJMC organizational units. While top paper institutional productivity was substantially correlated with institutional refereed regular paper productivity, this was not the case for individual paper productivity. Findings are potentially useful for students, educators, and administrators by filling a void in the literature on leading institutions and individuals across specialties of journalism and mass communication represented in AEJMC.

Editorial Board Membership as Scholarly Productivity: An Analysis of Selected ICA and NCA Journals 1997–2006

This study extends research into information that can be used for the purposes of academic hiring, promotion, and/or tenure. It examines conventions of editorial board membership as a scholarly activity using a sample of three International Communication Association (ICA) and five National Communication Association (NCA) journals from 1997 to 2006. Among these elite editorial boards sponsored by ICA and NCA, the norms of productivity include 5.64 years (visibility) across 1.68 different journals (breadth) for members employed in doctoral programs, 4.2 years (visibility) across 1.38 different journals (breadth) for members employed in masters level programs, and 3.21 years (visibility) across 1.13 different journals (breadth) for members employed in bachelors level programs. Also, in terms of the number of different people who represent on institution on these boards (diversity), the norms are 7.73 for doctoral programs, 2.63 for masters-level programs, and 1.30 for bachelors-level programs. The study found that the gender gap in editorial board productivity is decreasing overall, although the trend varies with journal. Results do not support eschewing institutional rankings based on editorial board representation for those based on publication rankings, as suggested by scholars in other disciplines.

A Preliminary Analysis of Tyler Perry’s ‘House of Payne’ and ‘Meet the Browns’: Effect on the Black Identity, African Americans’ Frequency of Exposure, Perception of Accuracy and Affective Evaluation

A survey method was applied to a sample of 145 self-identified African American members of four predominantly African American churches to assess the influence of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Meet the Browns television shows on their racial identity and how they perceived and evaluated the shows. Results indicate that (1) particular socioeconomic factors, more specifically education attainment, may negatively influence exposure to House of Payne and Meet the Browns, 2) religiosity may account for viewers’ exposure more to House of Payne than to Meet the Browns, 3) House of Payne may have a more significant influence on viewers” black identity than Meet the Browns, 4) Frequency of exposure, income, and education may predict affective evaluation and perceived accuracy of both House of Payne and Meet the Browns, and 5) House of Payne may be considered a more accurate and positive reflection of the black group experience than Meet the Browns.

A comparison of college students’ perceptions of older and younger tattooed women

ABSTRACT A randomly assigned sample of 376 college students responded to a survey involving a between-subjects 2 × 3 experiment designed to assess the impact of age (older versus younger) and tattoo status (i.e., no tattoo, feminine tattoo, or masculine tattoo) on three dependent measures: credibility, attractiveness, and promiscuity. Older and younger women are perceived differently depending on tattoo status. Not wearing a tattoo may lead to a more favorable perception of older women than wearing one, but wearing a feminine tattoo may engender a more favorable impression of older women than having a masculine tattoo. But not having a tattoo may not be as helpful for the perception of younger women as it is for older women. Also, while younger women may be rewarded for gender role transgression with respect to tattoo status, this is not so for older women.

Revisiting Edward T. Hall's Work on Arabs and Olfaction: An Update with Implications for Intercultural Communication Scholarship

This paper re-visits Halls foundational writing concerning Arabs and olfaction made in the book The Hidden Dimension. In light of an historical climate demanding a better understanding of the Arab world and the social biases uniquely associated with the sense of smell, this article seeks to rectify misconceptions promulgated in intercultural communication pedagogy. Halls claims are contrasted with recent interview data. The implications of this research for (a) intercultural communication instructors, (b) olfaction and culture, (c) relationships between Americans and Arabs/Arab Americans, and (d) future research are considered.