The aim of this master thesis is to gain greater knowledge of interpersonal communication. This study explores on one hand how interpersonal communication can be used as an important part of reference work in a Swedish electronic synchronous reference service, and on the other how interpersonal communication affects the relationship between user and librarian. By using communication theory and establishing a positive relational contact with the user in the electronic environment, the outcome of the reference encounter can be successful for both the librarian and the user. Furthermore, the importance of recognising relational barriers is of great relevance to the relational contact. The scope of this master thesis is to find what relational factors are used and can be used in the interaction between user and librarian.

Purpose:The purpose of this paper is to investigate and clarify some of the factors that influence organizations to adopt or reject the social media, and if the emergence of social media influenced the organization's communication.Metohodology:A qualitative methodology has been used to execute the study. The source has been semi structured interviews with chosen representatives from several organizations.Theoretical perspective:The theoretical basis for the execution of the methodology is based on the provisional theoretical demarcation uses and gratifications theory. For analysis diffusion of innovations theory is applied.Emperical findings:The empirical material includes interviews with representatives from twelve selected organizations, defined as companies in the industry and authorities, in seven different industries.Conclusion: The main factors affecting an adoption of social media is the organization?s open structure, the ability to see opportunities with social media and that they are seen as a natural part of development in the communications field. The main factors affecting a rejection of social media is ignorance, the organization's governance and that there must be a need that social media can fill.

Title The User Created Fire ? Risks and Opportunities with Crisis Communication in Social Network SitesAuthor Charbel SaderCourse Master Thesis in Media? and Communication Studies, Department of Journalism and Communication, University of GothenburgSemester Spring semester of 2013Tutor Nicklas HåkanssonNumberof pages 75Purpose To find a deeper understanding of the digital media?s role in Swedish society in relation to crisis communication.Method Qualitative approach using focus group interviewsMaterial Semi structured focus group interviews with a total of 18 participants in five groups. The focus group sessions were made during February, March and April 2012.Main results The main findings in this study are that users expect the communication flow in social network sites (SNS) during a crisis is to be a shortcut to information without a detour through organizations or traditional media. Although we find personal gratification, like interpersonal communication, quick information and sharing feelings and experience with others by using SNS during a crisis, users also tend to be hesitant about the credibility of the shared information. Alongside the user created content, we look to professional media experts and organizations as a guarantee for the veracity of the shared information.

Internet - and the website - has developed into an essential key for the relationship between enterprises and its customers. Today, a website might be the first or only impression a customer gets of a company. With this in mind we have focused our study on customer evaluations on websites. Social presence and its impact on people have so far mostly been given attention in the research of behavior in physical environments. However, in the electronic marketplace this has so far been overlooked, which is why our aim is to study how the presence of visitors impacts other visitors on the same website.

The purpose of this study has been to create a communication plan to use at the launch of an independent fashion store and give a current storeowner an overall picture concerning which communication aspects to use during his ongoing business. To fulfill our purpose we have targeted one important question, which is:   Which communication fields are the most important to use, when you are about to launch an independent fashion store.  For this study we have used a qualitative approach in which we have conducted eleven personal interviews with people who has a strong understanding in communication regarding to this type of business. Most of our respondents are currently working actively with communication because they are active in retailing.The remaining respondent has a strong experience in the field of communication. In the final chapter we present our conclusions of the study. We have found the main factors in a communication plan, which is most important for a storeowner. Which are the most important communication parts for the owner to focus on before he launches the store? The basic need of knowledge in social mediaDevelop a unique concept to differentiate yourselfUnderstand the nature of networks and relationshipsThe relevance of store layout and sensory marketing which is an important tool when you need renewal and develop your concept.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine Skogsstyrelsens event Skogens Dag as an information channel by looking at information use and information behaviour during the communication process of the event. This is done by examining the aims of Skogsstyrelsens information distribution during the event in relation to its outcomes. The evaluation is focused on long term effects on the target group and it is restricted to Skogens Dag in Borås 2005. The question this thesis intends to answer is: How does the event Skogens Dag function as a tool for information distribution? The theoretical background gives an account of the communication process as well as the relevant aspects of marketing, social marketing, campaigns and public relations, as these are communication attempts that can use an event as a medium.

AbstractIn the paper, democracy's development and change are studied in Swedish textbooks related to social science. The study?s starting point is that the picture of democracy provided to students has changed over time. The study aims to see how the view on democracy has altered in Swedish textbooks in social science. In order to examine this, I have studied seven textbooks, from 1945 to 2006, in social science.

Swedish authorities have been dealt a mission by the Swedish state, where each agency works on the basis of their assignment. Communication has become more and more important for authorities, there are several reasons for the use of communication and they may differ from authority to authority. Some authorities claim that the purpose of the communication work is to create awareness and recognition among citizens. A communication form that has become increasingly important for government agencies is social media, according to the government authorities should implement social media in their communication work because it is very important that the authorities are available where the citizens are. Previous research has focused on the risks and opportunities that the social media generates for the public sector.

The social media arena is rapidly growing and more and moreorganisations take part in the daily ongoing conversations indifferent social media channels. Conversations are being heldacross borders on every available topic and ratings and reviews ofconsumer products and services is one of them. This focus onglobalisation is also the reality of the hospitality- and tourismindustry. Their customers travel across borders and are eager,given the opportunity, to share their experiences with each other.As organisations within the hospitality- and tourism industry meetthese demands in terms of providing technological infrastructurefor information sharing and involve themselves in theseconversations there are some issues that need to be addressed.What does the logic of social media look like? How iscommunicating in social media any different from traditionalmarket communication? And how can hospitality- and tourismorganisations adapt their communication to fit into the logic ofsocial media?To conclude how organisations within the hospitality- and tourismindustry can benefit from the use of social media, I haveinterviewed representatives from a number of organisations andstudied their communication.

The goal of this Masters thesis is to examine how people at the production department of Arkivator Falköping AB perceive the internal organisational communication transfer and exchange of information, by means of a communication audit. The objectives are also to characterise the communication climate and the respondents satisfaction with the internal organisational communication within the organisation. The results of the study are compared with the companys information policy and with previous research in organisational communication. Answers from different demographic groups within the population are compared. The communication audit was conducted using a modified and added version of a questionnaire originally compiled by the International Communications Association.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the Swedish Public Relations and Communication profession from the Stockholm Accords point of view. The Stockholm Accords are an attempt to reflect Public Relations and Communication Management practice as it stands today and to provide a global common ground for the practitioners.The method used for this study is a quantitative research method conducted by a web survey answered by more than 400 Swedish communication managers. The questions posed were examining these managers view of their profession compared to the Stockholm Accords.The research shows that the Swedish way of implementing communication in the organization broadly corresponds to the Stockholm Accords when it comes to internal and external communication. However, there are some areas where Swedish communication practice diverges from Stockholm Accords. The issues which link governance, management and sustainability to communication have a much wider distribution of responses.

Facilitated by the breakthrough of the internet, new ways of organizing internet-based projects that harness the power of the crowds are becoming increasingly common. Today there are ways of using the crowd as paid labour, as funders of your new project ventures and even for helping scientists doing science. Staying true to its traditional principles of objectivity and trustworthiness while asking the crowd to contribute, crowd generated ?Citizen Science? does not provide even the slightest amount of pay in exchange for the time and effort put in by their contributors. Surely there can not be many people willing to do such a thing voluntarily? Actually, practice is showing the exact opposite with contributions counted in their millions among the more popular Citizen Science projects.

AbstractTitle: Strategic Communication within franchising, a case study of GallerixNumber of pages: 60 (65 with enclosures)Author: Charlotta Babington ThorszeliusCourse: Media and Communication DPeriod: Spring 2008University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University, SwedenPurpose/Aim: To find out, by doing a case study, how communication between the two parties in a franchising relationship works, and how communication can strengthen the concept and brand. By analysing the communication, identify strengths and weaknesses and make suggestions for improvement.Material/Method: Qualitative method by using interviewsMain results: The understanding of the concept and the relationship between franchiser and franchisees are vital for the success of the franchising chain. The main internal communication channel today is the Intranet, and more personal contacts and meetings are requested. The yearly meetings are appreciated by the franchisees, but the content of the meetings are of varied quality. The chains value words, which are important for how the brand is perceived by the customer, are slightly different from how the franchiser and the franchisees sees them.

Many people turn to documentaries for knowledge about animals, but do documentaries give us a truthful portrayal of animals and their behavior? This study looks at how the communication behavior of the portrayed animals is depicted in three episodes of The Life of Mammals. These episodes were observed after which the contents were compared to scientific literature on the same topics. The results show that quite little communication is actually shown in the episodes about plant predators and meat eaters and relatively much of it is shown in the episode named Social Climbers, involving primates. The matching literature suggests that based on the narrative and the accompanying footage, the viewer is getting a realistic picture, with the exception of a few questionable cases..

The potential of information technology as a means to invigorate democratic practise is constantly under discussion. Regardless of the differing opinions as to the most suitable way to utilise IT, there are certain democratic core values that have to be considered. One of these is freedom of information, defined by us as the right of every citizen to seek, obtain and express information. The aim of this study is to explore whether the use of IT as a means to enhance democracy can strengthen the citizens right to freedom of information. As an instrument for analysis we use an article by Jan van Dijk, professor of communication science.