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dc.contributor.advisorKramer, Michael W.eng
dc.contributor.authorPfafman, Tessa M.eng
dc.coverage.spatialUnited Stateseng
dc.date.issued2007eng
dc.date.submitted2007 Summereng
dc.descriptionThe entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.eng
dc.descriptionTitle from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 19, 2009)eng
dc.descriptionVita.eng
dc.descriptionThesis (Ph.D.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.eng
dc.description.abstractTo understand the role of mediated messages in organizational socialization, this study analyzes the constructions of class and gender in popular business advice books (BABs). The books are used as training tools in many organizations, so to understand the role of BABs in indoctrinating employees into organizational culture, this study asks the following research questions. What are the ideological messages regarding work and organizing within BABs? What do the ideological messages of BABs reveal about power in organizing? In what ways to BABs gender the workplace? One function of BABs is to articulate norms that institutionally reproduce capitalist modes of work. Thus BABs serve as tools for organizational indoctrination and larger scale social control. Analysis finds these BABs construct ideal, submissive, and compliant employees by diagnosing unruly employees as psychologically dysfunctional and subsequently prescribing therapeutic cures that align individual interests with those of the organization. By focusing the reader on the inner psychological-self, the books diffuse resentment towards executive class privilege. This study concludes that BABs serve to sell readers on socio-economic class stratification by constructing professional middle class norms for work and personal life. Specifically the books construct perceptions of choice, norms of success and failure, attitudes towards education and money, and a spiritual faith in American corporations. Consequently, the books de-politicize by feminizing the professional middle class.eng
dc.description.bibrefIncludes bibliographical references.eng
dc.identifier.merlinb66661213eng
dc.identifier.oclc316343768eng
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.32469/10355/4756eng
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10355/4756
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.publisherUniversity of Missouri--Columbiaeng
dc.relation.ispartofcommunityUniversity of Missouri--Columbia. Graduate School. Theses and Dissertationseng
dc.rightsOpenAccess.eng
dc.rights.licenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.
dc.subject.lcshSocial classeseng
dc.subject.lcshMass media -- Social aspectseng
dc.titleSelling class : constructing the professional middle class in Americaeng
dc.typeThesiseng
thesis.degree.disciplineCommunication (MU)eng
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Missouri--Columbiaeng
thesis.degree.levelDoctoraleng
thesis.degree.namePh. D.eng


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