Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Alexa Dare

Second Advisor

Dr. Aditya Simha

Third Advisor

Dr. Heather Crandall

Abstract

Many business professionals explore opportunities to develop relationships with others in their industry during coordinated business networking functions to potentially increase their clientele and strengthen their presence in their respective industry. This study analyzes initial interactions among business professionals during a business networking function utilizing symbolic interactionism and the theory of anxiety/uncertainty management. Both theories have been separately implemented in an abundance of theses over several decades to analyze the nature and implications with interpersonal communication among strangers; however, there is a significant lack of research dedicated to how strangers engage during initial business interactions at networking functions. This study aimed to determine whether strangers during business networking functions interact differently based on professional objectives and time constraints, than general stranger interactions. Empirical data was gathered from 128 participants during the business networking function through participant-observation ethnographic field research and 42 of those participants also participated in an electronic-based survey, from which data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The study‟s findings indicate that individuals attending business networking functions may experience less anxiety and more assertiveness when interacting with strangers during the function due to the structure and predetermined goal of attendees at the function. Some general behavioral patterns associated with the participants‟ gender, culture, and organizational hierarchy also emerged, providing scholars new directions to potentially conduct further specific research on interpersonal interactions with strangers during business networking functions.

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