Thesis (BA Communication Arts) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao, June 2016

The study looks into the person-as-object phenomenon in student organizations based in the University of the Philippines Mindanao. This study, guided by Cheney and Caroll?s study on objectification within and around corporate organizations, aims to explore and document the structure, culture, and the speech codes of the organizations, and look into how they determine the objectification of members within the organization. In doing so, the researcher employed a case study design, randomly selecting three organizations for the study. The researcher conducted non-participant observations of the meetings of these organizations and distributed questionnaires to randomly selected members of these organizations. Findings reveal that the structures of these organizations had formal foundations but these structures were loose and rigid. The heads of these organizations do not hold absolute authority and are perceived as more facilitators. These organizations also had a rather similar culture where members are free to express an conduct themselves as they wished. On the other hand, the three organizations had organization-exclusive speech codes, which did not objectify its members, but rather revealed their principles and ideologies, as well as their niches and interests. The findings of this study and their implications will serve as an offshoot for future researches into organizational communication, as there are hidden organizational features and dynamics that actually influence communication within the organization.