  We calculate one-loop radiative QCD corrections to the three polarized and
unpolarized structure functions that determine the beam-quark polar angle
dependence of the alignment (or longitudinal) polarization of light and heavy
quarks produced in e^+e^- annihilations. We present analytical and numerical
results for the alignment polarization and its polar angle dependence. We
discuss in some detail the zero-mass limit of our results and the role of the
anomalous spin-flip contributions to the polarization observables in the
zero-mass limit. Our discussion includes transverse and longitudinal beam
polarization effects.
