Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)
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Item Reputation management at local government level : a case study of Amahlathi Local Municipality(2024-05) Qaba, Pikolomzi; Dlamini, Bongani InnocentThis mixed methods study, titled "Reputation Management at Local Government Level: A Case Study of Amahlathi Local Municipality" aimed to explore the Amahlathi Local Municipality’s (ALM’s) reputation among stakeholders, assess how media reports reflect community members' opinions, evaluate stakeholders' expectations, and identify sustainable strategies for reputation management. The research employed a convergent parallel design, with a sequential mixed method data collected and integrated during analysis. Surveys and interviews were conducted with diverse stakeholders, including residents, Eastern Cape Corporative Governance and Traditional Affairs representatives, and municipal employees. The findings revealed a mixed reputation for ALM. While some stakeholders expressed satisfaction with service delivery and infrastructure development, others criticised the Municipality for perceived corruption and lack of transparency. Stakeholders' expectations focused on improved service delivery, increased transparency, and stronger accountability. Based on these findings, the study identified sustainable strategies for managing ALM's reputation, including fostering open communication, enhancing transparency, promoting community engagement, and strengthening accountability mechanisms. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on reputation management at the local government level, providing valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to improve the public perception and performance of municipal institutions.Item Communication tools used by municipalities to communicate with external stakeholders : a case of King Sabatha Dalindyebo Municipality (KSD)(2021) Fuzile, Lethu; Rawjee, Veena; Ngubane, Zwakele BaldwinSouth Africa has experienced an increase in service delivery protests during the last decades. Ineffective communication tools are considered, inter alia, the factors fuelling these protests. The most important function of this study is to assess the effectiveness of communication tools used by King Sabatha Dalindyebo Municipality (KSDM) in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. This study employed a mixed methods approach whereby a structured questionnaire was distributed to KSDM external stakeholders and an interview was conducted with the KSDM Communications Officer. The structured questionnaire was distributed to a 434 households; all the questionnaires were returned, leading to a response rate of 100%, and a sample size of 434. The Cronbach’s alpha score of the test items was 0.979 which exceeds the recommended Cronbach’s alpha of 0.700, indicating high reliability and internal consistency. Interpretation of findings in this study revealed that 32% of respondents felt that council meetings were the most common channel used by the community to communicate with the municipality, while the municipal website was hardly utilised (0.2%). Managerial implications for municipal communication managers is ongoing evaluation of the relationship of the municipality’s communications with the public. The study contributes to the field of academia regarding effective communication in municipalities and improving the municipal effectiveness of policy-making processes in community interventionsItem The influence of social media on organisational communication : a case study of the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa(2021) Mzizi, Siyabonga Lawrence; Govender, NereshneeThe internet and the rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has changed the way society interacts today. Social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter, have brought a new era of communication to the world, thereby leading organisations to rethink their communication strategies. Social media are reshaping communication in organisations and incorporating social media into an organisations’ communication strategy in today’s fast-paced technological aeon has become essential for sustainability, success and survival. It offers organisations opportunities to communicate their messages to key stakeholders. It further enables public relations and communications practitioners to connect, share ideas and experiences, collaborate, engage in dialogue and build mutually beneficial relationships. This study analysed the influence of social media on organisational communication using an interpretative, exploratory, qualitative research approach. The Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) was used as the case study to understand the phenomenon. The study examined PRISA’s social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter) and explored affiliated practitioners’ and employees’ perceptions on the use of social media. Data was gathered through thematic content analysis (observation of Facebook and Twitter); semi-structured interviews for focus group discussions with PRISA employees and in-depth interviews with PRISA affiliated members. Participants were selected through non-probability purposive and convenience sampling. Findings reveal that there is a poor level of engagement by PRISA on social media platforms. Participants maintained that PRISA needed to be more constant in their approach to social media and more engagement and connectedness is required to meet the needs of key publics. The data also showed that PRISA should invest time and resources in meeting the online needs of the new generation of practitioners. Participants expressed that PRISA has the capacity to be a ‘conversation starter’ and needed to promote discussion forums and digital communities. Findings also emphasised the significance of a social media policy and regular review and monitoring The study brings new perspectives on how social media can be incorporated into organisational communication strategies. Practical recommendations for public relations and communications organisations are provided based on the findings. Recommendations include building an online presence to enhance visibility; employing sustained and constant social media approaches; enabling social media discussion forums to facilitate dialogical communication; researching target audience to meet the needs of all stakeholders; enabling younger generation public relations practitioners to spearhead social media activity; appointing staff dedicated to social media management to improve efficiency; implementation of a social media policy; social media monitoring and review; and training and development of staff. This study serves as a knowledge base for public relations and communications organisations to understand the influence of social media on organisational communication. It offers a foundation for future research in the field of social media in organisations as well as offering practitioners, managers and organisations the capacity to make more informed decisions when developing and implementing their communications strategiesItem Effective communication as a catalyst for employee performance within selected Municipalities at KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa(2021-11-12) Sineke, Ntombizandile Victoria; Potwana, NobubeleCommunication is the adhesive that binds people irrespective of their backgrounds. It is the skill of passing information from one person to another. However, effective communication deals with understating emotions and intentions behind the information. Therefore, managers in leadership positions need to understand the manner in which the best effort can be obtained from the workforce, following which communication systems management should be reviewed to ensure it is effective. The aim of the study is to establish whether communicating effectively with employees could improve employee performance in a municipality. In this regard, the study ascertained the extent to which the sharing of ideas creates openness among municipal employees, in addition to whether regular feedback contributes to improved municipal employee performance. Furthermore, the study also investigated whether open channels of communication mitigate misunderstandings and whether the recognition of employee opinions increases employee performance. To establish the stated objectives, the study used a mixed method research approach, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods. Data were collected from the uBuhlebezwe Municipality, where a sample size of 80 respondents was obtained by using a simple random sampling technique. For the qualitative research, 10 employees were gathered by means of convenience sampling, through a focus group at the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality. The results from both methods showed that effective communication was the best tool to change employee performance in municipalities, acting as a catalyst. However, this is largely dependent on the effectiveness and availability of channels of communication. The main recommendations to municipal managers and heads of departments are that they should use effective communication as a strategic tool and appreciate all employee opinions, regardless of their positions in an organisation. Managers in a municipal setting should also involve employees in decision-making, most importantly during policy formulation. It is further important that municipal employees are provided with sufficient resources to be able to perform their day-to-day duties, as inadequate resources lead to poor performance and lack of communication. The provision of regular and honest feedback to employees with regard to their strengths and weakness could additionally improve employee performance and increase productivity. Conversely, lack of communication could lead to misunderstandings and incorrect interpretation of information messages by employees.Item Intercultural communication practices in a health care context(2018) Mokoena, Thobile; Naidoo, P.; Hussain, Sameera BanuSouth Africa enjoys the rich cultural diversity amongst its citizens. With individuals from different parts of the world; speaking diverse languages, practising different cultural norms, holding different values and perceptions, the complexity contributes to South Africa’s rich cultural spectrum. The dawn of democracy in 1994 contributed to the rapid increase in intercultural communication which placed immense challenges upon various governmental sectors, specifically the health care context (Paulston, Kiesling, and Rangel 2012:317). South Africans have been referred to as the 'rainbow nation', a title which characterises the country's cultural diversity (Naidoo 2011: 81). Hence, this study aimed to discuss the role of intercultural communication within a health care context. It explores intercultural communication challenges that may exist within an organisation. The area of focus for this study is the private health care sector: A case study of the Entabeni Hospital in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The Entabeni Hospital is a private hospital based in Durban. The hospital works with individuals from different cultural backgrounds. These individuals possess different beliefs, views and norms; this could negatively affect their perceptions and attitudes towards each other. Therefore, cultural differences can become a challenge during the communication process between the parties involved. For the purpose of the study, a qualitative approach was employed. The study sample comprised unit managers that interact directly with health care providers and patients. Semi-structured questionnaires were used during interviews to collect data from the research participants. The main findings of this study indicated that some of the respondents were aware of importance of the role of intercultural communication within the Entabeni Hospital. The findings also highlighted the respondents’ consciousness of acknowledging other cultural practises and respecting the diversity in cultural backgrounds that both patients and healthcare professionals come from, so that an effective medical process is achieved.Item The role of interpersonal communications in managing South African - German business relationships(2012-11-29) Scheming, Oleg; Mason, Roger Bruce; Maharaj, RoshniCommunication is the basis of all relationships. Be it personal or professional, people cannot do without healthy and effective communication especially, when it comes to business. Good communication skills are of vital importance. While most countries do speak English, which is the globally accepted ‘business’ language, there are still big challenges with language as well as cultural differences. This study aimed to investigate the role of interpersonal communications in manag- ing South African – German business relationships. The objective of this study was, firstly, to identify which communication channels South African business organiza- tions use to communicate with German businesses and, secondly, to explore the associated problems experienced by South African business people. Based on the investigated problems, recommendations were provided on the technical level and the personal level as to how communication can be made more effective to improve South African and German business relationships. In order to accomplish the objectives of the study, a quantitative study was con- ducted by means of self-administered e-mail based questionnaires. In addition, a qualitative study was conducted using self-administered interviews based on the quantitative results of this study. In both cases, the respondents were purposively selected. Conclusions and recommendations were thereafter drawn from the findings of the study in comparison with the literature review. The results showed that effective communication in business is not as easy as it of- ten seems. There are problems in business communications between South African and German business partners mainly based on the cultural differences. The report recommended that companies should invest more in training and work- shops in order to help communication partners to understand cultures abroad and to understand the communication habits of overseas business people.