Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/14
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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 The use of Instagram as a communication tool in the Durban fashion industry(2023) Ngcobo, Thandeka; Madondo, ElvisOver the years, social media has become an imperative platform in the fashion industry for testing new marketing strategies and monitoring trends. There are thousands of luxury and high street fashion brands around the world that are present online. Despite the fact that fashion brands have unilaterally set their polished brand images through traditional media such as television channels and magazines, social media serves as a very powerful tool for promoting and sharing fashion information to both industry and people (Ha, Kwon, Cha and Joo 2017:418). Undeniably, Instagram is not only used as any other social media platform, but also as a marketing tool for local fashion brands. There are numerous phenomena of Instagram marketing. However, there is still a lack of clarification as to why these phenomena occurred. The aim of this study was to determine the use of Instagram as a communication tool in the Durban Fashion industry. The primary objective of the research was to examine the influence of Instagram as a communication tool in the Durban Fashion industry. The study followed a quantitative research method in order to accomplish the set objectives. Non-probability sampling was used in recruiting participants. Purposive sampling technique was utilised to generate the sample population. Fashion brand owners in Durban who use Instagram as a communication tool were the population targeted by this study. The researcher was able to get a 91.5% response rate as 119 questionnaires out of 130 were collected. The study used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 for Windows to analyse the data. The study revealed that Instagram is an effective communication tool that fashion business owners can benefit from, if used strategically. Furthermore, the findings revealed that Instagram is giving fashion business owners a platform to showcase their best offerings; communicate with their target audience; and increase brand awareness. One of the recommendations was that fashion businesses who are not using Instagram as a communication tool to start using this social media platform. Communication through the use of pictures and videos seems to be a new strategy for marketing. The study also recommended that it is important for fashion owners to prioritise engagement with their target audience on Instagram in order to build friendly relationships and increase the number of followers.Item An assessment of crisis communication at selected car manufacturing companies in Gauteng, South Africa(2022-04) Khuzwayo, Talent Sinenhlanhla; Hussain, Sameera Banu; Isheloke, Byelongo EliseeSouth Africa has several car manufacturing companies or plants, referred to as open systems. Due to their nature as open systems, crises are inevitable. Crises have the potential of inducing grave consequences for the organisation’s reputation and, ultimately, its survival. Being prone to conflicting situations necessitates that each organisation have an effective crisis management plan that details the crisis management and crisis communication steps in great detail. However, implementation of crisis communication and crisis management always comes with challenges for the crisis management teams. Increasingly, in the car manufacturing industry, car recalls are being made as certain models tend to have potentially fatal defects. This increase in car recalls is the reason behind the development of this qualitative study. Therefore, the researcher undertook a case study approach, utilising semi-structured interviews to obtain the required data. The value of qualitative research lies in its ability to provide answers to the questions ‘why’ and ‘how.’ Thus, broadening the understanding of crisis management as a phenomenon and the experiences and feelings of the crisis management teams at car manufacturing companies. The research participants were four car manufacturing companies (Companies A, B, C and D) with their head offices in Gauteng, South Africa. The crisis management teams were selected as the target population because they actively attempt to remedy the crises and interact with various organisational stakeholders when a crisis situation occurs. The findings identified gaps in crisis communication planning and implementation, given the ever-changing business and public relations environments in which organisations operate. As a result, the researcher made recommendations that will assist public relations and communications practitioners today and in the future to handle various crises effectively in the motor industry. Ultimately, car manufacturing companies will benefit by improving the protection of their organisations and their stakeholders from reputational and livelihood threats and further reducing those threats’ negative impacts.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 Towards an energy saving culture : an analysis of the Eskom energy efficiency communication campaign(2021) Khoza, Eric; Rawjee, Veena; Ngubane, Zwakele BaldwinThis study presents an evaluation of how a sample of Eskom’s residential customers decoded the communication campaign that was meant to encourage them to adopt a culture of energy saving in order to avert the total collapse of the national electricity grid. The study was conducted in three district municipalities across Mpumalanga province. The data collection process, including the research instrument, was informed by the overall objectives of the study. This qualitative study consisted of a multi-stage approach in which one-on-one interviews and focus group interviews were the primary data collection methods. The findings revealed that the campaign was generally a success, as the messages were understood by the participants who, in turn, implemented certain measures to ensure that the national power grid was stable. It was also established by means of the study that Eskom and government need to bring down the cost of compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and ensure that proper consultations are prioritised at the beginning of campaigns.