The purpose of this thesis is to shed some light on the topic of top-managers' awareness and use of communication in organizations with hopes of increasing awareness and understanding of communication use in an organizational context for managers and students alike. Interviews were conducted and questionnaires e-mailed to respondents. Findings pointed towards great awareness of many aspects of communication, channels and barriers and an understanding of its impact in listeners. Use of verbal communication channels also seemed to be favored among the respondents. However, questions are raised as to the efficiency of value building when using communication channels with a low degree of personal contact between sender and receiver and what the possible influences it can have on employee cynicism and identification towards the organization. An increased use of personal contact is recommended, but as managers' communication is largely controlled by time and a daily schedule, use of rhetoric seems more likely as a means of circumventing some of the possible negative aspects.

Written communication is an integral part of any organisation regardless of size or the nature of its business. The writer chooses words that should be understood by the readers. However, these words have been chosen based on a variety of factors, one of which is personality type, and the writer's personality type may differ from that of the readers. The research question underpinning this study is - In what ways, if at all, do personality types (as determined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and most frequently found in management positions), select and use different words and phrases when writing business communication? To investigate this question, the psychological type theory of Jung, the personality type theory of Briggs and Myers, and organisational communication theory are applied. The methodology used is descriptive research with the documents analysed using content analysis, employing NUD.IST Vivo in conjunction with manual assessment. The research findings confirm that each personality type does use different words, validating personality type theory and therefore, making a contribution to the expanding body of research in this field. The knowledge gained from this study has significance in areas related to organisations as well as education and communication theory.

This study aims to explore communication deviances and strategies in the negotiation discourse of Malaysian-Australian business encounters, from both a linguistic and nonlinguistic perspective. Specifically, it sees miscommunications/deviances as factors that may hinder the business communication process and prevent the negotiators from achieving their objectives. The study also focuses on strategies, or those discourse skills which promote successful business negotiation. The research method is based on the analysis of discourse generated from initial 'perception' interviews, business meetings, and post-meeting 'follow-up' interviews. The research involved a cross-section of Malaysian and Australian business people from various industries; such as tourism, information technology, hospitality and financial services. The initial 'perception' interviews were intended to gather data on the prior experiences of Malaysian and Australian businesspeople, both in terms of the reported difficulties and strengths in their business interactions and dealings in Western Australia. In the second stage of the analysis, the deviances which signalled miscommunication in the negotiation were identified in the recorded meeting data. Also identified were the strategies which were used by the negotiators to increase the likelihood that their goals will be achieved. The objective of the research was then to interpret why these strategies were being used, and their influence on the negotiation process. From the data a pattern emerged in the way that deviance occurred, and the way that strategies were being performed. This has made it possible to group deviance and strategies and present the findings thematically. Altogether, five themes identified, these were: Management of topics, Building rapport; Ethical business conduct; Building recognition; Styles in business practice. The study has shown that business communication discourse reflects the embedded culture of its speakers. Topic management was also found to play an important role in the business meetings as it enabled the participants to more effectively lead their discussion towards its intended goal. Both the deviance and strategies have been managed by the business negotiators in the way they select the appropriate topic categories in order to effectively maintain the discussion throughout the meeting.

Internal marketing and internal communication are essential tools to align em-ployees’ mindsets with the necessary tasks which bring about employee satis-faction and organisational prosperity. Electronic newsletters serve as an internal marketing communication medium which can convey the necessary information to employees regarding the organisation’s goals and objectives. They also act as a medium to build relationships with employees and encourage improved service delivery and customer-oriented employee mindsets. Employees’ willingness to make use of electronic newsletters for the purpose of disseminating organisational information is an indication of employees’ acceptance of the organisational information and use thereof in performing organisational tasks successfully as the organisation intends. The purpose of the current study was to determine employees’ acceptance of electronic newsletters, as an internal marketing communication medium, in order to disseminate organisational information which contributes to the attainment of organisational goals, objectives and success. An empirical study was conducted to determine employees’ acceptance of elec-tronic newsletters by means of an adapted technology acceptance model, self-administered, e-mail survey disseminated to employees of a higher education institution. The study followed a quantitative research approach, utilising re-gression in the analysis of the data. Based on the research results, employees do accept the electronic newsletter for the dissemination of organisational information, albeit with suggestions on how it can be better utilised in future. / Business Management / M. Com (Business Management)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:29:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Moises Lemes da Silveira.pdf: 3078244 bytes, checksum: f1d4cb5daecb7dadb0ba94f94cb58b1a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-29 / The aim of this thesis was to first identify trends in communication processes and in organizational management institutional models existing in Methodist higher education institutions located in Brazil, seeking to find similarities and differences between communication processes arising from the implementation of the new structure adopted for the network management of the Methodist Education and its Shared Services Center. Then a Policy and Communication Guidelines model was proposed, bringing together the main activities related to the business communication processes that were identified during the preparation of this thesis. The methodology used was qualitative research, because it was the research method that best adapted to the proposed problem. To set the type of study, first there was an exploratory research through interviews with six managers of the referred network, and five managers who respond for the communication and marketing areas, using to this end, questionnaires containing both structured and unstructured questions. From the results obtained in the research, Human Resources, Information and Technology and Communication and Marketing department s activities were analyzed, to identify the contribution of each in the institutional communication processes consolidation. It was concluded that the model of policies and communication guidelines proposed in this paper, may allow both the Methodist Education Network and other higher education institutions to set the boundaries of their actions in objective procedures and criteria considered essential for enterprise management. / O objetivo desta tese foi, primeiramente, identificar as tendências nos processos de Comunicação Institucional e nos modelos de gestão organizacional existentes nas Instituições Metodistas de Ensino Superior localizadas no Brasil, buscando averiguar similaridades e diferenças entre os processos de comunicação decorrentes da implantação da nova estrutura adotada para a gestão da Rede Metodista de Educação e da sua Central de Serviços Compartilhados. Em seguida, propôs-se um modelo de políticas e de diretrizes de comunicação, reunindo as principais atividades relacionadas aos processos de Comunicação Empresarial que foram identificados no decorrer da elaboração desta tese. Como metodologia, utilizou-se da pesquisa qualitativa, pelo fato de ser o método de investigação que melhor se adaptou ao problema proposto. Para definir o tipo de estudo, realizou-se, inicialmente, uma pesquisa exploratória por intermédio de entrevistas feitas com seis executivos da referida Rede, além de cinco gestores que respondem pelas áreas de comunicação e marketing, utilizando-se, para tanto, de questionários contendo perguntas estruturadas e não estruturadas. A partir dos resultados obtidos nas pesquisas, foram analisadas as atividades desenvolvidas pelos departamentos de Recursos Humanos, Tecnologia e Informação e Comunicação e Marketing, para identificar a contribuição de cada um deles na consolidação dos processos de Comunicação Institucional. Concluiu-se que o modelo de diretrizes e políticas de comunicação proposto neste trabalho poderá permitir que tanto a Rede Metodista de Educação como outras instituições de ensino superior balizem suas ações em procedimentos e critérios objetivos, considerados fundamentais para a gestão empresarial.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:30:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Carolina pag 1-225.pdf: 1632651 bytes, checksum: 8f01eb7032f21d0b7e02f52ae2e2234b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-03-07 / This is a study about the process of communication associated with the Autovisão case, an episode in 2003 that triggered an image crisis at Volkswagen do Brazil. The objective of this research is to present how the company managed this crisis, especially with regards to the media. This investigation was based on news articles from the periodicals Folha de S.Paulo, O Estado de S.Paulo, Diário do Grande ABC, Valeparaibano, and the labor union newspapers Tribuna Metalúrgica, of Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos do ABC, and Jornal do Metalúrgico from the Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos de Taubaté. The research method utilized was a case study. In addition to describing the most important events, this research's objective was to understand why the Autovisão was negatively mentioned in the media and to the stakeholders. This research concludes that Volkswagen was not prepared to manage its image crisis and had committed a number of mistakes that aggravated the situation. / Estudo sobre o processo de comunicação associado ao caso Autovisão, episódio que se transformou, em 2003, em uma crise de imagem para a Volkswagen do Brasil. O objetivo desta pesquisa é mostrar como a montadora gerenciou a crise, com destaque especial à interação com a mídia. A investigação foi realizada a partir das matérias publicadas na Folha de S.Paulo, O Estado de S.Paulo, Diário do Grande ABC e Valeparaibano, e nos jornais sindicais Tribuna Metalúrgica, do Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos do ABC, e Jornal do Metalúrgico, do Sindicato dos Metalúrgicos de Taubaté. O método de pesquisa utilizado foi o estudo de caso único descritivo. Além da descrição dos principais momentos do episódio, buscou-se compreender porque a Autovisão repercutiu negativamente na mídia e junto aos seus públicos de interesse. Conclui-se que a Volkswagen não estava preparada para gerenciar esta crise de imagem, tendo cometido uma série de erros de comunicação que contribuíram para agravá-la.

Esta dissertação busca compreender como e porque as marcas utilizam referências históricas e narrativas passadas em suas estratégias presentes, e qual o impacto desta prática na relação com seus consumidores. Para isso, recorremos primeiramente às teorias pós-modernas, que justificam essa tendência como uma resposta à atual carência de afeto e relacionamento das pessoas. A dificuldade cada vez maior de construir laços efetivos com outros indivíduos faz com que o homem procure estes valores em outras instâncias, como no consumo e nas marcas, que se revestem, cada vez mais, de referenciais emocionais. Além das estratégias tradicionais de preservação e disseminação da memória empresarial - como Centros de Memória e Museus Corporativos -, observamos a presença de um conceito novo, a pseudo-história, narrativa fictícia criada por empresas recentes, com o objetivo de criar um \"passado mitológico\" para a organização e criar uma atmosfera de encantamento para seus públicos. A pseudo-história envolve a presença de um herói fictício (o fundador da empresa), que vive uma jornada épica até a fundação do negócio. Por meio de uma pesquisa quantitativa com os consumidores da Hollister - organização que utiliza a pseudo-história como estratégia - buscamos compreender como esta narrativa é percebida e recebida pelos seus clientes. / This dissertation analyzes how and why brands use historical references and narratives in their contemporary strategies, and the impact this practice has in relation to its consumers. To achieve this objective, we first analyzed postmodern theories that support this trend as a response to the current lack of affection and relationship between people. The increasing difficulty of building effective links with other individuals makes one look for these values in other contextes, such as in consumption and brands - which are trying to communicate emotional references. In addition to the traditional strategies of preservation and dissemination of corporate memory - as Centers of Memory and Corporate Museums - we observed the existence of a new concept, the pseudo-story, a fictional narrative developed by new companies, with the goal of creating a \"mythological past\" for the organization and an atmosphere of enchantment for their audiences. The pseudo-story involves the presence of a fictional hero (often the founder) who experiences an epic journey in the process of founding the business. Through quantitative research with consumers of Hollister - an organization that uses pseudo-history as a strategy - we seek to understand how this narrative is perceived and received by its customers.

Esta dissertação busca uma reflexão crítica sobre a comunicação nas relações de trabalho no contexto da comunicação organizacional no Brasil. A partir de investigações preliminares sobre esta área de conhecimento, notamos que suas discussões a respeito desta temática apresentavam poucas análises críticas apoiadas nos aspectos que tem configurado as transformações contemporâneas no mundo do trabalho. Este cenário despertou nosso interesse em compreender como determinados estudiosos, bem como a Associação Brasileira de Comunicação Empresarial (ABERJE), ambos considerados vozes representativas da área, concebem as relações entre organizações e trabalhadores por meio da comunicação. Com base neste objetivo principal, desenvolvemos esta dissertação, em suma, seguindo duas etapas de nosso percurso metodológico. A primeira refere-se às análises de certas vozes autorais significativas para a área da comunicação organizacional. Já a segunda contempla análises da revista Comunicação Empresarial publicada pela associação. As análises deste periódico foram balizadas, em grande parte, pelos estudos do campo da sociologia do trabalho, cujas discussões nos possibilitaram entender as distintas modificações concernentes ao mundo do trabalho. Finalmente, constatamos, em especial, que a área da comunicação organizacional, a partir do seu pensamento hegemônico calcado na gestão estratégica, apresenta interesses orientados a planejar estratégias de comunicação que possam auxiliar as tentativas de organizações em mobilizar a subjetividade do trabalhador, buscando incorporá-lo à própria racionalidade das organizações. / This dissertation seeks a critical reflection on the communication in working relationships in the context of organizational communication in Brazil. Beginning with the preliminary investigations on this field of knowledge, we noticed that discussions about this subject have not expressed enough analyses supported by aspects that form contemporary transformations in the world of work. This scenario proposes an understanding: how certain scholars, and the Brazilian Association for Business Communication (ABERJE), both considered representative voices from this field, comprehend the relationships between organizations and workers through communication. From this main objective, we developed this dissertation, in short, in two steps. First, we analysed important voices of scholars from field of organizational communication. Second, we analysed the magazine published by ABERJE. This analysis of the magazine have been supported by studies of sociology of work; it help us to understand changes about the world of work. Finally, we verified that the field of organizational communication, from its hegemonic thinking based on strategic management, tries to plan communication strategies that can help organizations in their attempts to mobilize the subjectivity of the worker to rationality of organizations.

Doctorat en sciences sociales, politiques et économiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This research aims to provide a theory of enterprise social networking that generates and/or sustains a culture of employee engagement within a chosen South African private sector company. Based on an extensive review of interesting literature and the application of a grounded theory process in a chosen case, this research work provides a theory of enterprise social networking sustaining and growing employee engagement together with an explanatory theoretical framework that makes the theory more practical. Employee engagement is defined as “the harnessing of organisation member’s selves to their work roles; in engagement people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances.” This research regards employee engagement as a three part concept composed of a trait (personality/cognitive) aspect, a state (emotional) aspect, and a behavioural aspect. Research has shown that employee engagement has an unequivocal positive impact on business outcomes, such as profitability, business performance, employee retention and productivity. Employee engagement can be regarded as a culture if it is abundant within the organization’s employee population. Gatenby et al. (2009) propose that employee engagement is fostered by creating the desire and opportunity for employees to connect with colleagues, managers and the wider organisation. This standpoint is supported by Kular et al. (2008) who state that the “key drivers of employee engagement identified include communication, opportunities for employees to feed their views upward and thinking that their managers are committed to the organisation.” Further indicators of employee engagement include strong leadership (particularly in the form of servant leadership), accountability, a positive and open organisational culture, autonomy, and opportunities for development. One of the key facets of employee engagement is connection. A complementary definition of social media, an umbrella under which enterprise social networks fall, is that “(it) is more of a relationship channel, a connection channel. Each and every tweet, update, video, post, is a connection point to another human being. And it’s the other human being who will determine your worth to them.” Social media provides participants with access to a larger pool of resources and relationships than they would normally have access to. This enlarged relationship/resource pool is a result of expanding human and social capital enabled through social media tools. In order to produce a theory of enterprise social networking sustaining and growing a culture of employee engagement a rigorous grounded theory methodology coupled with a case study methodology was applied. The case study methodology was used to identify a suitable research site and interesting participants within the site while the grounded theory process was used to produce both qualitative and quantitative data sets in a suitability rigorous fashion. The corroborative data was then used to discover and define the emergent theory.