An applied study was undertaken to describe the current position of youth work as profession in the Dutch Reformed Church and to identify factors influencing the sustainability. A review of relevant literature, as well as an empirical survey were conducted to investigate pertinent factors such as the working conditions, the person and the training of the youth worker. In the empirical research respondents completing questionnaires consisted of former students of the Huguenot College currently employed as church youth workers, and those who left the ministry. Interviews were conducted with congregations currently employing or having employed youth workers. It is evident from this study that the youth work profession is not yet satisfactorily established and thus contributes to youth workers leaving the ministry. In the interest of youth ministry, it is essential for the Dutch Reformed Church to acknowledge these factors influencing the sustainability of youth work as profession, in order to get this occupation properly established. / Practical Theology / M.Diac. (Jeugwerk-rigting)

Crisis communication has emerged as a specialised study field for public relations scholars and practitioners in the past 17 years. It is suggested that several gaps in current crisis communication literature exist. A notable focus has been given to the planning, prevention and recovery stages with lesser attention placed on the crisis response stage. A comprehensive conceptual framework to guide communication decision-makers during this critical period has not yet been developed. In addition, crisis communication studies appear to be predominantly Western based. This qualitative study attempts to address these gaps. The focus is on the crisis response stage, with particular emphasis on communication with the journalists who work for media organisations. It is acknowledged that the success of a crisis management effort is profoundly affected by what an organisation says and does during a crisis - termed the crisis response (Benoit 1997; Coombs 2004). Literature and data drawn from South African case studies is translated into a conceptual framework which acknowledges the importance of context, flexibility and constant feedback/monitoring of the environment on crisis communications. The findings of this qualitative study are in line with the current post-modern organisational values that are increasingly emphasised in national and international literature. The study especially makes a unique contribution by applying these values to a conceptual model of communication between the organisation and the media during times of crisis. The model is designed to assist an organisation to protect its image during a crisis in the following ways: * Convince the media that there is no crisis (in the case of unfounded rumours); * Encourage them to view the crisis in a less negative light by acknowledging the organisation's interpretation of events. * Influence the media to see the organisation more positively through the effective management of the crisis. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)

For organisations to survive in an ever-changing milieu, as evident from the current business environment, sufficient crisis communication and management practices need to be in place to ensure organisational survival. Despite the latter, organisational crises are often inefficiently managed which could be ascribed to the lack of managing crises strategically (Kash & Darling 1998:180). This study explores the lack of strategic crisis communication processes within the financial industry specifically, to ensure effective crisis communication with the media as stakeholder group, through the proposition of an integrated crisis communication framework, which focuses on: · Combining integrated communication (IC) literature with Grunig’s theory of communication excellence to build sustainable media relationships through two-way communication; and · Implementing a crisis communication process that has proactive, reactive and post-evaluative crisis communication stages, thereby moving away from crisis communication as a predominant reactive function. / Communication Sciences / M.A. (Communication)

Crisis communication has emerged as a specialised study field for public relations scholars and practitioners in the past 17 years. It is suggested that several gaps in current crisis communication literature exist. A notable focus has been given to the planning, prevention and recovery stages with lesser attention placed on the crisis response stage. A comprehensive conceptual framework to guide communication decision-makers during this critical period has not yet been developed. In addition, crisis communication studies appear to be predominantly Western based. This qualitative study attempts to address these gaps. The focus is on the crisis response stage, with particular emphasis on communication with the journalists who work for media organisations. It is acknowledged that the success of a crisis management effort is profoundly affected by what an organisation says and does during a crisis - termed the crisis response (Benoit 1997; Coombs 2004). Literature and data drawn from South African case studies is translated into a conceptual framework which acknowledges the importance of context, flexibility and constant feedback/monitoring of the environment on crisis communications. The findings of this qualitative study are in line with the current post-modern organisational values that are increasingly emphasised in national and international literature. The study especially makes a unique contribution by applying these values to a conceptual model of communication between the organisation and the media during times of crisis. The model is designed to assist an organisation to protect its image during a crisis in the following ways: * Convince the media that there is no crisis (in the case of unfounded rumours); * Encourage them to view the crisis in a less negative light by acknowledging the organisation's interpretation of events. * Influence the media to see the organisation more positively through the effective management of the crisis. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)

For organisations to survive in an ever-changing milieu, as evident from the current business environment, sufficient crisis communication and management practices need to be in place to ensure organisational survival. Despite the latter, organisational crises are often inefficiently managed which could be ascribed to the lack of managing crises strategically (Kash & Darling 1998:180). This study explores the lack of strategic crisis communication processes within the financial industry specifically, to ensure effective crisis communication with the media as stakeholder group, through the proposition of an integrated crisis communication framework, which focuses on: · Combining integrated communication (IC) literature with Grunig’s theory of communication excellence to build sustainable media relationships through two-way communication; and · Implementing a crisis communication process that has proactive, reactive and post-evaluative crisis communication stages, thereby moving away from crisis communication as a predominant reactive function. / Communication Sciences / M.A. (Communication)