The study was undertaken to ascertain whether participatory development (PD and) by implication, the Person Centred Approach (PCA) had an impact on change in the communication patterns in the parachute packing section in the SANDF. The study was conducted in a military setting where hierarchical authoritarian structures exist. PCA and PD are used as theoretical frameworks for the study which resulted in changes in the communication patterns at the section. Change occured at two levels viz: Changes in communication amongst the participants which led to teamwork, cooperation and the avoidance of conflict. Changes in communication between management (the Officer Commanding) and the parachute packing section which lead to regular contact with the participants to address their problems. The study further highlighted the importance of learning from the community in order to avoid misinterpretation which could lead to conflict and dissatisfaction / M. A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

Thesis (MPhil (Afrikaans and Dutch))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / In this study, students’ reactions towards linguistic politeness and the lack thereof in letters distributed by Stellenbosch University (SU), is tested. The aim of the research is to determine the answers to mainly two questions: Does letters which lack linguistic politeness influence institutional image negatively? Is linguistic politeness considered a vital component in institutional letters? SU is currently engaged in establishing the institution’s proposed image in letters directed to students. For that reason, male and female students from the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Natural Sciences were chosen as respondents. The pioneers in the field of pragmatic politeness, Penelope Brown and Stephen C. Levinson, identified approximately 40 politeness strategies utilised in social interaction. According to Brown and Levinson, these strategies protect two intrinsic aspects of the human personality: positive face (roughly, the want to be respected by others) and negative face (roughly, the want not to be impeded by others). Consequently, two official letters from SU were tested to establish senior students’ interpretation of the letters’ contribution to face loss. One letter, incorporating no politeness strategies, and a manipulated version comprising appropriate strategies was employed. The research was accomplished by means of pared observations in which fifteen analogous politeness concepts were tested. Senior students responded to comparable questions that assessed the letters’ effect on their positive and negative face. Despite this, the respondents were never fully aware of the fact that their opinion of politeness was tested. The next step entailed the statistical processing of the answers that were ultimately featured on comparable histograms. The results prove that the writer (as a representative of SU) of the letter in which politeness strategies lack, shows no respect for the student (she/the letter generates positive face loss). However, this letter is mainly responsible for negative face loss which means the writer is excessively prescriptive. Interestingly enough, the student respondents were more sensitive towards linguistic politeness in the manipulated text than the lack thereof in the original version. Alternatively, the students are more appreciative towards the institutional letter which employs positive and negative politeness strategies. The results prove the high probability of linguistic politeness promoting institutional image and white, Afrikaans speaking students’ regard for linguistic politeness in institutional letters.

The study was undertaken to ascertain whether participatory development (PD and) by implication, the Person Centred Approach (PCA) had an impact on change in the communication patterns in the parachute packing section in the SANDF. The study was conducted in a military setting where hierarchical authoritarian structures exist. PCA and PD are used as theoretical frameworks for the study which resulted in changes in the communication patterns at the section. Change occured at two levels viz: Changes in communication amongst the participants which led to teamwork, cooperation and the avoidance of conflict. Changes in communication between management (the Officer Commanding) and the parachute packing section which lead to regular contact with the participants to address their problems. The study further highlighted the importance of learning from the community in order to avoid misinterpretation which could lead to conflict and dissatisfaction / M. A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

In this era of globalisation and the consequent increase in social, economic and physical mobility, small businesses are transforming into sites of increasing language contact (Harris and Bargiela-Chiappini 2003). This study explores situated language practices within two small multilingual businesses. The first is a bicycle rental and repair shop located in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), which is a city with a dynamic multilingual society. The second is a tyre fitment centre in Grahamstown (South Africa), which is a city characterised by a stable triglossia of English, Xhosa and Afrikaans. Using Linguistic Ethnography (Rampton 2007) as my data collection method, I spent a total of eight weeks in these businesses. For the analysis I draw on Spencer-Oatey’s (2000b; 2011) Rapport Management Framework and sociolinguistics of globalisation (Blommaert 2010). This combination allowed me to explore situated language practices in relation to a contemporary context of increased globalisation. The analysis is structured using Spencer-Oatey’s (2000b) concept of rapport orientations. The orientations are presented as one of the key factors that influence the choice for a certain strategy. The orientations thus seemed a constructive way of showing how the observed strategies were employed by the participants of this study and what function they fulfilled in a certain context. However, difficulties emerged during the analysis with applying this concept to some of the more elaborate and complex data. As a result my argument developed into two different strands. The first demonstrates how individuals turn to their multilingual repertoires to negotiate agency and power relationships in small business discourse. The analysis reveals that people at times deliberately promote and maintains discordant relations, which can be understood as a rational response to the individual’s social and economic context. The second discusses the problems that emerged during my analysis with applying rapport management orientations to my data. I propose theoretical developments, warranted by my data, to create an Enhanced Rapport Management Framework suitable for the analysis of complex small business discourse.

Theorists and management in the South African non-profit sector agree that strong stakeholder relationships are essential in negotiating the challenges faced by the South African non-profit sector. Despite the acknowledgement from the non-profit sector that strong relationships are key to achieving organisational goals, there is an apparent lack of knowledge and strategic thinking amongst them pertaining to the concept of stakeholder relationship management. Against this background the purpose of this study was therefore to develop a metamodern model for stakeholder relationship management, aimed specifically at the South African non-profit sector, that could be implemented by NPO management in a practical manner. The blurring lines between the opposing views of modernism versus postmodernism motivated the choice of metamodernism as a relevant worldview for this study. Metamodernism does not imply a balance between these poles, but rather a constant swinging of the pendulum during which metamodernism negotiates between modernism and postmodernism. It is the construction of a workable, interrelated worldview, recognising the intimate relationship between modernism and postmodernism. It was therefore concluded that a metamodern worldview in which both modernism and postmodernism feature, would not only make it possible for nonprofit organisation managers to understand and join the discussion on stakeholder relationship management, but also to implement the proposed metamodern stakeholder relationship management model. The resultant metamodern stakeholder relationship management model for non-profit organisations is framed by so-called modernistic communication and stakeholder relationship management theories, but it was done in line with the metamodern worldview of the study, allowing for initiative and innovation. The flexible, organic and cyclic nature of the proposed model echoes this worldview. A qualitative, exploratory and interpretative research design was implemented to test a conceptual framework and face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior management in the non-profit sector. The design of the framework and subsequent model was guided by a number of assumptions and propositions arising from a thorough literature review, all of which were supported and confirmed by the research results. The most significant contribution of the study is the application of a metamodern worldview emanating from a reluctance to choose between a modern or postmodern stance when discussing communication science and stakeholder relationship management practices. It is therefore foreseen that it would offer the field of communication science new and creative means of combining modernism and postmodernism approaches when studying communication phenomena. It will also expand the responsibility for communication and stakeholder relationship management beyond that of the communication specialists to senior management in the non-profit sector. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)

The aim of this research is to shed more light on an aspect identified as a gap in knowledge in the literature; the use of a social networking service as knowledge sharing platform. More specifically, this research sets out to establish if the social networking service Twitter could be used as knowledge-sharing platform in small South African businesses in the Western Cape. A mixed method research design is used. This includes gathering data through questionnaires as well as conducting semi-structured interviews for case study participants. The sample comprises 122 questionnaire participants together with 14 semi-structured interview participants across three small businesses located in the Western Cape Province. Although it is apparent from the study conducted that small businesses are not yet willing to forego traditional platforms such as Email to use Twitter exclusively as a knowledge sharing tool, the researcher proposes a case for using Twitter, which he believes, could take the most advantage of the functions Twitter brings to a small business operation. / School of Computing / M. Sc. (Computing)

In 1995 a participatory research project was undertaken in the Gauteng Welfare Deparbnent by two outside researchers. The subject for the research was the management of change in the Gauteng Welfare Department. During the research, the researcher observed how the discouraged, apathetic and negative group became animated and empowered. On the basis of this observation, the researcher undertook to do a case study which reflects on the interactional process and cohesion which transpired within the participatory research process. / Social Science / M.A. Social Science (Mental Health)

In 1995 a participatory research project was undertaken in the Gauteng Welfare Deparbnent by two outside researchers. The subject for the research was the management of change in the Gauteng Welfare Department. During the research, the researcher observed how the discouraged, apathetic and negative group became animated and empowered. On the basis of this observation, the researcher undertook to do a case study which reflects on the interactional process and cohesion which transpired within the participatory research process. / Social Science / M.A. Social Science (Mental Health)