Considering the recent corporate scandals faced by the South African capital market, stakeholders are understandably more sceptical about the accuracy and transparency of information being communicated to them. An integral stakeholder group which forms part in the success of an organisation is its investors. Since investors have increasing demands and specific information needs, it is essential that organisations communicate relevant and useful information by means of investor relations. However, despite its importance, academic research in the field of investor relations, specifically in terms of communication, is lacking and does not correlate with the importance of the function in corporate practice. The aim of this study was to propose an investor focused communication strategy framework based on dialogic theory, for South Africa organisations listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. This was done by investigating investor relations theory within the broader context of dialogic theory and crystallising the most critical constructs to include in a communication strategy. The research design employed in this study was an interpretive multiple case study qualitative inquiry which included an investigation of current investor relations regulations that publicly listed organisations have to adhere to and engage in. The proposed framework is the culmination and outcome of a synthesis of an in-depth literature review, a content analysis of communicative products- and semi-structured interviews with the investor relations officers of the case organisation. Propositions informing the proposed framework is put forth and the proposed framework serves as the original contribution of this study. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Business Management / PhD / Unrestricted

The research study explores issues of management and communication from a gender perspective in secondary schools. It arose from a concern regarding the imbalance of men and women progressing to middle and higher management posts in secondary schools in England, as shown in the statistics published by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in a series of three documents from 1992 to 2001. The research problem concerns the possibility that there are gender differences in management communicative repertoires, which have the effect of undermining women's chances of promotion. Using case studies of four middle managers of both sexes in each of four secondary schools in one Midlands county of the UK, from 1995 to 2001, I observed, audio-recorded, and analysed team meetings as a non-participant observer. I transcribed key sequences, and, using the framework of discourse analysis, I investigated whether there were linguistic differences between the male and female middle managers, in order to analyse the way that language reflects management style, and to explore the possibility that linguistic differences might influence the under-representation of women in management posts. The research used qualitative methods, based on the post-modern constructivist approach to gender as a social construct, and on a dialectical approach to linguistic theory, focusing on the role of context, pragmatic speech activity and the function of utterances within interactions. The originality of the enquiry is that it uses discourse analysis of real managerial transactions by male and female middle managers taking place in regularly scheduled meetings in the workplace. I also investigated the organisational culture of the four schools in which the meetings were set, using a content analysis of documents and semi-structured interviews with the headteachers in each case. Much of the research into gender linguistics over the last decade has been of a feminist orientation and focused on one interpretation: that there are distinct gender differences in language use which reflect very different management styles and that women are, by default, negatively valued as potential managers. The argument has been that women's style is interpreted as falling short of a valued masculine model of language and management which is regarded as the norm. However, in this thesis I argue that communication processes are different for men and women, because they bring different frame and schema to their interactions and that while this may mismatch the style valued by their assessors, however, the language of male and female middle managers is also influenced by frames other than that of gender, such as that of the middle manager role and that of the organisational culture of the school. I explore the usefulness of the Community of Practice model, which has developed over the last five years, as a tool for describing language variation between genders, across organisational cultures and within shared enterprises, since it can be used to explain the overlapping sets of shared linguistic traits between different linguistic groups.

The practice of affirmative action, while controversial, permits organizations to realize an important employment objective: to establish an integrated workplace by hiring, training, and promoting a diverse workforce. Affirmative action programs redefine an organization's culture by explicitly acknowledging a managerial imperative to sustain such integration, thereby refocusing organizational assumptions about white women, minority women, and minority men as employees. This dissertation reports on an empirical investigation of a federal agency's values and beliefs concerning affirmative action, underscoring the multiplicity of basic assumptions that constitute organizational culture. Informed by the interpretive perspective on organizational communication, this study explores issues raised during a participatory research program sponsored by the agency. It also challenges the managerial focus of much scholarship on organizational culture. This study addresses the following research questions: (1) What are the values and beliefs concerning affirmative action espoused by a particular government agency? (2) To what extent are the espoused values and beliefs concerning affirmative action shared by various employee groups within the agency? Do women and men articulate similar views? Do minority employees and white employees? Data were collected by examining pertinent cultural artifacts: namely, 13 documents representing the agency's official stance on affirmative action during a particular era; plus, employees' views on the localized practice of affirmative action as recorded on a Needs Assessment survey. Official documents contain three themes, presenting a consistent message disseminated to several audiences. Affirmative action befits the agency; cultivates a diverse workforce; and improves the representation of all women and minority men. Despite efforts at strategic management, the espoused ideology is not adopted by all employees. Analysis of survey data reveals varying perceptions of affirmative action's role in the agency. Ways of knowing and acting in relation to localized priorities are often gender-specific and race-specific. There appears to be no singular pattern of basic assumptions for conducting organizational life as a distinct agency of the federal government. Results are discussed in the context of the paradigmatic shift toward an interpretive perspective on organizations, as well as the shifting demography of the U.S. workforce. The research provides suggestions for revising notions of organizational culture.

<p>The world-wide globalisation that has taken place during the past decades has led to more Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) choosing to relocate some parts of their organisation to other countries. China, which is in command of the world’s lowest-cost manufacturing plants, is the first destination for MNEs. Although China presents a great opportunity for MNEs, this investment does not come without its difficulties, MNEs wishing to invest in China are confronted with certain challenges. MNEs are faced with dealing with the notable differences in Western and Chinese business culture. One particular difference is related to intercultural communication between western managers and Chinese managers. The theory of low context and high context cultures states that the Chinese communicate indirectly and Western countries directly.</p><p>The main purpose of this research is to find out if the Chinese manager, after obtaining experience negotiating with foreign managers from low context cultures, adopts a more direct communication style. The purpose of this research is to answer the following question:</p><p>Does the Chinese manager have a preference for direct or indirect communication when negotiating with foreign managers?</p><p>The following hypotheses were stated:</p><p>Ho: Chinese managers prefer direct communication during business negotiations with foreign managers.</p><p>Ha: Chinese managers prefer indirect communication during business negotiations with foreign managers</p><p>A quantitative method with a positivistic epistemology was used for the research. Quantitative research is an exploratory study with a deductive approach and therefore the most appropriate method for this research was a survey. A survey was chosen for data collection and a questionnaire based on the research model was developed and used as the survey instrument to collect data from the target group.</p><p>The target group was stated as Chinese managers with at least three years work experience, fluent in English and with experience in negotiations with managers from cultures considered as low-context cultures such as Germany, Sweden and the United States of America.</p><p>The target group was selected from the MBA programs at Fudan University.</p><p>The SPSS program was utilised to analyse the responses and to test the hypothesis. Numeric values were assigned to each of the responses, with 5 being the most direct and 1 being the most indirect. The scale was appropriately reversed for negative questions.</p><p>Descriptive statistics were obtained about distribution, variability and central tendency of the variables. t tests were applied to compare group means. Furthermore, a regression analysis was conducted to estimate a linear relationship between direct communication and the lack of miscommunication showed by the descriptive test. All tests were conducted at a 95% confidence level.</p><p>The result of the hypothesis test indicated that Chinese managers have preference towards direct communication when conducting business negotiations with foreign managers.</p>

The world-wide globalisation that has taken place during the past decades has led to more Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) choosing to relocate some parts of their organisation to other countries. China, which is in command of the world’s lowest-cost manufacturing plants, is the first destination for MNEs. Although China presents a great opportunity for MNEs, this investment does not come without its difficulties, MNEs wishing to invest in China are confronted with certain challenges. MNEs are faced with dealing with the notable differences in Western and Chinese business culture. One particular difference is related to intercultural communication between western managers and Chinese managers. The theory of low context and high context cultures states that the Chinese communicate indirectly and Western countries directly. The main purpose of this research is to find out if the Chinese manager, after obtaining experience negotiating with foreign managers from low context cultures, adopts a more direct communication style. The purpose of this research is to answer the following question: Does the Chinese manager have a preference for direct or indirect communication when negotiating with foreign managers? The following hypotheses were stated: Ho: Chinese managers prefer direct communication during business negotiations with foreign managers. Ha: Chinese managers prefer indirect communication during business negotiations with foreign managers A quantitative method with a positivistic epistemology was used for the research. Quantitative research is an exploratory study with a deductive approach and therefore the most appropriate method for this research was a survey. A survey was chosen for data collection and a questionnaire based on the research model was developed and used as the survey instrument to collect data from the target group. The target group was stated as Chinese managers with at least three years work experience, fluent in English and with experience in negotiations with managers from cultures considered as low-context cultures such as Germany, Sweden and the United States of America. The target group was selected from the MBA programs at Fudan University. The SPSS program was utilised to analyse the responses and to test the hypothesis. Numeric values were assigned to each of the responses, with 5 being the most direct and 1 being the most indirect. The scale was appropriately reversed for negative questions. Descriptive statistics were obtained about distribution, variability and central tendency of the variables. t tests were applied to compare group means. Furthermore, a regression analysis was conducted to estimate a linear relationship between direct communication and the lack of miscommunication showed by the descriptive test. All tests were conducted at a 95% confidence level. The result of the hypothesis test indicated that Chinese managers have preference towards direct communication when conducting business negotiations with foreign managers.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oklahoma, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-100).

Literature on performance management (PM) indicates that the concept has gained momentum in its use by organisations, with the ultimate goal of improving business performance. It is argued that PM makes significant contributions to individual employees and organisational performance by enabling expectations to be defined and agreed in terms of the role, responsibilities and accountabilities, and providing opportunities for individuals to identify their own goals and to develop their skills and competencies. However, there has been much debate as to whether PM optimises or leads to improved overall business performance as other factors other than human resources policies, such as personality, job role experiences, and structural factors, may have a detrimental influence on job performance. Moreover, several studies have shown that PM, and performance management systems (PMS) has resulted in unintended impacts, both positive and negative, in addition to those sought by organisations. This research is an investigation into the perception of managers and care assistants in private care of the elderly in care homes in Scotland on the impact of performance management systems. Use is made of both PM literature and empirical research to understand the perceived impact of the PMS with the ultimate aim of developing an enhanced PMS framework. In addition to documents review, twenty-four in-depth interviews were conducted, comprising of eight managers and sixteen care assistants drawn from eight different private care homes. The interviews focused on eight key PM elements, the PM concept, goal-setting, performance reviews, performance measurement, supporting performance, rewards system, training and development, and managing underperformance. The interview results from managers and care assistants were compared with the normative/ideal PM practice from the PM literature to determine how PMS is being implemented in the private care homes. The research findings reveal an overall positive perception towards PMS implementation by managers. However, the care assistants raised many of concerns which influenced a negative perception towards the PMS implementation. This was used as the basis for developing recommendations for an enhanced PMS framework. Therecommendations are centred around the identified two main problem areas: management/leadership style and the communication process. In addition to staff involvement in performance planning, and a fair underperformance management process, three other theories: power distance, vertical and horizontal trust, and the principal-agent problem were recommended to private care homes. This would help change the negative perception towards PMS implementation by care assistants.

This research was conducted to analyse the crisis communication strategy used by Helios Airways after its Flight CY522 crash on 14 August 2005. The objective of the study was: • to examine the communication strategies Helios Airways chose and implemented in order to satisfy the enquiries of stakeholders who had different interests during the crisis. The pre-crisis background of Helios Airways; events related to the crash of Flight CY522, Boeing 737; and events after the crash were discussed. Owing to this, the single case study research approach was followed in conducting this study. Seven main issues emerge from the analysis of the data obtained. • the issue of the safety culture of the airline as discussed by the investigators of the crash; • the issue of compensation and handling of victims’ families; • the issue of the pressurisation defect of the aircraft identified the day before its flight which was not fixed; • the issue of the failure of the Boeing aircraft manufacturer to separate the signal which indicates take-off problems from that of pressurisation problems; • the issue of the government of Cyprus suspending flights after the crash; • the issue of the government of Cyprus Civil Aviation Authority granting a name change for Helios Airways to Ajet; and • the issue of the European Aviation Safety Agency in banning flights of Helios Airways. Denying responsibility, hedging responsibility, making amends, ingratiation and eliciting sympathy strategies were discussed inline with the crash of Helios Airways Flight CY522. Due to the pressurisation defect of the aircraft identified the day before its flight on the 14 August 2005, which was not fixed, the safety culture of the Airline had been perceived by the Cypriot public as low. This together with the delay of the compensation of the victims’ families and the confusing communication strategies, resulted in a negative public image of the Airline. The public insisted on the government of Cyprus banning the flight routes of Helios Airways. Due to those issues, Helios Airways was obliged to change its name to Ajet. However, even after the name change, the public did not accept Helios Airways as an airline of choice. Instead, they continued defaming Ajet in different media. Finally, Ajet ceased all operations and filed for bankruptcy. The major finding of this study is that Helios Airways did not have a crisis communication plan prepared in advance, and as a result, Helios Airways failed to communicate with its stakeholders, mainly the victims’ families and the media, by implementing a mix of inaccurate strategies without knowing exactly those stakeholders’ impact and degrees of involvement. There was no accurate correlation between the investigation progress and results, and the strategies. This can be substantiated from the niche width theory, which explains specialist airlines, as in Helios Airways, tend not to have crisis communication plans prepared in advance and as a result, lack consistency in messages. The general public, the civil aviation authority, and the government perceived the crash to have resulted from the failure of the Airways to fix the pressurisation problems that was identified the day before the crash. This clearly indicates the weakness of the communication strategies and the communication department of the Airways in identifying the perception of the public, and the media and their involvement, and then to align its strategies with the actual circumstances. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Communication Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Twitter has become a popular channel for local governments to explore crisis communication during a hurricane. Local governments use Twitter to distribute crisis messages to the public, and are able to amplify or attenuate risk perception. Many factors attribute to individuals’ risk perception including control, choice, children, novelty, and risk-benefit tradeoff. The Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF) provides a guide to understanding the intensifying or weakening of these risk messages. While these crisis messages are directed to the general public, the local governments may be neglecting information for the vulnerable populations. In order to prepare for a hurricane, vulnerable populations need updates from local governments and emergency agencies before, during, and after the hurricane. Relationships among stages of a hurricane, tweet categories, and risk perception were explored. A sample of 1,043 tweets from six Twitter accounts of local governments in Florida were analyzed to provide insight into what type of messages local governments tweet and what risk perceptions local governments emphasize during the stages of Hurricane Irma. Using a Cross-tabulation analysis, researchers analyzed significant differences for stages of a hurricane, tweet categories, and risk perceptions. Findings for this study indicate that results were significant through each stage of the hurricane. Keywords: Twitter, Hurricane, Risk Factors, SARF, Vulnerable Populations

Além das importantes pesquisas sobre as dimensões da Comunicação Organizacional, análises recentes têm demonstrado que a sustentabilidade é uma tendência contemporânea estabelecida. Nas organizações, tal cenário exige do comunicador uma atuação mais ampla diante de um contexto complexo e pós-moderno, em que se soma a oportunidade de atuar pela sustentabilidade. Propõe-se uma compreensão do perfil mais adequado deste profissional, que entenda como fazer as organizações incorporarem a sustentabilidade em sua gestão e qual o papel da comunicação nesta realização. O contexto e as pesquisas demonstram que o gestor de comunicação é o mais adequado, pelas habilidades e conhecimentos adquiridos na formação universitária, para empreender, dialogar, divulgar, planejar, gerir, mensurar, pesquisar, produzir materiais e desenvolver os canais de comunicação de uma organização para desenvolver a sustentabilidade em benefício da sociedade. / Besides important researches on the dimensions of Organizational Communication, recent studies have shown that sustainability is a contemporary trend. In organizations, this scenario requires from the communicator a broader performance before a complex and postmodern environment that adds up the opportunity of working for sustainability. In this study, it is proposed an understanding of the most suitable professional profile manager, who understands how organizations can incorporate sustainability into its management and the role of communication in this achievement. The context and current researches show that the communication professional is the most appropriate, due to the skills and knowledge acquired in university education, to engage, discuss, disclose, plan, manage, measure, researching, producing materials and develop communication channels of a organization to develop sustainably for the benefit of society.