Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011. / This mini dissertation reports on the findings from a study on Chief Executive Officers of dually listed companies which, measures the value they place on Corporate Communication professionals. Using the Hill and Knowlton quantitative framework, the study explicates the role Corporate Communication professionals play within the organisational context and identifies their strategic legitimacy. Much of the literature on the topic of strategic Corporate Communication asserts that this function is drastically marginalised and its value disputed within the inner circle of organisations. The literature states that Corporate Communication managers and strategists are expected to validate their presence within the top levels of management in organisations. CEOs of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and at least one other international stock exchange were surveyed. Findings include evidence of inconsistency and confusion on the part of CEOs, with regard to the understanding of Corporate Communication as a discipline and business function, as well as its location within the organisational structure. Further study is recommended to investigate the determinants of value within Corporate Communication for CEOs, to bridge the current strategic and knowledge gap.

M.Phil. / This dissertation provides a study of Virtual Teams and possible ways of predicting their effectiveness. The motivation for carrying out this study was to discover if there was a way of quantifying why Virtual Teams used in a particular company was proving to be very effective. A brief literature study of the topic of Virtual Teams and Virtual Team communication is given, as well as an overview of different Communication Models. A case study is made of the particular company (called DevCo Software Development as a pseudonym for the sake of confidentiality). The case study presents the results of two online surveys. One survey sent to all the employees within the Labs Department and another sent to only the Virtual Team members of a specific Virtual Team within the Labs Department. The case study concludes with an analysis of the company culture and the effect it appears to have on the way the employees use technology and the effect of this on Virtual Team success.

Grunig (1992:114) states that internal communication is so entwined with the process of organising and with organisational structure, environment, power and culture that many theorists of organisational communication argue that organisations would not exist without communication. Grunig (1992) goes further by saying that internal communication is the catalyst if not the key to organisational excellence and effectiveness. In this study an attempt was made to illustrate the link between the internal corporate communication programme of an organisation’s Chief Executive Officer and the commitment levels towards the same organisation of middle management employees. The Absa Group is used as a case study for the purposes of this dissertation. The problem that prompted this research has, therefore, been formulated as: Does the internal corporate communication programme of the Group Chief Executive of the Absa Group have any significance for the commitment levels of selected middle management employees in Gauteng towards the organisation? Theoretical statements were based on the theoretical orientation of the open systems theory from a subjectivist approach, the importance of internal corporate communication and the relationship between leadership and internal corporate communication and were formulated as: · From a systems theory perspective, organisations must exchange (import-transformexport) “energy” (products, information and materials) with their environments in order to survive (Dahnke & Clatterbuck, 1990:162). · Internal communication is the catalyst if not the key to organisational excellence and effectiveness (Grunig, 1992:114). · Effective leadership communication leads to employee commitment (Mayfield & Mayfield, 2002:89). The dissertation concludes with the postulation that there is a significant link between the internal corporate communication strategy and approach of the Absa Group Chief Executive and the commitment levels towards the organisation of selected middle management employees. / Prof. Gideon de Wet

M.Com. (Business Management) / Today's organizations are operating in a continually changing business environment. To be a growing and profitable business, it is important that management have a vision of where and how they want to direct the company to the desired future business outcome. Management must be in touch with both the internal and external factors that may influence the outcome of the changing environment. To be a profitable and growing company, it is important that the internal resources be utilized optimally, of which the human resources are the most valuable resource. Communication is seen as the instrument in the hands of management with which it can achieve these desired results.

M.A. / As a result of political, socio-demographical and economic pressures, South African organisations are constantly pressured to move towards a non-racial, democratic and fully representative environment. Companies are currently embarking on programs for the development and employment of previously discriminated against groups, in order to assimilate them into the current organisational culture. Given the pressing demands for human resource development, the results of affirmative action and the process of assimilation are still perceived as unsatisfactory and the management of diversity in South Africa is viewed with growing interest. Literature regarding the management of diversity exists primarily of American journals and case-studies. To date, there are few South African initiated publications on this subject. The management of diversity interventions, guidelines and principles was systematically studied to establish a theoretical framework for the development of a strategic approach in which communication development is seen as a central aspect. A lack of a coherent strategic visioning in the approach towards the management of diversity as well as a need for a planned, structured and developed communication strategy has been identified. In the absence of a coherent strategic vision on the management of diversity, a framework for the development of such a strategy, was developed to serve as guideline. The need for and guidelines for the development of a communication development strategy was identified to facilitate the process.

D.Litt. et Phil. / The purpose of this study was to determine on a theoretical level what the role of communication climate in the formation of perceptions of organizational climate of the formal organization is. To achieve this purpose, existing conceptual and methodological issues surrounding the climate construct had to be alleviated. This was achieved through the operational definition of the construct within the framework of an organizational model, whereby a nomological net could be established for the construct. A theoretical framework within which the operational definition of the construct could be undertaken, was constructed through a systematic synthesis of available literature. Through structural functional analysis of existing systems theoretical approaches to the study of organization systems, a social systems model of organizational functioning was constructed. within this explicit theoretical framework the construct organizational climate, as well as the construct communication climate was operationally defined according to the role each plays in terms of the organization's functioning. By representing these constructs in relation to each other within the framework of an organizational model, a theoretical link between these two constructs could be specified. It was indicated that the determinants of organizational climate are the organizational processes which link organizational structures to functions. It was determined that the organizational climate construct consists of two sub constructs, i.e. communication climate and transformation climate. It was also noted that both these constructs are related to communication constructs, and thus the climate they generate is related to a climate for communication. The conclusion was 'thus made that organizational climate is a communication construct, which is indicative of the climate for organizational functioning which is provided by communication. It was also shown that the relationship by which the constructs communication climate and transformation climate determine organizational .climate cannot be specified in a general way. The reason for this is that the specific processes emphasized by the organization in its functioning will determine the relationship between these two constructs in the formation of the organizational climate of the formal organization. Finally, the methodological implications of this theoretical viewpoint were discussed.

M.A. / Organisations which practise according to a social cultural approach to organising from a systems perspective, as described by Buckley (1967:3), value the dynamics of interrelations and the importance of corporate communication, in order for an environmental balance to be maintained and an acclaimed organisational reputation to be built. By addressing the systems theory from a process model approach and the social cultural organisational context, according to organisational principles defined by the structuration theory tradition, the core principle of production and reproduction of social structures is emphasised, where it is possible to recognise the value of corporate communication as an element of the strategic management process. Literature has indicated that in its strategic capacity, corporate communication focuses on enhancing stakeholder relationships, facilitates an adaptive organisational structure and assists management to align strategies with goals. Organisations are therefore encouraged to adapt to a dynamic environment, which in turn develops a reputation based on transformation. Corporate social investment, within this context, is perceived as a strategic corporate communication facilitator which is practised with the aim of building relationships with communities and ensuring attainment of environmental goals which align with internal strategies and objectives. This study explores the corporate social investment educational initiatives of First National Bank, who have a vision of assisting to develop a better future through the youth. Through varied educational initiatives and corporate communication strategies designed around these initiatives, stakeholders should gain an enhanced impression of the organisation where First National Bank is recognised for shaping the development of South Africa in a global economy. Therefore, the primary research objective of this study was to identify the perceptions of selected First National Bank internal communication consultants, of corporate social investment educational initiatives as a strategic contributor to the reputation of First National Bank. The study assumed an overall qualitative methodological orientation; however both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were used. The study consisted of three phases of research. Phases 1 and 2 were both of a qualitative nature and focused on the methodology of qualitative content analysis and qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews respectively, thereby developing subjective and explanatory findings around the research objective. Phase 3 explored the quantitative research methodology of a self-administered questionnaire, and resulted in the production of empirical findings. Findings obtained in phase 3 were developed with the pursuit of substantiating and verifying what had been deduced in phases 1 and 2. From the findings yielded by this research, it is possible to surmise that First National Bank’s corporate social investment educational initiatives do strategically contribute to the organisational reputation, as they reflect the organisation’s ability to adapt to external influences, and have also revealed the need to focus on stakeholder involvement as a reputation management tool, which encourages stakeholders to make a difference to society and gain knowledge of the organisation’s strategies and goals. Findings have also suggested that First National Bank place emphasis on addressing corporate social investment educational initiatives from a holistic approach, where, through unity of efforts, a favourable organisational reputation is produced. It was perceived that alignment of organisational values with corporate social investment initiatives improves the organisation’s long-term business opportunities, and emphasis placed on relationship-building reflects the organisation’s desire to empower stakeholders who could assist in transforming strategies to reach organisational goals. However, a lack of communication at First National Bank surrounding corporate social investment was identified within this study, but it became apparent that the organisation does have an interactive culture which aims to address the external environment through their corporate social investment educational initiatives. This idea reflected how the organisation aims to achieve a dynamic environmental balance which ultimately assists the organisation in enhancing a positive reputation. This study has also indicated that it is the strategic role of corporate communication, as a social cultural phenomenon, to ensure that throughout every strategy implemented, the organisation is constantly and advantageously positioned in the minds of all stakeholders.

M.A. (Industrial Psychology) / The object of this study is to explore the first-time work experiences of industrial psychologists. This phenomenon occurs during the entry phase of one’s career life cycle, and is associated with a reality shock, role transitions and socialisation. Ten participants were interviewed by making use of the Repertory Grid Technique to discover their mental models and personal constructs, which they created through their experiences. This information was interpreted from an interpretivist stance by using a case study and modernistic qualitative approach. Seven main themes were identified from the participant’s experiences. Four of these were considered to be enhancing and three were limiting. The three limiting themes that were regarded as negative relationships that were formed were the lack of knowledge of the industrial psychology profession, negative relationships formed and unmet expectations. The four enhancing themes were professional development, personal development, identifying the role of the industrial psychologist and identifying the value of the industrial psychologist. Recommendations were made on how to alleviate the negative experiences and a contracting model and industrial psychology career entry model were formed.

D.Phil. / Identity is a cognitive concept that describes “who I am”, and an important part of an individual’s identity is derived from shared social entities. However, as work and the work setting began playing prominent roles in most people’s social lives, the social identity derived from the working environment became the focus of several studies. It was, however, recognised that the locus of identification stretched beyond the organisation to other social phenomena available in the work setting. This finding encouraged a change of focus, which asserts that facets of work are sources of identification. The construct, work identity (WI), captures this extended understanding of social identity derived from work. There were also several research agendas about ways to strengthen or manipulate the relationship between employees and their work and/or workplace. Concepts such as work involvement, work commitment, work engagement, work centrality, and person-organisation fit represent this category of enquiry. As identity or identification was often mentioned in the definitions of these concepts, the concepts are perceived as WI-associated concepts. As several researchers recognised concept redundancy or concept contamination among the WI-associated concepts and between the WI-associated concepts and WI, further clarification of WI was needed. The purpose of this research project was to generate a model of the antecedents and consequences of WI in multicultural work settings. Conducting the research in a multicultural setting did not only test the theoretical ideas in a challenging context, but it contributed to a better understanding of employees from the research setting. The study used a cross-sectional field survey in order to gather responses from a convenience sample of employees from workplaces in Dubai. Data from 644 respondents was subjected to regression analysis and structural equation modelling. One characteristic of the dataset was the positively skewed distribution within some scales and significant disparity in the mean calculations of different nationality groups. Applying multiple regression to analyse and explore bivariate relationships, the data supported a positive relationship between job resources and WI. As an unexpected weak positive relationship between job demands and WI was also found, further research into the behaviour of job demands is required. A strong predictive relationship between WI and work engagement was indicated and a negative relationship between WI and turnover intentions was supported. Structural equation modelling identified a parsimonious model of WI in multicultural work settings which contained the concepts of job resources and job demands as antecedents of WI, with work engagement and turnover intentions as consequences of WI. The strength of causal relationships within this model was significantly affected by three moderator variables, namely level of education, age and, most strongly, by nationality. Therefore, although a stable covariance model was accepted, different nationality groups still processed the relationships between variables within the model in unique ways. Although WI manifested itself as a single-component structure in previous research that operationalised WI in the same way as this study, three facets of WI emerged here: work centrality, person-organisation fit, and value congruence. The different WI facets did not consistently relate to the antecedents or the consequences of WI in the same way. In addition, in response to findings of redundancy and contamination in previous studies, WI was found to be distinct from work engagement. This finding is a catalyst for future research to explore facets of WI and for researchers to revisit work engagement a consequence of WI and work engagement in multicultural work settings.

M.Ing. (Engineering Management) / Broadly speaking, communication forms an integral component of everyone’s daily activities, be it on a personal level amongst family and friends, or in a professional environment. In many instances, the ability of project teams to communicate effectively and efficiently is taken for granted by project managers, which can result in projects being late or incomplete. However, the importance of Project Communications Management is evident in the fact that the Project Management Institute (PMI) dedicates a chapter to Project Communications Management in the PMBOK® Guide. The current research seeks to understand what effect communication has on a project, and how it can be successfully managed during a project. The research in the form of a case study investigated the state of communications within a project department, with the aim of identifying whether a lack of communication during a project is a contributing factor to projects being late or incorrect. The department in question is responsible for supplying the mining industry with critical conveyor drive equipment. The case study research was conducted utilizing the procedure outlined in the Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®). The research found that certain areas in the department lacked the basic requirements for effective communications, and that a lack of communication between various stakeholders during a project could negatively influence the success of a project. These findings were compared to those of independent research by the PMI into global trends of project communications. The important aspects relating to Project Communication Management were discussed, and a workable solution to the problem was proposed. It was found that by implementing a communication plan in the department, and encouraging a culture of open and honest communications, the organization can expect to see an improvement in project success.