Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 251 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 226-241). Abstract available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center; full text release delayed at author's request until 2005 Aug. 14.

Thesis (D.Com.)--University of Pretoria, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2004. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 165-178).

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Communications, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-132).

M.A. / Communication departments may have the core knowledge to practise excellent communication, but senior management must also share a common understanding of the role and function of communication and communication managers in an organisation for communication to be excellent. The need for this study originated from the perception that the top communicator is often not at the table when strategic decisions are made. Yet, public relations specialists often have expertise that can contribute to organisational decision-making. They can, amongst others, facilitate dialogue between key publics and members of senior management in order to enhance understanding of the vision and goals of the organisation and the needs of the organisation's clients and stakeholders. This form of two-way symmetrical communication is the basis of excellent communication. Most practitioners agree that the best place for the top communicator is within an organisation's senior management - taking part in strategic decision-making through two-way communication (Dozier, Grunig, L & Grunig, J, 1995). The three spheres of communication excellence - as identified in the Excellence Study, the largest and most intensive investigation ever conducted of public relations and communication management - include the knowledge base of communication departments; shared expectations between the top communicator and senior management; and the culture of the organisation. The middle sphere of shared expectations between the top communicator and semor management, has three components which will be investigated in this study. The first component is departmental power - the ability to influence members of senior management. Sometimes top communicators are members of senior management, participating directly in strategic management and planning. In other cases, they exert informal influence as providers of information and as process facilitators to senior management. The power of the public relations department is associated with the value members of senior management attach to public relations as a function, as well as the strategic contribution the top communicator and the communication department make to organisational decision-making.

The main problem of this study was to assess the communication strategies used by GIRSS to achieve organisational goals. To address this problem, a theoretical study was undertaken to identify the communication strategies used in organisations. The theoretical guidelines for effective communication were integrated into a communication model, which consisted of the following components: · The establishment of organisational communication structures; · The selection of appropriate communication media; IV · The management of communication barriers; and · Addressing the challenges in organisational communication. Based on the model, a survey questionnaire was developed to assess the extent to which GIRSS made use of these strategies. The questionnaire was administered to both managers and non-managers in the organisation. Due to the distance between South Africa and China, the questionnaire was administered via e-mail. The empirical results revealed that some of the theoretical guidelines were followed, but there was room for improvement in terms of communication strategies used at GIRSS. Specifically it was found that many barriers existed as a result of status and other differences, which influenced communication in the organisation. Communication in organisations is very important as it contributes to goal attainment, satisfaction, cooperation and problem-solving. Communication is a skill that can be learned, and managers as well as employees should consider the results of the study to initiate changes to the communication strategies used in the organization.

The central problem in this thesis is the study of the effect an organization objective has for managerial control. We have hypothesized: l) to the extent that an objective is possible, workable, and operational, that is, feasible, it will more probably be accepted by relevant organization members; and 2) to the extent that an objective is feasible arid accepted by relevant organization members, it is probable that the initiating group will assume control over its direction. The notion of organizational acceptance holds special problems. The initiating group in gaining acceptance from other organizational members usually must sacrifice some of its control over the formulation and/or implementation of its proposed objective. This introduces the concept of bargaining as a goal-setting device. We have attempted to test these propositions using mainly interview data collected in a large and diversified steel tube manufacturing operation. The central management group of this vast concern ten years ago introduced a research project into "getting involved in the use of computers". Development of this imprecise organization objective has progressed to the point where the firm has now committed itself to a third generation "real-time" computer for the purposes of achieving integrated data processing throughout the fourteen companies involved in the manufacturing complex, and the eventual establishment of a centrally administered integrated control system. There are three major groups involved in the computer application - an individually organized computer unit, the central coordinating administrative body, and the companies. We have analysed the data relating to this organizational objective with the help of a cyclic model that we devised. During the development of an objective, various processes occur. These are: 1) search - the process of looking for alternative courses of action, their consequences, and attempting to arrive at a "satisfactory" conclusion; 2) consolidation - the process whereby a proposed objective becomes relatively stabilized and formalized as a result of interest group and subgoal formation; and, 3)conflict/change or change/conflict - the process whereby the balance of costs and benefits is disrupted such that conflict occurs and change is implied, or, the process where internal or external events cause change in the established relationships sufficient to incur conflict. Because we believe these processes to be recurring, we have used this cyclic model as a means to describe and explain the development of the organization objective. The findings of our research tend to corroborate our hypotheses. Following are some of our main conclusions: l)the search process becomes more focused and well defined as the objective develops through successive cycles; 2)the "perceived" workability of an objective presents as great a pressure for acceptance as does its "actual" workability; 3)interest group and subgoal formation caused by specialization of function tend to create difficulties in communication and thus endanger a "successful" implementation of the objective; 4)the process of bargaining increases in conflict and change situations; 5)conflict acts as both a control over and a stimulator of change; and, 6)the tighter the desired control, the more precise must be the objectives. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

M.B.A. / The purpose of this audit was to investigate factors related to the communication structure at Western Platinum Mine. These factors had been investigated regarding their validity regarding all levels ofcommunication. The factors included the following: I. Top-Down Communication 2. Bottom-Up Communication 3. Lateral Communication 4. Objectives ofCommunication 5. Informal Communication 6. Meetings 7. Feedback 8. Written Communication 9. External Communication 10. General Attitudes towards Western Platinum Mine The researcher relied on both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. During the audit, analysis were carried out by means ofthe following data collection methods: • Individual focus interviews with top management, • Focus group discussions with junior level staff, and • Self completion questionnaires were completed by supervisors and middle management When comparing the conclusions with the research hypotheses a high correlation was evident between the original hypotheses and the information generated by the research. It was established that communication, at the lower levels, needs attention. Messages are totally distorted and employees rely on the " ... grapevine ... " Top Management's perception that communication is sound, was proved to be a fallacy. The research thus proved that the hypotheses in fact was in general accurate, correct and evident. As a result of the research a proper communication strategy was developed for Western Platinum Mine which could satisfy all the objectives...

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