There is global agreement that in today's business environment an integrated approach to communication is a necessity. Although there is a need to evaluate the application and quality of integrated communication, after almost 20 years of existence, it is still viewed as a difficult concept to implement. Definitions of integrated communication still vary, with no universal consensus. Although the literature on communications does propose various implementation models for evaluating integrated communication, these models are predominantly marketing-related, with parameters pertaining to the customer-experience. As such, these models have serious shortcomings when it comes to measuring the employee-experience. In this study, employee relationships are seen as the building blocks of the strategic management of communication between an organisation and its external publics. Recognising this significance of employee relationships two decades ago, Cutlip, Center, and Broom (1985) proposed that no organisational relationships are as important as those with employees. They advocated that the first step in promoting positive external relationships is achieving good internal communication. The central thrust is that employees who are truly customer-focused need to work within an employee-centric environment. Customarily, the traditional internal communication audit is used to evaluate the employee environment, employee perceptions of communication and employee attitudes. However, traditional audits have limitations when it comes to measuring integration. Traditional audits do not evaluate the role of the employee in building customer relationships, or the extent to which employees are integrated into an organisation. There is, therefore, a need to extend the traditional internal communication audit, so as to evaluate integrated internal communication and its application and quality. Duncan (2001) maintains that integrated communication must first exist internally if a company is to effectively communicate externally. Therefore, the primary research objective of this study was to develop a measuring instrument (using elements from existing audits and models) to evaluate integrated internal communication. This entailed a literature review to determine the theoretical status of the concept of integrated communication and internal communication. A measuring instrument was then developed to evaluate integrated internal communication. The second objective was to apply the developed instrument so as to measure employee perceptions of communication at the International Colleges Group (ICG). These perceptions were measured through a group administered perception survey and personal interviews. Research results where used to determine the extent of integrated internal communication at ICG in accordance with four identifiable stages. Findings signifyed some success in the first stage of integrated communication. However, there was no indication of integrated communication in the later stages. The final objective was to test the shortcomings of the proposed instrument. / Communication Science / M.A. (specialisation in Organisational Communication Research and Practice)

Thesis (MA (Public and Development Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Internal communication has the potential of improving the ability of local authorities to deliver effective and efficient basic services. Local authorities are the pillar upon which governments rely to champion the decentralisation process which has been widely hailed as enabling service delivery to the communities. The Lilongwe City Assembly recognises the need to address internal communication issues, but have neither carried out any meaningful analysis of its internal communication nor has it developed an internal communication plan or guidelines. The communication audit methodology is relatively unknown in the public sector in Malawi and it is hoped that this study brings to light the advantages of giving organisational communication its deserved role in activities of the public sector. It is hoped that this study would be replicated in the remaining 38 local assemblies with a view to improving service delivery. This study assessed the internal communication of the Assembly as part of a broader perspective of organisational communication. Specifically, it measured the effectiveness of internal communication at the Lilongwe City Assembly. The methodology involved measuring the perceived current and ideal amounts of information in eight fundamental areas of internal communication, namely receiving information from others, sending information to others, action on information sent, channels of communication, communication relationships, communication and work satisfaction, timeliness of information received from key sources and sources of information. Findings from a sample of 186 respondents of the Assembly indicated a great need to receive information and to interact with Assembly management more frequently than what is happening currently. The communication between subordinates and co-workers seems to be satisfactory. However, the majority of respondents expressed the need to engage with Assembly management on a number of key issues, including staff welfare, salaries and benefits. In addition, a concern about the inability of employees to master the English language was cited as reducing the capacity of the Assembly to fully implement its work activities. / cmc2010

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Business leaders of today agree that people are the greatest asset of their enterprises, but they struggle to live up to the requirements the knowledge specialists of today dictate. This study investigates the method of storytelling as a leadership tool to engage people in businesses and to contribute to such businesses in becoming an Employer of Choice. In the present day knowledge era the way we communicate has changed completely and knowledge has become the single most important factor within businesses. The latter, in conjunction with the technology boom, has led to an extremely fast paced business environment worldwide, leaving the knowledge experts feeling somehow alienated. Business leaders need to understand this phenomenon and incorporate a culture of care within the business. It is easy to overlook the least troublesome, uncomplicated and inexpensive ways of communications, such as storytelling, to add value in creating a business environment of such a nature. South African businesses should tap into the wisdom of the Ubuntu culture that has its roots deep in storytelling as a method of knowledge sharing and to foster development. The objective of this research document is to illustrate the relationship between storytelling and engaging employees and retaining talent by means of which management could gain a better overview of how their implementation of a storytelling culture in the business could affect their customer retention in the relevant business. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Eietydse sakeleiers stem saam dat mense die grootste bate in hul ondernemings is, maar hulle vind dit moeilik om aan die vereistes te voldoen wat die kennisspesialiste deesdae voorskryf. Hierdie studie stel ondersoek in na die metode van storievertel as 'n bestuurswerktuig om mense binne ondernemings te betrek en om by te dra dat sulke ondernemings 'n voorkeurwerkverskaffer kan word. In die hedendaagse kennis-era het die manier waarop ons kommunikeer, heeltemal verander en het kennis die enkel belangrikste faktor in ondernemings geword. Gepaardgaande met die ontploffing in tegnologie, het ondernemings tot 'n uiters vinnige pas in die wêreldwye sake-omgewing gelei, wat die kennisspesialiste ietwat vervreemd gelaat het. Sakeleiers behoort hierdie verskynsel te verstaan en 'n omgee kultuur in hul ondernemings in te voer. Dit is maklik om die mees probleemvrye, ongekompliseerde en goedkoopste kommunikasie maniere mis te kyk, soos die vertel van stories, om waarde toe te voeg tot die skepping van 'n sake-omgewing van so 'n aard. Suid-Afrikaanse ondernemings behoort die wysheid in die Ubuntu-kultuur te ontgin met sy wortels diep in storievertel as 'n manier om kennis te deel en om te ontwikkel. Die doel van hierdie opdrag is om die verhouding tussen storievertel en die betrokkenheid van werknemers toe te lig en om hul talent te behou waardeur die bestuur 'n beter oorsig kan verkry van hoe die implementering van 'n strorievertel kultuur in die onderneming die behoud van kliënte in die betrokke onderneming kan beïnvloed.

The central arguments in this thesis rest on two premises. Firstly language and context are intimately bound up in the social construction of workplace gender inequalities. Secondly, organisational understandings and management of women�s access to employment opportunities and rewards in modern bureaucratic organisations are constituted through discourses or systems of organisational knowledges, practices and rules of organising. This study uses the concept of discourse to account for the productive and powerful role of knowledge and language practices in constituting the organisational contexts and meanings through which people make sense of and experience complex organisations.

This research explored how mission trip volunteers assume various roles throughout their volunteer experience. By seeing the various roles that emerge in mission volunteer work, the identities that they construct based upon these roles are revealed. Discovering the ways in which these roles and constructed identities affect the way that mission trip volunteers could potentially help colleges improve their recruitment messages and distinguish themselves from other institutions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain data from the participants, and the data were analyzed through a thematic, constant comparative method. Findings revealed the types of stories heard from other mission trip volunteers prior to serving, the impact of those stories on decisions to volunteer, the various identities that emerge while serving on a mission trip, and how mission trip volunteers make sense of their experiences after serving. This study applies several well-known aspects of organizational communication to the context of mission trip volunteers, offering new and interesting data. This study also provides practical implications for mission trip coordinators and individuals who might be interested in being a mission trip volunteer.

This study analyzed intercultural communication competence between Malays and Chinese in organizational and social settings in Malaysia. Two groups: Malays and Chinese in organizations in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), were studied. The intent of this study was to find similarities and differences in Malays and Chinese' communication styles. A total of forty-six respondents were surveyed: twenty-three Malay executives and twenty-three Chinese executives, in organizations in Malaysia. The organizations were selected based on their function, size, number of employees, ethnic composition, and location. The open-ended questionnaire was written in English and pretested. The revised questionnaire was sent to Kuala Lumpur to be administered by two interviewers who were from each ethnic groups. All of the responses from the questionnaire were interpreted and categorized by two Malay and two Chinese individuals who acted as coders. This study used thematic content analysis to analyze the responses from the two groups. Respondents' descriptions and explanations of their perceptions on conflict were studied. Coders from both ethnic groups were asked to recall a conflict situation in both organizational and social settings. Each group varied in their definition and perception of conflict. The results showed some similarities in their perception of appropriate and effective verbal and nonverbal messages in organizational and social settings. The results also showed some similarities and differences in their perceptions of inappropriate and ineffective verbal and nonverbal across ethnic group lines. The similarities can be explained by shared orientations to uncertainty, large degrees of power distance and collectivism. The differences may be due to cultural dimensions that are situationally variant. The findings showed both groups' preference for clear and explicit verbal messages in task orientations, and for nonverbal messages in relational-orientations. / Graduation date: 1993

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Communication

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Communication

The purpose of this study was to test a multi-level mediation model of incivility. Specifically, it was proposed that predictors of workplace incivility at the individual, group, and organizational level would be related to each other and negative individual outcomes. It was also proposed that the relationship between these predictors and outcomes would be mediated by workplace incivility victimization. Two hundred twenty eight participants completed an online survey through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Results indicated that variables at all three levels (i.e., civility climate, group norms for civility, and individual characteristics) were related to one another and predictive of negative individual outcomes. Results also indicated preliminary support for the mediating role of workplace incivility experiences in these relationships and the overall model. Workplace incivility significantly moderated all of the relationships between predictor and criterion variables. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed, and several directions for future research on workplace incivility are explored.