This study focuses on the conununication strategies of women principals in secondary schools. It highlights the role of conununication in management by examining the purpose of conununication, communication process, barriers to effective communication and the types of communication, which are verbal and nonverbal communication. The study, further highlights that communication in management may be affected by the differences in communication styles of women and men. It further shows that while differences in communicative styles can be attributed to many factors, socialisation into gender positions is a major factor that leads to gender communication differences. Though socialisation is one of the factors shaping communication of men and women, post-structuralists also argue that children who are socialised are not just passive recipients. During socialisation each person is active in taking up discourses through which she or he is shaped. The socialisation, starts at home, then to school and also the community. Children develop sex-appropriate speech in different communities. A single case study explored the conununication strategies of a woman principal in the Northern Province, South Africa. Reputational sampling was used for the selection of the participants and site. Data gathering was done by means of interviews [with the principal and six teachers], observation and document analysis. Findings suggest that a woman principal's communication is shaped by the context in which she is a woman, mother, wife, African, educational manager and as an individual with her own unique personality. Women managers in rural contexts experience cultural barriers to communication as women are not expected to talk much and should appear to know little in the presence of men. Women are also not supposed to conununicate non-verbally by keeping eye contact, using more space and using facial expression. In this study, a woman manager emerges as a good communicator who overcomes cultural barriers by even practicing what is not traditionally acceptable. The woman principal prefers personal encounters as channels of communication and as an African, she overcomes language barriers by using mother-tongue when speaking with staff and students. In general. this study found that the woman principal preferred human-oriented communication strategies, and endeavoured to conquer cultural barriers to communication. / Educational Leadership and Management / D.Ed. (Educational Management)

This study focuses on the conununication strategies of women principals in secondary schools. It highlights the role of conununication in management by examining the purpose of conununication, communication process, barriers to effective communication and the types of communication, which are verbal and nonverbal communication. The study, further highlights that communication in management may be affected by the differences in communication styles of women and men. It further shows that while differences in communicative styles can be attributed to many factors, socialisation into gender positions is a major factor that leads to gender communication differences. Though socialisation is one of the factors shaping communication of men and women, post-structuralists also argue that children who are socialised are not just passive recipients. During socialisation each person is active in taking up discourses through which she or he is shaped. The socialisation, starts at home, then to school and also the community. Children develop sex-appropriate speech in different communities. A single case study explored the conununication strategies of a woman principal in the Northern Province, South Africa. Reputational sampling was used for the selection of the participants and site. Data gathering was done by means of interviews [with the principal and six teachers], observation and document analysis. Findings suggest that a woman principal's communication is shaped by the context in which she is a woman, mother, wife, African, educational manager and as an individual with her own unique personality. Women managers in rural contexts experience cultural barriers to communication as women are not expected to talk much and should appear to know little in the presence of men. Women are also not supposed to conununicate non-verbally by keeping eye contact, using more space and using facial expression. In this study, a woman manager emerges as a good communicator who overcomes cultural barriers by even practicing what is not traditionally acceptable. The woman principal prefers personal encounters as channels of communication and as an African, she overcomes language barriers by using mother-tongue when speaking with staff and students. In general. this study found that the woman principal preferred human-oriented communication strategies, and endeavoured to conquer cultural barriers to communication. / Educational Leadership and Management / D.Ed. (Educational Management)

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 (MA (African Languages))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / This study deals with the analysis of accounts of marriages in isiXhosa. Gergen (1994) proposes the following aspects that such narratives should cover: structure of narrative account; narrative form; self-narrative: process; pragmatics of self-narrative, interknitting of narratives, and emotion. Each of the listed aspects has its own variants. The variants will be dealt with in Chapter four, where Gergen’s theory is being summarised. The proposals Gergen (1994) made are central and significant in this research, since the narratives that have been given by five Xhosa-speaking married persons will be analysed according to his theory on self-narratives. This research seeks to verify the validity of Gergen’s (1994) theory of narratives in the Xhosa context. The research has been conducted by involving five Xhosaspeaking married persons. Each person had to give his or her account of marriage in line with the topic of this research, namely, the analysis of accounts of marriage in Xhosa. After narratives had been collected, an analysis of each narrative has been done in Chapter five of this research. The analysis reveals how each narrative reflects the following: the structure of the narrative account, narrative form, selfnarrative: process, pragmatics of self-narrative, practices of self-narratives, and emotions, as suggested by Gergen (1994). Analyses vary from one narrative to another because an account of married life varies from one person to another. Bakhtin (1981) suggest that the words that narrators use are inter-individual. The understanding of social morals, values, norms, justice, and the history of the community by the narrators enables them to be intelligible in their narratives. It is therefore crucial that this study be pursued in the Xhosa language because narratives are socially embedded. The narratives in this study could assist people to think correctly about the marriages in the Xhosa context. The issue of marriage affects all people, despite language diversity, and it is therefore proper that this study be conducted in all languages. If this is not done, others may think that the findings from this research is applicable to the Xhosa-speaking community only. The analytic part of this research would help communication practitioners and language practitioners to analyse narratives in their languages in the same manner as they have been analysed from Xhosa narratives. This research analysis would assist developing communicators to grow into competent communicators.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Purpose. This study investigates how foreign-born Chinese managers in the Cape Town area perceive their own leadership in a cross-cultural business situation, and compares these perceptions with how the local South African Xhosa-speaking employees perceive the styles of their foreign managers. The study is important because of the growing private investment in Africa by people from China. Approach. Ten small businesses owned and managed by Chinese nationals were studied: five retail, two wholesale, one restaurant and two Chinese supermarkets. A Likert-type questiormaire was created by operationalising 10 of the 19 aspects of cross-cultural leadership identified by Suutari and Riusala (2001). These ten aspects are: decision participation, autonomy-delegation, consideration, rewarding, informing, conflict management, production emphasis, criticizing, goal setting, and inspiration. Each aspect had four questions associated with it. The questiormaire was given individually to the ten managers and to 20 of their Xhosa-speaking employees, two per business. It was followed by an open interview based mainly on the questiormaire content. The questionnaire responses were analysed statistically, first to test for the sameness of responses of the employees as well as the sameness of responses of the managers, using the Sign Test. Responses of the two groups were compared for each aspect. Interview responses were used to help interpret the numbers and formulate findings. Findings. There are clear, statistically significant differences between the perceptions of the managers' leadership style by the two groups on all ten of the aspects. The Chinese managers show a similar leadership approach when interacting with their employees. The Xhosa-speaking employees have perceptions similar to one another about their managers' leadership style. Thus a disjunction is shown between the two culturally different groups. The responses of the Chinese managers were analysed in light of the literature on Chinese culture, and in most ways they were seen to be managing using a traditional Chinese-based style. In general, they make the decisions and do the planning, do not delegate much, withhold infonnation, do not reward good performance, and are not inspirational. However, they do tend to be kind. Research limitations. The study compared only those two ethnic groups in a small geographic area, with small sample sizes. It also studied reported perceptions. Further research could tty to isolate just cultural differences, and focus more on leadership behaviours. Practical implications. Acknowledgement of the local culture and perhaps use of a more inclusive, less authoritarian management-leadership style seem important for existing and future Chinese managers. Culturally-based management training can be offered for them and for potential investors, to support future small business investors in South Africa and beyond. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Doel. Hierdie studie behels 'n ondersoek na hoe buitelands-gebore Sjinese bestuurders in Kaapstad hulle eie leierskap beoordeel in 'n kruis-kulturele sake omgewing. Hierdie sienings word dan vergelyk met die persepsies van hoe plaaslike Suid-Afrikaanse Xhosa-sprekende werknemers die bestuurstyl van hulle buitelandse werkgewers beoordeel. Hierdie studie is belangrik vanweë die toenemende private belegging in Afrika deur Sjinese burgers. Benadering. Tien klein sake-ondememings wat deur Sjinese burgers besit en bestuur word, is ondersoek: vyf in die kleinhandel, twee in die groothandel, een restaurant en twee Sjinese supermarkte. 'n Likert-tipe vraelys is saamgestel deur die operasionalisering van 10 van die 19 aspekte van kruis-kulturele leierskap s00s deur Suutari en Riusala (2001) geïdentifiseer. Hierdie tien aspekte is: besluit-deelneming, outonomie-delegasie, konsiderasie, beloning, inkennisstelling, konflik-bestuur, produksie-beklemtoning, kritisering, doelsteIling-bepaling, en inspirasie. Elke aspek is aan vier vrae gekoppel. Die vraelys is aan elkeen van die tien Sjinese bestuurders gegee, en aan 20 van hulle Xhosa-sprekende werknemers, twee per sake-ondememing. Dit is opgevolg deur 'n oop onderhoud wat hoofsaaklik op die inhoud van die vraelys gebaseer was. Die antwoorde op die vraelys is statisties ontIeed, eerstens vir die ooreenstemming van die antwoorde van die werknemers, sowel as die ooreenstemming van die antwoorde van die bestuurders deur middle van die "Sign" toets. Die antwoorde van die twee groepe is met mekaar vergelyk vir elke aspek. Die terugvoering vanaf die onderhoude is gebruik om die getalle te interpreter en om resultate te help formuleer. Bevindings. Daar is helder, statistiese beduidende verskille tussen die beoordeling van die bestuurders se leierskapstyl deur beide groepe wat betref al tien die aspekte. Die Sjinese bestuurders toon 'n soortgelyke leierskap benadering wanneer hulle met hul werknemers omgaan. Die Xhosa-sprekende wer1cnemers het onderling soortgelyke persepsies betreffende hul bestuurders se leierskapstyl. Dus bestaan daar 'n uiteenlopende siening tussen die twee kulturele groepe. Die beoordeling van die Sjinese bestuurders is ontleed in die lig van literatuur oor Sjinese kultuur, en dit het geblyk dat hulle 'n tradisionele Sjinese bestuurstyl navolg. In die algemeen is daar bevind dat hulle die besluite neem en die beplanning doen, dat hulle nie veel delegeer nie, dat hulle inligting weerhou, dat hulle nie goeie werkverrigting beloon nie, en dat hulle nie werkers aanmoedig nie. Desniteenstaande is hulle goedhartig. Navorsingsbeperkings. In hierdie studie is slegs twee etniese groepe in 'n klein geografiese gebied, met klein steekproewe, ondersoek. Persepsies waaroor verslag gedoen is, is ondersoek. In verdere navorsing kan daar probeer word om kulturele verskille te isoleer, en om op leierskapsgedrag te fokus. Praktiese implikasies. Erkenning van die plaaslike kultuur en miskien 'n meer insluitende, minder outoritêre bestuurstyl blyk belangrik te wees vir bestaande en toekomstige Sjinese bestuurders. Kultuur-gebaseerde bestuursopleiding kan vir hulle en voornemende beleggers aangebied word om toekomstige klein sake-beleggers in Suid-Afrika en elders te ondersteun.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis presents an analysis of ‘township typography’ as a complex visual dialect generated by various economic and historical factors within the South African social landscape. A combination of specific tools, skills-sets and applications has produced a body of typographic letterforms that can be visually distinguished from standardised letterforms found in mainstream typography. Due to the origin of these letterforms, as well as their distinct appearance, ‘township typography’ has the capacity to evoke specific social, cultural or demographic structures in systems of communication. This study reveals that typographic features from ‘township typography’ are drawn into mainstream cultural production, particularly in the field of local advertising, as the result of a complex process of incorporation and institutional consecration. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis bied ‘n analise van ‘township tipografie’ as ‘n komplekse visuele dialek wat gegenereer word deur verskeie ekonomiese en historiese faktore eie aan die Suid- Afrikaanse sosiale landskap. Die spesifieke kombinasie van gereedskap, vaardighede en aanwendings lei tot ‘n liggaam van lettertipes wat visueel onderskei kan word van die standaard wat in hoofstroom tipografie voorkom. Vanweë hierdie dialek se oorsprong, asook die kenmerkende voorkoms daarvan, het ‘township tipografie’ die vermoë om spesifieke sosiale, kulturele en demografiese strukture in kommunikasie op te roep. Hierdie studie toon hoe eienskappe eie aan ‘township tipografie’ weens ‘n komplekse proses van inkorporasie en institusionele inseëning in hoofstroom kulturele produksie opgeneem word, veral op die gebied van plaaslike advertensiewese.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This work provides a comprehensive overview of the South African HIV/AIDS epidemic. It examines the historical and social background of the HIV/AIDS situation and looks at the importance of the media and science communication in combating the effects of the epidemic on society. This research explores the different forms of health communication and the varied benefits of each. Overall, it highlights positive media efforts that have helped redirect the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the social and political context of the HIV epidemic in South Africa. The second half of this work covers the challenges experienced in gaining publicsector antiretroviral treatment and the roles the media have played in informing and mobilizing society for these efforts. Through a community clinic ethnographic case study this work explores the current state of treatment clinics, social challenges experienced in the Usapho Lwethu Clinic of Gugulethu and the future of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie werk verskaf ‘n omvattende oorsig van die Suid-Afrikaanse HIV/VIGS epidemie. Dit ondersoek die historiese en sosiale agtergrond van die HIV/VIGS toestand en belig die belangrikheid van media en wetenskaplike kommunikasie in die bestryding van die effek van hierdie epidemie op die samelewing. Hierdie navorsing verken die verskillende vorms van gesondheidskommunikasie en die onderskeie voordele van elk. In sy geheel beklemtoon dit die positiewe pogings van die media wat gehelp het met die herkanalisering van die HIV/VIGS epidemie binne die sosiale en politieke konteks in Suid-Afrika. Die tweede helfte van die werk gee 'n oorsig van die rol wat die media speel in die beskikbaarstelling van inligting en die mobilisasie van die publiek en die stryd rondom die verkryging van antiretrovirale behandeling vir die algemene publiek. ‘n Etnies-grafiese gevallestudie van ‘n plaaslike gemeenskapskliniek word gebruik om die huidige toestand in behandelingsklinieke toe te lig asook die sosiale uitdagings in die Usapho Lwethu Kliniek in Gugulethu en die toekoms rondom die HIV/VIGS epidemie in Suid-Afrika.

Students in tertiary educational institutions in South Africa come from many different backgrounds and have varied educational experiences. Some students, especially those from non-English speaking backgrounds, may encounter linguistic difficulties with various academic tasks. In order for students to be successful at university, they must become academically literate. That is, they must master all the reading, writing, listening and comprehension tasks required by the disciplines in which they are studying. One such task is presented by the academic lecture which is an integral part of any course of study. Linguistically, the academic lecture can be seen as a particular genre with unique characteristics. This study investigated some linguistic characteristics of academic lectures. The discipline of Political Science, as a Social Science, was chosen because there is little research that has been done on language in the Social Sciences. The Political Science sub-disciplines of Political Philosophy, South African Politics, and International Relations were used in this research. First year lectures were recorded from each of these three sub-disciplines. The linguistic characteristics of lectures were analysed using techniques drawn from Systemic Functional linguistic theory. The analysis concentrated on the aspects mode and field as they were realised in the lectures. In addition, higher level generic structure was also analysed. The insights gained from the analysis were validated through interviews with the lecturers who gave the lectures. The aim of this research was to develop a linguistic characterisation of the lecture genre as it occurs in the three sub-disciplines of Political Science. The results of this research suggest that although there is a unified academic lecture genre, there is variation according to sub-discipline. The implications of this variation are discussed with reference to their relevance to teaching academic literacy.

Over the past fifty years, interest in the field of conflict management and peacekeeping has developed worldwide. During the same time, the potential for trans-ultural) conflict has escalated. This can mainly be attributed to the trend towards globalisation, as well as the growing complexity of societies increasingly experiencing more intercultural encounters or cultural transition situations and work-related or organisational conflicts. Cultural transition situations occur in the South African international automotive industry where the emergence of international co-operation, such as joint ventures (driven by globalisation) and new diversity management trends, have changed the way business is conducted. Due to these changes, employees of diverse origins with different cultures, values and identities work together, experiencing work-related conflicts. The purpose of this study was to assess managerial perspectives on conflict, identity and values, as well as on how (trans-cultural) conflict is managed in a selected international organisation in the South African automotive industry. The contribution of this study is twofold, namely to increase the understanding of the complexities of conflict in organisations; and to provide recommendations for conflict resolution strategies to manage (trans-cultural) conflict constructively by considering the values and identity aspects of those individuals involved. This study comprises a single explanatory case study which made use of qualitative data collection and analysis to investigate managerial perspectives on conflict, identity and values, as well as the management thereof, in the selected international organisation in the South African automotive context. Based on the main findings from this case study, it could be concluded that managers with diverse backgrounds experience work-related conflicts which are related to value and identity concepts in the selected organisation. The conflicts experienced fell into the categories of Communication and Treatment, Position and Competition, Organisation and Race and Gender.An overview of the occurrence frequency of value statements revealed that equality, communication and respect were the most commonly indicated values in conflicts. These value concepts include sub-concepts such as: · for equality: race, gender and human equality; · for communication: open, personal, free, decent, calm and proactive communication; and · for respect: mutual respect for self and others. With regard to value concepts and according to value domains of Schwartz (1994) and Schwartz and Bilsky (1987), the value dimensions of selftranscendence comprised the highest number of value statements. This dimension included the value domains of universalism and benevolence. Conflict in the data material was interlinked with identity. The extracts, based on the key words of the identity factors, demonstrated that the identity factors were related to either a weakening or strengthening effect on identities. Social and identity multiplicity in managers provides creativity spaces and flexibility in cases of strong identity patterns. Particularly with weak identities, the existence of conflict potentials could lead to complex conflicts and challenges in conflict management. Communication was most often mentioned as important to successful conflict resolution management and included examples such as round-table talks, smooth communication, face-to-face communication and room meetings. Communication was followed in frequency by strategies of internal intervention, which included the use of the formal structure of the organisation to resolve conflicts.