D.Tech / No transformation is subtler, yet more explosive, than the mega shift from an industrial to an information society. In an industrial society, the strategic resource is capital whereas in an information society, the strategic resource is information. These mega trends are evident, to a greater or lesser degree, also in South Africa. At the same time, South Africa has to meet the challenges inherent in the transition to participatory democratic government. Crucial in both these global and local challenges is the management of information and public opinion. One of the primary role-players in achieving this is the public relations (PR) practitioner. Effective public relations depends in many ways on achieving the right balance between over-reacting and under-reacting to events in the environment, as they manifest, inter a/ia, in public opinion. The fundamental tool for achieving this balance in managing public opinion is information. This requires that information be utilised in a strategic way to manage the perceptions constituting public opinion. PR practitioners working in the field of political communication in South Africa need to contribute to the establishment of a framework of political communication based on full acceptance of the requirements of a participative democracy. This involves, inter alio, improving access to information and developing efficient two-way communication between decision-makers and stakeholders. The Free State Provincial Government Department of Finance, Expenditure and Economic Affairs identified the need to improve communication with its stakeholders. To achieve this, an appropriate communication strategy and supporting action plans had to be formulated. This communication strategy and action plans formed the point of departure of this study. Of particular importance for this study were the related principles of the systems management approach, the systemic approach to political communication and the two-way symmetric model of public relations. Both the systems management approach (from a public relations perspective) and the systemic approach (from a political communication perspective) emphasise the need to achieve equilibrium within the system by balancing communication input and output. The two-way symmetric model explains public relations as an attempt to adjust the socio-political environment to suit the political principal, as well as to help the political principal adjust to his/her environment. The PR practitioner plays a vital role in assisting his/her principal to achieve equilibrium and to adjust to the environment. A starting point in evaluating whether communication equilibrium has been attained is to evaluate the communication processes in political public relations. One method of evaluating these processes is by means of a communication audit. The main aim of this study was to develop an evaluative model for political public relations. The objectives of the study were to determine whether the Department, as a political communication system, was achieving communication equilibrium by balancing communication input from its stakeholders with appropriate communication output. The study further recommended steps to achieve communication equilibrium and devised a means of monitoring and evaluating progress with implementation. It resulted in the development of a model for the attainment of communication equilibrium in accordance with the demands of the two-way symmetrical model of public relations.

Facing increasingly complex policy issues and diminishing citizen satisfaction with government and service performance, managing the quality of citizen relationship management has become a main challenge for public managers. Solutions to complex policy problems of service performance and low level of citizen participation often must be developed by encouraging citizens to make their voices heard through the various participation mechanisms. Reflecting on this need, the municipal governments in the U.S. have developed centralized customer systems for citizen relationship management. 311 centralized customer system (named 311 in this study) has the functions of citizen-initiated contact, service-coproduction, and transaction, and many local governments launch 311 to maintain or enhance their relationship with the public. Using 311 is an easy and free technically for citizens, but ensuring some degree of citizen engagement and citizens’ 311 use has been challenging for local public managers of municipalities. Despite calls for the importance of 311 in the service and information delivery process, fair treatment and access to use of governmental information, citizen participation, government responsiveness, and citizen satisfaction, to the best of our understanding, no empirical studies explore citizens’ 311 behaviors in the micro and individual level in the field of public administration. This dissertation provides a comprehensive understanding of the 311 centralized customer system, helps local public managers know citizens’ perceived perspectives toward the operation of 311, and assists these managers to develop an effective 311 system in municipalities. The dissertation’s main purpose is to clarify the importance of 311 to citizen relationship management and provide insights into citizens’ 311 use behaviors. More specifically, this dissertation tries to answers the following questions: a. Why do citizens use 311? Do the various groups of the population access and use 311 in San Francisco equally? If not, what factors influence the citizens’ 311 citizen-initiated contact behaviors? b. Why do citizens choose the 311 digital channel to contact with local governments? c. Why do citizens use 311 frequently? This dissertation will address these questions and draws on data from the 2011 citizen survey of City of San Francisco to explore citizens’ 311 use behaviors by examining them from citizens’ perspectives. The main arguments of each question listed above are: 1. 311 citizen-initiated contact is different from traditional citizen-initiated contact, and exposure to governmental-ICT environment, gender, income, and race are the factors influencing 311 citizen-initiated contact. 2. The digital divide, including the social side of the digital divide and access-side of the digital divide, influences citizens’ 311 channel choice. 3. Citizens’ technology acceptance, citizen satisfaction, and frequent use of public services influence the frequency of citizens’ 311 use.

The researcher conducted a qualitative study to determine the relationship between Local Government and the welfare organizations in the Eersterust community. In the previous political dispensation Eersterust was a community that was disadvantaged in terms of services by Local Government. Although Local Government is now tasked with a social development responsibility, its role regarding welfare organizations still does not go beyond rendering basic services, such as making premises and recreational facilities available. The research findings indicated that there is no clarity on the relationship; welfare organizations are uncertain of what is expected of them by Local Government and what they can expect from Local Government. / Health Studies / M.A.(Social Science (Mental Health))

The researcher conducted a qualitative study to determine the relationship between Local Government and the welfare organizations in the Eersterust community. In the previous political dispensation Eersterust was a community that was disadvantaged in terms of services by Local Government. Although Local Government is now tasked with a social development responsibility, its role regarding welfare organizations still does not go beyond rendering basic services, such as making premises and recreational facilities available. The research findings indicated that there is no clarity on the relationship; welfare organizations are uncertain of what is expected of them by Local Government and what they can expect from Local Government. / Health Studies / M.A.(Social Science (Mental Health))