A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Strategic Marketing, 2016 / Despite the continued popularity of social media (SM) platforms globally, limited research on their challenges and opportunities has been done in the South African (SA) petroleum industry context. A semi-automated qualitative study was conducted with the objective of gathering data from the five largest petroleum companies in SA through semi-structured interviews using a purposive sample to ascertain these challenges and opportunities. The data were gathered; pre-tested, transcribed, and then analysed using NVivo 11 software. The research findings of this study show that the key challenges marketing practitioners encounter in SA include the lack of leadership buy-in as well as the absence of risk of mitigation plans when participating on the dialogue medium. The key opportunities include real-time customer engagement, ease of market development, data access, data mining, and wider customer reach. Based on the findings, a framework for implementing SM strategies in the SA petroleum industry context is proposed to help marketers in mitigating the failure risk of SM campaigns contributing positively to their bottom line. Recommendations obtained from participants include implementation of processes and procedures for customer engagement through social media, exploitation of strategy partners who are already active in social media, and the development of content strategies. Limitations are highlighted and future research areas that can be used by the petroleum industry and contribute to the body of knowledge are recommended. Key words: Integrated marketing communication, petroleum, promotional mix, social media, South Africa. / GR2018

MCom (Marketing) in the School of Economic and Business Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg / With the increasing development of new technologies, organisations are encouraged to integrate these new technologies into their business model in order to be competitive and respond to consumers’ quick adaptation. Today, consumers drive organisations’ strategies across most industries including electronics. The electronic sector is a fast-paced industry and has been steadily growing in South Africa. Businesses need to consider the consumer voice in order to be successful and take into account that consumers are more influenced by their peers rather than a business advertising campaign. The internet has facilitated the communication between businesses and consumers who are using the internet more and more as a tool to seek information about a product or share information about a brand or a product; thus creating content. Therefore, businesses are no longer the sole content generators online. The aim of this study is to explain the importance of user-generated content in making sales and creating long lasting relationships with consumers. In addition, this study will highlight the factors that will enhance the positive attitude of internet users toward the use of user-generated content (UGC). For the purpose of this study, six variables were identified. Subjective norm, information quality and source credibility are the predictor variables of the study. Attitude towards UGC use, followed by brand trust, are both mediator variables and, finally, purchase intention is the depend variable in this study. The nature of the survey was quantitative research and the survey was administered to 400 individuals. Both self-administered and online surveys were distributed to women and men from 18 years to 55 years and older. Findings reveal that there is a positive relationship between the use of UGC, brand trust and purchase intention. However, it was also found that subjective norms, information quality and sour credibility were affecting the use of UGC for decision making. To improve the relationships amongst the different variables, the study suggests few recommendations that marketers need to apply for the benefit of the brand and the satisfaction of the consumers. Main recommendation is firstly that marketers get to know online audience and learn to engage consumers as well as find an opinion leader or influencers to endorse the brand. This will contribute to improving quality of the information, drive individuals to share information with each other and increase the perceived credibility of the source. Secondly, the firm platforms such as the website and social media pages need to be up to date, regularly assessed, measured and promoted through different tools in order to build brand trust and lead eventually to purchase intention. Overall, this study will assist marketers in understanding the factors leading to brand trust and purchase intention through the influence of UGC and the factors affecting it. / MT2017

Thesis (M.A. (Media Studies)) --University of Limpopo, 2014 / The purpose of this study was to explore if new media have redefined Vodacom SA‟s advertising and if so to what extent. The research employed Vodacom SA as its case study. Quantitative and qualitative descriptive and explorative research was conducted to determine whether the new media had redefined advertising culture and if so to what extent. Data collection was collected through structured questionnaires, the administration of an intensive interview and secondary data. The structured questionnaires were filled in by 200 conveniently randomly selected University of Limpopo students who represented media audiences and their perceptions. The intensive interview was carried out with Vodacom SA‟s Senior Communications officer Ashleigh Dubbelman. The secondary data was collected from Vodacom SA‟s official documents. The research findings revealed that audience interactivity, due to the new media, has become an important aspect of Vodacom SA‟s advertising process. The uses and gratifications theory proved relevant as the research showed that it is not always how the media influences an audience but what the audience responds to media content or messages. Audience preferences and medium selection proved decisive. Social networks, proved to be the new dominant platform for new media advertising. Furthermore, the findings showed that traditional media TV still possess great influence. The digital divide amongst and within audiences were influential in the limited usage of new media in advertising in the Vodacom SA context. In terms of legislation; no explicit laws on new media and advertising have been enacted yet. On advertising expenditure, budgets have remained largely unchanged but allocation increases tilted towards new media. Conclusively; the research observed that new media has redefined Vodacom SA‟s adverting culture, though the redefinition is still minute and is to a small extent. Key Words New media, Vodacom SA, advertising culture, interactivity, digital divide, audience, social networking sites, redefinition, traditional media, uses and gratifications.

Although radio drama is a very popular form of the media, it is largely neglected in scholarship. As a result of this, it has been pushed into the periphery of research, thereby diminishing its value in society at large. The present study attempts to unearth the importance and value of the genre and its role in society, particularly during the apartheid era in South Africa. In this regard, the splendid work done by, among others, K. Tomaselli, R. Teer-Tomaselli, R. Fardon and G. Furniss, L. Gunner, D.A. Spitulnik, D. Sibiya, M. Maphumulo, N.E. Makhosana, N. Satyo and M. Jadezweni is acknowledged and commendable. In my view, its ‘omission’ in scholarship does not mean that the genre played a minimal role in educating and enlightening society. In the study I propose that radio drama was more constrained compared to other media genres, even though it was the most accessible. However, its accessibility had both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it informed and entertained audiences, while on the other it could be and was used for propaganda purposes. It is generally this paradox that the study will probe. My premise is that radio was primarily used by the apartheid government to disseminate propaganda. In order to ensure that the audiences were not exposed to what was happening ‘out there’, programmes were created to present a falsehood about the country, thereby depriving audiences of reliable information. It is not surprising, then, that there was some confrontation between the managers and playwrights at the Xhosa language radio station. While the managers tried to influence programmes to propagate government policy, playwrights used the same communicative space to educate as well as to entertain the audience. The audience actively extracted information they needed from the plays. In other words, they played an active role in meaning-making. Throughout the study I will claim that there was a rapport between playwrights and the audience. Among other things, that relationship illustrated the role that the audience played in constituting the plays. Themes such as ‘tradition’ and ‘romance’ were used to connect the plays with the audiences’ everyday lives. These themes were acceptable at the stations even though they could be manipulated to serve different purposes. Some of the plays that I will examine in the study are Buzani Kubawo (1981), Nakuba Intliziyo Ithatha Ibeka: Undoqo Sisibindi (1987), USomagqabi (1986), UHlohlesakhe (1979), UThuthula (1970) and Apho Sikhala Khona Isakhwatsha (1981). These plays will be examined to, among other things, establish the nature of the relationship between the managers and playwrights. The study will contend that there was a contestation between managers and playwrights. I will also claim that some of the plays were based on real political and social issues that plagued the period in question. In this regard plays such as Apho Sikhala Khona Isakhwatsha will be used to demonstrate that some playwrights dealt with political issues. I will also explore how women were represented in the plays. In this regard, I will argue that women were depicted as inferior to men. To illustrate this I will discuss plays such as USomagqabi, Lunjalo ke Uthando and others. I will also deal with the critical issue of the ‘voice’. As a blind medium, radio relies on the voice and as such playwrights had to work hard to make their plays not only relevant but also believable to the audiences. The connection between the voice on radio and the ancestral voice will be examined. Lastly, the study will suggest that radio plays are still relevant in the present dispensation even though they play a different role compared to the apartheid era. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

This research presents a reception analysis of LoveLife's 'HIV: face it' billboards by youth aged 12 - 17 years old, LoveLife's target audience for the campaign under scrutiny. The study sought to find out whether the intended audience derived the same meanings from the billboards as they were initially intended by LoveLife; whether the target youth regard themselves as audience of the communicated campaign; and to assess whether LoveLife billboard producers have succeeded in communicating the intended message to the readers of the billboards. To achieve this, the study adopted a qualitative method of data collection by conducting two focus group discussions. One focus group was selected from a rural school in KwaZulu Natal and another one from an urban school of the same province. Participants were all youth between the ages 12 - 17 years old. The circuit of culture was used as the theoretical framework. The circuit of culture is a composition of certain moments in the communication process namely: representation, identity, production, consumption and regulation [see diagram. 1]. For the purpose of this research only one moment of the circuit, namely representation was adopted. Representation is an essential part of the process through which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture. It involves the use of language, signs and images that stand for or represent things. Findings from the study show that respondents assigned different meanings to LoveLife billboards. LoveLife's messages are not being decoded by the target audience in the initially intended manner. A majority of the respondents negotiated meaning in an attempt to understand what LoveLife is trying to communicate because the billboards' objectives are not straightforward. The study also found that urban dwellers identified more closely as audiences for the LoveLife billboards than rural dwellers. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

The under-representation of women in the media has been contested by gender activists the world over. Studies have indicated that women are more likely to be portrayed as models on advertising bill-boards than as serious news sources. Why are women continually portrayed in a narrow range of roles? If visual representation is a means of how we make sense of the world and women are continually portrayed in a narrow range of roles and particularly as second-class citizens, does that not shape our understanding of the world? One of the critical areas of concern of the study was the construction, selection and production of gender images in the print media. In the case of Post newspaper, it is the media workers who, in order to boost the sales of the newspaper, select a model with a “pretty face” for their front pages. Surely there is more to these women than their physical beauty? According to the findings, models are selected for their attractive features. Photographs are carefully composed, enhancing the model?s appealing attributes. Thereafter the selection of photographs is done by the photographer, sub-editor and editor and produced in weekly editions of Post. At the time of the interview, the team of selectors was entirely male. Does this have a bearing on the selection of photographs? According to the findings, it does! When women journalists offer their suggestions during the selection process, they are completely disregarded. Based on the findings regarding the selection of photographs, it is evident that there is a bias towards the opinions of the males in the newsroom, in particular the editor. It is evident that the Post does not reflect Indian women on the cover of Post, instead it contributes to the gender stereotype of women depicted as models rather than news sources. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

This dissertation provides an analysis of the Agenda construction of South African Feminism(s). Agenda is a feminist, peer-reviewed SAPSE journal that was launched as a publication in 1987 in South Africa. The Journal provides a forum for a number of issues: the most important being the representation of women's voices towards transforming unequal gender relations; and women's unequal position in society, their visibility, struggles and problems in relation to gender inequalities. The Journal also uses a format that encompasses creative writing and original research that is intended to be accessible to a broad readership. Over the years, the Journal has published broadly on issues ranging from health, violence, sexuality, the media, poverty, labour, HIV/AIDS, rights, sustainable development, citizenship, etc. This dissertation analyses how some of these themes have been addressed by Agenda in terms of editorial content and the subsequent impact these choices have had on creating a uniquely South African Feminism. To determine the 'impact', the study adopts a content analysis of the Journal, (Neuman, 1997). The content of the Journals, especially during Apartheid (pre-1994) reflects a focus on the lived experiences of South African women. It is hypothesised that Agenda has shifted its focus since Issue 20 (the first Issue of 1994 aptly titled "Politics, Power and Democracy"). The argument in the dissertation demonstrates that with the inclusion of South African women, Agenda has steadily and consistently developed a discourse that is collaborative and participatory, reflecting a hybrid of various earlier strands of Western originating feminisms (such as radical, liberal, Marxist, socialist). This new discourse could be labelled South African Feminism(s), and such a conclusion is investigated through close analyses of selected themes and issues covered by the Journal copy. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

In this study the theatre as staged performance and as text was used as exploratory and discursive tools to investigate the negotiation of identities. The aim was to explore this theme by examining the responses to four popular Coloured identity-related staged performances / Marc Lottering's &quot / Crash&quot / and &quot / From the Cape Flats with Love&quot / , as well as Petersen, Isaacs and Reisenhoffer's &quot / Joe Barber&quot / and &quot / Suip&quot / . These works, both as performance and as text, was used to investigate the way stereotypical representations of Coloured identities are played with, subverted or negotiated in performance.

M. Tech. Textile Design and Technology / Outside the classroom, students constantly interact with technologies such as smartphones, iPods the Internet and social networking sites this study has identified that these technologies can support learning both in and outside of the classroom. Through the use of a case study, 95 visual media students at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) were approached. Three paper-based questions were administered to establish the following: What type of access do students have to different types of technologies outside of class? What number of students engage with social media for personal use? What types of educational technologies are lecturers currently using inside and outside their classrooms? This study found that visual media students at TUT are active social media users. They are enthusiastic towards efforts of integrating smartphones and social media as teaching tools for learning. Visual media students are competent at using digital editing, imaging and electronic presentation software, but lack the skills and knowledge to use online collaboration and journaling tools. Lastly, at TUT course related communication is still mainly face-to-face due to that fact that infrastructure upgrades such as in-class Wi-Fi networks are needed. IV 21st century education recognises that learning takes place in various settings (physical and virtual) and not just in the classroom. In a rapidly globalised society, smartphones and social media as teaching tools for visual media students at TUT may possibly offer an affordable and accessible medium to equip students to be able to make local and global connections.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Public Relations Management in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / This study sought to understand how Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the Western Cape use social media to communicate with their stakeholders (from a dialogic, interactive and relational perspective). The secondary objective of the study was to explore how social media are being integrated into organisations‟ stakeholder relations management strategies in order to nurture and sustain relations. The literature review explores the relationship between social media and public relations as well as stakeholder relationship approach. The theoretical frame of the study is derived from Grunig and Hunt‟s (1984) two-way symmetrical model and Freire‟s (1970) dialogical communication. This is predominantly a qualitative study employing a two-stage design consisting of in-depth interviews and qualitative content analysis. The findings of the research revealed that the sampled NGOs are using social media in different ways to build and sustain stakeholder relations. NGOs are communicating dialogically and in a two-way manner with their stakeholders. They are using social media to pursue their strategic goals which centre on the creation of public value. The study also revealed that NGOs have integrated social media into their communication strategies. Social media platforms present an immediate and real-time contact point for NGOs and other social media users. They are used to communicate, nurture and sustain stakeholders' relations. It is also clear that social media are allowing stakeholders to connect online (establishing relationships). This creates dialogue online between NGOs and their stakeholders. The study proposes a working model of integrating social media within the ambit of NGOs communication strategies. The findings of this research show that social media channels are useful tools, however, a higher level of intelligent creator-generated input is needed to stimulate and steer conversations about desired topics, as well as monitor any user-generated content and comments. In terms of recommendations, this study argues that for social media to work there is need for integration of the management of online conversations and strategic communication