Loyalty management has emerged over recent years as a topic of significant importance in both academic and practitioner discourse, articulating the benefits of an extended relationship with key stakeholders including, but not limited to, customers, employees and shareholders. This research explores the theory and practice of loyalty management from a communications perspective. The thesis attempted to discover how the integration or non-integration of internal and external communication affects the communication of loyalty, in addition to how loyalty management contributes towards the organisation�s perceived creation of value. In doing so, it also examines how the practice of customer relationship management (CRM), integrated marketing communication (IMC) and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) plays a role in the communication of loyalty. The research entailed a three-year ethnographic study of a business-to-business financial services organisation specialising in vehicle fleet leasing and management services, comprising a review of relevant academic literature; and participant observation, focus group studies, qualitative surveys and document analysis. Besides evaluating loyalty management from a communications perspective, the thesis contributes towards the body of knowledge on Australian organisations from an organisational culture perspective, as well as exploring communication beyond the traditional boundary of within the organisation itself. Unlike most loyalty management approaches, the holistic stance considers other stakeholders besides customers, in detail. The study does not seek to establish validity and generalisability. Rather, the mainly interpretist approach preserves the form and content of human behaviour by detailing descriptions of the concrete experience of life within a particular culture and of the social rules, patterns and perceptions that constitute it. The findings showed that organisational communication has to be integrated and cohesive to enable the effective management of loyalty. Furthermore, the results confirm that the notion of organisational boundaries comprising �internal� and "external" communication is limited. Involved protagonists, acting together from within and external to an organisation, create, sustain and manage meanings through the use of signs and symbols within a particular context to form a unique culture or community. In addition, the notion of loyalty and the creation of value for the consequent success of the organisation is an important and valid perception for most of the stakeholders. For this organisation, the use of ICT and practice of CRM and IMC has varying degrees of impact, mainly enhancing the communication of loyalty. The detraction of value is caused primarily by the fragmentation of communication between the stakeholders, in addition to the existence of sub-cultures with conflicting needs.

<p>Örebro University</p><p>Department of Humanities</p><p>Media and Communication Studies</p><p>Bachelor Thesis, Spring 2007</p><p>Title: Organisational Communication in Dutch Branches in Swedish Companies - A study of Securitas Systems, Volvo Trucks and Electrolux in the Netherlands</p><p>By: Patrik Edvardsson</p><p>Supervisor: Inger Larsson</p><p>Purpose</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how top management in three Swedish companies view the communication within the company. Aspects that are investigated are organisational structure, how core values are used in this communication and what role different communication forms such as intranet, organisational newspaper and face-toface communication play in value creation.</p><p>Theories</p><p>Theories in communication theory, PR, Intercultural communication and organisational theory are used as theoretical framework for the study. Important concepts that are used are sensemaking in organisations, core values, mission and vision as well as organisational structure as well as different communication forms.</p><p>Method</p><p>The method used in this thesis is semi-structured qualitative interviews with five people in top management, working in the three companies in this study. The interviews were</p><p>conducted at each company and took between 30 min and one hour.</p><p>Results</p><p>The study shows that all companies have clear core values that are communicated within the companies. They are communicated though different channels such as intranet and</p><p>magazines but also though dialogue; Securitas even have a game that is used to promote understanding and discussion concerning core values.</p><p>The organisational structure, which encourages informal communication, is crucial in the process of sensemaking in all companies. The companies have weak hierarchical</p><p>structures, which promote empowerment. The management believe that it is important for them to be good examples and live up to the core values, as well as maintaining an</p><p>environment that encourage communication and sensemaking among the employees. face-to-face meeting are important to build lasting networks.</p><p>Keywords</p>

Örebro University Department of Humanities Media and Communication Studies Bachelor Thesis, Spring 2007 Title: Organisational Communication in Dutch Branches in Swedish Companies - A study of Securitas Systems, Volvo Trucks and Electrolux in the Netherlands By: Patrik Edvardsson Supervisor: Inger Larsson Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how top management in three Swedish companies view the communication within the company. Aspects that are investigated are organisational structure, how core values are used in this communication and what role different communication forms such as intranet, organisational newspaper and face-toface communication play in value creation. Theories Theories in communication theory, PR, Intercultural communication and organisational theory are used as theoretical framework for the study. Important concepts that are used are sensemaking in organisations, core values, mission and vision as well as organisational structure as well as different communication forms. Method The method used in this thesis is semi-structured qualitative interviews with five people in top management, working in the three companies in this study. The interviews were conducted at each company and took between 30 min and one hour. Results The study shows that all companies have clear core values that are communicated within the companies. They are communicated though different channels such as intranet and magazines but also though dialogue; Securitas even have a game that is used to promote understanding and discussion concerning core values. The organisational structure, which encourages informal communication, is crucial in the process of sensemaking in all companies. The companies have weak hierarchical structures, which promote empowerment. The management believe that it is important for them to be good examples and live up to the core values, as well as maintaining an environment that encourage communication and sensemaking among the employees. face-to-face meeting are important to build lasting networks. Keywords

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the manner in which the concept of communication is discursively constructed in a South African insurance company. The company recently underwent a merger which, according to the literature, should increase its awareness of communicative practices. The thesis builds on recent theoretical developments in organisational studies, more specifically, the linguistic turn. The focus falls on the way in which organisational communication is constructed by implementing the analytical tools of thematic analysis and discourse analysis. All of the participants in this study were involved with the merger that the company underwent. The sample of twenty-three participants included eighteen employees who took part in an electronic survey questionnaire and five employees who were individually interviewed. Additionally, documents concerning the merger were analysed to reveal the way in which the company’s organisational communication is constructed by managers. During the data collection, participants were questioned about their perspectives of organisational communication and organisational culture with regard to the merger. The data strongly shows that communication is generally not considered an important aspect in an organisation during the merging process. Interestingly, when participants’ attention is, however, drawn to specifically the concept of communication, a mechanistic view of communication is presented with only selected communicative practices considered as ‘communication’. The analysis further indicates changing communicative practices in the newly merged company. In conclusion, this study argues that organisations, especially in a merging context, can benefit from a greater awareness regarding the importance of organisational communication. Further linguistic research in the form of organisational studies in this regard is suggested. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die wyse waarop die konsep van kommunikasie deur diskoers gekonstrueer word in ʼn Suid-Afrikaanse versekeringsmaatskappy. Hierdie organisasie het onlangs ʼn amalgameringsproses ondergaan wat volgens die literatuur behoort te lei tot ʼn toename in bewustheid van kommunikatiewe praktyke en veroorsaak dat die konteks ʼn kardinale element in die navorsing is. Hierdie tesis bou op onlangse teoretiese ontwikkelings in organisatoriese studies, met ‘n spesifieke fokus op diskoers en taal (die ‘linguistic turn’). Die fokus val op die manier waarop organisatoriese kommunikasie gekonstrueer word deur die analitiese metodes van tematiese analise en diskoersanalise te implementeer. Al die deelnemers in hierdie studie was betrokke by die amalgamering van die maatskappy. Die steekproef van drie-en-twintig deelnemers sluit agtien werknemers in wat aan die elektroniese opname deelgeneem het en vyf werknemers waarmee individuele onderhoude gevoer is. Dokumente aangaande die amalgamering is addisioneel geanaliseer om sodoende die wyse waarop die maatskappy se organisatoriese kommunikasie gekonstrueer word deur bestuurders, aan die lig te bring. Gedurende die data-insameling is deelnemers ondervra aangaande hulle perspektiewe op organisatoriese kommunikasie en organisatoriese kultuur ten opsigte van die amalgamering. Die data dui daarop dat kommunikasie oor die algemeen nie beskou word as ʼn belangrike aspek van ʼn organisasie tydens die amalgameringsproses nie. Tog, wanneer die deelnemers se aandag daarop gevestig word en hul gevra word om spesifiek te fokus op die konsep van kommunikasie, word ʼn meganiese uitkyk van kommunikasie voorgestel met slegs geselekteerde kommunikatiewe praktyke wat as ‘kommunikasie’ beskou word. Die analise lig verder die idee van veranderlike kommunikatiewe praktyke in die nuwe geamalgameerde maatskappy uit. Ter opsomming voer hierdie studie aan dat organisasies, veral in ʼn amalgameringskonteks, baat kan vind by ʼn groter bewustheid omtrent die belangrikheid van organisatoriese kommunikasie. Verdere linguistiese navorsing in organisatoriese studies in hierdie verband word voorgestel.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the Requirements for the degree of MA in Communication Science University of Zululand, 2002 / In this thesis I present my recommendations regarding the role of organisational com¬munication and record keeping in Outcomes-Based Education within the intermediate phase classroom. I reveal that the fundamental switch from the traditional educator-centred teaching to learner-centred teaching in Out-comes Based Education requires that both educators and learners be in command of a range of communication strategies in order to construct meaning in the real-world social contexts. It will also be illustrated that intra-personal, interpersonal and small group involvements are all essential for successful teaching and learning to take place. The importance of verbal as well as nonverbal communication skills are also given due attention. Outcomes-Based Education is based not on knowledge, but on how we think learning takes place. The focus is on the mind of the learner as an knaginer, an inventor, a creator of ideas. What is clearly evident with this approach is the manner in which learners constandv ne¬gotiate, renegotiate and construct their own meaning. The focus is on the individual and not on the group. With this in mind, we need to note that everyone learns differently and we need to assess accordingly. As educators we also need to recognise what learners have learnt and we need to find ways of acknowledging that learning has indeed taken place. Out-comes Based Education requires a cooperative method of teaching which allows for democracy in the classroom. Learners are allowed to contribute freely about their daily ex¬periences. Further to this I examine the forms of communication that learners and educators must be in command of to succeed in OBE. I further recommend tools that can be imple¬mented to successfully manage assessments in OBE classrooms. A flexible database of spread¬sheets will be presented which could be adapted to suit individual schools.

Our modern society posts high demands for transparency, not least regarding organisational communication. The perception that the power of defining transparency lies with the audience aimed to perceive it has reached great academic anchoring, but research on the field is thin. The Swedish lifestyle company Oatly describes itself as transparent, but with a number of hypotheses the authors of this thesis essay examine whether their audience agrees. The study also investigates which key factors are contributing to the audience’s perception of the company’s communication. The study is both theoretically and empirically based on a model created by Rawlins (2009), in which four main categories determine an organisation’s transparency; Participation, Substantial Information, Accountability and Secretive. The empirical studies (an internet survey with 346 respondents and 4 conversational interviews) offered evidence which manifests trends among the audience. Oatly’s clear and accessible communication, trustworthiness and humor turned out to be key factors contributing to the audience perceiving Oatly as very transparent. The perception of Oatly’s transparency seemed to be created when the audience interacted with the company, their friends or product packagings, rather than when they were given information through a one-way channel. This thesis essay consequently concludes with an appeal for further research on the notion of transparency to - in order to achieve validity - be put in a modern context where mobility and social interaction are central concepts. / Vårt moderna samhälle ställer höga krav på transparens, inte minst när det gäller organisationskommunikation. Uppfattningen om att makten att definiera transparens ligger hos den publik tänkt att åtnjuta den har nått stark akademisk förankring, men forskningsfältet är tunnt. Det svenska livsstilsföretaget Oatly beskriver ​sig själva som transparenta, men med en rad hypoteser undersöker författarna av denna uppsats istället huruvida företagets ​publik uppfattar det som sådant , samt vilka faktorer som påverkar deras uppfattning. Studien finner både sin teoretiska och empiriska utgångspunkt i en av Rawlins (2009) sammanställd modell där fyra huvudsakliga faktorer avgör organisationers transparens: Deltagande, konkret information, pålitlighet och hemligheter. Studiens empiri (en internetenkät med 346 respondenter samt 4 djupintervjuer) erbjöd bevis som manifesterar uppenbara trender bland publiken. Oatly’s tydliga och lätttillgängliga kommunikation, produktförpackningar och humor visade sig vara centrala faktorer, och författarna når i uppsatsen slutsatsen att Oatly definieras som mycket transparenta av sin publik. Uppfattningen av Oatly’s transparens tycktes uppstå vid de tillfällen då publiken interagerade med företaget, sina vänner eller produktförpackningar, snarare än när de enbart levererades information. Uppsatsen avslutas därför med en notering om att forskning på ämnet transparens måste - för att uppnå validitet - sättas in i ett samtida kontext där mobilitet och social interaktion är centrala koncept.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of communication between the Operations branch, the Student Services Section and High School Learning Centres within the Services Division of the ACT Department of Education. Data was collected from administrators and educators alike. The survey instrument was designed specifically to examine the perception of the effectiveness of organisational communication between the bureaucratic administrative group within the ACT Department Education Department and the personnel within the ACT High Schools Learning Centres responsible for service delivery to students in Learning Centres. The survey instrument addressed five factors. These factors included Horizontal and Vertical Communication, Personal Feedback, Media Quality and Barriers to Communication. The findings from the survey were organised into six major findings and four subsidiary findings and discussion on each finding followed. The findings of the study indicated that, effective co-ordination in a large organisation requires some centralized direction. The relationship that exists between the three organisational domains of the Act Department of Education responsible for the delivery of effective service to Learning Centre clients in ACT High Schools had been shown to be an impersonal mechanism of control designed by the Policy and Management domains in part, and a culturally diffuse but personal mechanism of control used by the Service domain personnel within the Learning Centres themselves. What has emerged from the study is evidence that would suggest that there is lack of an effective link between the more bureaucratic Policy and Management domains and the more open and less formal Service domain sector. The findings have implications for the bureaucrats involved in the change process which has been part of regionalisation. The findings of the study indicate that regionalisation does not appear to provide a panacea for the major difficulties associated with communication as revealed in this study.

Mergers have become a common feature for South African organisations since the dawn of democracy in 1994. There are several studies completed internationally and locally on how to handle mergers in general. There is limited research however on the role played by communication in this process. In this regard, this study aims to analyse the role of communication during a merger in an information communication technology (ICT) organisation, underpinned by Nudge’s Change Theory, which asserts that employees should be involved in the merger process, thereby making it possible to take their views into consideration. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed in this study to gain insight on the role communication plays before, during, and after a merger. Primary data was collected from employees based at the organisation’s Head Office in Pretoria, through online questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Results of the study show that communication with employees before, during and after merger was poor, resulting in high levels of uncertainty among employees. Furthermore, management did not provide adequate feedback to employees during the process. This caused panic among employees and a lack of confidence in the success of the merger. Based on these findings, it is recommended that top management investigates ways of enhancing channels of communication to ensure that communication with employees during mergers is not only meaningful but effective. The findings confirm recommendations made by Nudge’s Change Theory of the need to equip both management and employees during times of uncertainty. In this regard, further research to be conducted with different companies in the sector on the role employee communication plays during mergers to see if similar perceptions are maintained or changed. / Communication Science / M. A. (Communication)

No description available.

In order to engage employees effectively, organisations need to practice two-way communication within a symmetrical worldview. This will encourage employees to feel valued, to participate in decision-making and contribute to obtaining organisational goals. Practising two-way communication will help to build stronger relationships between employees and managers, leading to increased employee engagement. Thus, the better the communication between managers and employees, the more engaged employees will be. Furthermore, the selection of communication channels can impact on the success of the message that is sent. Research has shown that if the inappropriate communication channel is selected when communicating with employees, the message might not be effectively received and understood. New technology, specifically Facebook can be introduced to provide an open and transparent channel for communication. Facebook can also facilitate two-way communication, which can lead to increased employee engagement. The literature study conducted informed the interview schedules that were developed and used to conduct semi-structured interviews with managers and focus group interviews with employees within two organisations in the South African financial sector. This was done in order to understand their expectations regarding the use of Facebook as an internal communication channel to enhance employee engagement. In terms of the conclusions derived from the empirical research, it seems evident that Facebook could be used as an additional internal communication channel to enhance employee engagement. Trust remains a very important factor in that managers should trust employees to use the channel in an ethical manner and employees should trust the organisation and its managers that they may voice their opinion freely, without the fear of victimisation. Facebook can be used to promote engagement on a social level to build relationships inside the organisation. However, managers and employees can together create a contract of understanding that will form the outline for a policy that will govern the use of Facebook. The parties involved can then negotiate the terms of this contract of understanding to ensure that all expectations regarding the use Facebook are met. / MA (Communication Studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013