Diss.--Wirtschaft--Darmstadt--Techn. Hochsch., 1994.

Texte remanié de: Th. État--Lyon 2, 1989.

Texte remanié de: Th. État--Lyon 2, 1989.

This study examines the relevance of an established public relations theory, relationship management, to investor relations. Having emerged during the 1950s, investor relations is a relatively new field that integrates the disciplines of communication, marketing, finance, and securities laws compliance. Through qualitative interviews focused on six publicly traded companies on the West Coast, the study provides insight into the relationship management function of investor relations from the perspectives of those whom investors ultimately hold accountable for a public company's performance - CEOs. The dominant theme emerging from the study is the constant challenge CEOs of public companies face as they engage in relationships with investors, primarily due to the constraining effects of regulatory requirements. While the study confirmed that the interviewees value L. C. Hon and J. E. Grunig's qualities of trust, satisfaction, control mutuality and commitment in relationships with investors, CEOs' most frequently discussed relationship quality that they work to achieve is trust.

Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009 / Communication plays a vital role in the everyday lives of individuals, societies, organisations and the world at large. Without communication it would be very difficult to understand each other and to carry out daily activities that make up human life. Communication can come in many forms and shapes. Signs and symbols were used by our ancestors to communicate long before sound and speech technology was discovered (Mersham and Skinner, 1999). Notwithstanding the importance of communication for any form of human interaction, it is taken so much for granted. As pointed out by Mersham and Skinner (1999: 2), "until someone misunderstands us and the misunderstanding causes a problem, only then do we pause to think about what went wrong." Macnamara (2006: 3) points out that communication is complex even at family level, because often what we try to communicate to those closest to us is not received the way we intended or meant. This shows that communication is beyond talking and far more complex than it seems. In an organisational setting it is even more complex because the organisation is made up of different units or departments with different responsibilities, all working towards the attainment of the same organisational goals and objectives.

The divorce rate in society today seems to be reaching alarming proportions. Every individual has experienced the effects of divorce in some way or another, either through relatives, friends, parents or through their own marriages ending in divorce. Social workers and other social service professionals need to find new and creative ways to address the problem of maintaining and sustaining marriages. Marriages need support in order to survive. This support is essential and necessary as healthy marriages form the basis of healthy families and healthy families help to create a healthy society. The implication thus is a need for a proactive and preventative approach to assist married couples. Marriage enrichment (ME) provides a solution to helping couples maintain marital happiness and satisfaction. ME focuses on sustaining, nurturing, strengthening and enriching marriage relationships. It is an approach that generally refers to weekend retreat programmes and other group settings in which married couples with reasonably healthy marriages learn how to improve their marriage and increase pleasure and success. Marriage enrichment uses an educational and skills training perspective that encourages and enhances good communication and interpersonal relations between spouses. The aim of this study is to identify and describe the content of a marriage enrichment programme. The objectives of the study are as follows: to explore the need for a marriage enrichment programme by means of the perusal of available literature and an empirical study; to explore the elements that will comprise the content of an enrichment programme by means of qualitative research using different focus groups; to provide themes and guidelines for the development of an enrichment programme; to formulate conclusions and recommendations based on the results obtained from the study. The study was conducted with 12 social workers from two different government organisations in the Johannesburg area. The research findings provided positive results. Themes and guidelines on the content for a marriage enrichment programme were identified. / Dr. Emmerentie Oliphant

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Francisco- La Grange, F.H., Prof. / Despite the high divorce rate in South Africa marriage is still a sought after social institution and many potential couples have high expectations upon entering marriage. The continuation of marriage rather than its breakdown awakes the special interest of the candidate. She reasons that marital satisfaction is a significant determinant in the continuation of a marriage and she is keen to identify some indicators of marital satisfaction. She furthermore envisages strategies in social work intervention by means of which the public could be sensitized to marital satisfaction. Methodology In this essay research is in essence explorative, particularly in the sense that it is an attempt to initiate a new conseptualization of a phenomenon. The following methodology was used: A literature study exploring the nature of the marriage relationship; characteristics which indicate marital satisfaction and the philosophy and methodology of research. Consultation with specialists in the field of marital relationships and marriage counselling. The research enabled the candidate to identify the following indicators: Constructive communication between the spouses. Skilled handling of conflict. Characteristics of the spouses. A relatively compatible value system. Sexual fulfilment. Socio-economic security. Premarital factors. The influence of children.

South Africa plays a very important role on the African continent, both politically and economically. She is often the main protagonist behind various peace-making efforts both regionally and continentally, and now she plays an even more important part in the African Union. In July 2012 South African candidate Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was elected as chairperson of the African Union Commission, in an election which highlighted a need to investigate the perception of South Africa in the African Union. South African foreign policy has gone through various stages, from being internationally isolated during the apartheid era to being on the forefront continentally during the successive post-apartheid presidents. The electoral discourse in 2012 however, highlighted some divergent opinions on South African foreign policy which this study investigates. What was identified during the election campaign was a possible negative perception of South African foreign policy, both politically and in terms of the private sector. The study sought to investigate how South Africa is perceived on the African continent, and in order to reach a conclusion it performed a policy analysis as well as a qualitative discourse analysis of the statements given during the election. The policy analysis contextualises and explains South African foreign policy agendas and choices, and the discourse analysis sought to reveal any negative perceptions of South African foreign policy. The findings of the study are that there is a general negative perception of South Africa and her foreign policy in Africa, due to several reasons, which will be discussed in the following study. The negative perceptions stem from the Eastern region, the Western region, as well as from South Africa itself, through political analysts and experts.

Quantum approaches to International Relations theory have proliferated rapidly in recent years, challenging the field to come to terms with the influence of physics at its philosophical foundations. These new theoretical perspectives draw on quantum physics, quantum social theory, and prior quantum interventions in other disciplines of social science. But unlike prior debates around the desirability of "adding" science to the study of world politics (Morgenthau 1946; Kindleberger 1958; Bull 1966), the call of quantum IR theory is one for transformation (Barad 2007; Fierke 2022; Murphy 2021c; O’Brien 2021; Zanotti 2018). In this dissertation, I explore the stakes and scope of this quantum transformation to better understand the process of quantizing inquiry into International Relations. The first chapter sets out the metatheoretical stakes of quantizing IR by engaging with critical responses to prior works of quantum. Situating quantum approaches in the broader intellectual history of the field, I argue that understanding the "cost" of quantizing IR cannot take the form of a cost/benefit logic, instead recognizing the opportunity cost of remaining Newtonian. The second chapter turns to the development of quantum mechanics within physics to demonstrate the relatability of key concepts for social inquiry, despite the vernacular divide. The third chapter turns to methodology, discussing the philosophical sources supporting 'quantizing through translation,' drawing on both the quantum social theory of Karen Barad and broader influences including Walter Benjamin, actor-network theory, and Donna Haraway. The next trio of chapters serve to demonstrate the breadth of quantum's utility across the discipline through a set of conceptual case studies related to major subfields of IR. The fourth chapter speaks to debates in peace and security studies, and provides a quantized account of violence through a diffractive reading of Johan Galtung's "Violence, Peace, and Peace Research." The fifth chapter turns to foreign policy and strategic studies, arguing that the non-traditional diplomatic strategy of "track two diplomacy" abides a quantum game-theoretic logic, and that this can only be fully appreciated by interrogating its quantum-like assumptions. Chapter six then addresses international political economy through an attempt to redefine "the market" in quantum terms. Recognizing the stakes and scope of quantum IR explored through the dissertation, the conclusion reaffirms the case for quantum to be understood as transformation rather than addition, and sets out future directions for research in quantum IR.