After facing the economic recession, the South–African and global business sectors started revaluating their human capital and the positions they represent within an organisation. Each individual now had to prove that they contributed towards the organisation’s bottom line, as each and every cent had to be counted and accounted for. Some functions within organisations could easily prove their contribution towards the bottom line by providing production or sales outputs. The public relations practitioners and the corporate communication efforts they offered, however, faced a bleak future, as their contribution towards the tangible assets was very rarely recognised (Kim, 2000:276). The financial services sector however, in which an advisor’s contribution towards the organisational bottom line is easily quantified, started to acknowledge the need for this sector to improve upon its ‘softer’ intangible assets such as client communication and client relationships. The sector believes that communication establishes relationships, and sound client relationships is the only way to sell financial products and services, as people seldom entrust their life earnings or financial dreams to strangers (Christiansen & DeVaney, 1998:7). Public relations practitioners know how to use communication optimally in the quest for building client relationships, and financial services need those skills in order to sell their products and contribute towards the bottom line. These two functions could thus work together towards the achievement of their goals - public relations to prove their bottom line contribution, and the financial services sector towards improving client relationships. These statements led to the general Research Question of this study: “What is the nature of the relationship between (i) corporate communication efforts, (ii) client communication satisfaction and (iii) client relationship satisfaction, and these concepts’ relationship to (iv) client economic contribution, within a financial services organisation?” This Research Question is answered from the systems theory as meta–theory with the support of the strategic communication, excellence and relationship management theories, and Futurum Financial Group (FFG) services as the financial services organisation for this study. A qualitative and quantitative research approach was followed to establish the constructs, and the relationships between the constructs. The Financial Advisors and public relations practitioner in FFG have a good understanding of the need for strategic communication efforts, and a relationship between their efforts and the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction could therefore be indicated. A further relationship between the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction and the client economic contribution was also established. Recommendations to improve the situation within FFG included a better focus on database administration, corporate communication consistency, Financial Advisor diligence, and providing clients with more frequent updates regarding their financial situation. The greatest strengths were client–advisor trust and corporate communication professionalism. This study thus contributes to the argument that communication efforts add tangibly, by means of client economic contribution, to the organisation’s bottom line, within the financial services industry. The study furthermore provides some recommendations for the financial services industry to improve their communication skills in order to build client relationships. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

After facing the economic recession, the South–African and global business sectors started revaluating their human capital and the positions they represent within an organisation. Each individual now had to prove that they contributed towards the organisation’s bottom line, as each and every cent had to be counted and accounted for. Some functions within organisations could easily prove their contribution towards the bottom line by providing production or sales outputs. The public relations practitioners and the corporate communication efforts they offered, however, faced a bleak future, as their contribution towards the tangible assets was very rarely recognised (Kim, 2000:276). The financial services sector however, in which an advisor’s contribution towards the organisational bottom line is easily quantified, started to acknowledge the need for this sector to improve upon its ‘softer’ intangible assets such as client communication and client relationships. The sector believes that communication establishes relationships, and sound client relationships is the only way to sell financial products and services, as people seldom entrust their life earnings or financial dreams to strangers (Christiansen & DeVaney, 1998:7). Public relations practitioners know how to use communication optimally in the quest for building client relationships, and financial services need those skills in order to sell their products and contribute towards the bottom line. These two functions could thus work together towards the achievement of their goals - public relations to prove their bottom line contribution, and the financial services sector towards improving client relationships. These statements led to the general Research Question of this study: “What is the nature of the relationship between (i) corporate communication efforts, (ii) client communication satisfaction and (iii) client relationship satisfaction, and these concepts’ relationship to (iv) client economic contribution, within a financial services organisation?” This Research Question is answered from the systems theory as meta–theory with the support of the strategic communication, excellence and relationship management theories, and Futurum Financial Group (FFG) services as the financial services organisation for this study. A qualitative and quantitative research approach was followed to establish the constructs, and the relationships between the constructs. The Financial Advisors and public relations practitioner in FFG have a good understanding of the need for strategic communication efforts, and a relationship between their efforts and the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction could therefore be indicated. A further relationship between the client communication satisfaction and client relationship satisfaction and the client economic contribution was also established. Recommendations to improve the situation within FFG included a better focus on database administration, corporate communication consistency, Financial Advisor diligence, and providing clients with more frequent updates regarding their financial situation. The greatest strengths were client–advisor trust and corporate communication professionalism. This study thus contributes to the argument that communication efforts add tangibly, by means of client economic contribution, to the organisation’s bottom line, within the financial services industry. The study furthermore provides some recommendations for the financial services industry to improve their communication skills in order to build client relationships. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Abstract in English with Afrikaans and SeSotho translations / Employee engagement is a phenomenon that has gained increasingly more attention in organisational communication studies and also in the postmodern organisational context. In the postmodern organisational environment, employee engagement focuses more on building relationships with employees than on individual performance. However, the value of internal communication practices to enhance employee engagement within a postmodern organisation has still not fully been explored. The study thus investigated, in accordance with what the literature suggests, a single case to test which internal communication practices are perceived as strengthening employee engagement within a postmodern organisation. Consequently, the study adopted a mixed method research approach utilising three research methods, namely a survey, a focus group and semi-structured interviews, to establish which internal communication practices the management of the organisation must adopt to strengthen employee engagement. The worldview adopted for this study was both the positivist and interpretivist research paradigms. Findings indicate that because the organisation’s employees’ views are heard, responded to and even form part of the solution, employees become more engaged. In addition, having too many internal communication tools and implementing them without a strategy in place can lead to employees becoming less engaged. Overall, the findings indicate that having a supportive management style, meeting employees’ needs and providing enough opportunities for employees to participate in problem-solving are deemed important for employee engagement. Interestingly, the findings show no correlation between the importance of establishing a good organisational culture and enhancing employee engagement in the organisation. Although the findings cannot be generalised to the larger population, the insight gained could serve as a heuristic for similar organisations to strengthen their employee engagement. / Werknemerbetrokkenheid is ’n verskynsel wat al hoe meer aandag kry in organisatoriese kommunikasiestudies en ook in die postmoderne organisatoriese konteks. In laasgenoemde konteks word daar meer met werknemerbetrokkenheid gefokus op die bou van verhoudings met werknemers as op individuele prestasie. Die waarde van interne kommunikasiepraktyke om werknemerbetrokkenheid binne ’n postmoderne organisasie te bevorder, is nog steeds nie ten volle ondersoek nie. Daar is dus in die studie, in ooreenstemming met wat die literatuur suggereer, ’n enkele gevallestudie ondersoek om te bepaal watter interne kommunikasiepraktyke beskou word as praktyke wat werknemerbetrokkenheid binne ’n postmoderne organisasie bevorder. Gevolglik is daar in die studie ’n gemengdemetode-navorsingsbenadering aangeneem wat drie navorsingsmetodes insluit, naamlik ’n opname, fokusgroep en semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude, met die doel om vas te stel watter interne kommunikasiepraktyke die bestuur van die organisasie moet aanneem om werknemerbetrokkenheid te bevorder. Die wêreldbeskouing wat vir hierdie studie aangeneem is, is sowel die positivistiese as vertolkende navorsingsparadigmas. Bevindinge dui daarop dat omrede die werknemers van die organisasie se sienings aangehoor word, daarop gereageer word en dit selfs deel van die oplossing uitmaak, werknemers meer betrokke raak. Daarbenewens kan te veel interne kommunikasie-middels en die implementering daarvan sonder ’n strategie daartoe lei dat werknemers minder betrokke raak. Oor die algemeen dui die bevindinge daarop dat ’n ondersteunende bestuurstyl, voldoening aan werknemers se behoeftes en die verskaffing van genoegsame geleenthede vir werknemers om aan probleemoplossing deel te neem, as belangrik geag word vir werknemerbetrokkenheid. Interessant genoeg wys die bevindinge geen korrelasie tussen die belangrikheid daarvan om ’n goeie organisatoriese kultuur te vestig en om werknemerbetrokkenheid in die organisasie te bevorder nie. Hoewel die bevindinge nie veralgemeen kan word om die groter bevolking in te sluit nie, kan die insig wat verkry word as ’n leerproses gebruik word vir soorgelyke organisasies om hulle werknemerbetrokkenheid te bevorder. / Bonkakarolo ba basebetsi ke ntho e hapileng tlhokomelo e eketsehileng dithutong tsa puisano tsa mekgatlo hape le maemong a morao-rao a mekgatlo. Tikolohong ya morao-rao ya mekgatlo, onkakarolo ba basebetsi bo shebana haholo le ho haha dikamano le basebetsi ho fapana le tshebetso ya motho ka mong. Leha ho le jwalo, boleng ba ditlwaelo tsa puisano tsa kahare ba ho ntlafatsa bonkakarolo ba basebetsi kahara mekgatlo ya morao-rao ha bo so ka bo hlahlojwa ka botlalo. Kahoo, phuputso e fupuditse ho latela seo dingodilweng di se supang, tlhahlobisiso e le nngwe ya ho lekola hore na ke mekgwa efe ya puisano ya kahare e nkuwang e matlafatsa bonkakarolo ba asebetsi kahara mokgatlo wa kamora nako ya morao-rao. Ka lebaka leo, phuputso e ile ya sebedisa mokgwa o tswakilweng wa dipatlisiso o sebedisang mekgwa e meraro ya dipatlisiso, e leng phuputso, sehlopha seo ho shebanweng le sona le dipuisano tse batlang di hlophisitswe hantle, ho sheba hore na ke mekgwa efe ya puisano ya kahare eo tsamaiso e lokelang ho e amohela ho matlafatsa bonkakarolo ba asebetsi. Maikutlo a lefatshe a amohetsweng phuputsong ena e ne e le a dipatlisiso a bontshang hore tlhokomelo le lebaka ke mekgwa ya kutlwisiso ya boitshwaro ba batho le a dipatlisiso tsa botoloki. Diphumano di bontsha hore hobane maikutlo a basebetsi ba mokgatlo a utluwa, a arabelwa ebile a etsa karolo ya tharollo, basebetsi ba kakgela ka setotswana le hofeta. Ntle le moo, ho ba le disebediswa tse ngata haholo tsa puisano tsa kahare le ho di kenya tshebetsong ntle le leano ho ka etsa hore basebetsi ba se ke ba sebetsa hantle. Ka kakaretso, diphumano di bontsha hore ho ba le mokgwa wa botsamaisi o tshehetsang, ho fihlela ditlhoko tsa basebetsi le ho fana ka menyetla e lekaneng ho basebetsi ya ho nka karolo tharollong ya mathata ho nkuwa ho le bohlokwa bakeng sa ho nka karolo ha basebetsi. Ho kgahlisang ke hore diphumano ha di bontshe kamano dipakeng tsa bohlokwa ba ho theha setso se hantle sa mokgatlo le ho matlafatsa bonkakarolo ba basebetsi mokgatlong. Leha diphumano e ke ke ya ba tse akaretsang ho batho ba bangata, temohisiso e fumanweng e ka sebetsa e le leano la mekgatlo e tshwanang ho matlafatsa bonkakarolo ba basebetsi ba yona. Mantswe a sehlooho: bonkakarolo ba basebetsi, puisano ya kahare, mekgwa ya puisano ya kahare, puisano ya mokgatlo, tshebediso e nang le sepheo ya puisano / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication Science)

A dominant focus on organisational stakeholders is currently evident in both the literature and in practice since it is argued that the success of organisations is predominantly dependent on stakeholders’ perception of the organisation. This stakeholder emphasis is evident in the inclusion of a chapter on governing stakeholder relations in the King III report and the development of various stakeholder standards in South Africa, including corporate social investment, corporate governance, corporate citizenship, corporate sustainability and the triple bottom line. Despite the recognition of the importance and necessity of building and maintaining stakeholder relations in the literature, there is a dearth of research on how to actually build these relationships. The aim of this study was to address this shortcoming by proposing a generic, integrated approach to sustainable organisation-stakeholder relationship (OSR) building with strategic stakeholders whereby strategic stakeholder identification, OSR development and OSR maintenance, which are often studied independently, would be integrated in order to constitute a new unified model. This model will promote a sustainable OSR-building process for organisation-stakeholder partnership (OSP) development.The following three building blocks for such a model were proposed: a strategic communication foundation that promotes the integration of specific corporate communication functions that is practised from a two-way symmetrical communication perspective as the basis for effective OSR building; a theoretical foundation, which is an integration of Freeman’s stakeholder concept (1984) from a normative, relational viewpoint, Ferguson’s relational paradigm for public relations (1984) and Ledingham’s (2003) theory of relationship management, encapsulated by Grunig’s (1984) excellence theory, of which the proposed OSR-building model would be a pragmatic representation; and a conceptualisation of the OSR-building model where the actual phases of the OSR-building process would be proposed to provide step-by-step guidance for OSR building. This model promotes a partnership approach with strategic stakeholders, which is based on the proposition of an OSR development continuum, which implies that an OSR could grow in intensity over time, from a foundational OSR, mutually-beneficial OSR, sustainable OSR, to ultimate organisational-stakeholder partnerships (OSPs). This model was built from a corporate communication perspective, and subsequently highlighted the contribution of corporate communication in the organisation as an OSR-building function to ensure organisational effectiveness. This study provided an exploratory literature review to constitute a conceptual framework for OSR-building of which the principles of the framework would be further explored and measured in leading listed South African organisations, by means of a quantitative web-based survey and qualitative one-on-one interviews to compose an OSR-building model that provides guidance on the process of OSR building on the basis of insights from theory and practice. / Ingevolge die argument dat die sukses van organisasies hoofsaaklik afhanklik is van die persepsies wat belangegroepe oor organisasies het, word ‘n dominante fokus tans op organisatoriese belangegroepe in die literatuur en praktyk geplaas. Die fokus op belangegroepe is sigbaar in die insluiting van ‘n hoofstuk oor die bou van belangegroepverhoudings in die King III verslag asook die ontwikkeling van verskeie belangegroepstandaarde in Suid Afrika, wat korporatiewe sosiale verantwoordelikheid, korporatiewe burgerskap, korporatiewe volhoubaarheid en drievoudige eindresultaat insluit. Ten spyte daarvan dat die belangrikheid en noodsaaklikheid van die bou en behoud van belangegroepverhoudings erken word in die literatuur, is daar ‘n tekort aan navorsing oor hoe om die verhoudings te bou. Die studie poog om dié tekortkoming aan te spreek deur middel van ‘n generiese, geϊntegreerde benadering vir volhoubare organisatoriese-belangegroepvershoudings (OBV) met strategiese belangegroepe voor te stel, waar strategiese belangegroep identifikasie, OBV ontwikkeling en OBV instandhouding, aspekte wat dikwels afsonderlik bestudeer word, geintegreer word in ‘n nuwe, verenigde model. Hierdie model sal ’n volhoubare OBV verbouiingsproses voorstel vir die ontwikkeling van organisatoriese-belangegroepvennootskappe. Drie boustene word vir die model voorgestel naamlik; ‘n strategiese kommunkasie fondasie wat die integrasie van spesifieke korporatiewe kommunikasie funksies vanuit ‘n twee-rigting simmetriese kommunikasie perspektief as basis vir die effektiewe bou van OBV insluit; ‘n teoretiese fondasie wat ‘n integrasie van Freeman (1984) se belangegroepkonsep van ‘n normatiewe, verhoudingsstandpunt, Ferguson (1984) se verhoudingsparadigma vir openbare skakelwerk en Ledingham (2003) se verhoudingsbestuursteorie insluit, omhul deur Grunig (1984) se uitnemendheidsteorie, waarvan die voorgestelde OBV model ‘n praktiese voorstelling sal wees; en ‘n konseptualisering van OBV-verbouing wat die fases van die OBV proses sal stipuleer om stap-vir-stap riglyne vir die bou van OBV voor te stel. ‘n Vennootskapsbenadering met strategiese belangegroepe word voorgestel deur die model, wat gebaseer is op die proposisie van ‘n OBV ontwikkelingskontinuum, wat impliseer dat ‘n OBV oor tyd in intensiteit kan groei van ‘n basiese OBV, wedersydse voordelige OBV, volhoubare OBV tot ‘n uiteindelike organisatoriese-belangegroepvennootskap. Die model is gebou uit ‘n korporatiewe kommunikasiestandpunt, wat gevolglik die bydrae van korporatiewe kommunikasie in die organisasie as ’n OBV-verbouingsfunksie om organisatoriese effektiwiteit te verseker, beklemtoon. Die studie bied ‘n verkennende literatuurstudie om ’n konseptuele raamwerk vir OBV-verbouing daar te stel, waarvan die beginsels van die raamwerk verder verken en gemeet is in gelysde Suid-Afrikaanse organisasies deur middel van ‘n kwantitatiewe web-gebaseerde opname en een-tot-een onderhoude om ’n OBV-verbouingsmodel te ontwikkel wat riglyne vir die proses van OBV-verbouing bied, gebaseer op beide teoretiese en praktiese insigte. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)

A dominant focus on organisational stakeholders is currently evident in both the literature and in practice since it is argued that the success of organisations is predominantly dependent on stakeholders’ perception of the organisation. This stakeholder emphasis is evident in the inclusion of a chapter on governing stakeholder relations in the King III report and the development of various stakeholder standards in South Africa, including corporate social investment, corporate governance, corporate citizenship, corporate sustainability and the triple bottom line. Despite the recognition of the importance and necessity of building and maintaining stakeholder relations in the literature, there is a dearth of research on how to actually build these relationships. The aim of this study was to address this shortcoming by proposing a generic, integrated approach to sustainable organisation-stakeholder relationship (OSR) building with strategic stakeholders whereby strategic stakeholder identification, OSR development and OSR maintenance, which are often studied independently, would be integrated in order to constitute a new unified model. This model will promote a sustainable OSR-building process for organisation-stakeholder partnership (OSP) development.The following three building blocks for such a model were proposed: a strategic communication foundation that promotes the integration of specific corporate communication functions that is practised from a two-way symmetrical communication perspective as the basis for effective OSR building; a theoretical foundation, which is an integration of Freeman’s stakeholder concept (1984) from a normative, relational viewpoint, Ferguson’s relational paradigm for public relations (1984) and Ledingham’s (2003) theory of relationship management, encapsulated by Grunig’s (1984) excellence theory, of which the proposed OSR-building model would be a pragmatic representation; and a conceptualisation of the OSR-building model where the actual phases of the OSR-building process would be proposed to provide step-by-step guidance for OSR building. This model promotes a partnership approach with strategic stakeholders, which is based on the proposition of an OSR development continuum, which implies that an OSR could grow in intensity over time, from a foundational OSR, mutually-beneficial OSR, sustainable OSR, to ultimate organisational-stakeholder partnerships (OSPs). This model was built from a corporate communication perspective, and subsequently highlighted the contribution of corporate communication in the organisation as an OSR-building function to ensure organisational effectiveness. This study provided an exploratory literature review to constitute a conceptual framework for OSR-building of which the principles of the framework would be further explored and measured in leading listed South African organisations, by means of a quantitative web-based survey and qualitative one-on-one interviews to compose an OSR-building model that provides guidance on the process of OSR building on the basis of insights from theory and practice. / Ingevolge die argument dat die sukses van organisasies hoofsaaklik afhanklik is van die persepsies wat belangegroepe oor organisasies het, word ‘n dominante fokus tans op organisatoriese belangegroepe in die literatuur en praktyk geplaas. Die fokus op belangegroepe is sigbaar in die insluiting van ‘n hoofstuk oor die bou van belangegroepverhoudings in die King III verslag asook die ontwikkeling van verskeie belangegroepstandaarde in Suid Afrika, wat korporatiewe sosiale verantwoordelikheid, korporatiewe burgerskap, korporatiewe volhoubaarheid en drievoudige eindresultaat insluit. Ten spyte daarvan dat die belangrikheid en noodsaaklikheid van die bou en behoud van belangegroepverhoudings erken word in die literatuur, is daar ‘n tekort aan navorsing oor hoe om die verhoudings te bou. Die studie poog om dié tekortkoming aan te spreek deur middel van ‘n generiese, geϊntegreerde benadering vir volhoubare organisatoriese-belangegroepvershoudings (OBV) met strategiese belangegroepe voor te stel, waar strategiese belangegroep identifikasie, OBV ontwikkeling en OBV instandhouding, aspekte wat dikwels afsonderlik bestudeer word, geintegreer word in ‘n nuwe, verenigde model. Hierdie model sal ’n volhoubare OBV verbouiingsproses voorstel vir die ontwikkeling van organisatoriese-belangegroepvennootskappe. Drie boustene word vir die model voorgestel naamlik; ‘n strategiese kommunkasie fondasie wat die integrasie van spesifieke korporatiewe kommunikasie funksies vanuit ‘n twee-rigting simmetriese kommunikasie perspektief as basis vir die effektiewe bou van OBV insluit; ‘n teoretiese fondasie wat ‘n integrasie van Freeman (1984) se belangegroepkonsep van ‘n normatiewe, verhoudingsstandpunt, Ferguson (1984) se verhoudingsparadigma vir openbare skakelwerk en Ledingham (2003) se verhoudingsbestuursteorie insluit, omhul deur Grunig (1984) se uitnemendheidsteorie, waarvan die voorgestelde OBV model ‘n praktiese voorstelling sal wees; en ‘n konseptualisering van OBV-verbouing wat die fases van die OBV proses sal stipuleer om stap-vir-stap riglyne vir die bou van OBV voor te stel. ‘n Vennootskapsbenadering met strategiese belangegroepe word voorgestel deur die model, wat gebaseer is op die proposisie van ‘n OBV ontwikkelingskontinuum, wat impliseer dat ‘n OBV oor tyd in intensiteit kan groei van ‘n basiese OBV, wedersydse voordelige OBV, volhoubare OBV tot ‘n uiteindelike organisatoriese-belangegroepvennootskap. Die model is gebou uit ‘n korporatiewe kommunikasiestandpunt, wat gevolglik die bydrae van korporatiewe kommunikasie in die organisasie as ’n OBV-verbouingsfunksie om organisatoriese effektiwiteit te verseker, beklemtoon. Die studie bied ‘n verkennende literatuurstudie om ’n konseptuele raamwerk vir OBV-verbouing daar te stel, waarvan die beginsels van die raamwerk verder verken en gemeet is in gelysde Suid-Afrikaanse organisasies deur middel van ‘n kwantitatiewe web-gebaseerde opname en een-tot-een onderhoude om ’n OBV-verbouingsmodel te ontwikkel wat riglyne vir die proses van OBV-verbouing bied, gebaseer op beide teoretiese en praktiese insigte. / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / This Grounded Theory study focused on understanding how South Africa’s two numerically-dominant political parties, the African National Congress (ANC) and Democratic Alliance (DA), used micro-blogging site, Twitter, as part of their electioneering arsenal in the 2016 municipal elections to promote party-political digital issue ownership within an urban context. Using each party’s 2016 election manifesto and corpus of tweets, this three-phased study found that while both the ANC and DA used Twitter as a digital political communication platform to communicate their election campaigns, the DA notably leveraged the social networking site for intense ‘focused’ messaging of its negative campaign against the ANC while simultaneously promoting positive electoral messages around its own ‘core’ issues and metro mayoral candidates. ‘Battleground’ metros were identified by the DA in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay, leading to an emphasised urban campaign here to either activate the party’s own support base and/ or to suppress the ANC’s turnout in these highly-contested areas. Additionally, it was found that both the ANC and DA used Twitter for explicit and implicit partypolitical issue ownership claiming in the 2016 municipal elections. Lastly, this study also culminated in the proposal of three but interconnected different elements of a conceptual framework for digital political communication that political parties could use to promote digital party-political issue ownership within a pronounced urban electioneering setting. These elements – ‘coordinating and managing how an election is tweeted’, 'focus' messaging the election’ and ‘audience-segmenting as a message-tailoring strategy’ – when used in unison can help political parties communicate better and ultimately more effectively in a highly mediatised technological media landscape. / Hierdie Gegronde Teorie Studie fokus op die verduideliking hoe Suid-Afrika se twee numeriese dominante politieke partye, die African National Congress (ANC) en Demokratiese Alliansie (DA), van die mikro-blog platform, Twitter, gebruik gemaak het tydens hulle verkiessingsstrategie in die 2016 munisipale verkiessings om die party politieke digitale kwessie rondom eienaarskap binne ‘n stedelike verband te bevorder. Deur elke party se 2016 verkiessings manifesto en arsenaal van twiets te gebruik, het hierdie drie-fase studie bevind dat beide die ANC en DA, Twitter gebruik het as ‘n digitale politieke kommunikasie platform. Die DA het egter die sosiale media netwerk kenmerkend gebruik vir ‘n intense gefokusde negatiewe veldtog teen die ANC terwyl hulle terselfdertyd ‘n positiewe verkiessings boodskap rondom die party se eie kernkwessies en metro burgermeesters kandidate gesentreer het. ‘Oorlogsgebied’ metros is deur die DA in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, Tshwane en Nelson Mandela Bay geidentifiseer wat ‘n defnitiewe stedelike veldtog tot gevolg gehad het om die party se eie ondersteuningsbasis te bevorder en/of die ANC se ondersteuning in hierdie hoogs betwiste areas te onderdruk. Daar was ook bevind dat beide die ANC en DA van Twitter gebruik gemaak het vir eksplisiete en implisiete party politieke kwessies rondom eiernaarskap tydens die 2016 munisipale verkiessings. Hierdie studie kan saamgevat word in drie onderskeie maar verwante elemente om ‘n raamwerk te vorm van die digitale politieke kommunikasie wat politieke partye kan gebruik om digitale party politieke kwessies binne ‘n stedelike verkiessings omgewing te bevorder. Wanneer hierdie elemente – ‘koordinering en bestuur van hoe twiets tydens ‘n verkiesing gebruik word’, ‘’die focus van die boodksap tydens die verkiessing’ and ‘die gehoorsegmentasie can ‘n boodskap strategie’ – in ‘n eenheid gebruik word kan dit politieke partye help om beter en meer effektief te kommunikeer binne ‘n baie kompiterende en tegnologiese medialandskap. / Inkcazo-bungcali yesisifundo ibigxile ekuqondeni ukuba uMzantsi Africa lo unamaqela amakhulu amabini ezopolitiko, ukutsho, iAfrican National Congress (ANC) kunye ne Democratic Alliance (DA), la maqela asebenzise iwebhusayithi encinane uTwitter, njengenxalenye yezixhobo zonxibelelwano kunyulo loo masipala ngo-2016. Bekwenza oku ngelikhuthaza amaqela ezopolitiko nebango lawo kwimiba yezinto abathi bazithethe kwisithuba sedijithali,kumxholo wendawo zase dolophini. Esi sifundo sisebenzisa imanifesto kunye nothotho lwe tweets zeqela ngalinye, nesenziwe ngokwezigaba ezithathu, sifumanise ukuba nangona iANC kunye ne DA zisebenzise uTwitter njenge qonga lonxibelelwano lwezopolitiko zedijithali (ngokolwimi lwasemzini) ukunxibelelana namaphulo onyulo, iDA izibonakalise amandla kwindawo yokuncokola kwiqonga uTwitter,ngokuthi imiyalezo yayo igxile kwaye itsole. Miyalezo leyo ithe yagxila ngokungafanelekanga kumkhankaso weANC. Ngaxeshanye, imiyalezo yayo yona iDA ibeyeyakhayo, kwaye incedisana nephulo layo kwimiba ephambili kunye nabagqatswa bosodolophu bo masipala abambaxa. Oomasipala abambaxa abathi babenongquzulwano bachongwe yiDA Ekurhuleni, eRhawutini, eTshwane nase Bhayi. Lonto ibangele ukuba bagxininise ekukhokeleni iphulo ledolophu ukuze bavuselele inkxaso ye DA apho okanye bacinezele ukuvela kwe-ANC kwezi ndawo kuphikiswana kakhulu ngazo. Ukongeza, kufumaniseke ukuba iANC kunye neDA zisebenzise uTwitter ngokwendlela ecacileyo nengathanga ngqo kwimeko yobunini bemicimbi yepolitiki ukuze bafumane ibango kunyulo loomasipala lwango 2016. Okokugqibela, esisifundo sigqibele kwisindululo sezinto ezintathu azahlukeneyo kodwa ezidityaniswe yinkqubosikhokelo eqingqiweyo kunxibelelwano lwezopolitiko zedijithali. Ezi zinto zizinto ezisenakho ukusetyenziswa ngamaqela ezopolitiko ukukhuthaza ubunini bemicimbi yezopolitiko ngaphakathi kulungiselelo lonyulo lwedolophu olubhengeziweyo. Ezi zinto- 'ukulungelelanisa nokulawula indlela unyulo luthunyelwe ngayo kusetyeziswa uTwitter', 'kugxilwe' kwimiyalezo yonyulo kunye nokuhlukaniswa kwabaphulaphuli okanye ababukeli njengecebo lokulungisa umyalezo '- xa zisetyenziswa ngazwinye zinokuwanceda amaqela ezopolitiko anxibelelane ngcono kwaye ekugqibeleni ngokuyimpumelelo kakhulu kuxhamlo olunamandla kakhulu kubume beendaba kumhlaba wetekhnoloji (ngokolwimi lwesiNgesi). / Communication Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)