Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2005. / Title from title screen (sites viewed on Oct. 18, 2005). PDF text: 100 p. : col. ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-100 of dissertation).

Thesis (Ph.D.(Communication Management))-University of Pretoria, 2005. / Summaries in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-117).

While many executives and senior managers believe that formulating a unique corporate strategy is critical for sustainability and success of an organisation; that alone is not enough. Making sure that the strategic vision is effectively communicated down to lower-level managers and employees is equally as important as formulating corporate strategy. Not only does employees need to understand and believe that senior managers know where they are taking the company to; employees are unlikely to rally behind managerial efforts to get the organisation moving in the intended direction if they do not understand the strategic plans of the organisation. When senior managers articulate a vivid and compelling case for where the company is headed, employees begin to want to be part of the journey, and involve themselves in the implementation of the corporate plans. By effectively communicating the strategic vision of the organisation down to the lower-level managers and employees, senior managers derive support of employees and their commitment to get the company moving in the intended direction. Many organisations or companies in the business world fail, not because they do not have financial resources, not because they do not have a unique and innovative corporate strategy, but because of enforcing or imposing the corporate plans to the employees without selling the company’s plans to its employees, so as to have buy-in from them. This will not only let them be part of the solution, but also feel part of the organisation and take ownership of the organisation’s strategic plans. Strategic plans plays an important role in preparing business organisations to meet their current and future challenges. Research carried out in to both large, medium, small and micro sized-firms constantly emphasise a positive relationship between successful implementation of corporate strategies and its performance. This is because it is often mentioned that well implanted strategies produce outstanding organisational performance. The primary objective of the study was to look at effective communication of corporate strategy in a business organisation and the impact it has on successful implementation of corporate strategy in an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) firm. Various number of studies have been carried out with regard to corporate strategy, but the impact effective communication can have on successful implementation of corporate strategy has never been studied. The study was conducted within an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) firm based in Centurion, Gauteng. It was conducted within an enterprise division of the firm rather than the entire organisation, which employs 400 people. Out of the 400 respondents invited to participate in the study, 98 managed to complete the questionnaires. The study followed a positivistic research paradigm which made use of questionnaires. It made use of an on-line survey where the respondents were invited to participate in the study via e-mails. The study established that certain variables are more critical than other when coming to strategy implementation such as strategic leadership and effective communication.

Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, 2004 / This research paper is aimed at formulating a corporate communication strategy for a medium- sized organisation, Highbury Solutions, operating in the computer software ' industry. Highbury Solutions consists of a Managing Director and four managers who, together with fifteen operational staff, make up a total staff complement of twenty. Highbury Solutions had a tumover of approximately R25 million over the past financial year (2004). The organisation enjoys a partnership with the computer conglomerate IBM in which the branding of Highbury Solutions products carries the computer giants' endorsement. This relationship has been in existence since 2001. The relationship, however, according to preliminary research, indicates no communication strategy or formal communication channels in place between the two organisations. The aim of this research paper will thus be to transform theoretical perspectives into a practical approach and design of a suitable corporate communication strategy for Highbury Solutions. This strategy will be based on sound research principles of both the organisation and its stakeholders and will be based on the model for Corporate Communication Strategy in Steyn & Puth (2002: 62). This research paper will aim to formulate a corporate communication strategy that will nurture and grow the relationship between the two organisations for the next three to five years. Chapter one consists of an introduction to the research issue, including the aim of the research, the stating of the research problem as well as identifying subproblems and possible assumptions.

Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011. / This research focuses on whether social media is an effective means of communication to external stakeholders and investigates communication between Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) to its student-stakeholder group on four levels of interaction; namely institution, faculty, department and subjects. It provides answers to the questions, "How does CPUT communicate to students?" "What is the CPUT student-stakeholder's preferred method of communication?" and "What content does the CPUT student-stakeholder want to hear about?" to answer the bigger question, "Is social media an effective means of communication to CPUT students?" Using a conceptual framework based on Edward Freeman's work on stakeholder communication and Grunig's communication theory, the research considers the role that social media could play in the communication mix; whether CPUT should communicate to students using a medium on which they are already active; as well as what is/are an appropriate method/s of communication to reach student-stakeholders. Findings include the students' perception of social media as well as the state of communication from CPUT to the students and the platform/s the student-stakeholder would prefer. Further research is recommended to consider the use of a mobile platform for communication to students.

Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011. / This mini dissertation reports on the findings from a study on Chief Executive Officers of dually listed companies which, measures the value they place on Corporate Communication professionals. Using the Hill and Knowlton quantitative framework, the study explicates the role Corporate Communication professionals play within the organisational context and identifies their strategic legitimacy. Much of the literature on the topic of strategic Corporate Communication asserts that this function is drastically marginalised and its value disputed within the inner circle of organisations. The literature states that Corporate Communication managers and strategists are expected to validate their presence within the top levels of management in organisations. CEOs of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and at least one other international stock exchange were surveyed. Findings include evidence of inconsistency and confusion on the part of CEOs, with regard to the understanding of Corporate Communication as a discipline and business function, as well as its location within the organisational structure. Further study is recommended to investigate the determinants of value within Corporate Communication for CEOs, to bridge the current strategic and knowledge gap.

Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Investor Relations (IR) has become a key area of focus in academic and professional debates over the last few decades. Although the identity of the field is contested, with both finance and communication disciplines claiming the fledgling field, there is consensus across disciplines that communication is paramount in IR success. However, a number of scholars (see Schutzmann, 2013; Laskin, 2011; Watson, 2008) argue that IR is not being fully utilised to maximise fair valuation and obtain favourable return on company investments due to lack of strategic communication expertise among IR practitioners who usually have a purely financial background. It is against this background that this study evaluated communication strategies employed by IR practitioners in South Africa to build and maintain relationships with investor stakeholders. The purpose is to contribute towards theoretical debates on strategic communication practice in IR, an area that remains under theorised and understudied, especially within a developing country context. The theoretical frame of the study was derived from public relations Excellence theory and the two-way symmetrical communication (Grunig and Hunt, 1984). The research methodology of the study was qualitative and employed an explorative design to gather data through a combination of document analysis, indepth interviews and content analysis. The findings show that financial and non-financial information is disseminated to investor stakeholders. However, the communication of financial information by IR professionals to investor stakeholders remains dominant in South Africa. Importantly, two-way symmetrical communication and two-way asymmetrical communication strategies are used in different ways to build and maintain relationships and to disclose mandatory key corporate information to investor stakeholders. One-on-one meetings in different formats and online dialogue with closed feedback emerged as the dominant key two-way symmetrical communication strategies of nurturing and sustaining relationships with investor stakeholders. This includes two-way asymmetrical communication strategies such as the corporate publications and IR websites. IR policies that promote two-way symmetrical communication, trust, honest, transparency and credibility emerged in the study as being implemented by IR professionals of South Africa. In addition, the findings show that such characterised IR policies advances the rules of investor stakeholder relationship building and engagement. However, it remains unclear from a South African standpoint whether IR professionals are ready to engage in an open dialogue with investor stakeholders using social media. The findings show that IR in South Africa has trascended into a synergy era where two-way symmetrical communication is emphasised. It further shows that the theoretical frame of the study as derived from public relations Excellence theory and the two-way symmetrical communication (Grunig and Hunt, 1984) has positive implications in the investor relations efforts of building relationships and information disclosure. However, investor stakeholder preferences of engaging with IR professionals require further exploration. This will assist in theorising communication strategies ideal for IR practice.

The sustainability has become a fashion, and all business organisations want tobe fashionable. Everyone aims to trend and developed their items in a sustainableway, protecting human health. This article proposed a reflection due to the role played by business communication in its relation with sustainability, the work of social communicators and the challenges of planet preservation. We also introduce communication strategies developed by corporate media. To conclude, we present some cases which show how organisations perform their business and deny thier own communication. / Sustentabilidade tornou-se um modismo, e todas as organizações empresariaisquerem “estar na moda”. Todas buscam desenvolver e comercializar seus produtosde forma que não agridam o meio ambiente e não façam mal à saúde humana.Se preocupam com a preservação do planeta, cuidam dos seus funcionários e dasua comunidade. Entretanto, há muita descrença em relação à sustentabilidadeempresarial, ela não pode ser encarada apenas como um diferencial em relaçãoaos concorrentes, ou algo que possa agregar valor ao produto e/ou serviço. Nesteartigo propomos uma reflexão sobre o papel da comunicação empresarial emrelação à sustentabilidade e a atuação do comunicador frente aos desafios depreservar o planeta para as futuras gerações. Apresentamos também as estratégiascomunicacionais que as empresas desenvolvem nas mídias corporativas e porfim, ilustramos alguns cases que mostram como as organizações conduzem seusnegócios e contradizem a sua própria comunicação.

Grunig (1992:114) states that internal communication is so entwined with the process of organising and with organisational structure, environment, power and culture that many theorists of organisational communication argue that organisations would not exist without communication. Grunig (1992) goes further by saying that internal communication is the catalyst if not the key to organisational excellence and effectiveness. In this study an attempt was made to illustrate the link between the internal corporate communication programme of an organisation’s Chief Executive Officer and the commitment levels towards the same organisation of middle management employees. The Absa Group is used as a case study for the purposes of this dissertation. The problem that prompted this research has, therefore, been formulated as: Does the internal corporate communication programme of the Group Chief Executive of the Absa Group have any significance for the commitment levels of selected middle management employees in Gauteng towards the organisation? Theoretical statements were based on the theoretical orientation of the open systems theory from a subjectivist approach, the importance of internal corporate communication and the relationship between leadership and internal corporate communication and were formulated as: · From a systems theory perspective, organisations must exchange (import-transformexport) “energy” (products, information and materials) with their environments in order to survive (Dahnke & Clatterbuck, 1990:162). · Internal communication is the catalyst if not the key to organisational excellence and effectiveness (Grunig, 1992:114). · Effective leadership communication leads to employee commitment (Mayfield & Mayfield, 2002:89). The dissertation concludes with the postulation that there is a significant link between the internal corporate communication strategy and approach of the Absa Group Chief Executive and the commitment levels towards the organisation of selected middle management employees. / Prof. Gideon de Wet