Changes in global political economy are moving towards 'capitalisation' of public institutions through market instruments. These changes create new environments and challenges. In order to meet these challenges, higher education institutions are restructuring to position themselves in their new environment. In this process, the media play an active role. Using corporate communication as a focal point, this research examines how higher education institutions aim to accomplish their mission, on one hand and mitigate challenges of the new political economy, characterised, by globalisation and marketisation, on the other. Using the University of Natal's corporate communication media campaign as a case study, the research looks into how education is commodified through processes of institutional restructuring and how this is reflected or mirrored through corporate communication strategies. This study is done within cultural studies and critical media research tradition. In contrast to 'administrative' studies that focus on how to use mass communications within the given political economic order to influence audiences, sell products or promote institutions, it addresses social and cultural effects of corporate communication in higher education. It offers insight into how corporate communication could be utilised for societal good instead of perpetuating social inequalities. Chapter One provides an overview of corporate communication and how it interacts with higher education by looking into challenges that threaten institutions to accomplish their mission. Chapter Two offers a theoretical framework of the new political economy through which higher education is now operating and how the media plays a role in this framework. Chapter Three provides an analysis of the media campaign of the University of Natal as evaluated against the institution's mission statement, and Chapter Four offers data analysis and lessons learned from the University of Natal media campaign. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Nation-building has always been considered the responsibility of a public service broadcaster while, on the other hand, commercial broadcasters are associated with profitmaking. This study was designed to investigate whether a commercially driven broadcasting venture could be used for the purposes of nation-building; The case of Lesotho Television. Established by the Lesotho Government in partnership with M-net, Lesotho Television informs, educates and entertains, thus attempting to follow the tenets of public service broadcasting. Upon its establishment in 1988, Lesotho Television was mandated to contribute in the nation-building initiatives of the Lesotho leaders. The station, which is embedded within the South African based pay-channel M-Net, was expected to positively contribute in the Lesotho Government's endeavours to re-build the nation divided along political lines. In the discussion I highlight the fact that Lesotho Television encounters some problems due to the paradoxical relationship between it and M-Net (The former aspiring to serve as a public service broadcaster while the latter is a commercial television service). Nevertheless, considering its programming and activities, Lesotho Television contributes in nation-building. Therefore, I conclude that the potential for Lesotho Television to inform, educate and entertain would seem to outweigh the limitations. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Like many African countries in the 1990s, Zambia experienced drastic political, social and economic changes. In response to these changes, Zambia embarked on a market driven economy that has seen the privatisation of most state enterprises. These changes have proliferated in the media industry as well. However. instead of privatising state media, the government liberalised the airwaves, allowing new players to enter the media terrain. This resulted in the mushrooming of many community-based radio broadcasting stations. Since Zambia moved from one-party politics and became a multi-party democracy in 1991, it has seen the emergence of seven privately owned radio stations. Among these are two different kinds of community radio stations: commercial and religious. Community radio is still in its infancy in Zambia, with the first ever community radio broadcasting' for the first time as recently as 1994. Very little research has been undertaken analysing this field of broadcasting in Zambia. Studies (accessible to this author) undertaken in the area of community radio so far, have focused mainly on quantifiable data of these radio stations (Banda, 1998). These studies lack the theoretical analysis which help define the practical role this sector of broadcasting can play in fulfilling a public service mandate. Recent studies (Up in the Air: The State of Broadcasting in Southern Africa' - Panos, 1998) draw no detailed relationship between findings and community radio per se. In other words, these studies lack qualitative analysis. This paper seeks to fill a necessary qualitative gap by focusing on the conceptual and operational characteristics of Radio Icengelo as a case study, Radio Icengelo is a Catholic-run community station launched in 1995, and situated in Kitwe on the Copperbelt province of Zambia. The paper further examines issues such as: conceptions of Radio Icengelo's 'community'; the nature and management structure of the organisation; the workforce; funding and sustainability; editorial policy; staff training; programming; languages; licensing procedures and relationship with government. The project later teases out the role Radio Icengelo plays in terms of social marketing campaigns. The analysis will be looked at in relation to the main features of community radio as postulated by advocates of a participatory approach to the media (McQuail, 1994; White, 1990). Community radio as an alternative medium, is marked by - diversity and plurality, accessibility and participation by the community and non-profit driven (McQuail 1994). The project concludes by highlighting the community radio's potential to foster social marketing campaigns, using Radio Icengelo as a case study. / Theses (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.

The thesis tries to search for a methodology with which to critique the role of the SABC's religious broadcasts in reflecting the South African crisis and negotiations during the apartheid and transition periods (1972-1992). It suggests the future restructuring of religious broadcasting in the light of this analysis. This thesis presents philosophical, theological, scientific, political, economic, social and cultural processes that marked the paradigmatic shift from the arcane Middle Ages to the Modern Age. These are tended as contours to both critique and restructure the South African Broadcasting Corporation's (SABC) religious broadcasting beyond Public Service Broadcasting into Community Religious Broadcasting pertinent to the meta-modern epoch. This thesis asserts that science, along with political, economic, and cultural processes, have been separated from their theological and cognitive roots. There is a gap between these processes and the human subject's thinking and faith activities. It asserts that scientific methodology alone is inadequate to analyse the SABC as a scientific phenomenon. It claims that using scientific methodologies of both mainstream and critical-Marxist paradigms alone may lead to methodological reductionism. It proposes that both mainstream (rational) and critical-Marxist (praxis) methodologies must be linked to cognitive (metaphysical) methodology. The inadequacy of science has brought this thesis to a methodological crisis. This crisis is demonstrated as a micro-crisis of the meso-crisis, which in turn is part of a macro-crisis. On the method micro-level the crisis is symptomatic of the micro-crisis caused by the separation of science from philosophy, which prejudices intuition in favour of rationality on the paradigmatic level. On the agenda level, which is the meso-level, the crisis manifests itself in the separation of philosophy from theology, which prejudiced theology in favour of philosophy. Finally on the macro-level the crisis shows itself as dualistic separation of subject-object uni-formity from subject-object uni-diversity, which prejudiced objectivity against subjectivity on the discourse level. Below I illustrate the theory-praxis crisis: From the theory-macro-uni-diversity level, a normalivistic stance, namely orthodoxical plane, the meso-crisis can be conceived as either heterodoxical or homodoxical. Heterodoxical crisis leads to heresiodoxical praxis and homodoxical leads to orthopraxis. From the praxis-micro-uniformity level, a normalivistic stance, namely orthopraxis plane, the meso-crisis can be conceived as either heteropraxical or homopraxical. Heteropraxis leads to heresiodoxy and homopraxis leads to orthodoxy. The thesis holds both ends of the object-subject dialectics, i.e. action follows being and being follows action. The emphasis on the former leads to idealism and the emphasis on the latter, to rationalism. The dialectic reaction to rationalism leads to scientific-materialism. The thesis further argues that both rationalism and materialism must be relinked to idealism in order to emancipate the human subject from either arcane or modern subordination. This emancipation, the thesis asserts, will lead to meta-modern community-based democracy and broadcasting. To tackle the question of whether theory informs praxis or praxis informs theory, the thesis bases itself on the perichosis-tri-tension of traditional view-stance, personal view-stance and praxis-stance. It navigates between the streams of hetero-consciousness and homo-consciousness, between liberal and critical paradigms, and between critical and hermeneutic theory\praxis. That navigation and the rethinking of both African and Occidental public spheres, afforded this thesis a cognitive-interpreting-praxis. That cognitive-interpreting-praxis is employed to critique the SABC in general and its religious broadcasting in particular. The critique amplified the root-cause, among others, of the crisis between SABC as a signifying practice and the reality of South African society between 1972 and 1992, as the bias of the SABC in favour of the then ruling White Hegemony. That White Hegemony is precisely, this thesis argues, the result of the separation of Africans from their traditional African polity and subsequent alienation from their land and stock, reminiscent of the separation of the Occidental subjects from these selfsame factors as a result of the arcane Middle Ages authority and land tenure. This separation, along with industrialization, brought about the massification of South African society, which was represented by the SABC (acting as a 'PSB') as a consensual but separate community of minorities. Finally, the thesis tries to map a way for the future in religious broadcasting in South Africa beyond the SABC as PSB, by proposing a community based religious broadcasting model. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1994.

This study is an exploratory study of the identity formation of South African Catholics of Indian Descent (SACIDs). It seeks to describe the construction of their identity and experience of otherness and difference. It asks two main questions: Firstly how relevant are the categories of culture, ethnicity, ideology ,race and religion in the construction of identity and the self understanding of members of this community? This study is concerned with discovering whether these categories are operative and relevant to the experiences of the youth in this community. Therefore the first objective of the study is to discover how do the youth amongst SACID identify themselves? This forms the one focus of the study. Secondly it examines the role of organic intellectuals of this community with specific reference to what they perceive as the identity of SACIDs. The study examines what they are saying and doing regarding the categories of culture, ethnicity, ideology and race vis a vis the transformation of the Catholic Church in South Africa. It is important to examine what is being done by such intellectuals as they are in a position to influence the way SACIDs identify and construct themselves. This constitutes the second focus of the study. Both foci are related to the research objective which is to explore the self identity and identity construction of SACIDs. It attempts to analyse the feelings of otherness in the experience of SACIDs. The objective is to understand how SAC IDs "see and feel themselves" in a context of change within country and church. A Cultural Studies perspective is employed in the interpretation and analysis of identity formation. Central to this perspective are the key categories of culture, ethnicity, ideology, race and religion. The literature in this field provide the theoretical framework for interpretation. The study utilizes a qualitative methodological approach, specifically the participatory action research approach. The study finds that SACIDs define themselves as a racial and religious minority. They perceive their identity as multi-layered. However, race is still a dominant and determining factor in their self-understanding and construction of identity. They collapse the categories of religion and culture resulting in confusion and a hesitancy to embrace ethnic references in their identity formation and religious practice. It is this hesitancy and confusion regarding their cultural identity that the title Unlit Clay Lamps, Unsung Bhajans refers. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

<p><p>Can the lack of functional cross-cultural communication among individuals within an international organization be the reason for cultural clashes to occur, and lead to conflict between two cultures within the same organization?</p><p>Our aim is to try to create a potential model of how cross-cultural problems can be studied, in order to contribute to the solution of the problem. And to examine whether the theories, which form the basis of our model can be applied in reality.</p><p>The research have assumed from the hermeneutical approach for a holistic view of the problem area. The deductive approach has been used in order to distinguish whether the theories can be applied to reality, and qualitative research method for collecting data.</p><p>The focus lies within cross-cultural communications, which defines the various cultural factors that can affect organizational culture. Hofstede dimensions and the social structure are mentioned and cultural factors as language and religion. The piece includes the national and organizational culture theory and the establishment strategies. Subsequently the culture clashes, the international business relations and conflict resolution.</p><p>Our conclusion is that culture clashes occur and the further away from our own values, attitudes and norms, we get, the more tolerant we relate to other cultures. We note that organizational culture is influenced by individuals which constitutes in it and the theory and reality may not always correspond. That culture is a complexity to study, where tolerance, acceptance and understanding are the most important tools for cross-cultural communication.</p></p>

Can the lack of functional cross-cultural communication among individuals within an international organization be the reason for cultural clashes to occur, and lead to conflict between two cultures within the same organization? Our aim is to try to create a potential model of how cross-cultural problems can be studied, in order to contribute to the solution of the problem. And to examine whether the theories, which form the basis of our model can be applied in reality. The research have assumed from the hermeneutical approach for a holistic view of the problem area. The deductive approach has been used in order to distinguish whether the theories can be applied to reality, and qualitative research method for collecting data. The focus lies within cross-cultural communications, which defines the various cultural factors that can affect organizational culture. Hofstede dimensions and the social structure are mentioned and cultural factors as language and religion. The piece includes the national and organizational culture theory and the establishment strategies. Subsequently the culture clashes, the international business relations and conflict resolution. Our conclusion is that culture clashes occur and the further away from our own values, attitudes and norms, we get, the more tolerant we relate to other cultures. We note that organizational culture is influenced by individuals which constitutes in it and the theory and reality may not always correspond. That culture is a complexity to study, where tolerance, acceptance and understanding are the most important tools for cross-cultural communication.

Ideology is a fundamental aspect of society, and ideological analysis has been applied to the development of explanatory frameworks for understanding structural dominance within social formations. Structural and post-structural conceptions of ideology have focused on macro-ideological phenomena and processes, offering explanation of relations between economic base and super-structure as they interrelate with ideological dominance. Ideologies serve the interests of particular social formations or classes over others, and at the macro-level this has to do with organised thought as it relates to power. This thesis explores the concept of ideology and related concepts of dominance, power and hegemony, through relocating macrolevel understandings and analysis of ideology within analysis of superstructural entities - notably organisations, groups and elites. HIV/AIDS is an ecological phenomenon that is accompanied by processes of sense-making that incorporate ideological dimensions in the public sphere, particularly in relation to social policy and strategy. Ideological discourses about HIV/AIDS have drawn on specific epistemological foundations and world-views, incorporating intersections with parallel ideologies, and in many instances being directed towards achieving expansion and dominance of particular ideas. This ideological strategy incorporates the construction of common sense. Ideological claims are reiterative, but are also related to processes of legitimation that combine structural relations with communicative power. A South African HIV/AIDS programme, LoveLife, is utilised as a case study to demonstrate ideological trajectories over time. The inter-relation between claims about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, claims about impact of the LoveLife programme, and the utility of alliances and structural partnerships in legitimating such claims is explored. These claims-making processes are found to also occur at global level through the active resourcing and facilitation by LoveLife programme's founding funder, the Kaiser Family Foundation. These activities intersect in the development of an ideological bloc that is directed towards expansion and dominance through appropriation of indigenous and global discourse spheres. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

This study is an analysis of the implications of the manner of development, decision making and communication therein on Africa's development performance since the 1950s. It sought to establish the causes of development failures in Sub-Saharan Africa and to explore a way for sustainable community development. Four hypotheses were set: • First, Africa's development failures are due to cultural irrationality, as many modernisation theorists have suggested, including Goran Hyden (1980: 3-4) who asserts that "Africa's underdevelopment lies in the persistence of its pre-modern and pre-capitalist practices and structures" and Ulf Himmelstrand (1994: 25) with his "European superiority" notion; • Second, Africa's development failures are due to the exclusionary manner of development; • Third, as justification for the exclusionary manner of development, community participation in development could lead to disorder and paralyse governmental delivery capacities (Huntington, 1991), and • Lastly, community participation is untenable because communitarian values no longer exist in African communities. This study is in two parts. Part One verifies the first two hypotheses through reviewing the literature. Part Two verifies the last two hypotheses using field research data. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.

The community broadcasting in South Africa has been accredited with a different mandate from public and commercial broadcasting. This mandate of 'difference' has been stimulated by socio-political conditions under which this sector has been instituted since the early 1990s. During this period, conferences and discussions were held around the liberation of media and airwaves, which directly led to the recognition of the importance and the role that could be played by the community broadcasting sector. This sector of broadcasting is still a new concept in South Africa. Ten years post apartheid; it is no longer defined as a voice for political activism, as it was during its inception. Firstly, its development stages have bent towards a focus in the development of previously disadvantaged communities. Secondly, community radio has been regarded as a way of democratising media, by making it accessible to marginalised and underrepresented communities. It becomes a tool through which they voice out 'who they are' (identity) and also an instrument with which they initiate their own development and empowerment, socially and culturally. The research paper traces the development stages of this sector in South Africa, chronologically from its conception in the 1990s, to its mushrooming from 1994 and its functioning in the late 1990s to the early 21st century. The paper explores the sociopolitical roots of community radio in the face of change from democracy to technocracy. The responsibility of the community media sector includes the fulfillment of participation and media democratisation themes. The theoretical framework discussed by Dennis McQuail (1987, 1994, 2000) under normative theories of the media and development communication theories anaysed by Srinivas Melkote (1991), Jan Servaes (1991), Fred Casmir (1991), also form part of this paper. This paper, with an understanding of the demand for the democratization of the media and airwaves during this period in our country's history, explores how a chosen community radio becomes a public and community representative in the media industry. It focuses on representation of the community by the radio station in its management and functioning. It takes as a case study Highway Radio station. Highway Radio defines itself as a Christian radio station, which broadcasts from Pinetown and reaches Durban and surrounding urban and township areas. The general objective of this paper is to discover a set of indicators that provide a background to which Highway Radio has been able to fulfill its mandate as a community service. This study aims at exploring the active application of the notion of community participation in management and running of the radio station. The democratic-participant media theory stipulates that media must be spearheaded by active participation while the NCRF (National Community Radio Forum) also stipulates that community radio is characterized by active participation in all the structure of its organization. This research, therefore, has been conducted to explore the possibility and applicability of these prerequisites. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.