Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Education (Management), Durban Institute of Technology, 2004. / This study focuses on public relations training for secondary school principals and offers recommendations for selected secondary schools in Phoenix. Principals in most schools in South Africa have had little or no training in public relations. Since a number of tasks performed by school principals require public relation skills, it is imperative that a significant part of their in-service training should focus on aspects of the practice of public relations. This research aims to highlight the need for such training as principals interact continually with a wide variety of people, circumstances and social settings. Interaction between principals and educators, principals and learners and principals and parents may be pleasant and rewarding or frustrating and lead to conflict. / M

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The increase of interest in financial culture following the financial crisis, which started in 2008, as well as the proliferation of financial data, have sparked an emerging research agenda into the role of financial news media. Moreover, financial news media is an important research topic in finance because information released through the media has a wider audience than other information intermediating systems in the financial market. This thesis defines the financial journalist as a significant actor in the intermediation of financial information. It also contributes to understanding how the relationships between intermediaries in firms’ information environments affect financial markets, and in particular whether claims for professionalization can be made by financial journalists and public relations practitioners for their interrelating activities. The further contribution of the thesis is its integration of an interdisciplinary and mixed methods approach. The thesis investigates the research problem through three independent empirical studies that are linked to the research aim of the thesis, and each other, but can be read independently. The first study uses the quantitative, event-study method and tests how 100 small-cap US stocks are affected by different types of carefully-selected information, namely analysts’ recommendations, corporate filings, news media, public relations wires and stock tips received over five years from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2010. Its first contribution is a problematisation of firms’ information environments from an information intermediation perspective. It therefore finds that news media has the largest negative and absolute effect on stock prices, trading volumes and volatility. The intuitions for this are news media’s wide dissemination; its attraction to reporting bad news, as well as to interpreting events negatively. Further, its independence from firms and role in corporate governance are thought to make bad news especially surprising. The second and third studies form two halves of a qualitative symmetrical study that tests for the intuitions and findings of the quantitative study. They do so through structured and semi-structured interviews with experienced journalists and corporate public relations practitioners about their own perceptions of their respective self-constitutions and ethics; their relationships to each other; their understandings about how their own work and other information intermediaries’ work in firms’ information environments affect financial information; and to determine if and how these factors affect the manner in which they go about doing work. Study 2 considers journalists as actors in the financial market by problematizing them as information intermediaries who disseminate financial information and contribute to corporate governance. It finds they have a professional ethic biased towards reporting bad news and contributes to understanding the professional constitutions and knowledge construction activities of journalists through demonstrating how their beliefs, motivation and self-awareness influence reporting choices and actions. Their level of expertise and credibility in these activities is linked to the relative performativity of news stories. Study 3 studies the expansion of public relations’ reputation risk management activities in relation to journalists and evaluates the industry’s claim for professionalism using Gieryn’s (1983) analytical framework of boundary-work. It considers public relations practitioners as actors in financial markets in the context of globalised, high-speed financial markets and increased demands for corporate social responsibility. It finds that public relations is increasing its monopoly over the dissemination and intermediation of financial information but cannot yet make a claim for professional jurisdiction over these activities.

M.A. / Organisations which practise according to a social cultural approach to organising from a systems perspective, as described by Buckley (1967:3), value the dynamics of interrelations and the importance of corporate communication, in order for an environmental balance to be maintained and an acclaimed organisational reputation to be built. By addressing the systems theory from a process model approach and the social cultural organisational context, according to organisational principles defined by the structuration theory tradition, the core principle of production and reproduction of social structures is emphasised, where it is possible to recognise the value of corporate communication as an element of the strategic management process. Literature has indicated that in its strategic capacity, corporate communication focuses on enhancing stakeholder relationships, facilitates an adaptive organisational structure and assists management to align strategies with goals. Organisations are therefore encouraged to adapt to a dynamic environment, which in turn develops a reputation based on transformation. Corporate social investment, within this context, is perceived as a strategic corporate communication facilitator which is practised with the aim of building relationships with communities and ensuring attainment of environmental goals which align with internal strategies and objectives. This study explores the corporate social investment educational initiatives of First National Bank, who have a vision of assisting to develop a better future through the youth. Through varied educational initiatives and corporate communication strategies designed around these initiatives, stakeholders should gain an enhanced impression of the organisation where First National Bank is recognised for shaping the development of South Africa in a global economy. Therefore, the primary research objective of this study was to identify the perceptions of selected First National Bank internal communication consultants, of corporate social investment educational initiatives as a strategic contributor to the reputation of First National Bank. The study assumed an overall qualitative methodological orientation; however both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were used. The study consisted of three phases of research. Phases 1 and 2 were both of a qualitative nature and focused on the methodology of qualitative content analysis and qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews respectively, thereby developing subjective and explanatory findings around the research objective. Phase 3 explored the quantitative research methodology of a self-administered questionnaire, and resulted in the production of empirical findings. Findings obtained in phase 3 were developed with the pursuit of substantiating and verifying what had been deduced in phases 1 and 2. From the findings yielded by this research, it is possible to surmise that First National Bank’s corporate social investment educational initiatives do strategically contribute to the organisational reputation, as they reflect the organisation’s ability to adapt to external influences, and have also revealed the need to focus on stakeholder involvement as a reputation management tool, which encourages stakeholders to make a difference to society and gain knowledge of the organisation’s strategies and goals. Findings have also suggested that First National Bank place emphasis on addressing corporate social investment educational initiatives from a holistic approach, where, through unity of efforts, a favourable organisational reputation is produced. It was perceived that alignment of organisational values with corporate social investment initiatives improves the organisation’s long-term business opportunities, and emphasis placed on relationship-building reflects the organisation’s desire to empower stakeholders who could assist in transforming strategies to reach organisational goals. However, a lack of communication at First National Bank surrounding corporate social investment was identified within this study, but it became apparent that the organisation does have an interactive culture which aims to address the external environment through their corporate social investment educational initiatives. This idea reflected how the organisation aims to achieve a dynamic environmental balance which ultimately assists the organisation in enhancing a positive reputation. This study has also indicated that it is the strategic role of corporate communication, as a social cultural phenomenon, to ensure that throughout every strategy implemented, the organisation is constantly and advantageously positioned in the minds of all stakeholders.

M.A. / This study determines the role of crisis management in the dormant account crisis that faced three Swiss banks from 1995 until 2000. This research topic involving the Swiss banks was selected for numerous reasons. Firstly, there was an immense amount of media interest from around the world. Secondly, the geographical area that the crisis was focused in-the western world- is arguably the world's financial powerhouse. Thirdly, the issues surrounding the crisis itself were highly emotive and had its roots in the period shortly before World War Two. Fourthly, on closer investigation very little research had been done on Western corporate financial crises and most importantly, no research had been done on the way the Swiss banks managed their crisis. All of these issues combined provided a very interesting platform on which to begin researching the value of effective crisis management, from a strategic standpoint, for a western corporate financial company.To facilitate an effective and objective analysis of the case study, an extensive literature study had to be undertaken. The origins of public relations had to be researched to understand how the profession had developed. In addition, crisis management also had to be studied to understand how this discipline of public relations works. From there, the role of public relations had to be studied to comprehend exactly what should have been done, in terms of how crisis management is an element of public relations, for the Swiss banks before the crisis began.Following on from this it was established, from the literature study, that planning for a crisis is one of the foundations of crisis management.AThe most important aspects of and contributors to crisis planning were then considered. It was also established that crises have different stages that they pass through. This was then investigated as well as the relevant aspects needed to manage each stage. An important aspect encountered in each crisis is the media. The different parts of media training were studied. followed by arguably one of the most difficult aspects of crisis management- managing the media.

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This study tests a model that combines relationship management theory and the theory of reasoned action. Through the collection of quantitative and qualitative data, this study provides deeper understanding of the relationship between community college students and the institution, and identifies aspects of the relationship that most influence behavioral intention to give to the institution. Using this information, public relations practitioners will be able to strategically improve areas of deficiency in the community college-student relationship, thereby increasing the likelihood that today’s students will become tomorrow’s philanthropic alumni.

Over the past few years, social media have become both a part of everyday life and a topic of research interest. The impact of the increased use of social media and their integration into society is important from the human science, business and organisational perspectives. This study set out to establish the factors influencing the increased application of social media in the South African public relations (PR) industry. Research conducted in other countries indicates that the impact of social media on PR practice is profound, and there exists a research gap for similar insights in South African PR practice. Specifically, all research on the topic has so far been conducted on developed economies and in first world countries. There is therefore a need to conduct research in a third world country with an emerging economy such as South Africa. The main purpose of the study was to investigate how social media are impacting on organisations, and therefore PR practice, in the South African context by replicating a study carried out internationally. The secondary purpose was to compare the results of the South African study with those of the original study, which was conducted mainly in first world countries with developed economies. The study aimed to contribute to the theoretical body of knowledge as follows: <ul> <li> First, from a practical perspective, the findings will be of future assistance to South African PR practitioners in identifying the possible impact and effects that social media could have, and might already have had, on communication strategies and objectives.</li> <li> Secondly, the study determined the extent to which social media are impacting on the PR industry in South Africa. It compares the results with the research findings by Wright and Hinson (2009) in other first world countries.</li> <li> Finally, the study adds an academic theoretical dimension to the research, having been conducted in the context of a meta-theoretical framework. IT therefore offers offered an academic explanation of the study and its results, as an additional contribution to the existing body of knowledge.</li></ul> The 11 research objectives for the study were empirically tested by using a cross-sectional quantitative survey design. The survey was a replica of the one used in the original study. Data collected from the Likert-type scale questions were analysed using the Chi square method to determine probability results. The theoretical and literature review confirmed that the impact of social media on communication and PR practice is significant. The review also indicated that it is important to investigate this impact in a third world country, as internet penetration into these countries is very different from that of first world countries. The empirical section of the research showed that most of the respondents in the South African study agreed that the emergence of social media has changed the ways in which organisations communicate and handle both internal and external communication. In this South African study, most respondents agreed that social media and mainstream media complement each other; social media enhance the practice of PR, but respondents rated them very low in terms of accuracy, credibility, truth and ethics. However, respondents gave social media high marks for offering organisations suggestions for low-cost ways in which to develop relationships with members of various strategic publics, serving as a watchdog for traditional mainstream media, and impacting on corporate and organisational transparency. Subjects in the study felt strongly that research and measurement were important for organisations in determining what is being said about them in social media channels. However, very few of the subjects in all three studies have claimed to be actually conducting such research. The present study also inquired about the percentage of workdays respondents spend on activities with blogs and other social media. The study found that three times more South African practitioners are spending 50% or more of their time on blogs and with other social media, compared with respondents in the international survey. Results indicated that, overall, social media are having a positive effect on PR practice in South Africa. However, the overall perception by PR practitioners is that, in comparison with traditional media, social media have a long way to go in terms of accuracy, truth and ethical standards. If these platforms do perform as badly on the ethical level as PR practitioners perceive, there must surely be a significant need for organisational reputation management. There is also a significant need for organisations to design and implement research structures to monitor social media communication on their organisations, brands and messaging. Findings suggest that PR managers could use traditional media communication together with social media, as the two seem complementary to each other, and will become even more so in the future. PR communications strategies should allow for organisations to respond more rapidly to criticism than in the past. They should also incorporate transparency and ethical practice into organisational communication, as the nature of social media demands that organisations hold to higher ethical principles. Copyright / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Communication Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Purpose of Paper: the role of public relations practitioners in state owned entities is under-researched in South Africa. This limits the practitioners in the industry to address relevant issues and opportunities about their discipline; specifically in the public sector which are widely perceived in a negative light. The aim of this paper was to explore the role of public relations practitioners in state owned entities in South Africa. Methodology: The study was qualitative in nature. It was constructed to answer the research questions using an interview schedule as a research instrument. The population comprised of the PR and communication practitioners that work in the State Owned Entities of South Africa. Findings: It was found that PR practitioners are the agents of relationship building between the SOEs and their stakeholders. It was also proved that PR practitioners have excellent skills and expertise however those are limited by the unsatisfying devaluation of communications by management and political interference in SOEs. Furthermore, negative reputation of SOEs was not mere shortfalls of PR practitioner but senior management instability. Research limitations: Due to lack of availability and co-operation of practitioners, time constrains and lack of finances, study was not able to attain the desired number of respondents (12 respondents instead of 15). Responses were not always substantial, however, the researcher attempted to achieve the most accurate results possible. Value or significance of paper: the study aimed to provide academic framework on the roles of PR practitioners in South Africa’s public sector and enhance existing knowledge on the challenges that practitioners face in different organisations.