D.Litt. et Phil. / The main objective of this study is to determine the role of the communications manager in the changing South African business environment and the compilation of a contextual sensitive generic framework of the required outputs for communications managers in South African organisations. With this objective in view, a comprehensive theoretical study has been conducted to determine the role of public relations as a organisational sub-system, based on the principles of the systems approach. The main inward and outward public relations functions and xv the role of the communications manager as cosmopolitan on the border between the organisation and the environment has thereafter been discussed. As a result thereof, it became apparent that an integrated approach to communications is central to the effectiveness of public relations in a dynamic business environment. The validity and approaches of existing models of public relations have been evaluated as a basis for the development of an integrated public relations model. The integrated communication approach to public relations suggests that public relations cannot function in isolation of the other sub-systems in the organisation and that the public relations function is directly influenced hereby. With the integrated communication approach as basis, the influence of change and the socioeconomic implications thereof for public relations in South Africa have been determined. The implications of the intended standardisation in terms of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), the state of professionalisation of the public relations profession in South Africa and the requirements for competence in communication, have been determined by means of an in-depth theoretical inquiry and discussions with enlightened individuals and institutions. As a result, a generic framework for communications management in the South African business environment has been compiled with a view to contribute to the determination of the requirements for public relations in terms of the essential outputs as will be defined by the NQF. In the final section the proposed generic framework has been empirically tested on the basis of personal interviews conducted with communications managers of thirty of the Top 100 organisations in South Africa. After the results have been analysed and the implications discussed, the conclusion was reached that the proposed contextual sensitive generic framework has succeeded in expressing the essential outputs, as defined in the existing business environment. The framework was then interpreted in accordance with the levels of work and the implications for the state of public relations, as well as for research in this area, pointed out. The study illustrates the importance of the role of communications management in the South African business environment and presents a valuable contribution by creating an output model as basis for the suggested standardisation in terms of the NQF.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:9168 |
| Date | 14 August 2012 |
| Creators | Claassen, Theresa E. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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