Little research exists on the effects of organisational structure on the public relations function. This study focuses on the effects of structural changes on an internal…
Abstract
Little research exists on the effects of organisational structure on the public relations function. This study focuses on the effects of structural changes on an internal communication function in a large South African organisation. In this organisation internal communication consultants were appointed at divisional level. They had to oversee the election of a communication champion in each cost centre in the division. Survey research conducted 18 months after the process implementation found the structural changes led to improved information flow and face‐to‐face communication. Employees made better use of organisational media and relied less on the grapevine. Although the process made employees less fearful to speak truthfully and improved employee‐supervisor communication, these effects were less pronounced. The research confirmed the important link between public relations strategy and organisational structure, particularly for communication managers and internal communication practitioners in large organisations.
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This paper explores the relationship between workplace democracy, the improvement of internal communication and the implications for organizational transformation and competitive…
Abstract
This paper explores the relationship between workplace democracy, the improvement of internal communication and the implications for organizational transformation and competitive advantage. The internal communication function in a large South African organization was decentralized to cost center level, where communication champions were democratically elected. Survey research among two internal populations confirmed the importance of workplace democracy for the improvement of trust, information flow, face‐to‐face, and superior and subordinate communication. To a limited extent it also reduced fear to communicate. These results could theoretically be linked to an organization's ability to change, which would increase its competitive advantage.
The purpose of this paper is to consider the threats and potential of Big Data for strategic communication. It explains the concepts of datafication and Big Data and establishes…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider the threats and potential of Big Data for strategic communication. It explains the concepts of datafication and Big Data and establishes the social and cultural context of Big Data from the way those constructing algorithms superimpose their value systems and cultural references onto the data. It links Big Data and strategic communication through the segmentation devices and strategies both use and propose discourse analysis as a valid method for the critique of Big Data. The importance of strategic communication for the public sphere suggests that Big Data can pose a serious threat to public discourse.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual and theoretical paper that first explains and interprets various new terms and concepts and then uses established theoretical approaches to analyze these phenomena.
Findings
The use of Big Data for the micro-segmentation of audiences establishes its relationship with strategic communication. Big Data analyses and algorithms are not neutral. Treating algorithms as language and communication allow them to be subjected to discourse analysis to expose underlying power relations for resistance strategies to emerge. Strategic communicators should guard the public sphere and take an activist stance against the potential harm of Big Data. That requires a seat at the institutional technology table and speaking out against discriminatory practices. However, Big Data can also greatly benefit society and improve discourse in the public sphere.
Research limitations/implications
There is not yet empirical data available on the impact of datafication on communication practice, which might be a problem well into the future. It also might be hard to do empirical research on its impact on practice and the public sphere. The heuristic value of this piece is that it laid down the theoretical foundations of the phenomena to be studied, which can in future be used for ethnographic research or qualitative studies. It might eventually be possible to follow personalized messages generated through datafication to study if they actually lead to behavior change in specific audience members.
Practical/implications
As guardians of the public sphere strategic communication practitioners have to educate themselves on the realities of Big Data and should consciously acquire a seat at the institutional technology table. Practitioners will need to be involved in decisions on how algorithms are formulated and who they target. This will require them to serve as activists to ensure social justice. They also will need to contribute to organizational transparency by making organizational information widely available and accessible through media bought, owned, and earned. Strategic communicators need to create a binary partnership with journalists of all kinds to secure the public sphere.
Social/implications
The paper exposes the role of algorithms in the construction of data and the extent to which algorithms are products of people who impose their own values and belief systems on them. Algorithms and the data they generate are subjective and value-laden. The concept of algorithms as language and communication and the use of Big Data for the segmentation of society for purposes of communication establish the connection between Big Data and strategic communication. The paper also exposes the potential for harm in the use of Big Data, as well as its potential for improving society and bringing about social justice.
Originality/value
The value of this paper is that it introduces the concept of datafication to communication studies and proposes theoretical foundations for the study of Big Data in the context of strategic communications. It provides a theoretical and social foundation for the inclusion of the public sphere in a definition of strategic communication and emphasizes strategic communicators’ commitment to the public sphere as more important than ever before. It highlights how communication practice and society can impact each other positively and negatively and that Big Data should not be the future of strategic communication but only a part of it.
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Natalie T.J. Tindall and Derina Holtzhausen
The purposes of this research are to understand the complex communication environment of South Africa, to determine to which extent previously identified communication models can…
Abstract
Purpose
The purposes of this research are to understand the complex communication environment of South Africa, to determine to which extent previously identified communication models can be applied to this burgeoning field and to propose a new model of communication: an integrated marketing communications model.
Design/methodology/approach
This research used surveys.
Findings
The results largely found support for the integrated marketing communications model and confirmed the activist, situational and oral communication models found in the previous study.
Research limitations/implications
The results show that the use of these models are stable across job and organization types, which provides support for applying theoretical constructs across different communication disciplines in order to build the field of strategic communication.
Originality/value
The theoretical basis of strategic communication is elusive, and not many studies exist that have tried to offer a cohesive theory of the field. This research is one of the first steps in the process of building a robust and cohesive strategic communication theory and focuses on the development of models of communication with audiences or stakeholders. This is a line of research typically pursued in public relations but not in on other areas of communication practice such as marketing and government relations.
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Nicola Capolupo, Gabriella Piscopo and Carmela Annarumma
The aim of this paper is to address the value co-creation and co-production theories in public administration (P.A.) sector, particularly when public administration communicates…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to address the value co-creation and co-production theories in public administration (P.A.) sector, particularly when public administration communicates with citizens during catastrophes, to provide a state of the art of the theoretical approach and its evolution.
Design/methodology/approach
Authors collected data between August and October 2017 from Scopus and Sciencedirect, looking for journals publications from 2010 to 2017, considering only articles containing in the abstract, title and keywords the following combinations: value co-creation AND P.A., value coproduction AND “P.A., crisis communication” AND “P.A.”.
Findings
By using three different keywords it appeared that the results of the individual topic contain results of all the other topics as well. It means that searching “value co-creation” AND “P.A.” appeared contributions of “value co-production” and “crisis communication” and vice-versa. The second reached result was to inscribe the theoretical approach of value co-creation into the interaction between citizens and public administration.
Research limitations/implications
Firstly, concentrating the research only on most recent articles from peer reviewed journals tends to exclude conference paper and other eventual contributions. Secondly, because the SLR has been conducted by searching with the keywords, only articles, which appeared in relation to the keywords connection in those databases, have been selected, excluding those papers closed to the themes, but classified under other terms.
Originality/value
This work value consists of trying to contextualize crisis communication during natural disasters in a theoretical context different from that which literature usually considers, i.e. value co-creation between public administration and citizens.