An exploration of South African corporate communication practices and trends

Abstract

This study explored the status of corporate communication in selected South African companies.The main purpose of the study was to determine the levels of corporate communication knowledgeand practical abilities of top corporate communication professionals. The research design adoptedwas a mixed method approach utilising a sequential transformatory model. The sample, selectedthrough purposive and convenience sampling, consisted of twenty-six professionals drawn froma wide range of businesses and sectors in South Africa.The study indicates that corporate communication professionals deal with stakeholder-relationshipmanagement and perceive their roles as being strategic, then managerial, and lastly technicalin nature, which is however often not practically applied. Furthermore, the study alludes to thefact that the corporate communication professionals concerned had a basic understanding ofthe strategic issues where the strategic implications of issues of publicity, company image andreputation were seemingly grasped by professionals. This highlights the need for continuoustraining in corporate communication - particularly at the strategic level- although it is apparentthat corporate communication professionals need to be schooled continuously in a fundamentalunderstanding and analysis of power relations, ranging from the most basic interpersonal levelsto the socio-political contexts. Such training may allude to how these contexts, these relations,affect the way in which practitioners put it into practice. The study forms part of an internationalbenchmarking survey that aims to contribute to a better understanding of corporate communicationbest practices worldwide.