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Online stakeholder relationship strategies on Facebook used by South African universities

Sabryna Joanne Tsinga Mambadja
Tshwane University of Technology
David Pieter Conradie
Tshwane University of Technology
De la Rey Van der Waldt
Tshwane University of Technology
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Online stakeholder relationship strategies on Facebook used by South African universities. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 34(2), 58-74. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v34i2.1614
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  • Submited: October 15, 2022
  • Published: October 17, 2022

Abstract

The use of social networking sites is becoming increasingly essential to communicate and
establish long-term relationships with stakeholders. In order for universities to retain their
stakeholders, the effective use of media like Facebook is evident. This study investigated the
Facebook pages of 24 South African universities by means of a content analysis, to determine
how they have structured and populated their Facebook pages with different types of content
that could be relevant to their public relations communication strategies. The theoretical basis
of the content analysis consisted of the three virtual communication strategies developed
by Waters et al. (2009), namely disclosure, information dissemination and involvement. This
study came to the general conclusion that South African universities had not yet capitalised on
Facebook to fully integrate the three virtual communication strategies in order to enhance online
stakeholder relationships.

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How to Cite
Online stakeholder relationship strategies on Facebook used by South African universities. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 34(2), 58-74. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v34i2.1614

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