Vol 36, No 2 (2017)

Currently the dominant form of universities development oriented community engagement is based
on an institutional project-based theoretical framework. This framework has been criticised in the
scholarly discipline of Development Communication and Social Change for being diffusion-based
in nature, for its rigid linearity and subsequent hierarchically unequal power relationships, and for
its uncritical validation of a particular form of knowledge. Against the background of this critique,
paired with the current pronounced global awareness regarding the role of public universities in
society, this conceptual article critically investigates a range of options for development-oriented
community engagement by South African public universities. These options are based on different
theoretical frameworks that already exist in the field of Development Communication and Social
Change, namely: modernisation; dependency disassociation and social movements; Freirean
dialogical pedagogy; UNESCO’s media system approach (that foregrounds access, participation
and self-management); and participatory communication for development and social change. In
so doing, the article suggests that universities should critically consider the following aspects when
embarking on development-oriented community engagement: 1) evaluate the main assumptions
of the framework, 2) consider the complex interplay between internal and external factors that
cause problems of development, 3) consider the epistemology of knowledge, 4) reflect on the
purpose and nature of community participation, and 5) consider aspects related to expressions
of voice and identity in the public sphere instead of focusing only on measurable and material
aspects as outcomes.

South Africa’s media are often touted as lacking ethics in favour of sensationalism (Cronin, 2010).
Wasserman (2007) argues that this could be a consequence of the increased circulation of daily
tabloids in the country, which has been a result of an emerging new public that was marginalised
by the mainstream press of the apartheid era. However, by taking this argument forward, one
becomes entrenched in the wrongful assumption that tabloids are a journalistic evil, and are the
epitome of “bad journalism” (Ornekring & Jonssen, 2004). This paper uses the example of the
Sunday Times and City Press newspapers’ coverage of Oscar Pistorius’ arrest and bail application
in February 2013 to demonstrate how two of South Africa’s most widely read traditional Sunday
newspapers represented Pistorius in the same manner as You magazine, South Africa’s most
widely read English tabloid style magazine. The paper acknowledges that tabloid-style reporting
is not necessarily as “bad” as its critics maintain, but argues that ethically, reporting could (and
should) have been handled differently. The paper analyses the stereotyped representation of
Steenkamp and Pistorius in all three publications, and following the work of Clifford Christians
(2009), uses these examples to highlight problems with the traditional utilitarian frameworks that
govern modern news reporting.

This paper seeks to create awareness of the need for research academics and practitioners
involved in the ICT field collaborate in co-producing feminist empirical research studies that
integrate theory and practice (evidence-based) when doing research on the circumstance
related to women’s entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in the context of the Eastern Cape
Province in South Africa, which is under scrutiny. The notion of cross-professional collaboration is
triggered by recommendations extrapolated from a qualitative case study conducted on the ICT
sector in the Eastern Cape, wherein the findings allude to a gap in empirical research studies
employing feminist epistemological and methodological norms of inquiry in examining women’s
entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial activities. This paper advances the view that initiating a
trend within the researcher community, where follow-up studies are conducted from research
recommendations, will stimulate reflection and debate around empirically grounded feminist
scholarship in an emerging and unexplored field of research, namely women’s entrepreneurship
and intrapreneurship, in both urban and rural settings of the ICT sector.

The importance of research by public relations practitioners has been highlighted by leading scholars
in most developed countries. However, studies show that the use of research by practitioners
is more talked about than actually done. In Ghana, little is known about how practitioners use
research. This paper therefore attempts to add to the limited literature by investigating whether
public relations (PR) practice in Ghana is informed by research. Data was collected from 93 PR
practitioners using a survey. The results suggest that although research is used by practitioners,
the emphasis appears to be on media monitoring and content analysis. The implication is that
research cannot be fully appreciated if it is based solely on the amount of publicity received.
The value of PR in the eyes of management can only be enhanced if emphasis is placed on the
impact and outcome of research. Practitioners must therefore use a more scientific approach in
their research activities.

This explorative article qualitatively describes reputation variables that are applicable to both
corporate and personal reputations: identity, image, branding, personality, behaviour, culture,
ethics and storytelling. The research problem is concerned with the fact that personal reputations
are not studied with the same intensity as corporate reputations are. In the context of corporate
communication, the question arises as to whether variables that measure corporate reputation
can be applied to the assessment of personal reputations. The article aims firstly to describe the concepts which define reputations, both corporate and personal, from a corporate communication perspective, and secondly to describe ways of
assessing corporate reputation, in order to suggest their application to personal reputation. In
doing so, the article attempts to ground corporate reputation within the meta-theoretical context
of corporate communication, according to the traditions of Van Riel (1995) and Van Riel and
Fombrun (2007). The article concludes that the Reputation Quotient (RQ) can be applied to measure personal
reputations. This measurement instrument includes all the assessment criteria of the Reputation
Institute’s (2017) the RepTrak®, as well as the criteria of the Authentic Personal Governance
Model, and the Personal Balanced Scorecard Framework proposed by Rampersad and Hussain
(2014). The article does not attempt to elaborate upon a personality analysis of individuals, but is
concerned with the possible application of corporate reputation measurement variables to
measure the reputation of individuals.