Vol 34, No 1 (2015)

The purpose of the study was to develop a hybrid quantitative audit of organisational communication
satisfaction for the public service. In Study One, a two-factor solution was obtained, based on
parallel analysis as a factor determination strategy with data obtained from 264 civil servants
using a 30 item measure. In Study Two, the items of the new EFA-generated organisational
communication satisfaction scale were renumbered consecutively and the scale was crossvalidated
on a new sample of 288 civil servants from the Addis Ababa City Administration. The
cross-validation necessitated model respecification and re-estimation. The respecified model
underwent validation at different levels. All seven aspects of validity, namely content validity,
construct validity, factorial validity, reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity and
nomological validity were addressed and found to be adequate, pointing to a refinement in the
measurement of communication satisfaction. However, limitations are also indicated as avenues
for further enquiry.

The exponential growth in the use of mobile phones has seen companies investing heavily
in mobile marketing to exploit the advertising opportunities presented by this medium. This
study investigated the role that gender, household income and age play with regard to factors
contributing to the attitudes of consumers towards SMS advertisements. The contributing
factors reviewed in this study are content appeal, perceived personalisation, interactivity of SMS
advertisements, attitudes towards advertising in general, consumers’ innovativeness, perceived
consumer knowledge, perceived control, fear of spamming, perceived incentives and locationbased
advertising. A convenience sample was drawn from staff and students of three private
institutions of higher learning. The findings indicate that gender, household income and age
tend to affect consumers’ attitudes towards SMS advertisements. More specifically, of all the
contributing factors, household income emerged as the most significant differentiator.

As digital technology becomes ubiquitous, workers will increasingly need an appropriate set of
digital skills to access and process information, using digital systems and tools. Hence, the aim
of the study was to map and audit the digital literacy of civil servants in selected South African
government departments in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Through a survey, four government departments,
considered to be central to service delivery, were targeted. To obtain a representative sample, a
systematic sampling method was applied. Data were analysed using the SPSS statistical analysis
programme. The results suggested that not enough is being done to equip civil servants with the
digital literacy skills they require to improve service delivery. As technology changes, so does the
need for training in new technologies. Developing digital literacy in the workplace is a definite way
for businesses and organisations to increase their work productivity and creativity. It is important
to note that digital literacy is an essential requirement for effective and optimal participation in the
world’s economy. The digital era is not going to disappear, and the need for education to respond
to the growing digital tide is rapidly increasing. A digitally literate workforce is crucial if government
is serious about improving work productivity and creativity in the public sector.

Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS), commonly referred to as Female Bilharzia (FB), is a
prevalent yet socially obscure disease. Caused by a waterborne parasite, it affects millions
of people all over the world. Although it is a global health concern, FB is more pervasive in
Sub-Saharan Africa. Motivated by the rapid response to treatment as demonstrated by rural
Zimbabwean women, an organisation known as the FB Project conducted research exclusively
with this group. Based in KwaZulu-Natal’s Ugu District (Port Shepstone), the FB Project sought
to raise an awareness of, to treat and ultimately eradicate the FB threat. This study investigated
the most appropriate communication tools for achieving these goals. In 2012, in-depth semistructured
interviews were conducted with a sample of 20 female teenagers from both rural and
urban areas across the Ugu District. Their perceptions of this issue highlighted various sociocultural,
economic and logistical constraints to effective FB communication. This paper explores
these barriers and the implications they have for realising the project’s goals. The opinions that
are voiced by the participants underscore the value of adopting a participatory communication
approach to addressing a health problem. The researcher’s observations are also integrated into the
discussion. The responses gathered from the participants were considered as recommendations
that could support the design of a contextually-sensitive FB awareness campaign.