Vol 9, No 1 (1990)

A central problem of organisations is the uncertainty of their environmental transactions in the attainment of desired responses. The degree to which the uncertainty is reduced, is often associated with the organisation's offectiveness. This study examines and Identifies an appropriate theoretical framework within which to proceed with an Investigation into organisational effectiveness. The systems approach, although of limited ontological value, of. fers a valuable cluster of strategies for Inquiry, within which Heldema's partial. dy systems-derived view is discussed. According to this view, perceptions of real systems can be described along spatial and temporal dimensions: as ahistorical, Inward-looking and struc tural; or as historical, outward-looking and changing. From this, the active out. ward orlented perceptual paradigm is developed, and It Is suggested that the existence of the active outward oriented basic assumption is a necessary condition of the organisation's potential effectiveness, and that the process by which it is instituted and maintained is communication.

At a meeting of the Association of Advertising Agencies In 1989, members voted against comparative advertising, but the mere fact that the AAA found the Issue Important enough to bring to a ballot and because the outcome was so close, proves just how relevant and Immediate this issue is. This exploratory Informal article aims to "stir the pot" and generate debate on this controversial practice. The lack of unanimity amongst practitioners in the Industry and the findings of the Informal pilot study point to a need for substan tial consumer research, something which to date has been sorely neglected. This article does not profess to do anything more than suggest hypotheses for study, but is does prove that the Issue of comparative advertising should not be "swept under the carpet" by a conspiracy of reluctance to "upset the apple-cart", but should be looked at honestly, from both the Industry's and the consumers' point of view.

Prominent organisational behavioural theorists emphasize the crucial role of communication in organisational behaviour. In contrast communication is often treated as just one of an array of organisational behavioural phenomena by organisational development (OD) practitioners when they attempt to improve organisational effectiveness. In this study the relationship of com munication to organisational climate and behaviour is investigated by means of an analysis of the factor structure of an organisational diagnostic question naire, based on a theoretical model of organisational behaviour, and the correlation of communication with 27 sub factors of organisational behaviour. It is concluded that communication is an Important dimension of organisa tional climate, and probably plays the crucial role in integrating and co ordinating organisational subsystem functioning. Because of this and the significant relationship of communica tion to factors such as leadership, group functioning and job satisfaction, com munication should receive priority atten tlon in OD-programmes directed at Improving organisational climate and effectiveness.

In this paper an attempt is made to contribute towards a better understanding regarding the role and application of mass media (TV) with reference to developmental efforts. A theoretical and explorative overview will be posed deal Ing with three interlocking areas: 1. A retrospective analysis and discus sion of Rogers' (1976) article on "Communication and Development: The Passing of the Dominant Paradigm." An attempt is made, in an Integrated fashion, to analy, the Im plications of Rogers' (1976) declara tion that the dominant paradigm has passed. 2. Secondly, and as a result of serious methodological questions regarding the analysis and Interpretion of developmental communication ef forts, an attempt is made to pose theoretical considerations which can lead to the structuring of an alter native developmental approach with reference to rural development. 3. The third area, which could be regard ed as a natural consequence of the above-mentioned, deals with the role of the mass media (TV) with reference to rural development. The analysis In cludes an overview on media Involve ment in development as well as the specific applicability of "big media" in "little worlds". The emphasis shifts to message content where the impor tance of cultural values and the cultural convergence of messages is emphasised.

In this commentary the authors express their opinion on the role that the Vrye Weekblad in particular and the Press in general, can play in a post-apartheid South Africa. The article is not based on any empirical quantitative research. Rather, It should be seen as a critical analysis of comtemporary conjecture surrounding literature pertaining to this specific topic. The authors postulate that the Vrye Weekblad is ofter mistakenly portrayed as a radical newspaper by those who feel the mos threatened by the possible conse quences that its messages can produce. The value of this particular medium lles In the fact that it will help ensure that Afrikaans, as a language, will survive. It Is able to fulfil this function by showing that Afrikaans need not always be im. mediately equated with racism or suppression, but in sharp contrast, that Afrikaans can be synonomous with democracy. The difficulties and challenges facing the Vrye Weekblad (and other media) as a variable that will play a vital role in not only moulding, but also influencing a post-apartheid South Africa, are highlighted

This article is based on the findings of a group of eleven specialists (WITS) who were commissioned by IDASA to monitor SABC-TV news coverage of the run-up to the 1989 general election. The report attempts to be a "case-study" In the construction of television news, employing discourse theory and the semiotics of film and communication In preference to the traditional quantitative approach. The encoding procedures of TV news were the main focus of the analysis which sought to demonstrate above all the shifting perspective within which news is constructed and how the signs and codes of news are closely related to those of fiction. It is freely acknowledged that the monitoring group occupied a position critical of the State and espoused a non-racist, non sexist, unitary political dispensation for South Africa, along the lines of the Freedom Charter.

In this article the serious theoretical and methodological issues facing climate research are discussed. It is indicated that the most important theoretical and methodological issue facing climate researchers is a lack of conceptual In tegration of the climate construct. It is shown that this has resulted in an In ablilty of climate researchers to satisfactorily resolve a number of methodological Issues. It is further shown that the Inability of climate researchers to resolve these methodological Issues, has led to a decline of research interest in the climate construct, whereby the viabill ty of organizational climate as a research field and management tool Is threatened. In this article the author proffers a social systems approach to the conceptualization of organizational climate. The methodological implications of such an approach are discussed and it Is shown that this reconceptualization of the climate construct can alleviate many of the methodological Issues still facing climate research.