Mastering Public Relations Management - a Cape Technikon graduate's view

Ingrid Jensen is brimming with confidence. And so she should be. On 7 December 2004, less than two years after enrolling, Ingrid became the first Master of Technology in Public Relations Management at a ceremony at the Cape Technikon.

Although Ingrid already obtained BTech and a professional certificate in public relations management some years ago, and also has years of professional experience under her belt, she wanted more. She decided on the new Master's Programme in Public Relations Management at the Cape Technikon, which was developed in a partnership with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in the United Kingdom.

François Nel, who headed the course development effort and now runs the Master's Programme in Strategic Communication at UCLan, stopped by (electronically, that is) to say 'congratulations' - and to ask her a few questions.

WHAT DOES THIS ACHIEVEMENT MEAN FOR YOU?

Seen from a career point of view, any qualification is valuable as it is recognised by society. This means that the Master's Programme in Public Relations Management will allow me to market myself better, do a better job for my clients (and last but not the least, help to keep my bank balance in the black!) .

On a personal level, this achievement means that I can am able to complete something which I have started - against many odds. W hat it takes most of all, is commitment, passion and A LOT of endurance -- brains is not the most important ingredient in this recipe!

WHY DID YOU SPECIFALLY CHOOSE THE CAPE TECHNIKON PROGRAMME?

Because of Benita Steyn, one of the lecturers for this programme. She was the drawing card. In the back of my mind , I always visualised that 'one day' I would be able to receive academic guidance from Benita -- the reason being that she is taking public relations in a new direction, and I wanted to be part of that development. As a consultant, I realised that public relations (if managed strategically) could transform stakeholder management in an organisation. But more than that, it could play an important role in bringing (business) organisations in sync with the values of society. My every instinct as well as common sense told me that this was the way that public relations should go in the future. When I therefore heard that Benita is assisting with the presentation of the Master's Programme in Public Relations Management at the Cape Technikon, my mind was made up.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY WAYS THAT YOU (AND YOUR CLIENTS)HAVE BENEFITTED?

The content of the course kept me on my toes and stretched my brain to think in a more critical and strategic way. These are qualities from which any consultancy or client organisation can benefit.

While doing the dissertation, I learnt the value of applying the principles of scientific research in the practice of public relations and communication management. The value of research in these fields has always been evident to me, but I have now experienced firsthand how valuable theory-based research and statistics can be in the practice of public relations and communication . I honestly believe that it can be the tool to take public relations into the boardroom.

CAN YOU BRIEFLY TELL US ABOUT YOUR DISSERTATION RSEARCH?

It was a case study that set out to determine the extent to which communication satisfaction exists amongst the employees of a utility. This is important firstly, because employees influence the quality of external relationships and secondly, employees are critical stakeholders in organisational goal achievement.

The study was positioned in the communication domain, more specifically the sub-domain of management communication. As a theoretical approach to the study, I selected [James] Grunig's excellence theory of public relations and communication management. The literature study clarified the major concept of employee communication satisfaction, as well as its building blocks namely communication climate, supervisory communication, organisational integration (employee satisfaction with information received about the organisation and their immediate work environment) and media quality. The second concept measured was related to supervisors' communication skills.

The research was conducted in three phases:

In Phase 1, communication satisfaction was explored amongst a sample of 360 employees on support levels of The Utility, by means of 12 focus groups.

In Phase 2, a survey was conducted amongst a sample of 1 380 employees to measure their communication satisfaction. Data analysis was conducted by means of advanced statistics.

In Phase 3, the importance of specific communication skills in improving the communication of line managers was measured according to the perceptions of The Utility's Top Management and Site Communication Officers.

DO YOU HAVE ADVICE FOR OTHERS CONSIDERING ENROLLING THIS COURSE?

Yes - you have to be willing to make great personal sacrifices as far as spending time with friends and family for the duration of the course. However, this is compensated for by the rich 'imaginary' conversations you will be having with the authors of your academic articles when the rest of the world is asleep. And in the end, the personal growth experienced is beyond comparison. So, take time out - be selfish, and do something for YOURSELF for once in your life.

For details about the Master's Programme in Public Relations Management contact Dr Johann van der Merwe at . François Nel can answer questions about the exchange programme with the Master's Programme in Strategic Communication at the University of Central Lancashire. See: http://www.stratcom.org.