Browsing by Author "Iita, Ndamonako"

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    Investigating Stakeholder Engagement in Public Relations Practices of two Namibian Universities (The International University of Management and Namibia University of Science and Technology
    (NAMIBIA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 2021-04) Iita, Ndamonako
    The purpose of the study was to establish the effectiveness of Public Relations Departments of IUM and NUST in stakeholder engagement. The main objective was to investigate the extent of stakeholder engagement by IUM and NUST’s public relations departments. The study was qualitative, with a population of all universities in Namibia. Purposive sampling was used to select two Universities namely IUM and NUST. Represented by the Marketing and Communication Department at NUST and the Marketing, Communication and Stakeholders Engagement Department at IUM. Interview guides were used to collect data. The findings of the study indicated that PRO’s roles are innumerable for each organisation but the most common areas are dealing with media, stakeholders and marketing the institution’s brand through event planning and social media as well as maintaining the image and reputation of the two Universities. It was also indicated that Public Relations Departments are of benefit to stakeholders of the two Universities because they act as custodians of the universities' brand and ensure that the institution's images are well positioned in the public eye. They are also the ears and eyes on the ground. Based on these findings, the following recommendations were made: Email and social media platforms are the most preferred forms of communication among the two Universities. The academic staff and the university management in general of the two universities need to take advantage of this, to make use of email and social media platforms to engage and preserve relationships with their stakeholders. The study also noted that to keep the effectiveness of the PRO of the two universities each communicated message should be carefully crafted for the various audiences to ensure maximum engagement. Information should also be made simple, summarizing the programs they offer to make it easier for the learners to understand.In managing stakeholders of the two Namibian universities, PRO’s of the two Namibian Universities should always fulfil their promises to their stakeholders as they are nothing without their stakeholders and always give correct information to meet stakeholder’s needs.