An Assessment on the Practice of Strategic Communication for National Image Building: The Case of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia
| dc.contributor.advisor | Beyene, Zenebe (PhD) | |
| dc.contributor.author | Bimer, Mekuanint | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-02-15T11:28:13Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-11-08T13:38:14Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-02-15T11:28:13Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-11-08T13:38:14Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2018-05 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of the study was to assess the practice of strategic communication in national image building in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia. The study assessed the roles of strategic communication and current practice of the Ministry in promoting the country’s image to the international community. In the assessment, the researcher collected views of practitioners working in the Ministry and the overseas diplomatic missions of Ethiopia. The researcher employed qualitative methodology to get detail views and used purposive sampling technique to select key informants in the Ministry. For the conceptual and theoretical frameworks, the concepts of strategic communication, national image building, agenda setting and framing theories were reviewed respectively. Strategic communication guides for a favorable image promotion of a nation in a way the promotional messages are framed and set as an agenda. Furthermore, the Foreign Policy and National Security Strategies and other related documents were reviewed for supporting the study as a baseline. The findings of the study revealed that a huge gap exists in using strategic communication for national image building in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry and missions abroad do not use strategic communication, rather practice the traditional and conventional way of promoting a country. Also, there is lack of coordination between or among stakeholders in the country in promoting the country’s image. The Ministry also lacks skilled public diplomats and communication practitioners who are familiar to digital diplomacy. Though the Ministry has shown limited improvement in training diplomats, the rigid bureaucracy and unresponsive working systems have still become impediments that hinder the Ministry in using strategic communication for building the image of Ethiopia. Based on the findings, the Ministry has to replace the traditional practices for strategic communication to build the country’s image. In the contemporary world, the image of a nation highly matters for developing countries like Ethiopia in attracting foreign direct investment, tourism, and establishing friendly relations with other sovereign countries. The study also suggests that the government has to establish an overriding institution which regulates the disintegrated promotional activities of various stakeholders in the country. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/16447 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | en_US |
| dc.subject | An Assessment on the Practice of | en_US |
| dc.subject | Strategic Communication | en_US |
| dc.title | An Assessment on the Practice of Strategic Communication for National Image Building: The Case of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |