Social Media Adaptability, Message Strategy and Effective Public Relations in Institutions of Higher Learning in Kampala

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dc.contributor.authorNinsiima, Adah
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-17T09:10:07Z
dc.date.available2026-07-17T09:10:07Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.descriptionThis is a master's thesis.
dc.description.abstractThe study sought to examine the relationship between social media adaptability, message strategy and effective public relations in institutions of higher learning in Kampala district. Effective public relations are essential in building and maintaining a positive image, engaging with stakeholders and building a strong institutional brand especially leveraging on social media platforms. The study adopted a cross-sectional design. A cross-sectional approach was utilized due to the necessity of collecting responses from several respondents concurrently. The study was quantitative in nature. For this study the population comprised of public and private institutions of higher learning in Kampala district. Drawing on the sample size table from Krejcie and Morgan (1970), 86 institutions of higher learning were chosen as the sample. Data was collected by use of a questionnaire which was based on a five-point Likert scale. Data analysis was presented using inferential statistics, that Pearson correlations and regression. The results showed a significant positive relationship between message strategy and effective public relations in institutions of higher learning in Kampala. The results further showed a significant positive relationship between social media adaptability and effective public relations in institutions of higher learning in Kampala. The results also indicated that social media adaptability and message strategy jointly explain 38.7% of the variation in effective public relations in institutions of higher learning in Kampala, with social media adaptability being the stronger predictor (Beta = 0.420) followed by message strategy (Beta = 0.333). It was concluded that message strategy, social media adaptability, and the combined effects of both variables significantly impact effective public relations in institutions of higher learning in Kampala. The study recommended that; institutions of higher learning should invest in continuous capacity building for staff on emerging social media tools and best practices, these institutions should develop a strategic social media policy to guide content creation, platform selection, and audience engagement, the institutions should prioritize the development of clear, emotionally resonant, and credible messaging tailored to their target audiences, higher learning institutions should adopt a feedback-oriented communication approach to refine their messaging strategies, Institutions should integrate social media adaptability and message strategy into a unified public relations framework, and that top management should allocate sufficient resources, both financial and human to support digital communication initiatives.
dc.description.sponsorshipDr. Hassan Bashir (PhD) (Makerere University Business School) & Ds. Musasizi Yunia Alele (Makerere University Business School)
dc.identifier.citationNinsiima, A. (2025). Social Media Adaptability, Message Strategy and Effective Public Relations in Institutions of Higher Learning in Kampala. (Unpublished master’s dissertation). Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12282/5987
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMakerere University Business School
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United Statesen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/
dc.titleSocial Media Adaptability, Message Strategy and Effective Public Relations in Institutions of Higher Learning in Kampala
dc.typeThesis
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