Summary Corporate Communication Worldwide
Chapter 1: The communication of organizations
Corporate communication: the management function within an organization responsible for
communication processes that are initiated from within the organization and thus trying to promote
sustainable interaction between organization and public groups in the internal and external environment.
Communication should be a management function
It’s a multi layered process
It’s initiated by an organization
It should be a sustainable interaction
Different groups should be involved.
It’s done internally and externally.
Integrated communication: integrating corporate communication.
Public relations: the field of corporate communication.
Reputation management: the creation of values for stakeholders. The Reputation Quotient (RQ): measures
corporate reputations in 6 areas:
1. Emotional appeal
2. Products and services
3. Workplace environment
4. Financial performance
5. Vision and leadership
6. Social responsibility
Marketing communication: focused on selling. When public relations are seen as instrument for marketing,
it can be split in 2:
Product-related publicity
Corporate communication
Goals of organizations
Profit companies include large, small and international organisations whose aim it is to make profit
they have to communicate with shareholders, stakeholders, clients, suppliers, financial world and
employees
Non-profit governmental organizations such as central government, local government, regions and
municipalities.
communicate with inhabitants (clients) and stakeholders
Non-governmental organization (NGO’s)-> hospitals, libraries, the police and so on
communicate with government, clients, suppliers and employees
Syndicates (unions)
communicate with members, government, companies and non-profit organizations
Pressure groups-> consumer groups, environmentalist, social activists and so on
communicate with members, volunteers, government and politicians
The aim of organizations in communicating:
, Organizational aim: continuity
Economic aim: profit or no profit
Social aim: people, planet, profit
Mission statement: public goal/intentions of an organization (often try to include the 3 P’s)
Vision statement: how the organization views its role in society
Media influences communication.
Define groups in society: public groups, publics or stakeholders.
Stakeholders: certain persons in that groups that are important. Can be divided in internal and external.
Internal -> employees, work council, central staff, management, board of directors, interns, students
External -> government, unions, employers’ organisations, shareholders, banks, suppliers, pressure groups
Public groups:
1. Employees
2. Owners shareholders
3. Financial groups
4. Customers
5. Suppliers
6. Trade unions/ employer’s unions
7. Branch organizations/ professional organizations
8. Competitors
9. Government
10. Community
11. Pressure groups
12. Education
13. Media
Stakeholder mapping: not always possible to communicate intensively with all public groups at all times.
Analyse the attention given to certain stakeholders:
Low level of interest High level of interest
Low power Minimal effort Keep informed
High power Keep satisfied Keep players
Describe public groups in the following format: What do we know about them? What do they want from
us? What do we want from them?
, Chapter 2: Global aspects of corporate communication
Globalisation: increasing internationalisation of the economy, social, cultural and political processes.
2 conditions for successful global communication:
1. News is efficiently distributed around the globe
2. News must relatively quickly diffuse among the various populations
3 variables are responsible for differences in messages being spread among different countries:
1. Geographical distance from the location of the event
2. The extent of trade relations between the countries
3. The amount of existing communicative relations between countries
3 factors that influence each other continually:
Changes in the international economy
Changes in organizations
Changes in computer and communication technology
Knowledge is becoming the key factor
Knowledge work: economic value creation by knowledge
Products and services are digitised and therefore virtualised
We live in a network economy (integration/networking)
Disintermediation: less intermediaries
Prosumption: gap between consumers and producers becomes smaller
Immediacy
Molecularization/regionalisation: mass media, production and monolithic governments are
replaced by smaller scale, molecular media, production and governance
Globalisation
Discordance: massive social contradictions are arising
Civil society: social space between the market and government
These organizations are called: Non-profit sector, Third sector, Social midfield & NGO’s
A healthy nation has a balance in the state, market and civil society.
Global activism: internationally organized groups that fight globalism and other international
developments.
Cross-cultural communication: communication with groups from other cultures.
Cultural dimensions of Hofstede:
1. Power distance
2. Individualism vs collectivism
3. Masculinity vs femininity
4. Uncertainty avoidance
5. Long-term vs short-term orientation:
Long-term: thrift and perseverance
Short-term: respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations, protecting one’s ‘face’
Colours have different values in different countries:
