Summary Corporate Communication
Week 1: Defining Corporate Communication
Corporate communication: “A management function that offers a framework for the effective
coordination of all internal and external communication with the overall purpose of establishing and
maintaining favorable reputations with stakeholder groups upon which the organization is
dependent” (Cornelissen, 2021)
Narrow view: specific legal form of organization
Broad view: group of people working together strategically
Organization: all organized groups that communicate strategically with their stakeholders
Corporate communication: integration of strategic communication functions, responsible for
overseeing the work done by communication practitioners in different specialist disciplines
Marketing communication
Public relations
Organizational communication (internal)
KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
o Complex in nature especially in organizations with a wide
geographical range (multi-nationals), or with a wide range of
products or services (have to balance between corporate headquarters)
o Demands an integrated approach to managing communication corpcom uses the specialties
of individual communication practitioners (e.g., branding, media relations, investor relations) and
crosses these boundaries for the strategic interest of the organization at large
IMPORTANT CONCEPTS
Mission: The overriding purpose of the organization, which ideally is in line with the values and
expectation of major stakeholders - what business are we in?
Vision: The desired future state of the organization
Objectives: Overall aims, more specific statements of direction – in line with vision – which are to
be achieved by strategies
Strategy: Involves action and communication that are linked to objectives and are often specified
in terms of specific organizational functions (e.g., finance, operations, human resources)
Corporate identity: The profile that an organization want to project to all stakeholder groups and
how they want to be known by these various groups in terms of image and reputation
Corporate image: public perception of the company
Corporate reputation: aggregate level of image
Integration: coordinate different domains within corporate communication
CORPORATE COMMUNICATION IN A CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE
Trends in corporate communication
1900s - 1980s not strategically integrated in the organization; each department optimizes its own
performance instead of working for the organization as a whole, one-way communication (spin,
publicity, promotion, information)
1980s - 2000s more strategic and more integrated; strong focus on reputational positioning getting
the right image in the minds of stakeholders
200s - present focus on stakeholder interaction, two-way and one-way; at the back of a fast
changing media landscape
Current challenge how to balance “one-to-many” vs “many-to-one” and “many-to-many”
communication?
, CLASSIFICATION OF MEDIA TYPES
o Owned media: media or channels that are directly owned (websites)
o ‘Paid media’: refers to paid-for adverts, links or promotional banners
o ‘Earned media’: online-generated word of mouth about an organization, manifesting itself in
mentions, shared and reposts
Social presence theory: media differ in degree of ‘social presence’ – as individuals communicate that
can feel that they are both ‘present’ – when social presence is high it leads to a greater degree of
involvement and also a potentially higher degree of commitment
Media richness theory: media differ in their degree of richness – the amount of information and cues
that can be exchanged between individuals
Rich media: such as face-to-face conversations or messaging allow for a frequent updating
of information
Poor media: such as written document or a corporate advert, can only be retrieved and
cannot be actively discussed between the producers and possible consumers
CURRENT MEDIA LANDSCAPE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Developments in digital media move quickly professionals may lack resources/research to
keep up – also think of AI/bots e.g., ChatGPT
Institutionalization of new organizational patterns making social media an integral part of the
organization takes time
Further opportunities for integration e.g., marketing and PR – due to more engagement with
costumers through social media
Conversational voice and automation via chatbots allows companies to present a more human
image of itself
Networking with (more) stakeholders stakeholders can use social media to network with
other and disseminate corporate news
Co-creating reputations individual stakeholders may also use social media to organize
themselves for action in favor of or against the organization
Week 2: Stakeholder and Issue Communication
NEO-CLASSICAL ECONOMIC THEORY
The shareholder approach
The purpose of the organization is to make profit
As such, firms can contribute to wealth for itself and society at large
Relationship are financial/economic
The “Friedman doctrine” (1970)
Corporate communication based on input-output (one-way) – transactional model
SOCIO-ECONOMIC THEORY
o The stakeholder model (Freeman, 1984): mutual dependencies between
organizations and stakeholders
More groups with legitimate interest (not only financial) are recognized and
accounted for
Who counts” extends to other actors (groups and individuals)
besides shareholders
o In order for the organization to perform financially well (in the long run) and
foster acceptance for its conduct; not purely economic
o Organizations as socio-economic actors
o Corporate communication based on two-way interaction
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