Corporate Communication Management Research Articles

Communicating affirmative action in three South African organisations

Problems associated with the management of communication (in the broadest sense ofthe word) are a recurring theme in both Corporate Communication Management andHuman Resource Management literature and in research on the implementation ofaffirmative action1 as part of the Employment Equity Act2 in the South African context.Therefore, the following research question was formulated: “How do South Africanorganisations manage communication about affirmative action (against the backdropof employment equity3)?”.This article provides an overview of some dimensions of an exploratory qualitative studythat investigated this research question. The ever-increasing strategic importance oforganisational performance regarding the EEA highlights the need for research in thisarea. This study is one of only a few empirical studies in the field of CorporateCommunication with the emphasis on topics related to the management of communicationin this specific transformational context.Since this study focused on aspects that had not been researched previously (or verifiedempirically), an exploratory approach had to be followed, with the purpose of gaugingpossible current trends related to the management of communication about AA in aselection of South African organisations. A case study comparison of three organisationsyielded the following results on four sub-questions derived from the overarching researchquestion. The organisations researched (1) comply with their legal duty to inform andconsult with stakeholders about the process of EE as stipulated in the Code of GoodPractice for the EEA (Department of Labour, 1999); (2) the management of EE is viewedas a transformational change process, as opposed to a once-off incident; (3) the
 management of communication in this context is viewed as a critical success factor, buta disparity exists between the emphasis placed on strategic external and internalcommunication efforts; and (4) leaders at all hierarchical levels have differentcommunication responsibilities in relation to this transformational process.Based on the results of this study, the major recommendation for the management ofaffirmative action communication pertains to the need to address the perceived gapbetween internal and external communication efforts. Since strategic internalcommunication is not only viewed as critical for the dissemination of information, butalso as the vehicle through which transformation is facilitated, the value thereof shouldnot be underestimated.

The Impact of CSR Perceptions on Employees' Turnover Intention during the COVID-19 Crisis in China.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created tremendous challenges for organizations’ corporate social responsibility (CSR), communication, and relationship management with internal stakeholders such as employees. This study conducted an online survey of 466 employees working for large Chinese corporations during the pandemic. A structural equation model based on insights from expectancy violation theory was used to examine how negative violation valence increases employees’ turnover intention as mediated by uncertainty, CSR cynicism, and distrust. The survey results showed that employees’ negative violation valence positively influenced their uncertainty about their organizations’ CSR activities, which fostered their cynicism about CSR and distrust of their organization. Employees’ CSR cynicism increased their distrust toward their organizations, which increased their turnover intention. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed as well.

Thematic dis/connection of Ibex35 companies to generate dialogue with their stakeholders via Twitter during the pandemic

Studies of corporate communication and intangible management are especially interested in knowing how to establish a proper dialogue with stakeholders to integrate their concerns into internal management and to be able to have greater corporate legitimacy. The lockdown and the following months of the pandemic allow to know if the firms have succeeded in applying the principles of corporate communication and if there have been new strategies that should be known in future crises. This research wants to know what topics and contents have been communicated by the companies to promote dialogue and to detect if their strategies have influenced their audiences by promoting engagement. To this end, the behavior on Twitter of the 27 IBEX35 companies with verified corporate accounts has been analyzed using statistical methods. The results show that companies have communicated more and have generated more engagement than before the pandemic. It is also observed that they have increased their efforts to publish specific content for each stakeholder group. Finally, the results indicate that the topics most communicated were not the ones that generated the most engagement, which shows that despite the interest in dialoguing with stakeholders, companies are not able to communicate what is of real interest to their audiences. The study presents practical implications and discussions with the previous literature on online communication management and stakeholder dialogue.

The Implementation of New Technologies in Internal Communication: A Study of the Main Platforms and Applications

Internal Communication is fundamental in the management of Corporate Communication and, as such, it is a key element for the creation of an organizational climate favorable to employee satisfaction and motivation. The implementation of new technologies in internal communication tools is a challenge for companies; therefore, this study has, as fundamental objectives, the bibliographic review of the inclusion of new technologies in this field of communication and the development of a comparative analysis of the technological tools that are currently used in companies in order to favor the understanding of the current situation and facilitate its application in the business field.

Manual de gestión de la comunicación corporativa [Reseña

Con la situación actual, el público se mueve principalmente por Internet, provocando que se busque la diferenciación a través de las experiencias más que por la venta. El Manual de gestión de la comunicación corporativa es un texto académico en el que se exponen los nuevos retos de las organizaciones en esta área. En este sentido, es de gran importancia el desarrollo de estrategias de identidad de marca para que la percepción de las audiencias sea positiva.

The role of corporate communication in intelligent organizations

Intelligent organizations are characterized for having a high learning capacity, innovation, response and competitivity within its action center. However, corporate communication is also seen as a basic component of such organizations; being considered a pillar of effectivity in management within the organizational mark. The following article makes a reflexion around corporate communication and it’s underlying elements, perceiving it as an indispensable piece of management in the intelligent organizations that find success and are able to maintain themselves in high uncertain environments, competitivity, client’s demand and under a high volume of information that characterize the actual knowledge society. It emphasizes the necessity of the communication role value in this context and it poses a net mode from the effective management of corporate communication allowing development of organization intelligence.

Brand activism

In this work, brand activism is defined as a strategy that seeks to influence citizen-consumers by means of campaigns created and sustained by political values. It involves a transformation in corporate communication management and social responsibility practices, which borrows from those of social movements to contribute to the social production of identity of citizen-consumers. This corporate political shift involves the use of messages, slogans and content based on final (of common interest) or instrumental (linked to the industry in which they are applied) political values. Political behaviour does not operate in a vacuum but is the response to a change in values of the young generations employing digital technologies and demanding a different behaviour from global firms. However, these political advertising practices have been heavily criticised in the field of political economy, insofar as it is contended that they are impostures lacking authenticity. Thus, 45 campaigns were analysed to determine the characteristics of brand activism in this new socio-political context. From the results it follows that this activist practice, of Anglo-Saxon origin, is a relevant trend in political communication because it aligns individual identity, the management of public assets and corporate action in the political sphere.

Editorial

Editorial

Towards corporate transparency

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine whether companies recognised for the quality of their sustainability reporting are also adopting investor relations (IR) best practices for their IR webpages. Quality communications to all stakeholder groups may then speak to organisational transparency and integrated corporate communication management (CCM).Design/methodology/approachAn ordinary least squares regression model was developed to test the hypothesis that companies with quality sustainability reporting also adopts best practices in online IR. Sustainability reporting quality was signalled by inclusion of the company in a socially responsible investment (SRI) index. IR quality was proxied by disclosure scores compiled from content analyses of investor relations webpages.FindingsThis study find that inclusion in the SRI Index was positively and significantly associated with online IR quality, while controlling for other variables associated with voluntary disclosure behaviour.Practical implicationsFor retail and institutional investors in SRI Index companies, cost of information discovery is reduced as they can use the investor relations webpages as comprehensive source.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on corporate transparency by operationalising reporting “transparency” in that it considers the combined communications output to both financial and non-financial stakeholder groupings. A 2 × 2 conceptual framework for corporate disclosures is proposed that reconciles legitimacy theory and voluntary disclosure theory as motivations. It also contributes to the paucity of research on the links between public relations and investor relations in corporate communications by demonstrating a joint contribution to transparency.

Brand activism

In this work, brand activism is defined as a strategy that seeks to influence citizen-consumers by means of campaigns created and sustained by political values. It involves a transformation in corporate communication management and social responsibility practices, which borrows from those of social movements to contribute to the social production of identity of citizen-consumers. This corporate political shift involves the use of messages, slogans and content based on final (of common interest) or instrumental (linked to the industry in which they are applied) political values. Political behaviour does not operate in a vacuum but is the response to a change in values of the young generations employing digital technologies and demanding a different behaviour from global firms. However, these political advertising practices have been heavily criticised in the field of political economy, insofar as it is contended that they are impostures lacking authenticity. Thus, 45 campaigns were analysed to determine the characteristics of brand activism in this new socio-political context. From the results it follows that this activist practice, of Anglo-Saxon origin, is a relevant trend in political communication because it aligns individual identity, the management of public assets and corporate action in the political sphere.

The dimensionality of corporate communication management (CCM)

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the conceptualisation of corporate communication management (CCM) and its dimensionality from the practitioners’ perspectives. It proposes to validate an operational definition and dimensions of the CCM construct, which have not been identified in the literature.Design/methodology/approachThe initial concepts are based on academic literature and followed by 12 face-to-face interviews with corporate communication practitioners and consultants from Malaysia to confirm the practicality of each dimension. QSR Nvivo Version 9.0 software is used to analyse the qualitative data. Then, the data are classified through deductive content analysis based on key words or themes.FindingsThe diverse perspectives are shown from the practitioners and consultants on the dimensionality of CCM. Most of the interviewees suggest that CCM dimensions include corporate advertising, corporate affairs, investor relations and employee communication within the corporate communication and other departments. They also found the public relations and media relations are clearly under corporate communications manager’s supervision. This research confirms the concept of CCM and its dimensionality to operationalise the CCM construct. The CCM dimensions also offer opportunities for further research to develop the measurement scales.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the clarification on the subject matter by developing clear concepts of the CCM and by offering insights about the role of the CCM dimensions, which help managers to more successfully incorporate the CCM dimension into the corporate management strategy. This paper also examines the concept of CCM and confirms its dimensionality, which helps in developing the CCM measurement for further quantitative research.

Кризисният PR в епохата на постистина

The paper outlines some of the challenges that PR experts are facing in their work in the so-called „Fake News Era”, dominated by misinformation and the need for verifying the facts published in social and traditional media. The main thesis of Gьnter Bentele’s theory of public trust is used to frame the basic idea about the lack of trust in the media in general. Some of his conclusions drawn in the 1990s, are similar to the results summarized today by two reports: Cision’s „State of the Media Report” (2017) and Edelman’s „Trust Barometer” (2017). The paper also presents a few case studies, related to the distribution of fake news that damage the prestige and the reputation of the affected companies (Pepsi Co, New Balance, Ferrero Croup). It poses the question about the extent to which we can talk about corporate communication management and strategies in the post-truth era and whether it would be more appropriate to include a Rumor Management strategy in the corporate communication strategy arsenal when a corporation needs to react to a piece of fake news in the post-truth era.

Evolution of corporate reputation during an evolving controversy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the evolution of online sentiments toward a company (i.e. Chipotle) during a crisis, and the effects of corporate apology on those sentiments.Design/methodology/approachUsing a very large data set of tweets (i.e. over 2.6m) about Company A’s food poisoning case (2015–2016). This case was selected because it is widely known, drew attention from various stakeholders and had many dynamics (e.g. multiple outbreaks, and across different locations). This study employed a supervised machine learning approach. Its sentiment polarity classification and relevance classification consisted of five steps: sampling, labeling, tokenization, augmentation of semantic representation, and the training of supervised classifiers for relevance and sentiment prediction.FindingsThe findings show that: the overall sentiment of tweets specific to the crisis was neutral; promotions and marketing communication may not be effective in converting negative sentiments to positive sentiments; a corporate crisis drew public attention and sparked public discussion on social media; while corporate apologies had a positive effect on sentiments, the effect did not last long, as the apologies did not remove public concerns about food safety; and some Twitter users exerted a significant influence on online sentiments through their popular tweets, which were heavily retweeted among Twitter users.Research limitations/implicationsEven with multiple training sessions and the use of a voting procedure (i.e. when there was a discrepancy in the coding of a tweet), there were some tweets that could not be accurately coded for sentiment. Aspect-based sentiment analysis and deep learning algorithms can be used to address this limitation in future research. This analysis of the impact of Chipotle’s apologies on sentiment did not test for a direct relationship. Future research could use manual coding to include only specific responses to the corporate apology. There was a delay between the time social media users received the news and the time they responded to it. Time delay poses a challenge to the sentiment analysis of Twitter data, as it is difficult to interpret which peak corresponds with which incident/s. This study focused solely on Twitter, which is just one of several social media sites that had content about the crisis.Practical implicationsFirst, companies should use social media as official corporate news channels and frequently update them with any developments about the crisis, and use them proactively. Second, companies in crisis should refrain from marketing efforts. Instead, they should focus on resolving the issue at hand and not attempt to regain a favorable relationship with stakeholders right away. Third, companies can leverage video, images and humor, as well as individuals with large online social networks to increase the reach and diffusion of their messages.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to empirically investigate the dynamics of corporate reputation as it evolves during a crisis as well as the effects of corporate apology on online sentiments. It is also one of the few studies that employs sentiment analysis using a supervised machine learning method in the area of corporate reputation and communication management. In addition, it offers valuable insights to both researchers and practitioners who wish to utilize big data to understand the online perceptions and behaviors of stakeholders during a corporate crisis.

CEOs of dual marketers organizations: Communication and reputation management issues

The paper aims at analyzing how Chief Executive Officers of dual marketers organizations are engaged in corporate communication and reputation management activities. The analysis of the literature enables to define the research questions and an exploratory survey was carried out, involving 82 CEOs from large companies located in Italy, included in the Report of Mediobanca. Results show that CEOs play a strategic role in corporate communication. Particularly, CEOs are strongly engaged in institutional and internal communication, even if they are still reluctant in the use of personal social media. Findings also highlight CEOs are strongly committed in corporate reputation management, above all in activities related to leadership, workplace and performance. The paper is the first of its kind in the Italian context. It sheds light on CEO communication dynamics and contributes to the debate on CEO role in reputation management of dual marketers organizations.

Antecedents and consequences of corporate communication management (CCM)

PurposeThis paper aims to provide a degree of clarity on the corporate communication management (CCM) concept, by building a conceptual framework that uncovers its underlying antecedents and consequences. Although it is consolidated that corporate communication and information together play an important role in strategic management planning because of the high relevance of managing positive relationships with multiple stakeholder that have a strong impact on corporate survival, extant literature suggests that there have been few empirical studies so far assessing the contribution of CCM to organisational performance.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is conceptual, and a model is developed as a result of an extensive critical multidisciplinary literature review.FindingsFindings of this study identify three antecedents of CCM, namely, culture, information and communication technology innovation diffusion and corporate leadership. In addition, the study highlights a potential positive relationship between CCM, financial performance and corporate mission achievement. An integrative conceptual framework and a detailed summary table are presented in the paper.Originality/valueThis study provides a comprehensive critical insight into a growing body of corporate communication and information business literature that offers the basis for a thorough assessment of CCM contribution to organisational performance. By doing so, it advances the body of applicable knowledge of corporate communication meant as a strategic management lever. Moreover, the managerial and policy implications provided in this paper may help corporate communication and information practitioners to identify the key guidelines for the design and implementation of an appropriate CCM programme.

The role of physical metaphors for decision-making in integrated corporate communication

PurposeThe role of metaphors in information management has generally been acknowledged owing to their ability to convey immediately huge amounts of information and richness. Their role is more and more important in the current digital context of communication and marketing activities, as the decision speed and accuracy are crucial. The purpose of this study is, thus, to analyze physical metaphors as tools for making sequential decisions to achieve effective integrated corporate communication (ICC).Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on the critical analysis of literature on corporate communication and stakeholder management as building blocks for implementing an integrated approach to corporate communications.FindingsA revision of two well-known physical metaphors in the communication literature (the “wheel” and “umbrella”) has been proposed. It is argued that integrated communication within corporate communications is more complex than in marketing communications, as it involves a greater variety of elements to coordinate and harmonize. The proposed physical metaphors suggest an effective sequential decision-making as they allow a clear distinction between different decision levels.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper adds to the debate on the link between theory and practice of ICC. From a practical standpoint, the proposed metaphors as simple and concrete tools for handling complex information and ICC problems could aid novice practitioners and students of corporate communications courses.Originality/valueThe paper shows that while scholars have concurred that ICC is crucial for different type of organizations, the use of physical metaphors can be beneficial for the reality-based challenge of ICC.

Design proposal of an analysis model for the management of local corporate communication

La comunicacion politica, ya sea organizada o personal, tiene una gran relevancia en la actualidad. El sector profesional de las relaciones publicas en corporaciones locales se va adaptando progresivamente a una interaccion dinamica y cercana a la ciudadania, propia de una cultura digital que ha roto el marco tradicional. A diferente escala, la comunicacion politica de los municipios resulta clave para que estos se hagan visibles en la aldea global, promocionando sus actividades y decisiones de gestion. Este trabajo propone un modelo de analisis comparativo para estudiar la comunicacion politica de pequenos ayuntamientos, basado en criterios sociodemograficos, economicos y comunicacionales. Se trata de parametros abarcables que ofrecen una vision general, estableciendo la relacion entre tamano, capacidad de los municipios y su apuesta por la comunicacion institucional. La metodologia de estudio disenada abarca, por un lado, parametros cuantitativos relacionados con la capacidad economica. Por otro lado, se propone el estudio de sus gabinetes de prensa y de las herramientas comunicativas. Se ofrecen los resultados de una puesta en prueba tras analizar cinco ayuntamientos del Area Metropolitana de Granada (Espana), de los que se desprende un balance positivo desde el punto de vista profesional de la gestion de su comunicacion institucional. La herramienta ha resultado util para analizar, en un espacio breve de tiempo, el interes y la capacidad de comunicar que tienen las cinco corporaciones locales. En este sentido, se ha detectado poca adaptacion a las nuevas formas de comunicacion politica e institucional en comparacion con el mundo empresarial.

Corporate Communication Management. A Management Approach

AbstractManagerial communication assumes the analyses of the managers’ communicational behaviour, which has as aim fulfilling of tasks and organizational objectives, by working with people. A major objective is: to develop and share the necessary knowledge for growing managerial efficiency - (Smeltzer, 1996). As some of the specialists have noticed, (Smeltzer 1983), The management sees communication as tool for achieving the aim, something that is needs to be used in relation with the objectives organization has, taking in consideration the issues related with the analysis of costs and benefits. Various studies have searched to look into this domain within the frames of social responsibility, which does not ignore the responsibility to have respect for the people as well as for the planet. Managers are people which have responsibilities for taking decisions, for the organization as well as for their subsidiaries (Hill, 2003). Those people are spending a large part of their time interacting with various types of public, with the structuring of the problems which appear on the various processes, as well as with the establishing of the strategic and main financial decisions and company objectives. The company success assumes the development, motivation and in the very end keeping close well performing employees. It is also necessary that managers are keeping themselves extremely connected to the informational sources in order to be able to react as soon as possible and eventually adjust the objectives and the strategy (Suchan 2006).

Corporate social responsibility performance communication and portfolio management

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance communication and stocks’ performance using socially responsible investment (SRI) portfolio management approach.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used the multi-factors models to examine the impact of CSR performance communication on the ex post monthly returns of three distinctly formed portfolios as well as their differential performance from 2001 to 2013 in a small economy of New Zealand.FindingsThe results show that SRS portfolio comprising of the stocks that demonstrate a relatively less proactive approach to the social and environmental concerns outperforms a stock portfolio that comprises of companies that have a relatively proactive approach to stakeholder engagement referred to as SVS portfolio. Furthermore, the authors’ findings show a positive relationship between social performance and market valuation. This indicates that the market values more stakeholder engagement in regard to social issues than environmental issues.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors’ findings imply that the SRI does make perfect financial sense in a small economy such as New Zealand. The perception of the CSR communication as an “insurance” for mitigation of social and environmental risks is one of the factors driving the valuation of SRI portfolios in New Zealand.Originality/valueThe authors collected CSR data from the publicly available sources such as the annual reports, the CSR reports and sustainability reports because a layman investor is more likely to rely on these sources in a small economy.

“Recomendación entre iguales”: el papel de los prosumidores en la reputación online de las organizaciones

El concepto de prosumer y la perspectiva relacional de las relaciones públicas permiten reconceptualizar la reputación organizacional tradicional a través del fenómeno de la recomendación entre iguales. A través de una revisión teórica fundamentada en el uso de fuentes secundarias, este trabajo tiene como objetivo principal definir la reputación online en función de las acciones de comunicación de los prosumidores como parte de la gestión de la comunicación corporativa y las relaciones públicas. Los resultados evidencian que la independencia y autonomía de los prosumidores en su participación y expresión de opiniones se viene mostrando como el modelo más eficaz de producción de confianza y, por tanto, de mayor peso para la construcción de la reputación online estableciéndose, como conclusión final, un modelo evaluativo del diálogo multidireccional organización-prosumidores-entorno.