Corporate Communications Overview

Corporate Communications Intro

• Corporate communications are the methods businesses and organizations use to communicate with internal and external audiences.
• Key areas of corporate communications include media relations, sponsorships, crisis communication, CSR communication, and international/intercultural communication.

Corporate Communications 1

• Management function that coordinates internal and external communication to maintain reputations with stakeholders.
• Key characteristics from a management perspective include broader focus, integrated approach to all stakeholders, and combination of managerial and tactical activities.

CorpComm Key Concepts

• Mission: the organization's fundamental purpose aligned with stakeholder expectations.
• Vision: the desired future state the organization aspires to.
• Corporate objectives: overall goals that reflect mission and vision.
• Strategies: actionable plans to achieve objectives.
• Corporate Identity: communicated profile and values.
• Corporate Image: immediate perception of the organization.
• Corporate Reputation: collective assessment of past performance and communication.
• Stakeholder: any group or individual affected by or has an interest in an organization's actions.
• Market: a defined group for whom a product or service is intended.
• Communication: methods and approaches used to communicate with stakeholders.
• Integration: coordinated communication to align with corporate identity.

Corporate Communications 2 (Development)

• Phase 1: Industrial Revolution (1930s) –characterized by mass production, customer demand and consumer manipulation.
• Phase 2: 1930s-1980s –increased public skepticism and emergence of public relations and marketing as distinct disciplines.
• Phase 3: 1980s – Integration of public relations and marketing into corporate communications.

Corporate Communications 3 (Organization)

• The organization of corporate communications evolves from distinct, to complementary, to integrated approaches.
• The strategic role of the CorpComm officer (CCO) is crucial in managing relationships with stakeholders.
• Two types of organizational structures for corporate communications are possible.

Corporate Communications 4 (Stakeholder Management & Communication)

• Stakeholder management and communication are crucial for organizations to establish effective relationships.
• The relationship between corporations and stakeholders evolve from a neoclassical emphasis on profit to a stakeholder theory perspective that emphasizes obligations to stakeholder groups like employees, customers, and the community.

Corporate Communications 7 & 8 (Media Relations)

• A clear understanding of media relations is an essential tool for shaping public opinion, both protecting and enhancing a company's reputation as it relates to media.

Corporate Communications 10 (CorpComm Strategy & Planning)

• Strategic communication involves assessing the organization's reputation, defining goals, and developing strategies to manage reputations in congruence with stakeholder expectations.
• Communication strategies should take into account the specifics of the organization's environment, including stakeholder expectations.

Corporate Communications 12 (Event Management)

• Events create personal connections with stakeholders. Detailed planning and logistics are essential to achieving objectives.
• Types of events include group meetings, conferences and trade shows.

Corporate Communications 14 (Intercultural and International Communication)

• Globalization and digitalization increase intercultural communication's importance.
• Intercultural communication is important for organizations operating globally.
• The history of intercultural communication is intrinsically tied to the efforts of American diplomacy following World War II.
• Micro-cultural aspects, such as nonverbal communication, are initially studied.

Corporate Communications 15 (Intercultural Communication)

• Macro- and micro-cultural aspects should be considered when communicating internationally.
• Core cultural dimensions including individualism/collectivism, power distance, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term/short-term orientation, and indulgence/restraint.

Corporate Communications 16 (Internal & International Communication)

• Standardization and adaptation strategies in international communication.
• Contextual variables such as political/legal systems, socio-cultural systems and media systems should be considered in cross-cultural communication.

Corporate Communications 17 (Research and Measurement)

• Research and measurement are essential for effective corporate communication.
• Defining research types (such as informal and formal) in relation to corporate communication campaigns.
• The evaluation cycle encompasses stages before, during and after projects (or campaigns) to measure effectiveness and adjust as needed.

Corporate Communications 19 (Social Media Communication)

• Social media has democratized information dissemination.
• Social presence, media richness and self-disclosure theories.
• Blogging, vlogging and collaborative projects (e.g. wikis) are critical in contemporary social media use.

Corporate Communications 20 (Social Media Communication)

• Classifying social media in relation to social presence and media richness.
• Bloggers and Vloggers. Types of content that can be developed for corporate communication and how they relate to public perception of a company

Corporate Communications 21 (Employee Communication)

• Employee communication is seen as crucial to organizational success as a stakeholder group.
• It focuses on the principles of fostering an inclusive and supportive culture for employees to participate and engage both internally and externally.

Corporate Communications 24 (Employee Communication)

• Employee communications should be a strategic asset to support organizational goals, encourage employee voice, and address specific stakeholders' concerns.
• Employees can act as advocates and brand ambassadors to help achieve organizational goals.
• Guidelines for managing employee communication to create active employee participation.

This quiz provides an introduction to corporate communications, covering the methods businesses use to engage with various audiences. Key topics include crisis communication, CSR, and the strategic alignment of mission and vision with stakeholder expectations.