Full summary of the 1st year course 'Corporate Communication' of the Bachelor program Communication Science at the UvA. Summary includes the required readings for the course from the book (below) and additional articles.
Summarized book:
Cornelissen, J. (2017). Corporate Communication: A Guide...
Until 1970s corporate communication called “public relations”
After 1970s new function focusses organization as a whole
how organizations presents itself to all the key stakeholders, internal
and external
Corporate communication
= Management function that offers a framework for the effective coordination of all internal and
externa; communication with the overall purpose of establishing and maintaining favourable
reputations with stakeholder groups upon which the organization is dependent
Complex in nature
Concepts that are related to corporate communication
Concept Definition
Mission Overriding purpose in line with the values and
expectations of stakeholders
Vision Desired future state: the aspiration of the
organization
Corporate objectives Statement of overall aims in line with the overall
purpose
Strategy The ways or means in which the corporate
objectives are to be achieved and put into effect
Corporate identity The profile and values communicated by an
organization
Corporate image The immediate set of assocations of an individual
in response to one or more signals or messages
from or about a particular organization at a single
point in time
Corporate reputation An individual’s collective representation of past
images of an organization established over time
Stakeholder Any group or individual who can affect or is
affected by the achievement of the organization’s
objectives
Market A defined group for whom a product is or may be
in demand
Communication The tactics and media that are used to
communicate with internal and external groups
, Integration The act of coordinating all communication so that
the corporate identity is effectively and
consistently communicated to internal and
external groups
Trends
Current state of corporate communication gradual change
Change in how organizations communicate with stakeholders
Continuity in old principles of strategic messaging and reputation management still apply
Chapter 4 – Stakeholder management and communication
FROM Neo-classical economic theory TO socio-economic theory
Neo-classical economic theory = purpose of organizations is to make profits in
their accountability to themselves and to
shareholders. That only by doing so, can business
contribute to wealth for itself as well as society at
large
Socio-economic theory = the questions of who counts extends to other
groups besides shareholders who are considered
to be important for the continuity of the
organization and the welfare of society
, - Organization centre of the economy - Benefits go to all people who hold
- Bulk of the benefits will go to the customers legimate interest in an organization
- Power lies in the organization. Other parties - The relationship between the
are dependent on the organization organization and the groups is
- Interest and relationship of other parties interdependent.
with organization is only financial - All those groups have a legitimate
stake in the organization
More individuals and groups with legitimate interests in organization
recognized, accounted for, all need to be considered
Stakeholder model
organization needs to be considered as legitimate by both market and non market stakeholders
In this model when framing accountability
Organizations NOT only engage with stakeholders for instrumental reasons
ALSO for normative reasons
Instrumental reasons = connection between stakeholder management and corporate performance
Normative reasons = appeal underlying concepts such as individual or groups rights social contracts
morality
Interest of stakeholders are seen as intrinsic value to the organization
Communication with a stakeholder could have started for a normative reason.
The gains that are delivered in terms of employee morale, reputation etc are of
instrumental value to the organization
Nature of stakes and stakeholders
Stakeholder = any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the
organization’s purpose and objectives
Stake = interest or share in undertaking that can range from simple interest on the one hand to
a legal claim of ownership on the other hand.
Stakes of different individuals/groups vary put pressure on organization to
balance the stakeholder interests
Edward Freeman offered a classification of all these stakeholders:
3 types of stakes
1. Equity stakes
held by ones who have some direct ownership of the organization
E.g. shareholders, directors or minority interest owners
, 2. Economic or market stakes
held by ones who have an economic interest but not an ownership interest
E.g employees, customers, suppliers and competitors
3. Influencer stakes
held by owns who have interest as consumer advocates, environmental groups, trade
organizations and government agencies
Ways of viewing the stakes
1. Divide the stakeholders into two groups
Primary group = without this group’s continuity of participation, the organization would not
survive
Contribute financially
E.g. customers
Secondary group = those who influence or are influenced by the organization. They are not
engaged in financial transactions
Moral interest in organization: have the ability to move public opinion in favour or
against the company
E.g. Media
2. Are the ties between the stakeholder and organization established through a form of contract or
agreement or not.
Contractual stakeholder = groups who have a legal relationship with the organization for the
exchange of goods or services
E.g. customers, employees, suppliers
Community stakeholder = groups whose relationship with the organization is non-
contractual and more diffuse
E.g. government, media, regulatory agencies and trade associations
Stakeholder communication
Stakeholder model of organization (1st mapping device)
Various stakeholders of an organization need to be identified and must be
addressed according to the stake they hold
= provide stakeholder with information that is relevant to them in order to formulate
appropriate communication strategies
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