Corporate Reputation and its Importance for Business Success
A European Perspective and its Implication for Public Relations Consultancies
- Art: MA-Thesis / Master
- Autor: Riccarda Dümke
- Abgabedatum: Oktober 2002
- Umfang: 161 Seiten
- Dateigröße: 1,5 MB
- Note: 2,0
- Institution / Hochschule: Oxford Brookes University Großbritannien
- ISBN (eBook): 978-3-8324-6200-0
-
ISBN (Paperback) :
978-3-8324-6200-0 P - ISBN (CD) :978-3-8324-6200-0 CD
- Sprache: Englisch
- Prämierung:
- Arbeit zitieren: Dümke, Riccarda Oktober 2002: Corporate Reputation and its Importance for Business Success, Hamburg: Diplomica Verlag
- Schlagworte: Corporate Brand, Intangible Assets, Measuring PR, Reputation Driver
In den Warenkorb
48,00 €
MA-Thesis / Master von Riccarda Dümke
Abstract:
Ignored for a long time, intangible assets are now gaining increased attention. In the last decade, especially in the United States, company managers recognized that intangible assets may provide companies with a more stable basis for competitive advantage than patents and technologies. Hence, companies started to invest in corporate Public Relations (PR) activities to communicate good corporate behaviour, gain good will and to improve the public perception of their corporate reputation.
The main aim of this dissertation research project is to develop an understanding of the European perspective of corporate reputation and its management and importance for business success.
Based on a literature review on the topic of marketing communications and PR, which comprises the first part of the dissertation, a questionnaire has been developed in order to examine expert opinions. The discussion on research methods can be found in the third chapter.
Hosted by the PR consultancy Weber Shandwick Worldwide, the questionnaire has been sent to 700 of Europe’s leading companies. Communication managers were asked for their opinions on the topic of corporate reputation and its importance for business success. The fourth chapter discusses and evaluates the results of the pan-European survey.
The last part of the dissertation actually discusses the implications of findings for Weber Shandwick and its reputation management practice.
Table of Contents:
| 1. | Introduction | 1 |
| 1.1 | The dissertation topic | 1 |
| 1.2 | Weber Shandwick Worldwide | 4 |
| 1.3 | Structure of the dissertation | 5 |
| 2. | Literature Review | 8 |
| 2.1 | The relationship between the marketing communications function, corporate communications and Public Relations | 8 |
| 2.2 | Principles of Public Relations | 15 |
| 2.2.1 | Public Relation practices promoting the corporate brand | 16 |
| Public Affairs | 16 | |
| Investor Relations | 17 | |
| Media Relations | 20 | |
| Employee Relations | 21 | |
| 2.2.2 | The changing environment of Public Relations | 23 |
| Public Relations in the global context | 23 | |
| Public Relations in the digital age | 24 | |
| 2.3 | The concept of corporate reputation and the role of Public Relations | 27 |
| 2.3.1 | Corporate reputation defined | 28 |
| Factors that are shaping the corporate reputation | 33 | |
| The role of the CEO as the personified company reputation | 35 | |
| Corporate social responsibility | 37 | |
| The role of the PR consultancy in corporate reputation | 39 | |
| 2.4 | Evaluation of Public Relations effectiveness | 40 |
| 2.4.1 | Current approaches of measuring Public Relations effectiveness | 41 |
| Ketchum’s effectiveness yardstick (KEY) | 41 | |
| The IPR’s PR Toolkit | 43 | |
| Advertising Value Equivalents (AVE) | 44 | |
| Media Content Analysis | 45 | |
| 2.5 | Conclusion | 46 |
| 3. | Methodology | 50 |
| Objectives | 50 | |
| 3.1 | Defining the research methodology and strategy | 51 |
| 3.1.1 | The research philosophy | 52 |
| 3.1.2 | The research approach | 53 |
| 3.2 | Corporate reputation investigated | 56 |
| 3.2.1 | Basic requirements | 56 |
| 3.2.2 | Company selection criteria | 57 |
| 3.2.3 | Method of data gathering | 60 |
| Questionnaire survey | 60 | |
| 3.2.4 | Method of data evaluation and presentation | 65 |
| Statistical analysis | 66 | |
| Data presentation | 71 | |
| 3.2.5 | Reflection | 72 |
| 4. | Analysis | 73 |
| 4.1 | Importance of enough data points for valid statistical analysis | 74 |
| 4.2 | Corporate PR as an important marketing communications tool | 75 |
| 4.2.1 | Who handles the PR of Europe’s leading companies | 75 |
| 4.2.2 | Companies use corporate PR more often than corporate advertising | 77 |
| 4.3 | Corporate reputation investigated | 79 |
| 4.3.1 | Communication managers’ definition of corporate reputation | 80 |
| 4.3.2 | Factors shaping the corporate reputation | 82 |
| 4.3.3 | Reputational drivers that can be influenced by corporate PR | 85 |
| Companies with in-house PR department | 86 | |
| Companies with external PR consultancy | 87 | |
| 4.3.4 | Impact of corporate reputation on financial performance | 89 |
| 4.4 | Importance of corporate reputation management | 92 |
| 4.4.1 | Maintenance of corporate reputation | 92 |
| 4.4.1 | Market research on perceived corporate reputation | 94 |
| Possible reasons for differences between expected and perceived reputation | 97 | |
| 4.4.3 | Key factors for choosing a PR consultancy | 98 |
| 4.5 | Measuring Public Relations effectiveness | 100 |
| 4.5.1 | Importance of measuring PR in clear financial terms | 101 |
| 4.5.2 | PR objectives – financial or non-financial | 103 |
| 4.5.3 | Majority of companies measures if PR objectives have been reached | 105 |
| 3.1.2 | Methods of measuring PR effectiveness | 107 |
| 5. | Conclusion and implications of findings for Weber Shandwick | 108 |
| Implications of findings for Weber Shandwick | 114 | |
| 6. | Appendices | 117 |
| 7. | References | 149 |
| 8. | Bibliography | 154 |
In den Warenkorb
48,00 €
Link zur Arbeit:
http://www.diplom.de/ean/9783832462000
Arbeit zitieren:
Dümke, Riccarda Oktober 2002: Corporate Reputation and its Importance for Business Success, Hamburg: Diplomica Verlag
Schlagworte:
Corporate Brand, Intangible Assets, Measuring PR, Reputation Driver
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