Corporate Reputation and its Importance for Business Success

Master's Thesis from the year 2002 in the subject Business economics - Marketing, Corporate Communication, CRM, Market Research, Social Media, grade: 2,0, Oxford Brookes University (unbekannt), language: English, abstract: Inhaltsangabe: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.§Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents:§1.Introduction1§1.1The dissertation topic1§1.2Weber Shandwick Worldwide4§1.3Structure of the dissertation5§2.Literature Review8§2.1The relationship between the marketing communications function, corporate communications and Public Relations8§2.2Principles of Public Relations15§2.2.1Public Relation practices promoting the corporate brand16§Public Affairs16§Investor Relations17§Media Relations20§Employee Relations21§2.2.2The changing environment of Public Relations23§Public Relations in the global context23§Public Relations in the digital age24§2.3The concept of corporate reputation and the role of Public Relations27§2.3.1Corporate reputation defined28§Factors that are shaping the corporate reputation33§The role of the CEO as the personified company reputation35§Corporate social responsibility37§The role of the PR consultancy in corporate reputation39§2.4Evaluation of Public Relations effectiveness40§2.4.1Current approaches of measuring Public Relations effectiveness41§Ketchum s effectiveness yardstick (KEY)41§The IPR s PR Toolkit43§Advertising Value Equivalents (AVE)44§Media Content Analysis45§2.5Conclusion46§3.Methodology50§Objectives50§3.1Defining the research methodology and strategy51§3.1.1The research philosophy52§3.1.2The research approach53§3.2Corporate reputation investigated56§3.2.1Basic requirements56§3.2.2Company selection criteria57§3.2.3Method of data gathering60§Questionnaire survey60§3.2.4Method of data evaluation and presentation65§Statistical analysis66§Data presentation71§3.2.5Reflection72§4.Analysis73§4.1Importance of enough data points for valid statistical analysis74§4.2Corporate PR as an important marketing communications tool75§4.2.1Who handles the PR of Europe s leading companies75§4.2.2Companies use corporate PR more often than corporate advertising77§4.3Corporate reputation investigated79§4.3.1Communication managers definition of corporate reputation80§4.3...