Corporate Reputation and its Importance for Business Success

This item is printed on demand - it takes 3-4 days longer - Neuware -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.Introduction11.1The dissertation topic11.2Weber Shandwick Worldwide41.3Structure of the dissertation52.Literature Review82.1The relationship between the marketing communications function, corporate communications and Public Relations82.2Principles of Public Relations152.2.1Public Relation practices promoting the corporate brand16Public Affairs16Investor Relations17Media Relations20Employee Relations212.2.2The changing environment of Public Relations23Public Relations in the global context23Public Relations in the digital age242.3The concept of corporate reputation and the role of Public Relations272.3.1Corporate reputation defined28Factors that are shaping the corporate reputation33The role of the CEO as the personified company reputation35Corporate social responsibility37The role of the PR consultancy in corporate reputation392.4Evaluation of Public Relations effectiveness402.4.1Current approaches of measuring Public Relations effectiveness41Ketchum s effectiveness yardstick (KEY)41The IPR s PR Toolkit43Advertising Value Equivalents (AVE)44Media Content Analysis452.5Conclusion463.Methodology50Objectives503.1Defining the research methodology and strategy513.1.1The research philosophy523.1.2The research approach533.2Corporate reputation investigated563.2.1Basic requirements563.2.2Company selection criteria573.2.3Method of data gathering60Questionnaire survey603.2.4Method of data evaluation and presentation65Statistical analysis66Data presentation713.2.5Reflection724.Analysis734.1Importance of enough data points for valid statistical analysis744.2Corporate PR as an important marketing communications tool754.2.1Who handles the PR of Europe s leading companies754.2.2Companies use corporate PR more often than corporate advertising774.3Corporate reputation investigated794.3.1Communication managers definition of corporate reputation804.3. 168 pp. Englisch.…