LECTURE 2 FOUNDATION OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

Defining corporate communication Corporate communication (CC) is a complex and distinctive management discipline, which here refers to public relations management incorporating all strategic and managerial functions of communication in light of corporate identity, image, reputation, crisis and risk, and marketing communication. CC is an area of both professional practice & theoretical inquiry – missing link

Theories/concepts – Corporate communication socio-economic theories focusing on knowledge and intelligence have become the top assets of successful organisations (Cornelissen, 2004). corporate communication was originally developed from the theory of management decision making (Vercic & Grunig, in Moss et al, 2003).

Imperative concepts - Corporate communication An excellent organisation should have multiple goals concerning intangible aspects such as managing trust of organisation, cultivating social responsibility and developing strong relationships between an organisation and its public. It is important for today’s communication scholars and practitioners to view corporate communication as the contemporary profession described by Kultgen (1988)

Imperative concepts - Corporate communication 2 ‘Professionalisation’ is very important for certain management functions such as corporate communication, as without interference from a regulatory body, corporate sins will be practised in the corporate world and this poses a threat to a civil society. it remains a huge challenge for working academics and practitioners to view corporate communication as a ‘true profession’ by moving towards a management science. 

Broom’s 4 CC roles 1. Communication technician role Preparing & producing com materials 2. Expert prescriber role Play alone as ‘expert’ - authority 3. Communication facilitator role Serve as liaison, interpreter, & mediator 4. Problem solving process facilitator role Play active part in strategic decision making

Dozier advanced CC roles 1. Communication technician Focus on activities such as writing com materials; editing texts; producing brochures; doing media contacts & placing press releases. 2. Communication manager Enacting the manager role make strategy or policy decisions. Involving in management decision making & strategic decisions Producing ‘corporate communication managerialists’ (Abdullah, Z. 2007) or ‘renaissance communicators’ (Neimann, 2005) rather than communication technicians.

there is a dire need for the corporate communication discipline to move from propaganda and publicity to smart relationships, negotiations, partnerships and mutual understanding between an organisation and its public. Kitchen et al. (1997) recommended a ‘perception management’ in corporate communication as a way of building a good reputation in order to develop a win-win situation between an organisation and its strategic constituencies Perception management here referred to the use of management concepts rather than relying merely on conventional communication theories; and interactive communications rather than one-way communication.

focuses on pluralistic societies, specifically strategic constituencies such as employees, advertisers, government, investors, suppliers, legislators, and communities rather than a single public; and long-term strategic relationships rather than ad hoc publicity or free advertising. understanding the complexity of cultural diversity (White & Mazur, 1995), which is a part of developing good management, is essential for global communication practitioners all communication practitioners are living and working in a global village where there are different aspects and patterns of multicultural societies in regions such as Asia, the Middle East, America, and Europe

Beyond media relations L’Etang (2004) also asserted that possessing journalistic skills alone is not enough to practise excellent corporate communication Press officer – media relations only CC practitioners – media relations; strategic counsel; crisis management CC – focuses on strategic management & corporate governance

Prototype Research instruments Edelman’s Annual Trust Barometer, managing trust for corporations in Asia, especially in China - best practice in corporate communication http://www.edelman.com/events/Trust/startwm.html Hill & Knowlton’s Corporate Reputation Watch www.hillandknowlton.com/crw Steyn’s communication strategy Digital communication (web strategy) http://www.globalpr.org http://comproa.digitalmgmt.com/GAdmsWeb/index.htm

Major audiences In-house practitioners Public & corporate sectors Division of CorpCom/Corporate Affairs/Corporate Relations/Public Affairs Consultants Eric White in 1965. CC/PR agencies; PRTech firms Event management; media; branding; reputation Academics Local – UPM, UKM, USM, UITM, UM Global – Univ. of Maryland (James Grunig); Leeds Business School; Manchester Univ.; Henley Management College; Cardiff Univ.; Slovenia

SCL-Problem Based Activity You are working for a service corporation in Kuala Lumpur for more than 5 years as a communication executive. The board has decided that you will be promoted to be Manager of Corporate Communication who leads a business unit such as event management and media relations. In recent situation, a global Public Relations firm has offered you to be a senior consultant in Kuala Lumpur. You will be assigned to work with a highly experience PR consultancy team to deliver great services to a number of corporate clients. So ask yourself: What should I do?