1. MANAGING CORPORATE REPUTATION Tutor David Phillips FCIPR, FSNCR

2. Overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general Recognition by other people of some characteristic or ability A place in public esteem or regard Good name Quick Reminder

3. Understand the way organisations develop their identities Identify how organisations develop identities to acquire reputational status Elements that contribute to the identity Corporate communications application to establish desired reputation v actual reputation. Identifying methodologies to gain holistic perspective of an organisation Strategic management of reputation Course objectives

4. There are overlapping elements with other parts of the course E.g. nature and role of organisational culture has close similarities with Unit 3, Marketing Leadership and Planning Corporate brand identity v product brand Internal and contextual cultural influence (Unit 4) Very close similarities but differences important There is a huge literature and range of Relationship, Reputation and services practice from lobbying to marketing communications – we will touch on it – for more http://prbooks.pbworks.com/ Overlapping Modules

5. Critically evaluate the context and concepts relating to corporate reputation: Development, evolution and perception Corporate image versus corporate identity Context: industrial, not‐for‐profit, competitive, societal, political Criteria: credibility, trustworthiness, reliability and responsiveness Developing the rationale for managing corporate reputation

6. Importance and significance of managing an organisation’s corporate reputation Financial performance Managing shareholder value Improved competitiveness Relative ease of recruitment Enhanced productivity/creativity

7. External Forces: environmental, financial, political, social, industry‐wide, legal, technological, community‐based Also regulatory, global, always on, Relational: competitive and collaborative strategies, resources, mergers/acquisitions, repositioning Internal forces: resources, political, strategy, structure, behaviour, communication climate Influence an organisation’s reputation

8. Assessing the compatibility of an organisation’s corporate strategy, structure, systems and culture with its positioning and reputation Vision, mission, values, objectives Organisational structure and culture Organisational communication climate Perception and positioning Scope of corporate reputation

9. Publics Grunig Publics form round issues Stakeholders R. E Freedman Social Segmentation UG Segmentation e.g. bloggers Identification of key external and internal stakeholders

10. Often have specialist dealing with Publics/stakeholder groups Investors – investor relations Customers – marketing communications Employees – internal communications Government – public affairs The public – public relations Internet communities – social media relations Identify Publics/Stakeholders

11. ROI Brand equity Shareholder value Media comment Commitment/productivity Low cost change management Propose/justify a portfolio of broad indicators to reputation

12. Image v identity Context –different organisation/operating environment/ type Impact on Financial /shareholder value /competitiveness /recruitment /productivity/creativity Influences: external/relational/internal Scope: Vision, mission, values, objectives, organisational structure, culture, communication climate, perception and positioning Stakeholders Justifying the portfolio approach In Summary

13. Teams of three Choose from M&S, Ryanair, Ikea, BBC, Samsung, Apple and BMW Reputation of the organisation over last 5 years (eg, strong, weak, improving, declining, desirable, not desirable ) Prepare an argument to support your view. Who are key stakeholders Key forces acting on organisation Argument should be structured, logical and based on reasonably well known facts Workshop 1

14. Did we identify Overall concepts culture Identity image reputation Establish criticality of managing corporate reputation Demonstrate vital role of stakeholders impact Significance of managing the reputation process Can you identify the central framework progress from: Personality … Identity … Image … Reputation Plenary

15. Three Groups Select one of your employers Each group to reflect on the: prevailing organisational culture (what is my organisation really about?) Key stakeholders – importance, influence, attitude identity cues used (how the organisation communicates with its stakeholders) judgement about what the image/reputation of the organisation is, and what it isn’t. Workshop 2

16. Did you establish the diversity, centrality and criticality of corporate culture when managing corporate reputation confirm the constituency of the identity mix and the different ways organisations communicate their identity introduce the role corporate communications have linking character and identity, and the role employees have in an organisation’s reputation. Plenary

17. Plenary For Morrisons Supermarket Explore reputation, branding and communications issues and how they relate to corporate positioning Explore culture and how that might affect branding Who are key publics What was the task of communications How is selection branding, publics and communication affecting reputation Workshop 3

18. What are the forces acting on the organisation Is the company responding Why is it important for them to manage their reputation Identify elements associated with corporate reputation Articulate ideas associated with structure, strategy and culture Explicate the importance of the environment in stimulating reputational work Demonstrate ways in which communication delivers the desired corporate positioning. Workshop 3

19. Explored the notion and central ideas about what reputation means, what it consists of and what affects it . Re-conformation

20. Working in pairs, your are required to read the following scenario and prepare written answers to be presented later in class. HeatBox, an organisation that makes components for central heating systems, has performed well in recent years. Sales and profits continue to climb yet the CEO believes that the brand is not perceived particularly well. Indeed, it is common knowledge that plumbers say they only buy HeatBox products because they are superior, but the delivery systems are appalling and the service borders on the arrogant and rude. Workshop 4

21. Fombrun’s four criteria: credibility, trustworthiness, reliability and responsibility. Students need to consider what these mean and interpret them in the light of the HeatBox scenario. Use of a portfolio of broad indicators namely: ROI, brand equity, shareholder value and media comment. Would you consider others. If so what and why. Methodological considerations

22. Believing there is an opportunity to build the HeatBox brand, the Marketing Director has asked you to prepare a short report answering the following questions: What are the criteria used to define reputation? What are the techniques available to measure reputation? How can HeatBox’s reputation be measured? The task

23. The assessment strategy for this unit is based on the preparation of a work‐based assignment. The majority of candidates are expected to be in employment and will be required to apply their knowledge to their employer’s organisation. Those candidates not in employment will be required to base their assignment tasks on a recent employer or an organisation with which they are familiar or have access. Candidates will prepare two assignment tasks. One is compulsory and the other, one choice from three. The compulsory task will require a written response of 4,000 words, and the other will require 2,000 to 3,000 words. The variability in word length is recognition that some tasks and some organisations may not present the same opportunities for candidates to express themselves. The volume of words is not particularly important, rather it is the quality of what is being communicated that matters, and clarity and simplicity are paramount. The written tasks require candidates to express themselves in unusual assessment formats.

24. Whilst the report format will be used, candidates will also be required to write White Papers, Journal Articles for professional magazines and case studies. The format will be predetermined for each task. Tutors will have access to instructions and web resources concerning the preparation of each of these formats. It is the intention that once these assessments have been assessed, they can be used by the candidates and their organisations. For example, white papers can be used internally or posted on the website for external consumption. Although assessment journal articles will need to be edited and shortened, they might provide publicity materials that can be used for reputational purposes. Case studies can be sold to case houses, used by CIM or used for training purposes by the candidate’s employer.

25. A typical core assignment will focus on the status of the current reputation of the organisation and require the candidate to prepare a report for presentation to the Board advising them of the merits of managing the organisation’s reputation and what needs to be done to put in place suitable systems, processes and procedures. Other tasks could include: assessing the strength of an organisation’s reputation evaluating the commercial systems available to measure reputation recommending strategies to manage the forces acting on the organisation and/or key stakeholders assessing reputation measures and the impact on brand equity. Candidates will be required to provide evidence to support their outputs, engage with academic materials and demonstrate their ability to apply theory in practice. They should reflect on their judgements and develop their analytical skills. Each assessment provides a framework for candidates to explore their organisation. There is no right or wrong answer but there must be evidence within the assignment of candidates engaging with the topic and considering a variety of strategic reputation‐related issues. Marks will be awarded for structure, depth, and involvement as well as for the application of theory in practice.