APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/2017

GRA 6844 Reputation and Corporate Communication

Responsible for the course
Peggy S Brønn

Department
Department of Communication and Culture

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
3

Language of instruction
English

Introduction

Today, reputation is recognized as one of the most important assets of an organization. However, the complexities of reputation as a phenomenon are often not properly understood. As a result organizations put their reputations at risk. Reputation is arguably the responsibility of the board of directors, CEOs and directors, and the management team. However, when everyone in the organization could theoretically influence reputation, a more systems approach is demanded. This approach recognizes that everyone in an organization needs to be aware of how his or her own behavior contributes to building reputation. This course therefore is important to anyone studying business administration or management whether they plan on working in the public or private sectors or non-profit organizations. They will learn the basic principles of reputation and its strategic use in building the corporate brand with multiple stakeholders. Corporate here is used in the broadest sense to represent any type of organization.

The course will be coordinated with the international firm ReputationInc, which is headquartered in London, UK, but has representatives worldwide, including Norway. This gives students access to up-to-date and relevant reputation work of a wide range of organizational types.

Learning outcome

Acquired knowledge
Students will have a thorough understanding of identity, image and reputation and appreciate the interaction of these concepts. They will understand reputational risk and its sources. They will also be able to link reputation building with corporate branding and communication. They will acquire a rudimentary knowledge of different measurement instruments associated with identity, image and reputation. First and foremost they will appreciate their own role in building reputation for their organizations as explored through the systems approach.

Acquired skills
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Explain the differences between identity, image and reputation.
• Appreciate the importance of having a balanced approach to reputation management and branding with a focus on employees and key stakeholders
• Explain the systems approach to reputation building
• Help organizations choose appropriate measurement instruments
• Use tools to analyze reputational risk in their operational area
• Define the capabilities essential for the successful development of corporate reputation
• Define the challenges of corporate branding versus product branding
• Understand work of corporate communicators in developing communication strategies

Prerequisites

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Compulsory reading
Books:
Dowling, G. 2016. Winning the Reputation Game: Creating Stakeholder Value and Competitive Advantage. MIT Press

Other:
Selection of articles


Recommended reading

Course outline
Corporate Reputation

• Understanding identity and image
• Rise and scope of corporate reputation
• Significance of corporate culture
• Reputation risk and how to mitigate it
• The systems approach to reputation
• Measuring reputation
  

• Rise of corporate brands and brand-reputation dilemma
• Measuring corporate brands

• Dimensions and contexts of corporate communication
• Stakeholder dimension
• Symbols, tools and media
• Corporate communication methods

Examination
Continuous assessment