The importance of creating a favourable impression is hard to overstate in all walks of life - in business it's vital to achieve strategic goals. Customers, journalists, bloggers, investors, governments and other groups are all important stakeholders in an organizations performance and in persuasively communicating a company's ethical and socially responsible behaviour, these groups can be kept onside. Supported throughout by lively examples, this book contains guidance for implementing strategies that engage stakeholders - highlighting those organizations which employ communication professionals as key performers. Van Riel reveals how a dominant logic develops among executives, which influences styles and techniques of trust-building communication. The practical insights demonstrated via cases including Google, Unilever and Barclays make this book useful reading for MBA and other graduate classes across areas such as public relations and reputation management as well as thinking managers across the globe.

The importance of creating a favourable impression is hard to overstate in all walks of life - in business it's vital to achieve strategic goals. Customers, journalists, bloggers, investors, governments and other groups are all important stakeholders in an organizations performance and in persuasively communicating a company's ethical and socially responsible behaviour, these groups can be kept onside. Supported throughout by lively examples, this book contains guidance for implementing strategies that engage stakeholders - highlighting those organizations which employ communication professionals as key performers. Van Riel reveals how a dominant logic develops among executives, which influences styles and techniques of trust-building communication. The practical insights demonstrated via cases including Google, Unilever and Barclays make this book useful reading for MBA and other graduate classes across areas such as public relations and reputation management as well as thinking managers across the globe.

This lively and engaging new book addresses a topical and important area of study. Helping readers not only to understand, but also to apply, the most important theoretical notions on identity, identification, reputation and corporate branding, it illustrates how communicating with a company’s key audience depends upon all of the company’s internal and external communication.

The authors, leading experts in this field, provide students of corporate communication with a research-based tool box to be used for effective corporate communications and creating a positive reputation.

Essentials of Corporate Communication features original examples and vignettes, drawn from a variety of US, European and Asian companies with a proven record of successful corporate communication, thus offering readers best practice examples. Illustrations are drawn from such global companies as Virgin, IKEA, INVE and Lego. Presenting the most up-to-date content available it is a must-read for all those studying and working in this field.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Communication System 1. What is Corporate Communication? 2. From Communication to Reputation 3. Building Identity and Identification 4. Measuring Corporate Identity 5. Communicating with the Corporate Brand 6. Developing a Reputation Platform 7. Expressing the Company 8. Communicating with Key Stakeholder Groups 9. Assessing the Effectiveness of Corporate Communication 10. Applied Reputation Research 11. Organizing Corporate Communication