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Craig E Carroll

Rice University, Strategy, Adjunct

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Craig Carroll, PhD is the founder and director of The OCR, a research think tank devoted to corporate affairs function. He is a former faculty member at USC Annenberg and UNC Chapel Hill. He has taught as graduate adjunct faculty member at the University of Florida, New York University, Singapore Management University, IE University and Copenhagen Business School.
Phone: 1.917.410.0627

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Toronto Metropolitan University

University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)

Portland State University

Javier Díaz Noci

Pompeu Fabra University

Chiara Valentini

University of Jyväskylä

The American University of Paris (AUP)

Benjamin Isakhan

Deakin University

Kansas State University

Armando Marques-Guedes

UNL - New University of Lisbon

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Scholarly Articles by Craig E Carroll

Exploring Corporations’ Dialogue About CSR in the Digital Era

In this paper, we examined how companies are employing new media to engage in dialogue with their... more In this paper, we examined how companies are employing new media to engage in dialogue with their stakeholders about corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related matters. Through a qualitative theory-building study conducted in three stages over a period of 2 years, we discovered that corporations with reputations for CSR have built virtual spaces for dialogue about CSR, but that these spaces remain empty of dialogue. Our theory-building model highlights how the mix of four dialogue processes (i.e. directing, moderating, building open-scripts, and crowd-sourcing multi-dialogue) may allow companies to create open dialogue about CSR initiatives and avoid leaving these spaces empty. Contributions for CSR studies are discussed.

Key messages and message integrity as concepts and metrics in communication evaluation

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concepts of key messages and key message integrity,... more The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concepts of key messages and key message integrity, and examines their viability for communication management scholars and practitioners in evaluating media relations activities. Key message integrity addresses not only what messages transfer, but also how well.
The authors analyzed 18 nonprofit organizations’ key messages and the messages’ integrity levels using content analysis on one month of their news coverage. In-depth interviews with eight of their media relations practitioners helped validate the concepts and the results.
The authors found five unique categories and functions of key messages: information concerned with dissemination, raison d’être concerned with purpose, categories concerned with positioning, resource management concerned with accounting for resources, and social relevance concerned with legitimacy. Findings also revealed varying levels of transmission and message integrity across the categories. Interviews revealed insights into challenges for communicating organizational key messages to the news media.
This study lays the foundation for additional research on key messages and key message integrity as useful metrics for communication management scholars and practitioners.

Agenda-setting effects of business news on the public's images and opinions about major corporations

Does media attention drive corporate social responsibility?

by Craig E Carroll and Donald Siegel

Journal of Business …, Sep 1, 2011

This paper investigates the impact that media attention has on the strengths and weaknesses of a ... more This paper investigates the impact that media attention has on the strengths and weaknesses of a firm's corporate social responsibility (CSR). Drawing on stakeholder theory, the study develops and tests two hypotheses concerning the influence that media attention can have on the CSR-strengths and weaknesses of a particular firm. The findings indicate that while increases in media attention are related to increases in CSR-strengths, CSR-weaknesses are not sensitive to changes in media attention.

The Emergence, Variation, and Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Public Sphere, 1980–2004: The Exposure of Firms to Public Debate

This study examined the emergence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a public issue over... more This study examined the emergence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a public issue over 25 years using a content analysis of two national news- papers and seven regional, geographically-dispersed newspapers in the U.S. The present study adopted a comprehensive definition encompassing all four CSR dimensions: economic, ethical, legal, and philanthropic. This study examined newspaper editorials, letters to the editor, op-ed columns, news analyses, and guest columns for three aspects: media attention, media prominence, and media valence. Results showed an increase in the number of opinion pieces covering CSR issues over the 25-year period. The prominence of each of the four CSR dimensions varied over time. Each of the four CSR dimensions had its moment of media prominence when it was more important than the other dimensions. The most prevalent valence of the opinion pieces was negative; the volume of negative pieces increased over the 25 years, whereas the number of opinions with positive, neutral, and mixed tones showed little change over time. The study concludes by tracing the implications of the role of the news media for business ethics research.

Under What Conditions Do the News Media Influence Corporate Reputation: The Roles of Media Dependency and Need for Orientation

Corporate Reputation …, Jan 1, 2010

The Relationship between Firms' Media Favorability and Public Esteem

Should Firms Circumvent or Work Through the News Media?

This study examined whether corporate public agenda setting or corporate agenda building exerts a... more This study examined whether corporate public agenda setting or corporate agenda building exerts a stronger influence on firms’ public prominence. After controlling for the effects of firms’ advertising expenditures and existing levels of prominence, results showed that in the absence of media salience, firms’ public agenda-setting efforts had no influence on their change in prominence. In the presence of media salience, however, firms’ public agenda-setting efforts had a negative influence on their change in prominence. In the context of public prominence, the study supports the news media's role as a third-party endorsement of firms as newsworthy entities. Future research should re-examine these relationships in the age of social media.

The OTRI-I Audit and the Detection and Expression of Hidden and Blind Organizational Identities: Implications for Managing Reputational Intelligence, Authenticity …

Corporate Reputation Review, Jan 1, 2012

organizations. Using a case study composed of mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, this pa... more organizations. Using a case study composed of mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, this paper details an instrument and process for detecting and expressing an organization ' s multiple organizational identities from the perspective of its publics. Within the US population, the OTRI-I Audit empirically verifi ed the existence of eight distinct but not mutually exclusive publics having different perceptions of the identity of the denomination. These eight profi les explained 53.7 percent of the statistical variance. Two publics represented views of the organization ' s corporate story that should be used as reference points for uncovering hidden or blind identities or reputations, managing authenticity and aligning the organization ' s various identities from the AC 2 / 3 / 4 ID Test for the mutual benefi t between an organization and its stakeholders . Corporate Reputation Review (2012) 15, 179 -197.

Corporate reputation and the news media: agenda-setting within business news coverage in developed, emerging, and frontier markets

This volume examines agenda-setting theory as it applies to the news media&amp;amp;amp;amp;am... more This volume examines agenda-setting theory as it applies to the news media&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#x27;s influence on corporate reputation. It presents interdisciplinary, international, and empirical investigations examining the relationship between corporate reputation and the news media throughout the world. Providing coverage of more than 25 countries, contributors write about their local media and business communities, representing developed, emerging, and frontier markets&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#x27; including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Germany, Greece, Japan, Nigeria, Spain, and ...

The evolution of corporate social performance and the role of media visibility

In this paper we investigate the affect that media visibility has on Corporate Social Performance... more In this paper we investigate the affect that media visibility has on Corporate Social Performance (CSP). Drawing on agenda-setting theory from the field of communication studies, we develop and test a number of hypotheses regarding the impact that the firm's media visibility has on the different aspects of the firm's CSP. Our findings indicate that media visibility has a positive impact on some aspects of the firm's CSP, with those aspects easier to change being more sensitive to the firm's media visibility.

The syntax of ‘tactic(s)’ in public relations research

by Craig E Carroll and Nell Huang

Public Relations Review, 2009

Strategies and tactics are foundational to the teaching of public relations, yet little scholarly... more Strategies and tactics are foundational to the teaching of public relations, yet little scholarly reflection on the term 'tactic(s)' itself exists in our research. We content analyzed 30 years of research in Public Relations Review for references to the term 'tactic(s).' Our research reveals that of the 174 studies reviewed, 13% elaborated on the term, but none defined it. Moreover, the term 'tactic(s)' appeared more frequently with 'strategies' (31.5%) than in conjunction with 'ethics' (2%). We conclude our research note with a call for greater reflection on core concepts related to our public relations teaching and research.

Journal of Organizational Change Management: The Strategic Use of the Past and Future in Organizational Change

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emeral... more

Rearticulating Organizational Identity: Exploring corporate images and employee identification

Management Learning, Jan 1, 1995

The person as object in discourses in and around organizations

Communication Research, Jan 1, 1997

The Syntax of [] Tactic (S)'In Public Relations Research

Public Relations Review, Jan 1, 2009

Rearticulating Organizational Identity: Exploring Corporate Images and Employee Identification

Management Learning, Jan 1, 1995

Abstract Managers have often tried to enact a&amp;#x27;preferred&amp;#x27;organizational ... more Abstract Managers have often tried to enact a&amp;#x27;preferred&amp;#x27;organizational experience on others through business concepts such as corporate philosophies, values, vision and mission statements either to create, maintain, perpetuate or redirect organizational identification processes. While managers cannot control the degree to which constituencies identify with the organization, this does not mean that they stop trying. One way managers attempt to influence organizations is through the introduction of new metaphors refraining ...

How the Mass Media Influence Perceptions of Corporate Reputation: Exploring Agenda-Setting Effects Within Business News Coverage

The Strategic Use of the Past and Future In Organizational Change

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

... The author thanks David Boje, Cees van Riel, Charles Fombrun, Gary Hoover, Patrick Spain, Dav... more

The Injunction of Metaphor As a Mode of Cultural-Ideological Management Control: a Case Study

Academia.edu helps academics follow the latest research.

Exploring Corporations’ Dialogue About CSR in the Digital Era

In this paper, we examined how companies are employing new media to engage in dialogue with their... more In this paper, we examined how companies are employing new media to engage in dialogue with their stakeholders about corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related matters. Through a qualitative theory-building study conducted in three stages over a period of 2 years, we discovered that corporations with reputations for CSR have built virtual spaces for dialogue about CSR, but that these spaces remain empty of dialogue. Our theory-building model highlights how the mix of four dialogue processes (i.e. directing, moderating, building open-scripts, and crowd-sourcing multi-dialogue) may allow companies to create open dialogue about CSR initiatives and avoid leaving these spaces empty. Contributions for CSR studies are discussed.

Key messages and message integrity as concepts and metrics in communication evaluation

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concepts of key messages and key message integrity,... more The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concepts of key messages and key message integrity, and examines their viability for communication management scholars and practitioners in evaluating media relations activities. Key message integrity addresses not only what messages transfer, but also how well.
The authors analyzed 18 nonprofit organizations’ key messages and the messages’ integrity levels using content analysis on one month of their news coverage. In-depth interviews with eight of their media relations practitioners helped validate the concepts and the results.
The authors found five unique categories and functions of key messages: information concerned with dissemination, raison d’être concerned with purpose, categories concerned with positioning, resource management concerned with accounting for resources, and social relevance concerned with legitimacy. Findings also revealed varying levels of transmission and message integrity across the categories. Interviews revealed insights into challenges for communicating organizational key messages to the news media.
This study lays the foundation for additional research on key messages and key message integrity as useful metrics for communication management scholars and practitioners.

Agenda-setting effects of business news on the public's images and opinions about major corporations

Does media attention drive corporate social responsibility?

by Craig E Carroll and Donald Siegel

Journal of Business …, Sep 1, 2011

This paper investigates the impact that media attention has on the strengths and weaknesses of a ... more This paper investigates the impact that media attention has on the strengths and weaknesses of a firm's corporate social responsibility (CSR). Drawing on stakeholder theory, the study develops and tests two hypotheses concerning the influence that media attention can have on the CSR-strengths and weaknesses of a particular firm. The findings indicate that while increases in media attention are related to increases in CSR-strengths, CSR-weaknesses are not sensitive to changes in media attention.

The Emergence, Variation, and Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Public Sphere, 1980–2004: The Exposure of Firms to Public Debate

This study examined the emergence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a public issue over... more This study examined the emergence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a public issue over 25 years using a content analysis of two national news- papers and seven regional, geographically-dispersed newspapers in the U.S. The present study adopted a comprehensive definition encompassing all four CSR dimensions: economic, ethical, legal, and philanthropic. This study examined newspaper editorials, letters to the editor, op-ed columns, news analyses, and guest columns for three aspects: media attention, media prominence, and media valence. Results showed an increase in the number of opinion pieces covering CSR issues over the 25-year period. The prominence of each of the four CSR dimensions varied over time. Each of the four CSR dimensions had its moment of media prominence when it was more important than the other dimensions. The most prevalent valence of the opinion pieces was negative; the volume of negative pieces increased over the 25 years, whereas the number of opinions with positive, neutral, and mixed tones showed little change over time. The study concludes by tracing the implications of the role of the news media for business ethics research.

Under What Conditions Do the News Media Influence Corporate Reputation: The Roles of Media Dependency and Need for Orientation

Corporate Reputation …, Jan 1, 2010

The Relationship between Firms' Media Favorability and Public Esteem

Should Firms Circumvent or Work Through the News Media?

This study examined whether corporate public agenda setting or corporate agenda building exerts a... more This study examined whether corporate public agenda setting or corporate agenda building exerts a stronger influence on firms’ public prominence. After controlling for the effects of firms’ advertising expenditures and existing levels of prominence, results showed that in the absence of media salience, firms’ public agenda-setting efforts had no influence on their change in prominence. In the presence of media salience, however, firms’ public agenda-setting efforts had a negative influence on their change in prominence. In the context of public prominence, the study supports the news media's role as a third-party endorsement of firms as newsworthy entities. Future research should re-examine these relationships in the age of social media.

The OTRI-I Audit and the Detection and Expression of Hidden and Blind Organizational Identities: Implications for Managing Reputational Intelligence, Authenticity …

Corporate Reputation Review, Jan 1, 2012

organizations. Using a case study composed of mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, this pa... more organizations. Using a case study composed of mixed qualitative and quantitative methods, this paper details an instrument and process for detecting and expressing an organization ' s multiple organizational identities from the perspective of its publics. Within the US population, the OTRI-I Audit empirically verifi ed the existence of eight distinct but not mutually exclusive publics having different perceptions of the identity of the denomination. These eight profi les explained 53.7 percent of the statistical variance. Two publics represented views of the organization ' s corporate story that should be used as reference points for uncovering hidden or blind identities or reputations, managing authenticity and aligning the organization ' s various identities from the AC 2 / 3 / 4 ID Test for the mutual benefi t between an organization and its stakeholders . Corporate Reputation Review (2012) 15, 179 -197.

Corporate reputation and the news media: agenda-setting within business news coverage in developed, emerging, and frontier markets

This volume examines agenda-setting theory as it applies to the news media&amp;amp;amp;amp;am... more This volume examines agenda-setting theory as it applies to the news media&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#x27;s influence on corporate reputation. It presents interdisciplinary, international, and empirical investigations examining the relationship between corporate reputation and the news media throughout the world. Providing coverage of more than 25 countries, contributors write about their local media and business communities, representing developed, emerging, and frontier markets&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#x27; including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Germany, Greece, Japan, Nigeria, Spain, and ...

The evolution of corporate social performance and the role of media visibility

In this paper we investigate the affect that media visibility has on Corporate Social Performance... more In this paper we investigate the affect that media visibility has on Corporate Social Performance (CSP). Drawing on agenda-setting theory from the field of communication studies, we develop and test a number of hypotheses regarding the impact that the firm's media visibility has on the different aspects of the firm's CSP. Our findings indicate that media visibility has a positive impact on some aspects of the firm's CSP, with those aspects easier to change being more sensitive to the firm's media visibility.

The syntax of ‘tactic(s)’ in public relations research

by Craig E Carroll and Nell Huang

Public Relations Review, 2009

Strategies and tactics are foundational to the teaching of public relations, yet little scholarly... more Strategies and tactics are foundational to the teaching of public relations, yet little scholarly reflection on the term 'tactic(s)' itself exists in our research. We content analyzed 30 years of research in Public Relations Review for references to the term 'tactic(s).' Our research reveals that of the 174 studies reviewed, 13% elaborated on the term, but none defined it. Moreover, the term 'tactic(s)' appeared more frequently with 'strategies' (31.5%) than in conjunction with 'ethics' (2%). We conclude our research note with a call for greater reflection on core concepts related to our public relations teaching and research.

Journal of Organizational Change Management: The Strategic Use of the Past and Future in Organizational Change

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emeral... more

Rearticulating Organizational Identity: Exploring corporate images and employee identification

Management Learning, Jan 1, 1995

The person as object in discourses in and around organizations

Communication Research, Jan 1, 1997

The Syntax of [] Tactic (S)'In Public Relations Research

Public Relations Review, Jan 1, 2009

Rearticulating Organizational Identity: Exploring Corporate Images and Employee Identification

Management Learning, Jan 1, 1995

Abstract Managers have often tried to enact a&amp;#x27;preferred&amp;#x27;organizational ... more Abstract Managers have often tried to enact a&amp;#x27;preferred&amp;#x27;organizational experience on others through business concepts such as corporate philosophies, values, vision and mission statements either to create, maintain, perpetuate or redirect organizational identification processes. While managers cannot control the degree to which constituencies identify with the organization, this does not mean that they stop trying. One way managers attempt to influence organizations is through the introduction of new metaphors refraining ...

How the Mass Media Influence Perceptions of Corporate Reputation: Exploring Agenda-Setting Effects Within Business News Coverage

The Strategic Use of the Past and Future In Organizational Change

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

... The author thanks David Boje, Cees van Riel, Charles Fombrun, Gary Hoover, Patrick Spain, Dav... more

The Injunction of Metaphor As a Mode of Cultural-Ideological Management Control: a Case Study

Academia.edu helps academics follow the latest research.

The Handbook of Communication and Corporate Reputation

"With the latest insights from the world of communication studies into the nature of corporate re... more "With the latest insights from the world of communication studies into the nature of corporate reputation, this new addition to Wiley-Blackwell’s series of handbooks on communication and media reflects the growing visibility of large businesses’ ethical profiles, and tracks the benefits that positive public attitudes can bring.

• Serves as the definitive research collection for a fast-growing field featuring contributions by key international scholars
• Brings together state-of-the-art communication studies insights on corporate reputation
• Identifies and addresses the lacunae in the research literature
• Applies new theoretical frameworks to corporate reputation
"

Corporate Reputation and the News Media: Agenda-setting within Developed, Emerging, & Frontier Markets

The Strategic Use of the Past and Future in Organizational Change

Online databases such as Hoover’s, Inc., the expansion of the Internet, and the growth of busines... more Online databases such as Hoover’s, Inc., the expansion of the Internet, and the growth of business journalism have all made organizational records much more public and publicly accessible. As a result, organizations have had to become much more vocal in defending themselves, not only in terms of identity, but in terms of history. This book is a starting point for those interested in learning about how organizations appropriate their stories of the past and visions of the future for navigating organizational change in the present.

Corporate Reputation Management

Disclosure Alignment and Transparency Signaling in CSR Reports.

Human Rights and Ethics: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, 2015

The Foundations of a Theory Explaining Organizational News: The VT4 Framework of Organizational News Content and Five Levels of Content Production

Organizing in New Media Landscape, 2014

The Foundations of a Theory Explaining Organizational News: The VT4 Framework of Organizational N... more The Foundations of a Theory Explaining Organizational News: The VT4 Framework of Organizational News Content and Five Levels of Content Production. We examine the influence of journalists, routines, news organizations, influences external to news organizations (PR, advertising, interlocking boards, technology, economy, media systems on the news about organizations. For any one organization, we consider its media visibility, media tone, media topics, media ties, and timing.

Disclosure alignment and transparency signaling in CSR reports

Carroll, C. E. (2013). The Future of Communication Research in Corporate Reputation Studies. In C. E. Carroll (Ed.), The Handbook of Communication and Corporate Reputation (pp. 590-596). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Handbook of Communication and Corporate Reputation, Jun 1, 2013

As this chapter makes clear, focusing solely on performance and achievement attributes is a matte... more As this chapter makes clear, focusing solely on performance and achievement attributes is a matter of searching for something only by looking where it is easiest to find. The body of research from other organization-related disciplines has built up a wealth of knowledge about these attributes. It is time for communication to expand the focus into new areas, examining reputational attributes that may offer as much or more insight into what corporate reputation is, how it is formulated, managed, and changed. Future research should consider bearing out organizational communication performance dimensions that can function as reputation attributes, enabling the discussion, reflection, benchmarking, and rewarding of organizations systems, practices, and processes that create more desirable organizations, workplaces, products and services, and contributions to society.

Ch 26 The State of Agenda-Setting Research on Corporate Reputation and the News Media around the Globe: Conclusions, Cautions, and Contingent Conditions

Organizational Image

The International Encyclopedia of Communication

Corporate Reputation

The International Encyclopedia of Communication, Jul 2008

Carroll, C. E. (2013). Corporate Reputation and the Disciplines of Journalism and Mass Communication. In C. E. Carroll (Ed.), The Handbook of Communication and Corporate Reputation (pp. 121-129). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell Publishers.

The Handbook of Communication and Corporate Reputation, Jun 2013

This chapter examines the journalism and mass communication disciplines for what they offer to th... more This chapter examines the journalism and mass communication disciplines for what they offer to the study of corporate reputation. Most of the early communication research devoted to corporate reputation began in the mass communication field. It reviews the four primary research domains within journalism and mass communication for their primary focal points, noting along the way where existing corporate reputation research currently takes place and where it could take place. The chapter begins with an overview of the major paradigms. Journalism and mass communication research has three major paradigms: the social science approach to media effects, the interpretive paradigm, and the critical/cultural paradigm. The chapter charts the journalism and mass communication field for its programs of research, noting its theories and key findings where they occur.

Carroll, C. E. (2013). Corporate Reputation and the Multiple Disciplinary Perspectives of Communication. In C. E. Carroll (Ed.), The Handbook of Communication and Corporate Reputation (pp. 1-10). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Media Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility

The Handbook of Communication and Corporate …, Jan 1, 2011

Ch 14 Corporate Reputation and the News Media In the United States

Corporate Reputation and the News Media: …, Jan 1, 2010

Ch 1 International Perspectives on Agenda-Setting Theory Applied to Business News

Corporate Reputation and the News Media: …, Jan 1, 2010

How European Are the Polish? A Q-Sort Study on European Identity Frames In Poland

… , and globalization trends: cross-national analysis of …, Jan 1, 2005

The Future of Public Relations Research: Opportunities During Times of Crisis

Corporate Reputation and the News Media: The State of Media Effects Research on Organizations

Trends in Global Corporate Reputation Research

Production of Business News Content

What News Is Fit to Print? A Multi-Level Framework Predicting the Volume and Tone of News about Organisations

Managers and researchers use news articles about organisations in their models of organisational ... more Managers and researchers use news articles about organisations in their models of organisational and financial performance, but how news is constructed is theoretically underdeveloped. Building on research from journalism and sociology, a multilevel model predicting the annual volume of news articles about individual organisations and the tone of individual articles is introduced. The model examines five levels of influence on the production of news content: ideology, factors external to the news organisation, the news organisation, news routines, and individual journalists. The study provides a foundation for future research on how the news media construct versions of social reality used by managers and researchers.

The handbook of communication and corporate reputation

Wiley-Blackwell eBooks, 2013

Despite the inherent risk of communications tactics, using the framework of an integrated marketi... more Despite the inherent risk of communications tactics, using the framework of an integrated marketing communications (IMC) strategy with stakeholders may help prevent reputation damage. An integrated strategy can continuously build a positive reputation. As a managerial process, IMC has developed over the past two decades. It can support the creation of a more positive reputation for an organization and more positive brands of the activities, products, and services of the organizations (see Caywood, 2012a). Defi nition of IMC It is logical that an integrated strategy should be better than a " disintegrated " one. IMC is defi ned with the benefi t of a global perspective in Kliatchko ' s (2008) defi nition, which is more parsimonious and based on his comprehensive analysis. He states, " IMC is an audience-driven business process of strategically managing stakeholders, content, channels, and results of brand communication programs " (Kliatchko, 2008). One weakness of this defi nition is its use of the word " business, " which might detract for some readers from the value of IMC in many organizations including government, politics, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and more. However, a precise defi nition of IMC is not yet defi nitive. Even the logical and heralded integration of functional areas (sales, advertising, promotions, database marketing, and public relations) of marketing communications has not provided a clear path for IMC-based reputational management. The This chapter explores how integrated marketing communications (IMC) has emerged as a reputation support force. It examines the development of IMC and the reputation-building process. The chapter examines reputational risks with certain types of products that pose a threat to consumers, users, and infl uential people, and discusses how communicating with consumers and dozens of other " protected status " stakeholders can be a high-risk professional action capable of building or ruining an organizational reputation. To overcome these negative factors, the chapter primarily addresses the IMC strategic means to reduce the risk to the reputation of an organization or individual.

Linking Corporate Reputation and Accountability:Antecedents, Mechanisms, Paradoxes, and Outcomes

Accountability refers to the state of being liable and answerable to someone for something. It es... more Accountability refers to the state of being liable and answerable to someone for something. It establishes relationships, defines ‘‘the rights of society (or groups/stakeholders within society) and relates to the rights that emerge from the relationship between the accountable organization (the accountor) and the accountee’’ (Gray, Bebbington, & Collison, 2006). Being accountable requires the object of accountability to be capable of being observed, monitored, and evaluated through its willingness to provide reliable information. There must, as well, be clear consequences for failure (Carroll, 2016). In business, accountability has been equated with governance (Brennan & Solomon, 2008) and corporate social responsibility reporting (Gray, et. al., 1997; Newell, 2005; Valor, 2005; Bendell, 2005; Utting, 2008). Scholars have also investigated the role of intermediaries and gatekeepers, such as auditors and credit rating agencies, in upholding - or failing to uphold - corporate accountability (Coffee, 2002; Partnoy, 1999). Yet despite these recent studies, corporate accountability remains under-researched and under-theorized, especially when compared to political accountability.

Disclosure Alignment and Transparency Signaling in CSR Reports

IGI Global eBooks, 2015

This chapter investigates companies&#39; disclosure alignment and transparency signaling with... more This chapter investigates companies&#39; disclosure alignment and transparency signaling within the 2011 CSR annual reports of 36 U.S. firms in the Global Forbes 2000. DICTION 6.0 was used for the text analysis. The study found that CSR reports are fairly similar to corporate financial annual reports but can be classified more accurately as a hybrid discourse with normative elements matching genres emanating from science, business, government, religion, and social movements. Despite the relatively short time that CSR reports have been in existence, this chapter provides evidence that CSR reporting has become institutionalized quickly. The measures of transparency signaling and disclosure alignment reveal that companies know the rules for reporting and are following them. CSR reporting on societal and environmental impacts and performance receive the most focused discussion, while human rights, labor, and product responsibility discussions are at minimal levels. The study ends with future research directions.

Reputation Management

The International Encyclopedia of Strategic Communication, 2018

Organizational Image

The International Encyclopedia of Communication, 2008

International Perspectives on Agenda Setting Theory Applied to Business News

The Relationship between Media Favorability and Firms’ Public Esteem

This paper introduces unpacks media favorability into two dimensions and investigates their relat... more This paper introduces unpacks media favorability into two dimensions and investigates their relationship with firms' public esteem. A firm's focal media favorability refers to the overall evaluation of a firm presented in a stream of media stories. A firm's peripheral media favorability refers the overall evaluative tone accumulating from a stream of media stories where a firm is mentioned, yet is independent of how the focal firm is portrayed relative to the content. The study used a content analysis of The New York Times (n = 2,711) articles dating six months preceding the 2000 Annual Reputation Quotient, a nationwide public opinion poll (n = 22,359) on firms' reputations. Relationships were found between firms' focal media favorability and their public esteem for respondents with more knowledge of the firms' attributes and between firms' peripheral media favorability and their public esteem for respondents having little to no knowledge about the firms&...

Key messages and message integrity as concepts and metrics in communication evaluation

Journal of Communication Management, 2014

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concepts of key messages and key message ... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concepts of key messages and key message integrity, and examines their viability for communication management scholars and practitioners in evaluating media relations activities. Key message integrity addresses not only what messages transfer, but also how well. Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyzed 18 nonprofit organizations’ key messages and the messages’ integrity levels using content analysis on one month of their news coverage. In-depth interviews with eight of their media relations practitioners helped validate the concepts and the results. Findings – The authors found five unique categories and functions of key messages: information concerned with dissemination, raison d’être concerned with purpose, categories concerned with positioning, resource management concerned with accounting for resources, and social relevance concerned with legitimacy. Findings also revealed varying levels of transmission and messag...

DICTION (Software)

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods

The Expressive Organization: Linking Identity, Reputation and the Corporate Brand

Corporate Reputation Review, 2000

Page 1. The Expressive Organization Linking Identity, Reputation, and the Corporate Brand Edited ... more

Disclosure Alignment and Transparency Signaling in CSR Reporting

Social Science Research Network, 2014

This chapter investigates companies' disclosure alignment and transparency signaling within the 2... more This chapter investigates companies' disclosure alignment and transparency signaling within the 2011 CSR annual reports of 36 U.S. firms in the Global Forbes 2000. DICTION 6.0 was used for the text analysis. The study found that CSR reports are fairly similar to corporate financial annual reports but can be classified more accurately as a hybrid discourse with normative elements matching genres emanating from science, business, government, religion, and social movements. Despite the relatively short time that CSR reports have been in existence, this chapter provides evidence that CSR reporting has become institutionalized quickly. The measures of transparency signaling and disclosure alignment reveal that companies know the rules for reporting and are following them. CSR reporting on societal and environmental impacts and performance receive the most focused discussion, while human rights, labor, and product responsibility discussions are at minimal levels. The study ends with future research directions.

The International Encyclopedia of Organizational Communication, 2017

Corporate Reputation

The International Encyclopedia of Communication

The role of public relations in shaping service ecosystems for social change

Journal of Service Management, 2022

PurposeWicked problems require holistic and systemic thinking that accommodates interdisciplinary... more PurposeWicked problems require holistic and systemic thinking that accommodates interdisciplinary solutions and cross-sectoral collaborations between private and public sectors. This paper explores how public relations (PR) – as a boundary-spanning function at the nexus of corporate and political discourse – can support societies to tackle wicked problems.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper synthesizes literature on PR with a service ecosystem perspective. The authors use the service ecosystem design framework to structure the PR literature and develop a model of service ecosystem shaping for social change, which highlights the important role that PR can play in shaping processes.FindingsThe authors explicate how PR can (1) facilitate value cocreation processes between broad sets of stakeholders that drive positive social change, (2) shape institutional arrangements in general and public discourse in particular, (3) provide a platform for recursive feedback loops of ref...

Corporate Reputation

The International Encyclopedia of Communication, 2015

The Future of Communication Research in Corporate Reputation Studies

Carroll/The Handbook of Communication and Corporate Reputation, 2013

The State of Agenda-Setting Research on Corporate Reputation and the News Media around the Globe: Conclusions, Cautions, and Contingent Conditions

Make it personal: storytelling helps employees with their companies CSR initiatives

Humans are natural storytellers. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, we constantly create and s... more Humans are natural storytellers. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, we constantly create and share stories about what happened and why, as well as scenarios for what might happen next. Stories powerfully convey values, place them in context for the future and allow us to identify future opportunities. Within organizations, stories can be helpful in dealing with critical issues—such as those targeted by the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives—by highlighting the positive and negative outcomes of individual and collective behaviors. Inter - nal stories are important to motivate people and create messages that are memorable enough for people to take action.

10 Public relations as image and reputation management

Public Relations, 2021

Pathways to Corporate Accountability: Corporate Reputation and Its Alternatives

Journal of Business Ethics, 2019

The aim of our themed symposium is to explore the limits and possibilities of corporate reputatio... more The aim of our themed symposium is to explore the limits and possibilities of corporate reputation for enabling corporate accountability. We articulate three perspectives on corporate accountability. The communicative perspective equates accountability with disclosure and stakeholder engagement. The phenomenological perspective focuses on stakeholder expectations and reputation management. The consequential perspective focuses on effects/consequences. We then examine how corporate accountability is understood, how it relates to ideals, mission, and purpose, alternative pathways to corporate accountability, reputational consequences, and the role algorithms play in relationships between corporate reputation and accountability. Using a multitude of organizational contexts, these papers advance our understanding of how corporate reputation can be used as a mechanism for creating greater corporate accountability, and for identifying alternative pathways when corporate reputation fails to do so.