Syllabus Template
Course Syllabus CMM242G
Corporate Communication & Public Relations
Number of ECTS credits: 6
Course Description
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to corporate communications and
public relations: it is for anyone with an interest in corporate communication, or
anyone seeking to understand the growing importance of communication for
corporations. Corporations increasingly need communication to survive, as they need
to entertain relations with a variety of stakeholders to prosper. This includes actors
external to the organization - customers, governments and civil society organizations
– but also stakeholders within corporations themselves, such as employees,
managers and investors.
Corporate communication is characterized by being both a field of academic inquiry
and a practice: practitioners engage in corporate communication, whereas
academics study it. In turn, this course offers a mix of theory and practice: it
discusses theories but also aims to show their practical application.
The first weeks of the course focus on the basics of corporate communication: what
is it, and what are its historical roots? This is important, as it demonstrates how the
position of communication is increasingly considered to be managerial function – and
as such should be involved in the key decision-making processes. After these
introductory weeks, we turn to two core theories of corporate communication:
stakeholder theory and corporate identity. These form the basis for much of the more
specific and applied topics covered in the following weeks. In the last two weeks
before the midterm exam, we discuss how corporations can construct communication
campaigns – which will be useful as you will be tasked with creating your own
communication campaign during the course. After the midterm exam, we tackle
specific topics of corporate communication, such as employee communications, how
corporations interact with media and journalists, and how corporations should
communicate in times of crisis.
Course Prerequisites
None
1
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students should have gained the following knowledge,
skills and attitudes:
Knowledge
- Students have a basic understanding of what corporate communication is,
what its role in corporations is, and the different perspectives on corporate
communication (DLO 1, 2, 3, 6);
- Students understand key theories of corporate communication and public
relations (e.g. stakeholder theory) (DLO 1);
- Students know key concepts of corporate communications and public relations
(DLO 1).
Skills
- Students can apply theories and concepts of corporate communication to real-
life corporations (DLO 2);
- Students can use theories and concepts of corporate communication and
public relations to develop a corporate communication strategies, taking
account of the corporate identity, vision and values (DLO 2, 3, 4);
- Students can present their findings verbally and in writing (DLO 5);
Attitudes
- Students have a critical attitude towards the way corporations and
organizations communicate, externally and internally, based on their
understanding of theories regarding corporate communication (DLO 2, 6).
Course schedule
Week 1: Introductions
Week 2: Different perspectives on Corporate Communication
Week 3: Stakeholder Theory
Week 4: Corporate Identity
Week 5: Communication Strategy
Week 6: Communication Strategy
Week 7: Midterm exams
Week 8: Media Relations
Week 9: Corporate Social Responsibility
Week 10: Communication in times of Crisis and Conflict
Week 11: New Media, New Communication
2
Week 12: Employee Communication
Week 13: Presentation of Communication Strategies
Week 14: Conclusion
Week 15: Final Examination
Course Materials
The course relies heavily on the book by Joep Cornelissen (reference below), which
you should buy. Make sure to buy the fourth edition, as this contains additional
chapters on CSR and social media which are required for the course.
Cornelissen, J. P. (2014). Corporate Communication (4 edition.). Los Angeles:
Sage Publications Ltd.
Any additional readings can either be found online through Web of Science or will be
distributed during the course.
Course Assessment
The students will be evaluated on the basis of their performance as follows
- Midterm examination (25%)
- Communication plan (25%)
- Presentation of Communication plan (15%)
- Final examination (35%)
- TOTAL (100%)
Grading Scale of Vesalius College
Vesalius College grading policy, in line with the Flemish Educational norms, is now as
stated follows:
Letter grade Scale of 20 Scale of 100
A 17.0-20.0 85-100
A- 16.1-16.9 81-84
B+ 15.3-16.0 77-80
B 14.5-15.2 73-76
B- 13.7-14.4 69-72
C+ 13.1-13.6 66-68
C 12.3-13.0 62-65
C- 11.5-12.2 58-61
3
D+ 10.7-11.4 54-57
D 10.0-10.6 50-53
F 0-9.9 0-49
