Academic literature on the topic 'Corporate communication roles theory'

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine and analyze the prevailing form of rationality that governs the challenges, goals and roles of communication professionals. The authors will also explore alternative forms of rationality and discuss what these would imply. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on survey results from The European Communication Monitor (ECM) and qualitative interviews with communication managers in Sweden. First, the authors present the ECM data and the Swedish interview material, i.e. the authors depict the practitioners’ perceptions of what they understand as important work tasks and roles. The interviews focus on the actual practices of linking communication goals to business goals. Second, the results are challenged from a reflexive perspective, using theories from the paradox turn and questioning the “taken-for-granted thinking” in corporate communications. Findings – The ECM data show that the main challenge in practice is “linking business strategy and communication.” The Swedish respondents stand out when it comes to “building and maintaining trust” since this is considered to be almost as important. The qualitative interview study strengthens the results in the ECM. The interviewees seem to do their work according to the traditional management agenda – i.e. they break down overall business goals and translate these to measurable communication goals. The results are reflected upon using paradox theory. Two paradoxes are discussed: between managerialism and professionalism, and strategic generalists and operational specialists. Research limitations/implications – The study is based on survey data that have been collected through a convenience sample, and the interview study is a pilot study. Practical implications – The paper focuses conflicts between normative practitioner ideals and reality, and helps practitioners to reflect upon mainstream thinking. Originality/value – Based on the empirical findings in the ECM, the interviews and the theoretical framework, the authors conclude that if the idea of The Communicative Organization is to be fruitfully realized, it is necessary to depart from a multi-dimensional rationality and question ideas that are taken for granted. The use of paradox theory and concepts such as functional stupidity is rather original in corporate communication research. Additional research could further explore paradoxes in order to spark dialogue, which may undermine one-dimensional thinking and functional stupidity.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate industry expert discourses on aspirational corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Analysing CSR managers’ and communication consultants’ talk about aspirational talk as constitutive of aspirational CSR communication, the data provide valuable insights into the dominant discourses, and draw attention to the manifold elements in the process of aspirational CSR communication. Design/methodology/approach Data gathered during 11 in-depth, qualitative interviews with food industry experts in CSR and CSR communication roles in Ireland, the UK and the USA are studied. Findings The analysis of industry expert discourses suggests that communicating CSR, and in particular the communication of CSR aspirations, is a source of tensions and ambiguity for organisational members. It is evident that aspirational talk acts as a “commitment and alignment device”, raising the bar for the organisation by encouraging enhanced performance and ensuring a competitive differentiation – and thus revealing a performative character. However, it is also shown that industry experts favour action over talk and consider verification crucial to reduce reputational risk. The challenge ahead will be to encourage organisations to embrace aspirational talk in the age of CSR professionalisation and standardisation to ensure incremental and continual CSR improvements. Practical implications The research findings suggest that aspirational talk is a useful resource for organisations to transition towards becoming more responsible businesses. Rather than censoring aspirational talk to prevent scepticism by some, managers rely on robust auditing and verification systems to provide proof of achievement over time. Originality/value The study provides data on the topic of aspirational talk, where there has been much theory development, but limited empirical evidence. It does so in the context of the food industry, an industry manifestly to the forefront in the sustainability/CSR agenda.

One of the characteristics of human society in the 21st century is that the individual is increasingly viewed predominantly as a consumer. The turbulent development of science and technology has also resulted in new, changed consumer behavior patterns, which are achieving a new role in the modern society. Research into consumer behavior imposes itself as an imperative of successful functioning of the economic and social system.Many companies are faced with serious problems of effectiveness and efficiency of their conducted marketing activities. The consumer is predominantly becoming the central factor determining a company's corporate performance, but the key problem lies in the fact that the prevalent philosophy of the marketing practices still regards the consumers as “passive end users” of the value created, neglecting their changed role, behavior, and impact on market processes.Presenting and analyzing the results of research from marketing literature dealing with the problem of changed market behavior, this article aims to point to the necessity to change the thinking patterns of marketing theory and practice on the significance and impact of the consumer on companies’ corporate performance by accepting new roles that the consumers have in the contemporary society.By changing the attitude toward consumers as key stakeholders on the market and accepting their new roles, companies get guidelines for shaping and amending their marketing strategies toward raising the quality of corporate performance, and the same stands for institutions responsible for the functioning of a society and the state as a whole.The current marketing reality inexorably promotes the notion that consumer behavior as a whole is an essential social process shaped by intensive word-of-mouth communication. As a science and practice, marketing must become a complex and fluid system of network relationships, constantly redefining itself toward integration with the changes of contemporary consumers and their modus vivendi.

This paper discusses the importance of social media as a new channel to communicate European Union activities and policies to the general public. The author examines the fast-growing position of social platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, in the media ecosystem. Their opinion making and agenda setting roles are discussed in the context of deep mediatisation theory – a relatively new, interdisciplinary concept, combining the perspectives of sociology and media sciences. Based on analysis of the social media activity of the European Commission Representation in Poland, the author examines the Commission’s presence in the new channels, within the framework of a new corporate communication campaign, launched in September 2016. The results of the research indicate that that efforts undertaken so far, contrary to intuition, have not yielded a substantial increase in social media activity. However, some promising elements were detected: the quality of users’ engagement with the content published by the European Commission has improved.

PurposeAnchored on social trust theory, social identity theory and signalling theory, this study investigates the process of how consumers respond to online retailers' corporate social responsibility (CSR).Design/methodology/approachFollowing the hypo-deductive research design, a unique model was developed to link online retailers' CSR with consumer purchase intention through brand identification and word of mouth (WOM). This model was subsequently tested and validated by conducting an online survey to 239 customers of a major online retailer in China, that is, JD.com.FindingsAnalysis using structural equation modelling demonstrates that online retailers' CSR is positively associated with consumer purchase intention, and brand identification positively mediates such an association. In addition, WOM exhibits a mediating effect on the relationship between perceived online retailers' CSR and consumer purchase intention and between brand identification and consumer purchase intention.Practical implicationsOnline retailers must endeavour to employ CSR as a strategy to enhance consumer purchase intention and behaviour. Moreover, they should develop communication programmes that highlight their engagement in CSR activities to improve their brand image and facilitate consumers' positive WOM.Originality/valueTo the best of the researchers' knowledge, this study is the first to examine the mediating roles of brand identification and WOM in the relationship between online retailers' CSR and customer purchase intention. Furthermore, this study extends current knowledge about online retailers' CSR and its potential impact in emerging economies by focussing on the context of China.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of how portrayals of older employees in mass media messages can help combating stereotypical beliefs on their employability. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a systematic review of empirical studies on mass media portrayals of older employees in order to show what these reveal about the ways in which their employment status, occupation, job type, or work setting is portrayed. The approach builds upon theory on media portrayals, media effects, and stereotypes of older workers’ employability. Findings – This study shows that older employees in media portrayals, when present at all, are relatively often shown in higher-level professional roles, herewith overall, depicting an image that is positive, yet differs from stereotypical beliefs on their employability that are prevalent in working organizations. Research limitations/implications – Further empirical work is needed to more safely conclude on the prevalence of age-related portrayals of work and employment in mass media. In addition, longitudinal research is called for in order to better understand the possible causes for the way in which older employees are portrayed, as well as effects of age-related stereotyping in mass media and corporate communication outlets over time. Practical implications – This research sparks ideas about how new portrayals of older employees in mass media and corporate communication outlets can contribute to novel approaches to managing an aging and multi-generational workforce. Social implications – This study shows how working organizations can make use of the positive and powerful media portrayals of older employees, in order to activate normal and non-ageist behaviors toward them, and herewith, to increase their life-long employability. Originality/value – This study highlights the role of media portrayals of older employees in combating stereotypes about their employability.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to adopt fuzzy interpretive structural modeling (ISM) to develop a precise evaluation framework and provide a theoretical basis for enhancing the understanding of responsible consumption and production (RCP) in academic and industrial fields. Design/methodology/approach An integration of fuzzy set theory and ISM is proposed to maintain a higher level of consistency and reduce the uncertainty inherent in expert responses. Findings RCP can be categorized into seven levels, which represent the driving power from higher to lower. The top aspect is management style; the remaining aspects are stakeholder management, regulation compliance, efficiency improvement, sustainable awareness, sustainable production and social responsibility. Research limitations/implications This study attempts to integrate the triple bottom line (TBL) concept and corporate sustainability to develop a significant framework for evaluating RCP. Although the proposed aspects and criteria can be used to evaluate the Chinese construction industry, these may be insufficient for other industries. In addition, further discussion regarding important aspects and criteria is required to complete the theoretical basis. Practical implications The results indicate that the top two criteria are establishing transparent communication channels and promoting managerial attitudes and behavior, which are followed by technology capabilities, organizational culture and stakeholder engagement. These five criteria play important roles when implementing RCP practices among Chinese construction firms. Originality/value This study is the first to discuss RCP via an integration of the TBL concept and corporate sustainability. The framework developed herein provides a precise guideline for Chinese construction firms to improve their performance, and it also promotes the efficient use of resources via sustainable practices.

Purpose Drawing on social information processing theory and organisational identity theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the social and psychological process through which perceived ethical leadership influences employee deviant behaviours towards the organisation. Specifically, a sequential mediation model is developed in which ethical leadership is related to employee perceptions of internal corporate social responsibility (CSR), which, in turn, are related to organisational deviance through organisational engagement. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was performed to fit the proposed model using multi-source data collected from employees and their supervisors in the Egyptian banking sector. Findings The results support the hypotheses, as perceived internal CSR and organisational engagement sequentially mediate the relationship between perceived ethical leadership and organisational deviance. Practical implications Organisations should emphasise fostering ethical leadership through adopting strategies such as hiring ethical leaders and offering ethics training to current leaders. Organisations should also invest in internal CSR activities and should pay attention to regularly communicating their involvement in CSR initiatives to employees. Originality/value By examining the mediating roles of employee internal CSR perceptions and organisational engagement, this study helps advance our understanding of the social and psychological processes of ethical leadership.

Due to the advancement of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, robots, autonomous vehicles, healthcare, virtual reality, augmented reality, etc. and the popularization of smartphones, it stimulates customer interest and leads voluntary participation in order to maximize interactive communication in all industries The gamification strategy incorporating games began to emerge. A representative field that generates results by easily introducing such a gamification strategy is the education industry that seeks to improve the educational effect by utilizing the elements of corporate marketing strategies and games such as challenge, competition, achievement, and reward. Recently, gamification research is being conducted to effectively apply AI and big data, the core technologies of the 4th industrial revolution in all industries. Gamification is actively forming markets in Europe and the US, and it can increase customer loyalty and productivity by applying various roles applied to games in other industries as well as serious games. The purpose of this study is to design and implement a gamification service platform based on artificial intelligence technology and operate the implemented system to expand the area where the gamification service applied to the existing marketing and consulting fields can be used. The designed gamification service platform can be applied to education services that increase learning efficiency by analyzing the predicted learning attitudes of trainees, and through successful research cases, it will be able to provide immersion effect to trainees and teaching method research to educators.

The report addresses the issue of adaptation of newcomers in organizations. This problem is very important now in business and public organizations according to the problem of labor productivity, staff turnover, corporate culture etc. In spite of obvious importance of the adaptation in organization, the studies of this problem require new approaches and methods. Mechanisms are explored that help to retain the staff in organization and to create a desire to continue its activities in this organization. The research is implemented to the framework of the business-psychological approach (S Benton, N. Ivanova, theory of social identity (H. Tajfel, J.C. Turner), concepts of adaptation (T. Bazarov, N. Volkova etc.). Adaptation of newcomers is considered as a natural stage of professional and social self-determination of the individual, as overcoming the identity crisis and identity forming process. In the course of adaptation, an identity is formed that is adequate in relation to the new social roles and goals of activity. The purpose of the study: to develop the identity focused adaptation model, to test the role of this model in the work with newcomers in organization. Methodology: questionnaire (N= 109), Job Satisfaction Survey (N=15), case study in organizations. Results: The role of information and psychological support of a novice from the manager, mentor and team while including a specialist in joint activities is revealed. The directions of improving the system of adaptation of newcomers in the organization are highlighted. An identity focused adaptation model has been developed, which includes the following components: A) Preliminary information to newcomers: preparatory briefing about the company; detailed briefing about the company's rules and regulations. B) Information about newcomers to colleagues: about the new employee, his workplace, the tasks of his adaptation, the appointment of a mentor. C) Communications of the mentor: checking the workplace, the initial conversation, monitoring the problems and successes, the employee's initiation into the company's affairs. D) Communications of the manager: aimed at reducing the uncertainty of the newcomer in the first days of work. E) Communication of newcomers: questions, feedback, ideas, doubts, wishes. Results of this research can be useful for management, counseling and coaching for development of newcomer’s identity, loyalty, and performance. Keywords: business psychology, identity focused adaptation model, personnel management, loyalty, adaptation of personnel, social identity, strategy of communication.

Although public relations is seen as a function that contributes to the greater good of society and the performance of an organisation (ref. Grunig, 2006b:3; Grunig, Grunig & Dozier, 2002:xii), the function does not, for various reasons, always deliver on this promise (ref. Gray, 2004:26–27; Grunig et al., 2002:166, 169, 192; Steyn, 2000c:40; Tobin, 2004:56; Van Ruler, 1997:248, 263; 2004a:123). Practitioners and professional bodies from various countries have researched, and tried to overcome the variables negatively influencing practitioners, through various methods. However, no study has provided a comprehensive prioritised list of all the variables influencing practitioners' contribution to organisational performance. In addition none of these actions has led to a sustainable solution for the profession where a critical mass of practitioners can keep the promise of contributing to the greater good of society and the performance of the organisation. In light of this problem, this study tries to understand how public relations practitioners can enhance their contribution to organisational performance, by examining the variables influencing practitioners in contributing to organisational performance. The study is framed within the relational, reflective, two–way symmetrical and feminist paradigms, supported by the general excellence theory as meta–theory, and the relationship management and corporate communication role theories. The multidimensional paradigm was specifically selected to accommodate the complex research context (Grunig, 1989:18; 2006a; Valin, 2004). From theory it was established that public relations contributes to organisational performance by assisting organisations to adapt to their changing environment by providing strategic information from the environment to the organisation that could reduce uncertainty in the organisation's strategic decision–making (Grunig et al., 2002:xi; Raupp & Van Ruler, 2006:18; Steyn, 2000c:27; Valin, 2004). Through this process the organisation's triple bottom line goals are aligned with the realities of the environment in which it operates (Moss et al., 2000:283; van Tonder & van Rheede van Oudtshoorn, 2006:149). This then creates long–term relationships with stakeholders that creates many benefits for the organisation (Grunig, 2006b:3, 6; Grunig et al., 2002:xi, 10, 11; Grunig & Haung, 2000:32; Hon & Grunig, 1999:7–9, 11; Phillips, 2006a:34, 35; 2006b:212). Within South Africa specifically, corporate communication practitioners perform the roles of strategist, manager and technician in order to complete the above tasks (Steyn, 2000b:1–42; 2000c:20–43). The research methodology followed to gather data to answer the General research question, is both exploratory and interpretive. The research started with a literature study, followed by semi–structured interviews with four purposefully selected practitioners and the chairpersons of the two professional bodies (PRISA and IABC) in order to verify the variables identified in literature, and possibly identify new variables pertaining to the South African environment. These variables, together with those identified in literature, were then used to construct a questionnaire completed by public relations practitioners active in the 1 319 top performing South African organisations as per South Africa's Top 300 National Companies List (Fletcher, 2007:1–330) and the Financial Mail Top 200 Companies List (Williams, 2005:1–168). A response rate of 19.9% was achieved. The qualitative data was content analysed and the quantitative data analysed by means of Statistica (StatSoft Inc., 2007) and SPSS (SPSS Inc., 2007) data analysis software. In order to determine the relationships between the variables influencing practitioners, structural equation modelling, by means of AMOS (SPSS Inc., 2009) software, was used. In essence it was found that practitioners should take ownership and manage the variables influencing their performance. Furthermore, 13 variables pertaining to the individual–, industry– and professional–levels were statistically verified as the most important variables influencing practitioners. Due to the specific relationship between these variables, it would seem that enhancing any of these 13 variables would enhance the practitioner's contribution to organisational performance. The main contribution of the study is to add to the discussion on the how the profession can manage its contribution to organisational performance by categorising and empirically verifying a list of all variables influencing practitioners' performance and by suggesting a model indicating the relationship between the most important variables influencing practitioners.
Thesis (Ph.D. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Chief executives (CEOs) and other senior managers do not seem to be satisfied with the performance of their corporate communication managers/practitioners. Perceptions are that practitioners fail to assume broad decision making roles in organisations. They seem to be unable to see the big picture or understand the key issues in their industry -- their thinking is tactical, rather than strategic. Practitioners are focused on their own activities and media, on the achievement of communication goals and objectives -- without necessarily linking them to business goals. There appears to be a lack of understanding between top management and the corporate communication function on the latter's role in the strategic management process. This situation might be the result of a lack of strategic management and strategic communication knowledge and skills amongst corporate communication managers, possibly caused by insufficient training in these areas (Groenewald 1998a). The research objectives addressed by this study are the following: Firstly, to conceptualise a strategic role for the corporate communication practitioner at the top management level of the organisation (the role of the PR strategist). This is done by investigating the strategic management literature to determine whether a need exists at the top management level to play a strategic role. The behavioural activities of such a role were identified both from the public relations and the strategic management literature. Secondly, to conceptualise corporate communication strategy as an activity of a corporate communication practitioner in the role of the PR manager, a strategic role at the functional or meso level of the organisation. Furthermore, to differentiate a corporate communication strategy from a communication plan. Thirdly, to hypothesise a model for developing corporate communication strategyand thereafter to implement, evaluate and improve the model by assessing and comparing the corporate communication strategy projects of third year corporate communication students at the University of Pretoria, as partners in the action research process. The research approach selected is qualitative research -- an exploratory design is employed in achieving the first three objectives by means of a literature investigation. A confirmatory design is used for the implementation, evaluation and improvement of the model through the methodology of action research. In implementing, evaluating and revising the hypothesised model, this study moves away from the traditional teacher-centred approach in the classroom to a situation where students are involved in a research inquiry to build theory. At the same time, the participant community (non-profit organisations in this case) is exposed to strategic communication knowledge. They are involved in a process whereby they become active participants (together with the students and the lecturer/researcher) in developing corporate communication strategy for their organisations. The results are twofold: firstly, staff members of the non-profit organisation (as well as the students) acquire strategic communication skills; and secondly, the researcher investigates a new area of interest, builds theory, and facilitates a learning process for students whereby they obtain experience and knowledge that is applicable to practice. In conceptualising both a new role for the corporate communication practitioner at the top management level (the role of the PR strategist), and proposing corporate communication strategy as the link between the communication plan and the corporate strategy, an attempt is made to provide possible solutions to important problems in practice.
Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2000.
gm2013
Communication Management
Unrestricted

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Communication Science, University of Zululand, 1994.
Public relations unique 'gate-keeping role' in a new communication order offers practitioners a definite break with the past and dynamic new challenges for the future. This new-found status rests on the premise that communication theory should provide the basic underlying philosophy for public relations. Furthermore, in the First World/Third World duality of South Africa, it is argued that the whole approach to public relations must change in order to more accurately reflect the needs of various communities. In communication terms, this:means placing greater importance and reliance on recipients* needs throughout the communication process. Regular feedback must be encouraged. This emphasis supports the view that public relations is essentially a communication phenomenon rooted in the understanding of social issues. Thus its background and experience will serve it well in the evolution of a new, democratic, non-racial society in South Africa.

Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.
This research reports on the findings from a study that explores how the principles of corporate communication strategies outlined in public relations theory align to public relations practice. Using the theoretical framework of strategic public relations within corporate communication strategies, this qualitative research seeks to understand what theoretical principles inform corporate communication strategies and how public relations practitioners develop and implement these strategies. The findings suggest that public relations practitioners have a more practical approach than a theoretical approach to public relations practice. This study identifies the importance of increasing the credibility of the discipline as public relations practitioners are able to constantly improve and adjust their strategies according to what works and what does not. Measurement and evaluation in application of corporate communication strategies increases research in public relations practice which will in due course influence public relations theory. Further study is recommended in increasing the knowledge of public relations practitioners regarding the theory of communication strategies which will assist in improving the status of public relations and the perceived value of the profession.

This study conducts a narrative analysis of the film Turist, in order to explore how its portrayal of a contemporary Scandinavian family could provide insight into how gender roles are constructed. Drawing on classical feminist theory, film theory and giving special focus to explore how masculinity and the father’s role is portrayed in relation to femininity this essay uses a theoretical angle that is less explored than others. In the methodology, this study examines both the film’s characters and the many technical aspects that a film is constructed from. When relevant to the analysis in its entirety the study will consider parameters such as dialogue, editing, camera movement, framing of scenes and music. The results of the research show that the film is self-aware when constructing stereotypical gender roles that aligns itself with classical feminist theories. In the end the film implies that the family is comfortable to return to the traditional family hierarchy, because this is something they believe is expected from them.

Master of Arts
Department of Communication Studies, Theatre, and Dance
Nicole M. Laster
The adoption of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy affords a company with the opportunity to engage with stakeholders in a manner that is not necessarily tied directly to a company’s business as usual. CSR research has burgeoned in the last several decades, keeping pace with companies worldwide and their steady incorporation of CSR policies into their business models. To that end, research has been primarily focused on CSR policy perception from external stakeholders or managers. This research project examines the sensemaking processes related to an environmental sustainability-related CSR policy among a diverse group of internal stakeholders at a mid-sized electric utility company. An analysis of the data suggests that hierarchical divisions of employees are non-existent when the CSR policy is enduring, consistent, and upholds company values. Moreover, employee enactment of CSR policies operates as a mechanism whereby employees internalize the promoted corporate values. Such environmental CSR policies tacitly reinforce an organization’s cultural values among its employees. Additionally, environmentally sustainable CSR policies supported by environmentally exhausting companies induce a minimal justification hypothesis when dissonance is present between the nature of a company’s industry and practices related to sustaining the environment.

Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 1998.
Thesis advisor: Scott Olson. "...in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Communication." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-66).

As activities of companies become global there is an emerging need to understand the processes that lead to the success of large projects in which the core competency is centered in a parent company; an engineering department in a foreign subsidiary; and customers that are distributed across the globe. This situation requires an ever-increasing role for project managers (PM) to cross international boundaries. The modern PM must consider many facets of their responsibilities including: managing corporate knowledge as a strategic asset; transferring corporate knowledge to the project team and transferring engineering capabilities back to corporate; and, developing customer requirements that ensure project success. In order to meet these responsibilities, the project manager needs to understand the diversity of technical communication from parent to subsidiary, the cultural vagaries of these communications, in addition to maintaining an eye on knowledge transfer. The challenge for an organization is to manage knowledge transfer between headquarters and its subsidiaries optimally. This initial study will investigate the factors associated with successes of international projects examining cultural and knowledge transfer processes of industrial companies and their subsidiaries. It plans to improve understanding of how communication structures and mechanisms of companies are integrating factors between culture and knowledge transfer and how they impact project success.

Attention to safety and health are of ever-increasing priority to industrial organizations. Good Safety is demanded by stockholders, employees, and the community while increasing injury costs provide additional motivation for safety and health excellence. Safety has always been a strong corporate value of DuPont and a vital part of its culture. As a result, DuPont has become a benchmark in safety and health performance. Since 1990, DuPont has re-engineered itself to meet global competition and address future vision. In the new re-engineered organizational structures, DuPont has also had to re-engineer its safety management systems. A special Discovery Team was chartered by DuPont senior management to determine the “best practices’ for safety and health being used in DuPont best-performing sites. A summary of the findings is presented, and five of the practices are discussed. Excellence in safety and health management is more important today than ever. Public awareness, federal and state regulations, and enlightened management have resulted in a widespread conviction that all employees have the right to work in an environment that will not adversely affect their safety and health. In DuPont, we believe that excellence in safety and health is necessary to achieve global competitiveness, maintain employee loyalty, and be an accepted member of the communities in which we make, handle, use, and transport products. Safety can also be the “catalyst” to achieving excellence in other important business parameters. The organizational and communication skills developed by management, individuals, and teams in safety can be directly applied to other company initiatives. As we look into the 21st Century, we must also recognize that new organizational structures (flatter with empowered teams) will require new safety management techniques and systems in order to maintain continuous improvement in safety performance. Injury costs, which have risen dramatically in the past twenty years, provide another incentive for safety and health excellence. Shown in the Figure 1, injury costs have increased even after correcting for inflation. Many companies have found these costs to be an “invisible drain” on earnings and profitability. In some organizations, significant initiatives have been launched to better manage the workers’ compensation systems. We have found that the ultimate solution is to prevent injuries and incidents before they occur. A globally-respected company, DuPont is regarded as a well-managed, extremely ethical firm that is the benchmark in industrial safety performance. Like many other companies, DuPont has re-engineered itself and downsized its operations since 1985. Through these changes, we have maintained dedication to our principles and developed new techniques to manage in these organizational environments. As a diversified company, our operations involve chemical process facilities, production line operations, field activities, and sales and distribution of materials. Our customer base is almost entirely industrial and yet we still maintain a high level of consumer awareness and positive perception. The DuPont concern for safety dates back to the early 1800s and the first days of the company. In 1802 E.I. DuPont, a Frenchman, began manufacturing quality grade explosives to fill America’s growing need to build roads, clear fields, increase mining output, and protect its recently won independence. Because explosives production is such a hazardous industry, DuPont recognized and accepted the need for an effective safety effort. The building walls of the first powder mill near Wilmington, Delaware, were built three stones thick on three sides. The back remained open to the Brandywine River to direct any explosive forces away from other buildings and employees. To set the safety example, DuPont also built his home and the homes of his managers next to the powder yard. An effective safety program was a necessity. It represented the first defense against instant corporate liquidation. Safety needs more than a well-designed plant, however. In 1811, work rules were posted in the mill to guide employee work habits. Though not nearly as sophisticated as the safety standards of today, they did introduce an important basic concept — that safety must be a line management responsibility. Later, DuPont introduced an employee health program and hired a company doctor. An early step taken in 1912 was the keeping of safety statistics, approximately 60 years before the federal requirement to do so. We had a visible measure of our safety performance and were determined that we were going to improve it. When the nation entered World War I, the DuPont Company supplied 40 percent of the explosives used by the Allied Forces, more than 1.5 billion pounds. To accomplish this task, over 30,000 new employees were hired and trained to build and operate many plants. Among these facilities was the largest smokeless powder plant the world had ever seen. The new plant was producing granulated powder in a record 116 days after ground breaking. The trends on the safety performance chart reflect the problems that a large new work force can pose until the employees fully accept the company’s safety philosophy. The first arrow reflects the World War I scale-up, and the second arrow represents rapid diversification into new businesses during the 1920s. These instances of significant deterioration in safety performance reinforced DuPont’s commitment to reduce the unsafe acts that were causing 96 percent of our injuries. Only 4 percent of injuries result from unsafe conditions or equipment — the remainder result from the unsafe acts of people. This is an important concept if we are to focus our attention on reducing injuries and incidents within the work environment. World War II brought on a similar set of demands. The story was similar to World War I but the numbers were even more astonishing: one billion dollars in capital expenditures, 54 new plants, 75,000 additional employees, and 4.5 billion pounds of explosives produced — 20 percent of the volume used by the Allied Forces. Yet, the performance during the war years showed no significant deviation from the pre-war years. In 1941, the DuPont Company was 10 times safer than all industry and 9 times safer than the Chemical Industry. Management and the line organization were finally working as they should to control the real causes of injuries. Today, DuPont is about 50 times safer than US industrial safety performance averages. Comparing performance to other industries, it is interesting to note that seemingly “hazard-free” industries seem to have extraordinarily high injury rates. This is because, as DuPont has found out, performance is a function of injury prevention and safety management systems, not hazard exposure. Our success in safety results from a sound safety management philosophy. Each of the 125 DuPont facilities is responsible for its own safety program, progress, and performance. However, management at each of these facilities approaches safety from the same fundamental and sound philosophy. This philosophy can be expressed in eleven straightforward principles. The first principle is that all injuries can be prevented. That statement may seem a bit optimistic. In fact, we believe that this is a realistic goal and not just a theoretical objective. Our safety performance proves that the objective is achievable. We have plants with over 2,000 employees that have operated for over 10 years without a lost time injury. As injuries and incidents are investigated, we can always identify actions that could have prevented that incident. If we manage safety in a proactive — rather than reactive — manner, we will eliminate injuries by reducing the acts and conditions that cause them. The second principle is that management, which includes all levels through first-line supervisors, is responsible and accountable for preventing injuries. Only when senior management exerts sustained and consistent leadership in establishing safety goals, demanding accountability for safety performance and providing the necessary resources, can a safety program be effective in an industrial environment. The third principle states that, while recognizing management responsibility, it takes the combined energy of the entire organization to reach sustained, continuous improvement in safety and health performance. Creating an environment in which employees feel ownership for the safety effort and make significant contributions is an essential task for management, and one that needs deliberate and ongoing attention. The fourth principle is a corollary to the first principle that all injuries are preventable. It holds that all operating exposures that may result in injuries or illnesses can be controlled. No matter what the exposure, an effective safeguard can be provided. It is preferable, of course, to eliminate sources of danger, but when this is not reasonable or practical, supervision must specify measures such as special training, safety devices, and protective clothing. Our fifth safety principle states that safety is a condition of employment. Conscientious assumption of safety responsibility is required from all employees from their first day on the job. Each employee must be convinced that he or she has a responsibility for working safely. The sixth safety principle: Employees must be trained to work safely. We have found that an awareness for safety does not come naturally and that people have to be trained to work safely. With effective training programs to teach, motivate, and sustain safety knowledge, all injuries and illnesses can be eliminated. Our seventh principle holds that management must audit performance on the workplace to assess safety program success. Comprehensive inspections of both facilities and programs not only confirm their effectiveness in achieving the desired performance, but also detect specific problems and help to identify weaknesses in the safety effort. The Company’s eighth principle states that all deficiencies must be corrected promptly. Without prompt action, risk of injuries will increase and, even more important, the credibility of management’s safety efforts will suffer. Our ninth principle is a statement that off-the-job safety is an important part of the overall safety effort. We do not expect nor want employees to “turn safety on” as they come to work and “turn it off” when they go home. The company safety culture truly becomes of the individual employee’s way of thinking. The tenth principle recognizes that it’s good business to prevent injuries. Injuries cost money. However, hidden or indirect costs usually exceed the direct cost. Our last principle is the most important. Safety must be integrated as core business and personal value. There are two reasons for this. First, we’ve learned from almost 200 years of experience that 96 percent of safety incidents are directly caused by the action of people, not by faulty equipment or inadequate safety standards. But conversely, it is our people who provide the solutions to our safety problems. They are the one essential ingredient in the recipe for a safe workplace. Intelligent, trained, and motivated employees are any company’s greatest resource. Our success in safety depends upon the men and women in our plants following procedures, participating actively in training, and identifying and alerting each other and management to potential hazards. By demonstrating a real concern for each employee, management helps establish a mutual respect, and the foundation is laid for a solid safety program. This, of course, is also the foundation for good employee relations. An important lesson learned in DuPont is that the majority of injuries are caused by unsafe acts and at-risk behaviors rather than unsafe equipment or conditions. In fact, in several DuPont studies it was estimated that 96 percent of injuries are caused by unsafe acts. This was particularly revealing when considering safety audits — if audits were only focused on conditions, at best we could only prevent four percent of our injuries. By establishing management systems for safety auditing that focus on people, including audit training, techniques, and plans, all incidents are preventable. Of course, employee contribution and involvement in auditing leads to sustainability through stakeholdership in the system. Management safety audits help to make manage the “behavioral balance.” Every job and task performed at a site can do be done at-risk or safely. The essence of a good safety system ensures that safe behavior is the accepted norm amongst employees, and that it is the expected and respected way of doing things. Shifting employees norms contributes mightily to changing culture. The management safety audit provides a way to quantify these norms. DuPont safety performance has continued to improve since we began keeping records in 1911 until about 1990. In the 1990–1994 time frame, performance deteriorated as shown in the chart that follows: This increase in injuries caused great concern to senior DuPont management as well as employees. It occurred while the corporation was undergoing changes in organization. In order to sustain our technological, competitive, and business leadership positions, DuPont began re-engineering itself beginning in about 1990. New streamlined organizational structures and collaborative work processes eliminated many positions and levels of management and supervision. The total employment of the company was reduced about 25 percent during these four years. In our traditional hierarchical organization structures, every level of supervision and management knew exactly what they were expected to do with safety, and all had important roles. As many of these levels were eliminated, new systems needed to be identified for these new organizations. In early 1995, Edgar S. Woolard, DuPont Chairman, chartered a Corporate Discovery Team to look for processes that will put DuPont on a consistent path toward a goal of zero injuries and occupational illnesses. The cross-functional team used a mode of “discovery through learning” from as many DuPont employees and sites around the world. The Discovery Team fostered the rapid sharing and leveraging of “best practices” and innovative approaches being pursued at DuPont’s plants, field sites, laboratories, and office locations. In short, the team examined the company’s current state, described the future state, identified barriers between the two, and recommended key ways to overcome these barriers. After reporting back to executive management in April, 1995, the Discovery Team was realigned to help organizations implement their recommendations. The Discovery Team reconfirmed key values in DuPont — in short, that all injuries, incidents, and occupational illnesses are preventable and that safety is a source of competitive advantage. As such, the steps taken to improve safety performance also improve overall competitiveness. Senior management made this belief clear: “We will strengthen our business by making safety excellence an integral part of all business activities.” One of the key findings of the Discovery Team was the identification of the best practices used within the company, which are listed below: ▪ Felt Leadership – Management Commitment ▪ Business Integration ▪ Responsibility and Accountability ▪ Individual/Team Involvement and Influence ▪ Contractor Safety ▪ Metrics and Measurements ▪ Communications ▪ Rewards and Recognition ▪ Caring Interdependent Culture; Team-Based Work Process and Systems ▪ Performance Standards and Operating Discipline ▪ Training/Capability ▪ Technology ▪ Safety and Health Resources ▪ Management and Team Audits ▪ Deviation Investigation ▪ Risk Management and Emergency Response ▪ Process Safety ▪ Off-the-Job Safety and Health Education Attention to each of these best practices is essential to achieve sustained improvements in safety and health. The Discovery Implementation in conjunction with DuPont Safety and Environmental Management Services has developed a Safety Self-Assessment around these systems. In this presentation, we will discuss a few of these practices and learn what they mean. Paper published with permission.

Over the past decade, one can observe a steady growth in the use of terms such as Place Branding, Nation Branding, Destination Branding and City Branding. Both in academic research and in the practical applications in large cities management and urban spaces, this new paradigm takes shape and, along with it, the need for definitions and concepts, methods and methodologies and the establishment of technical and theoretical standards. This approach was born in the Marketing field, specifically in what was called Place Marketing. In this context the Branding stood out as a development tool solutions to the need for differentiation, generation of solid images and the establishment of symbols and identity signs, in order to leverage economic benefits for countries, cities and regions. In a way, fulfilling, in the first instance, a similar role to the branding of products and services. But it was specifically in Branding corporations that were found the biggest matches to adapt this knowledge to management positions. Ashworth & Kavaratzis (2010) highlight the fact that both present multidisciplinary roots, a multiple number of strategic actors (stakeholders), high degree of intangibility and complexity of social responsibility, the multiplicity of identities and the long-term development needs are strong examples their similarities. The development and management of corporate identities, here expanded to the Branding corporations, it is a prolific field of Design. It great names of the area said their careers and built great legacy. The time of greater proficiency in the area were the 50s and 60s, dominated by modernist thought, and, coincidentally or not, exactly the time that focused efforts to assert the identity of the designer as a professional (STOLARSKI, 2006) . Nationally stand out names like Alexandre Wollner, Ruben Martins, the duo Carlos Cauduro and Ludovico Martino and Aloisio Magalhaes. In contrast, in the literature produced in the marketing field, often the role of design in this context is reduced to merely promotional measures, such as creating logos or advertising campaigns. In other words, defined as a work of low complexity and low social prägnanz. This approach comes at odds with contemporary theories of design, such as MetaDesign, Design Thinking and Design Collaborative, in which are presented motodológicos models of high relevance for the identification, analysis and solution of complex problems involving multiple elements and agents. The proposed article aims to survey the state of the art City Branding / Place Branding focused on publications produced in the disciplinary field of design. The literature review will grant that, before the above presented context, is analyzed as designers and researchers design face the contributions that the field can offer to the practice and theory of Branding places. Finally, Article yearns assess whether the pre-established hypothesis that there are possible and fruitful connections between contemporary theories of design and the City Branding, is being addressed in articles and publications area.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/IFDP.2016.3288

As with all their assets, organizations need management when it comes to their reputation. Having a successful corporate reputation is closely related to how corporations manage their existing reputation. The main components of long-term corporate reputation are categorized as appealing to emotions, product and service quality, vision and leadership, financial performance, workplace environment and social responsibility (Fombrun et al., 2013: 253). Among these components, financial performance is positioned as one of the main factors that come to the fore especially in crisis situations. Financial performance is also an effective factor in building trust in all relationships established with the target audience. Therefore, organizations should reflect their financial performance with a good corporate communication strategy in order to create a solid corporate reputation based on trust. The Covid-19 pandemic, which affected the whole world in 2019, negatively affected many corporations in Turkey economically. In the face of this situation, which can be described as a global crisis, corporations carried out corporate communication activities that support corporate reputation management in order to turn the crisis into an opportunity. It is seen that especially the financial performances of the corporations are highlighted among these activities carried out with the aim of strengthening the positive image of the corporations in the eyes of their stakeholders and the public. Within the scope of this research, the press releases published by five companies operating within the automotive sector in Turkey, among the sectors given in the Sectoral Impact of Covid 19 on the Economy report of Global Times (2020), were examined through the content analysis method in the context of financial performance indicators. The purpose of the research is to reveal how organizations reflect their strategies, which include the elements that reflect their financial performance in their press releases, to the public. As a result of the research, the financial performance indicator that took the most place in all the press releases examined was determined as “competitive advantage”.

In recent years, Nirex has been engaged in a fundamental review of its values, objectives and behaviours. The significant shift to emerge from this review has been a commitment to being a responsible organisation. On both ethical and strategic grounds, Nirex believes it will only have a useful role to play in future radioactive waste management debates if it can show that it is a socially responsive and accountable organisation. Important commitments have already been made, and policies introduced, including a Transparency Policy, and an Environmental Policy. Over the same period, there has been a growing discourse and engagement in the UK with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). A wealth of organisations and consultants have emerged offering thought leadership and support in this area, some of whom have approached Nirex offering services. The challenge Nirex faces, however, is to understand what relevance and implications the CSR debate has for its work, and its wider commitment to responsibility. Should Nirex have a CSR strategy and produce a CSR report, or does ‘responsibility’ mean something different to Nirex? What would engaging in CSR mean — is there a danger that being responsible would become a stand-alone activity in the organisation, rather than a ‘mainstreamed’ commitment? If Nirex were to produce a CSR report, who would it be aimed at, and how would it fit alongside other corporate communications? In order to help answer these questions, and to develop a clear position and strategy, Nirex asked the Future Foundation to help facilitate input from consultants and other practitioners who have relevant experience. This paper will describe what was undertaken, the results and some thoughts on what this means for the future.

Aim/Purpose: This paper, although conceived earlier than the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, addresses the problem of informing agility as part of organizational agility that has become a rather important issue for business survival. Background: While the general issues of business informing, and business intelligence (BI) in particular, have been widely researched, the dynamics of informing, their ability to act in accord with changes in business and preserve the key competencies has not been widely researched. In particular, the research on BI agility is rather scattered, and many issues need to be clarified. Methodology: A series of in-depth interviews with BI professionals to determine relations between organizational agility and BI agility, and to round up a set of key factors of BI agility. Contribution: The paper clarifies a candidate set of key factors of BI agility and gives ground for future research in relations with areas like corporate and BI resilience and culture. Findings: The interview results show the relations between organizational changes, and changes in BI activities. BI has limited potential in recognizing important external changes but can be rather helpful in making decision choices and detecting internal problems. Lack of communication between business and IT people, existence of data silos and shadow BI, and general inadequacy of organizational and BI culture are the key factors impairing BI agility. Recommendations for Practitioners: There are practical issues around BI agility that need solving, like the reason-able coverage of standards or creation of a dedicated unit to care about BI potential. Recommendations for Researchers: The research is still in its starting phase, but additional interesting directions start to emerge, like relations between BI agility, resilience and corporate agility, or the role of informing culture and BI culture for BI agility issues. Impact on Society: Agile business, especially in times of global shocks like COVID-19, loses less value and has more chances to survive. Future Research: Most likely this will be focused on the relations between BI agility, resilience, and corporate agility, and the role of informing culture and BI culture for BI agility issues. NOTE: This Proceedings paper was revised and published in Informing Science: The International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline , 24, 19-30. Click DOWNLOAD PDF to download the published paper.

The research is intended to determine the dominant principles of connectivism learning theory in international studies that are related to student’s learning expectations. For that purpose the roles of teachers and students in the process of cognition, the dominant methods of study and technical means employed in the knowledge of the process of cognition are analysed. Also, the parameters of student satisfaction with international studies are analysed: the possibility to interactively know and interpret knowledge, to learn by learning strategies suitable for a student, to choose a meaningful curriculum for a student. The research results show that learning expectations of students in international study programmes are associated more with principles of connectivism than with constructivist learning theory. An essential factor in causing the reaction of student dissatisfaction with studies is the quality of pedagogical communication in a foreign language.

Globalization and the use of technology call for an adaptation of value creation strategies. As the potential for rationalization and achieving flexibility within companies is to the greatest possible extent exhausted, approaches to the corporate reorganization of value creation are becoming increasingly important. In this process, the spread and further development of information and communication technology often provide the basis for a reorganization of cross-company value nets and lead to a redistribution of roles and tasks between the actors involved in value creation. While cooperative, decentralized and self-organizing value creation processes are in fact being promoted, the associated potential for development and production engineering is being underestimated and hence not implemented sufficiently. This contribution will first describe the emerging transformation in value creation taxonomy and then, on the basis of a case study, develop an adequate framework for value creation configuration.

The article examines the world and Ukrainian history of corporate periodicals. The main purpose of this study is to reproduce an objective global picture of the emergence and formation of corporate periodicals, taking into account the business and socio-economic context. Accordingly, its tasks are to compare the conditions and features of corporate media genesis in different countries, to determine the main factors of their development, as well as to clarify the transformations of the terminological apparatus. The research is based on mostly foreign secondary scientific works published from 1915 to the present time. The literature was studied using methods such as overview, historical, functional and thematic analysis, description, and generalization. A systematic approach was used to determine the role and place of each element in the system, as well as to comprehensively consider the object in the general historical context and within the current scientific discourse. The method of systematization made it possible to establish internal and external connections, patterns and contradictions in the development of the object of study. The main historical milestones on this path are identified, examples of the first successful corporate publications and their contribution to business development, public relations, and corporate communications are considered. It was found that corporate media emerged in the mid-nineteenth century spontaneously, on the wave of practical business needs in response to industrialization, company increase, staff growth, and consumer market development. Their appearance preceded the formation of the public relations industry and changed the structure of the information space. The scientific significance of this research is that the historical look at the evolution of corporate media provides an understanding of their place, influence, capabilities, and growing communicative role in the digital age.