Management, Corporate Reputation

Corporate reputation management refers to activities by organizational leaders and spokespersons intended to positively influence perceptions of the qualities of the organization among stakeholders (i.e., among persons or groups who can affect, or are affected by, the organization’s actions). Such activities then act as signals indicating that the organization has desirable characteristics relative to its competitors. Corporate reputation management covers activities traditionally listed under headings such as public relations, public affairs, corporate identity, advertising, and design. An important question for organizations is exactly which activities by an organization influence the organization’s reputation and how. This question has obvious relevance for organizations for whom their reputations are valuable, intangible assets.

The remainder of this entry discusses the main motivations that organizations have for employing corporate reputation management, ...