Multiple Reputations

The concept of multiple reputations recognizes corporate reputation as a construct to be understood in light of a “reputation for what” and “according to whom.” Broadly defined, corporate reputation is an assessment of quality or value that is granted by external audiences. Given the widely heterogeneous nature of external audiences, scholars have come to recognize that different audiences may have different assessments of quality across various dimensions.

There are two types of variance to consider. First, a firm can have multiple reputations based on different firm attributes, assessments of quality, or reputational issues (e.g., different reputations for what). For example, some audiences may be concerned with a firm’s reputation for financial performance, capability, or technical efficacy, while others may be more concerned with a firm’s reputation ...