Chapter 7: What is PR?

Question 1

What is corporate identity and corporate image?

Answer 1

The strategic development of a distinct and coherent image of an organization that is consistently communicated to stakeholders through symbolism, planned communications and behavior

Question 2

What is the difference between Corporate identity and corporate image?

Answer 2

Corporate identity = what the organization communicates
Corporate image = how the public actually views the organization

Question 3

How can you control corporate image?

Answer 3

Cannot be controlled, but a well managed corporate identity could influence it

Question 4

How to manage corporate identity?

Answer 4

Embracing all aspect of CI mix:
- Symbolism
- communication
- Behavior

Question 5

What model can help to determine what constitutes to identity?

Answer 5

Corporate identity taxonomy (adapted)
And looking at the current issues (EPISTLE)

Question 6

What are the steps to take when researching the corporate identity?

Answer 6

1. Identify gap and what is needed to make them coherent (current image and identity)
   a. Use an Audit: extensive communication study of the organization.
   * Internally and externally
   * Interviews, observations, content analysis.
   * Visual audit
   b. Increasing importance of the role of Social Media
   * Questions: what platforms, what content, what interaction etc
2. Goals of Corporate Identity strategy can be:
   a. Maintain present position
   b. Adapt the present situation
   c. Develop a new position

Question 7

What is the essence of identity from a cultural perspective?

Answer 7

• We create the identity within our discourse.
• How do we view the organization and communicate about it
• Role symbolism

Question 8

What is the essence of identity from a organizational perspective?

Answer 8

• What is central to the organization?
• What makes it distinct from competitors?
• What element has been stable in the past, and will be in the present and
  future?

Question 9

What is the relation between consistency and transparency?

Answer 9

Transparency is seen as a new pressure to police for consistency in corporate communication

Question 10

Why is transparency important?

Answer 10

• Because of critical media looking for gaps
• Organizations use transparency claims to discipline organizational voices

Question 11

What makes consistency hard?

Answer 11

Different stakeholder and different therefore different interests

Question 12

What is also part of the corporate identity? (Think of “This is the way we do around here”)

Answer 12

Organizational culture

Question 13

Which tool can we use for mapping and understanding organisational culture?

Answer 13

the cultural web (Johnson & Scholes, 1992)

Question 14

Which topics does the cultural web model for mapping organisational culture consist of? (johnson & Scholes, 1992)

Answer 14

• stories
• Rituals
• Control systems
• Organizational structures
• Power structures
• Symbols