session 13, lekakis
TRANSCRIPT
Reconfiguring Corporate Communication
as an Interdisciplinary FieldDr. Eleftheria Lekakis
Centre for the Study of Global Media & Democracy
Goldsmiths College, University of London
Corporate Persons
Against Corporate Persons
YES to Political Corporations, NO to Political Communication?
• Increasing reflexive theorisation of CC in relation to political science/ theory (Gerencser, 2005; Scherer and Palazzo, 2007; Gong & Matten, 2007; Crane, Matten &Moon, 2008), BUT:
• Little non-functionalistic theorisation of corporate communication
• Need for more informed approach, which can perhaps aid in the construction of the field
Conceptualising Corporate Communication
• Effects-related approach (management)• Image-related approach (branding)• Promotional approach (marketing)• BUT… Need for different research approaches
(Margolis and Walsh, 2003, Salzman et al, 2005; Benn & Bolton, 2011). – Politics and Communication– Communication and Rhetoric– Anthropology/ Ethnography
Financial Communications
Corporate Advertising/ Image & Identity
Government Communications
Media Communications
Community Communication/ Corporate Philanthropy
Employee Relations
Crisis Communications
Reconfiguring Aspects of Corporate Communication
– Image/ identity– Corporate advocacy
– Financial communications
– Media communications – Government communications – Community communications– Corporate philanthropy– Employee relations– Crisis communications
Possible Conclusions by Theme• Depictions of Corporations as Political Entities– Corporations as ‘agents of justice’ (O’Neill,
2001)– Corporations as ‘super citizens’ (Opel, 2006)– Corporations as ‘the difference makers’
(Waddock, 2008)• Nature, effectiveness & implication of messages
delivered and dialogues enabled• Directions for social and political change
Conclusion
• The development of the field of CSR communication and corporate communication in general needs to be developed in a holistic sense, particularly informed by various perspectives from different disciplines beyond business communication, such as critical political communication.
