Student Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
Spring 5-27-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Honors Designation
na
Program of Study
Communication - Corporate Communication
Language
English
First Advisor
Minna Logemann
Second Advisor
Allison Hahn
Abstract
This research paper discusses corporate reputation and how companies can stay authentic to their positive external reputations internally. Organizations are getting better at communicating who they are but fall short in fulfilling broader reputation goals. To be managed, corporate reputations must be measured. Fombrun introduced the Reputation Institute and the RepTrak measurement system, which builds on research done on leadership, employee engagement, and the evolution of corporate reputation. This paper dives into how to assess a corporation’s reputation using the aggregate reputation ranking RepTrak as a frame for the analysis of qualitative data, collected on four organizations and supplemented with oral histories from employees in two of them. The paper looks at specific reputation drivers and the results and consequences of these drivers in the workplace. This research at hand closes the gap between corporate reputation in theory and specific companies who have been successful in practice, putting reputation measures in place in order to benefit their companies internally and externally. This research finds that positive interactions build favorable reputations, and that leadership is a driving force in employee engagement and morale. It also finds that citizenship and environmental social governance (ESG) are driving forces for workers and consumers when considering where to work and where to buy from. A corporation’s reputation should be recognized as a valuable asset, resulting in significant outcomes such as, attracting top talent, motivating employees and increasing job satisfaction, generating more positive media coverage as well as attracting consumers. This research contributes to literature and to the practice of reputation management.
Recommended Citation
Wilson, Valeene, "Corporate Reputations Measured and in Practice: How Can Corporations Stay Authentic to Their Positive External Depictions, Internally?" (2022). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/bb_etds/139