How to Manage Your Reputation

Citation

Oliver, S. (1999), "How to Manage Your Reputation", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 50-50. https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij.1999.4.1.50.1

This most readable of text manages to cross the theory and practice divide with flair and competence. In accepting that globalisation has not brought about clear planning and evaluation criteria for multi‐national corporate communication programmes, the book nevertheless attempts to explain some of the complexity surrounding such issues. As Professor Stephen Gracer of Harvard Business School says in his foreword:

At the corporate level we see public relations in action communicating corporate messages to the world‐wide financial markets, shaping corporate images and telling us stories at times of crisis, playing a key role in developing new identities and positioning companies formed in the wake of murders, acquisitions and takeovers… Yesterday focused on brand promotions; today emphasises development and defence of corporate reputation. At its best public relations is a component of corporate strategy.

From the 1970s focus on competency relating to press releases, to today’s focus on competencies relating to video news releases and websites, Michael Morley provides stimulating consideration of that old chestnut “think global, act local”. He offers a contribution to the growing specialisation of international public relations and public affairs theory by not neglecting the significance of agency and research. For example, he suggests a model of corporate reputation criteria by comparing Fortune magazine data with that from the Far East Economic Review and includes pertinent case studies with accurate data. As with so many early communication practice texts, the style sometimes slips into the subjective instead of the objective (for example, you should do this and you should not do that) but this is a highly reputable contribution from a British president of an American public relations agency. A special plaudit goes to Michael Morley for taking the time and trouble to prove why the manipulative work of spin doctors in presenting false images of corporation reputations when things go wrong helps to uphold the low reputation of the public relations and advertising professions. One senses that this president at least, will have no truck with anything other than best practice and excellence in these, the most honourable of industrial sectors.