{"title":"Societal impact of Brand Public Relations on gender equality: evidence for a mediation-type mechanism","authors":"Michal Chmiel","doi":"10.1108/ccij-04-2024-0059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-04-2024-0059","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe purpose of the project was to identify a mechanism of causal relationship between Brand Public Relations (BPR) and societal change in the perception of women gender roles.Design/methodology/approachExperimental evidence was obtained in three countries (N = 378) to examine the mechanism of societal impact of BPR. Effects of spillover of evaluations between two sub-brands of a house of brands company, caused by positive publicity about communication co-created by Public Relations (PR), were analysed.FindingsFindings supported the existence of a positive spillover of evaluations. A mechanism of the societal impact of PR was also captured: an indirect effect of news stories about a non-objectifying portrayal of women in the male reference brand on the typicality of a non-stereotypical women role in society was demonstrated.Research limitations/implicationsExperiments were conducted over a period of three years, during which publics perception of brands' communication about gender portrayal might have changed.Practical implicationsThe paper argues for greater recognition of brand public relations professionals as co-creators of promotional brand communication. It gives evidence that one of the unique competencies of BPR is insight into publics and predicting long-term consequences of brand communication.Social implicationsThe findings of the research project suggest a mediated nature of influence of BPR on the perception of typicality of gender (women) roles in society. PR communicators should learn what areas of practice of PR require specific skills for the function of PR to develop the new competence.Originality/valueThis paper is the first one that aimed at establishing a common terminological framework of the societal impact of public relations.","PeriodicalId":10696,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Communications: An International Journal","volume":"49 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141639955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Empowering public relations for sustainability: examining the landscape in Turkey","authors":"Nilüfer Geysi̇","doi":"10.1108/ccij-12-2023-0192","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-12-2023-0192","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis paper examines the engagement of public relations (PR) in advancing sustainability within Turkey, exploring both current contributions and future potential. It analyzes how PR professionals and scholars conceptualize sustainability, revealing divergent perspectives within the industry. The study delves into the perceived roles and responsibilities of PR professionals in driving sustainable initiatives, highlighting the key challenges hindering their impact. Ultimately, the research identifies essential knowledge and skills needed to empower Turkish PR to effectively contribute to a more sustainable future.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a qualitative research approach using semi-structured in-depth interviews with two distinct groups: experienced PR professionals holding director positions in agencies and corporate communication departments, and PR professors with at least five years of teaching experience in Turkey.FindingsThe findings reveal a dynamic, yet complex, landscape of sustainability within the Turkish PR industry. While PR professionals are actively integrating sustainability into strategic initiatives and emphasizing measurable impact, they face barriers to full integration, and their conceptualization of sustainability often differs from that of PR scholars. The findings point to a critical need for targeted education and professional development to better equip Turkish PR practitioners to drive sustainable development.Originality/valueMethodologically, the incorporation of representative groups, consisting of senior communication professionals and professors, offers valuable insights that can inform improvements in PR practices, enhance PR education, and advance the understanding of sustainability within the field of communication within the specific context of Turkey.","PeriodicalId":10696,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Communications: An International Journal","volume":"45 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141640094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effectiveness of femvertising communications on social media: how brand promises and motive attributions impact brand equity and endorsement outcomes","authors":"C. Rudeloff, Joke Bruns","doi":"10.1108/ccij-03-2024-0041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-03-2024-0041","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeWith the growing importance of conscientious branding, companies are increasingly adopting messages of female empowerment in their social media communications. However, this is not without risk, as stakeholders may be suspicious of femwashing. Therefore, companies need to develop appropriate messaging strategies to increase the effectiveness of their femvertising communications.Design/methodology/approachA between-subjects 3 × 1 online experiment was conducted to examine the influence of different messaging strategies (symbolic, philanthropic and explicit brand promises) and respective stakeholders' attributions of a company’s femvertising motives on brand equity and endorsement outcomes.FindingsThe results show that philanthropic and explicit brand promises have more positive effects on brand equity and endorsement outcomes than symbolic brand promises. In addition, motive attributions towards the firm’s femvertising messages were found to moderate the influence of message strategies on endorsement outcomes.Originality/valuePrevious research on the effects of femvertising has been inclined towards short-term performance factors like purchase intentions. This study contributes to the literature by examining its impacts on more strategic intangible assets such as brand equity. Furthermore, while prior studies on femvertising effects have so far focused primarily on the influence of recipients’ characteristics and less on the side of the communicators, this study illuminates the potential of different messaging strategies for effective femvertising communicating.","PeriodicalId":10696,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Communications: An International Journal","volume":"31 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141640029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Silent ripples: negative CSR associations' impact in non-crisis situations","authors":"Bitt Moon, C. Choi, Eugene Kim","doi":"10.1108/ccij-01-2024-0014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-01-2024-0014","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeA total of 478 Americans participated in an online survey. Each participant was asked to answer questions about a company randomly assigned from one of 36 companies representing six industries.Design/methodology/approachThis study aims to explain how corporate social responsibility (CSR) and negative corporate ability (CA) associations lead to negative word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions in non-crisis situations. Specifically, this study investigates the mediating roles of revenge and avoidance motives in the relationship between negative CSR and CA associations and the intention to generate negative WOM.FindingsThe findings indicate that negative CSR associations have a greater effect on WOM than negative CA associations. Moreover, negative CSR associations stimulate the revenge motive, resulting in stronger intentions to spread negative information, while negative CA associations lead to the avoidance motive, resulting in weaker intentions to spread negative information.Originality/valueUnlike most previous studies that focused on crises, this study examines how negative CA and CSR associations influence negative WOM in non-crisis situations, shedding light on the roles of motives including the revenge and avoidance. The research fills a gap in the existing literature by demonstrating that negative CSR associations have a greater impact on negative WOM intentions than negative CA associations in non-crisis situations.","PeriodicalId":10696,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Communications: An International Journal","volume":"48 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141664927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Online faith-holder communities in crisis: proposing and testing a dual-challenge model","authors":"Ruqin Ren, Bei Yan","doi":"10.1108/ccij-05-2023-0069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-05-2023-0069","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThough current literature has started to recognize the significant role that online faith-holders play in the context of brand reputation crises, extant research lacks a theoretical framework to explain the process in which online faith-holders endure the harm in brand reputation while collectively rebuilding the reputation. We propose and test a dual-challenge model for a more systematic understanding of faith-holder communities in brand reputation crises.Design/methodology/approachFocusing on collective-level communication activities, we quantitatively compared the volume, valence and variance of a faith-holder community’s communication (441,611 posts by 3,228 fans over 14 days) before and after a brand reputation crisis.FindingsOur longitudinal data demonstrated that the crisis was a significant threat to group sentiment and cohesion. Nevertheless, the community was highly resilient and adaptive. Their emotions quickly recovered, and they promptly restored group cohesion and coordinated crisis response efforts after the crisis.Originality/valueThis study challenges the traditional assumption that online users are independent, static and reactive during brand crises. Instead, it conceptualizes online faith-holder community as a connected, proactive and dynamically adaptive group in crisis situations. This dual-challenge model highlights the importance of internally fostering collective resilience while externally coordinating crisis responses in a faith-holder community.","PeriodicalId":10696,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Communications: An International Journal","volume":" 93","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141680596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L. L. Lemon, Claudia Bawole, Nancy H. Brinson, Bahareh Amini
{"title":"Somebody's watching me: boundary turbulence and its impact on employee engagement","authors":"L. L. Lemon, Claudia Bawole, Nancy H. Brinson, Bahareh Amini","doi":"10.1108/ccij-12-2023-0171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-12-2023-0171","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to use the concept of boundary turbulence from Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory to better understand how employee monitoring impacts employee engagement. This study is one of the first in corporate communication to combine the frameworks of CPM and employee engagement to better understand employee experiences.Design/methodology/approachTo answer the research question, we conducted an online, open-ended survey that asked 633 participants to provide feedback regarding being monitored at work and how these experiences impacted their engagement with their employer.FindingsThis study sought to understand how boundary turbulence occurs in relation to employee engagement when employees are monitored at work. In total, four examples of boundary turbulence were illustrated in the data: employer monitoring creates distrust; employees find ways to resist being monitored; monitoring doesn’t accurately capture employee engagement; and monitoring leads to disengagement.Originality/valueThe findings from this study lead to important conclusions regarding what happens when employees experience boundary turbulence, and how it relates to employee engagement. This study illustrates how employee monitoring is interpreted as an attempt to control employees, which can lead to distrust and negatively impact employee engagement. Furthermore, boundary turbulence can threaten psychological safety and presence, which can cultivate employee disengagement. Therefore, employees may seek out ways to actively resist, which reiterates that internal publics are distinctive, active, and agentic audiences that cannot be forgotten or assumed.","PeriodicalId":10696,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Communications: An International Journal","volume":"1 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141267045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring business and SDG discourse on X: topics, users and engagement","authors":"Christine Ascencio, Randika Eramudugoda","doi":"10.1108/ccij-10-2023-0143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-10-2023-0143","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis paper examines thematic discourses concerning business and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on X (formerly Twitter), aiming to uncover active user groups and evaluate engagement levels across various topics. The study also explores the engagement patterns among different user categories, ultimately seeking deeper insights into platform discourse regarding business and the SDGs.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing unsupervised machine learning technique Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), we perform exploratory topic modeling on X data referencing business and the SDGs, generating 16 thematic clusters. Subsequently, we analyze user descriptions to categorize users involved in these discussions. Finally, we employ binomial logit models to assess the relationship between topics and engagement and chi-squared test to evaluate the relationship between users and topics.FindingsThe exploratory research identifies 16 business and SDG topics, while the analysis of users reveals 6 stakeholder groups contributing to these discussions. Business groups emerge as the most frequent contributors, posting on topics related to partnership, action advocacy, and economic outcomes. Topics about updates on progress and transformative initiatives garnered strongest support for engagement.Originality/valueThis research not only sheds light on the current state of business and SDG discourse on X, but also underscores the significance of engaging external stakeholders in driving positive social change globally.","PeriodicalId":10696,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Communications: An International Journal","volume":"82 17","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141268370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Navigating the clock and the corridor: how time and space influence unplanned conversations","authors":"Dron M. Mandhana, Dawna I. Ballard","doi":"10.1108/ccij-06-2023-0089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-06-2023-0089","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeDespite their centrality to organizing – acknowledged by several theorists – unplanned conversations are often marginalized in organizational theory. To remedy this oversight, we recenter attention on this understudied aspect of organizing. We draw on the affordances perspective to elaborate on the spatial and temporal factors influencing unplanned conversations.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper integrates multidisciplinary literature on unplanned conversations to identify a range of spatiotemporal factors influencing unplanned conversations. Our approach emphasizes how various situational factors afford or hinder opportunities for unplanned conversations among organizational members.FindingsUnplanned conversations were precisely defined as opportunistic or spontaneous conversations, characterized by the absence of pre-planning, that can be work or non-work-related. Then, the characteristics of unplanned conversations (emergent, episodic and brief, interrelated, convenient, and improvisational) were outlined, indicating their distinct organizing and structuring capabilities. The spatial (i.e. spatial proximity, visibility, legitimacy, and psychological safety) and temporal (i.e. work time pressure, work history, work expertise, and work routineness) factors identified in the study both afford and constrain individuals’ unplanned conversations. The empirically testable propositions offered in the study have significant theoretical and practical implications.Originality/valueThis study enriches our understanding of unplanned conversations by offering a precise conceptual definition, outlining their essential characteristics, and underscoring their theoretical and practical significance in organizing. The study highlights the need for organizations to consider the spatiotemporal factors that influence unplanned conversations.","PeriodicalId":10696,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Communications: An International Journal","volume":"4 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141104889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Organizational mission statement components: a comparative study between Indian and Singaporean mission statements in the healthcare sector via Python analysis","authors":"Abdulkader Zairbani, J.P. Senthil Kumar","doi":"10.1108/ccij-05-2023-0070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-05-2023-0070","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis paper aims to compare the mission statements of Indian and Singaporean firms in the healthcare sector, and define the main components of Indian and Singaporean mission statements.Design/methodology/approachThe study was based on a network analytic approach and content analysis. The research was performed on 200 companies (100 Indian companies and 100 Singaporean companies). For each company, we searched for a mission statement published in the company website. Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) in Python programming language was utilized to obtain the differences in the components of mission statements between Indian and Singaporean firms.FindingsThe study results indicate a similarity and variation between Indian and Singaporean mission statements. Both countries are more concerned about patients, service, community, quality, and healthcare in their mission statements, but Indian mission statements emphasize quality, affordable price, and technology more than Singaporean firms. In contrast, Singaporean mission statements tend to highlight innovation and company value. This research will assist strategic managers in identifying the mission statement components and choosing the right strategy for the organization.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature and ethos theory by identifying and distinguishing the paramount differences between the Indian and Singaporean mission statement components in the healthcare sector.","PeriodicalId":10696,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Communications: An International Journal","volume":"16 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141105392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The role of corporate social advocacy forms in shaping young adults’ responses","authors":"Joon Kyoung Kim, Won-Ki Moon, Jegoo Lee","doi":"10.1108/ccij-11-2023-0151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-11-2023-0151","url":null,"abstract":"PurposeThis study aims to examine the role of different forms of corporate social advocacy (CSA) in shaping individuals’ attitudinal and behavioral intentions towards companies taking their public stand on controversial socio-political issues. With an online experiment as the research method, this study tests whether depicting nonpolitical or political behaviors in CSA messages increases individuals’ positive behavioral intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a single factor between subject online experiment. A total of 135 US young adults were recruited through a Qualtrics online panel. Three social media mockups were created to manipulate three levels of actions in CSA messages (no action, nonpolitical action and political action). Participants viewed one of those social media posts depicting presented actions to counter anti-LGBTQ + legislation in the USA and answered questions about values-driven motives behind CSA, brand preference and positive word-of-mouth (WOM) intention.FindingsParticipants displayed higher levels of brand preference when they viewed CSA messages depicting the company’s political action intended to repel anti-LGBTQ + legislation. Participants showed more positive WOM intentions towards the company when they perceived its political actions as more values-driven.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study offer practical insights to companies when designing CSA messages and strategies. The results of this study indicate that the presence of political actions in CSA communication increases individuals’ positive behaviors towards companies. The results also suggest that depicting altruistic motives behind CSA leads individuals to talk about companies more in positive ways.Originality/valueThis study is one of the early studies investigating the impact of various forms of CSA on individuals’ attitudinal and behavioral intentions to companies practicing CSA. This study provides practical implications on how to effectively appeal individuals’ favorable attitudes and behaviors towards CSA. In particular, this research presents the importance of action aspects in individuals’ attitudes toward corporations’ CSA messages.","PeriodicalId":10696,"journal":{"name":"Corporate Communications: An International Journal","volume":"70 14","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140655243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}