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28 Mapping the Field

chapters of the book by combining knowledge from the theory and research domain
with insights from best practice cases from organizations in the US, UK, continental
Europe and elsewhere. In all, corporate communications thus represents a particular
view and philosophy of communications management and embodies a number of
strategic, structural and professional changes. In the remainder of the book, the term
‘corporate communications’ is explicitly used when referring to this particular per-
spective of communications, while the terms communications, public relations, public
affairs and marketing communications are used as general and more descriptive terms
for talking about and characterizing communications practice.

1.5 Chapter summary

All organizations, of all sizes, sectors and operating in very different societies, must
find ways to successfully establish and nurture relationships with their stakeholders
upon which they are economically and socially dependent.The management func-
tion that has arisen to deal with this task is corporate communications; and this chapter
has made a start with circumscribing the importance and key characteristics of it. For
one, as we have seen, depending on whether one is looking at corporate communi-
cations through the eyes of a theorist or practitioner, the spectacle is rather different.
Yet,despite this divergence in views,both the ‘theory’and ‘practice’camps now appear
to converge on their view of corporate communications as a management function.
The remaining chapters in Part 1 of the book describe in more detail how corpo-
rate communications historically emerged and how it has grown into the manage-
ment function that it is today. Chapter 2 discusses the changing socio-economic
conditions that led to the emergence and increasing importance of corporate com-
munications. Chapter 3 discusses three key theoretical concepts within the strategic
management view of corporate communications: stakeholder management, corpo-
rate identity and reputation. Each of these concepts has also amassed huge interest in
recent years in the world of organizations.
An organization, as mentioned, needs to have a public profile and favourable rep-
utation with most, if not all, of the stakeholder groups upon which it is dependent,
and a challenging – at times daunting – task is to develop an integrated communica-
tions strategy that clearly signals the strategic direction of the organization and
demonstrates a commitment to its stakeholder groups. The many layers that are
involved in communications strategy, including decision making concerning com-
munications strategy, the analysis of the organizational environment and its stake-
holders, the development of communications programmes, and the measurement of
communications effects (i.e. corporate reputations) are covered in detail in Chapter 4
in Part 2 of the book. Communications strategy and the overall responsibilities of
corporate communications also cut across different domains and departments (e.g.
marketing, public relations) of the organization, making the question of how orga-
nizations can design structures that facilitate interaction between communications
practitioners and the integration of their work a very significant one indeed. 35
Chapter 5 answers this question in detail. Chapter 6, the last chapter in Part 2 of the
book, zooms in on the person of the communications practitioner in terms of the
required competencies and skills for enacting particular roles within the organization.