A Final Look at Corporate Communication

To conclude this discussion on corporate communication, I would like to review some of the topics covered;

*My own workplaces' corporate communication strategy both internal and external

*Case studies on crisis management

*Links to websites for companies handling their own crisis and corporate communication

*A layout of the many facets corporate communication touches

I hope to work with Bank of America's own corporate communication department as theories, case studies and knowledge I have needs to be applied to real-life situations in order to have a practical application of the theory. Like anything in life, practicing your skill is what makes you better at the task and I hope to one day practice my skills in order to be proficient in crisis management for a company and handling the corporate communication side of it all.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Corporate Communication and Its Many Facets

I would like to share this flow chart which I think it can be helpful in seeing all the facets corporate communication touches. In a corporate communication position there are many different aspects and parts that corporate communication touches.

Public affairs - this can be anything in which the public will be exposed to a brand, image, or any facet involving a company. Example: A fundraiser for providing meals to the homeless sponsored by Ben and Jerry's.


Strategic communication and publicity - communication involving how the message will be conveyed to the public. This is the message and the image of the company itself. How people will think of the company with just saying the name. Example: Apple, people think clean, illuminated, smart.

Protocol and Special Events- Managing events that are related to the company.

Congressional Affairs - corporate communication may involve governmental affairs in which a communication specialist would need to understand how to address congressional matters. Example: Proper use of of jargon and presentation methods in a government forum.

Articles of Interest

I would like to share some articles from companies that are dealing with some crises of their own.



The first is is a statement from the Nestlé website that addresses the issue of deforestation of the rain forest for palm tree oil. Recently the company has undergone scrutiny for their action in the destructive manner for obtaining palm tree oil which is used in their products. This follow up post from Nestlé correlates to what Southwest Airline had done with their crises, sending out follow up statements to their crises. Read about the Nestlé and their update on their deforestation crisis here.



Another company I am researching handling of crises is Toyota. Last year Toyota was dealing with a dilemma no car company ever wants to deal with; pedals sticking in the accelerated position. In order to clean up their image the company seems to have shifted their focus on all the charitable acts they can possibly do, including scholarships, environmental issues, and their latest is providing relief efforts for Japan. Click here to read about the many philanthropic news releases.



The upside to crises happening to bigger companies like Toyota is they can afford to make themselves look good and promote their philanthropic acts. They put out the fancy commercials and post their good deeds on their site which reiterates to the public how good their company is and wants to be.



When working with a smaller company, say a privately owned company, the challenge lays in how well a communication representative can handle a major crises with much smaller funds and resources. It's easy to throw around scholarships and relief funding but the real challenge would be in addressing the issue and working on rectifying the crisis with the resources at hand.



I hope you enjoy the articles!