Juachon, Ma. Ysabel Jeremiah P.

October 31, 2020 Assignment

#2

Appreciating Different Aspects of Corporate Communication

In the previous reading materials and this week’s as well, I have come to realize and understand
how corporate communication is all about working with a team or an organization’s
communicators and leaders in order to pinpoint what the goals are for the overall team or
organization. Afterwards, it is essential to cascade the information that was discussed and
gathered to the other members of the organization. When everyone is on the same page, it can
then be a good situation to disseminate or communicate the goals to the external stakeholders.

Meanwhile, external communication can involve activities such as crisis communication to the
external stakeholders. I would say that it also involves public relations and marketing
communication. Moreover, corporate communication does not exclude doing events and
creating communication content for clients or people in one’s community. On the other hand,
internally, of course, it involves internal communication such as helping roll out messages from
the leaders through managers, supervisors, and front line employees. Corporate communication
encompasses all that and more. Practitioners may use various communication tools such as
social media, web content, and even traditional means. For instance, direct marketing,
face-to-face communication, newspapers, and brochures may be used to cascade the
message.

In addition, Joep Cornelissen (2004), a professor of Corporate Communication and

Management at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, explained how the field
is “an area of both professional practice and theoretical inquiry.” Cornelissen stressed that as
such, both should be linked in a way that will help both step in the right direction. Thus, he said
that one way to circumscribe corporate communications is to consider both theory and practice
at the same time. Also, it is vital to understand how both fields can help and relate to one
another.

Through further explanations, we can understand that Cornelissen is trying to show how
beneficial it is to link both domains as it will not only “aid our overall knowledge of the field, but
will also advance professional practice.”

Moving on to Cees Van Riel and Charles Fombrun’s (2007) description of the types of
communication, we are enlightened of the “three principal clusters of task-related
communication activity” in corporate communication which are as follows: management
communications,
marketing communications, and organizational communications.
Management communications was dubbed as “the most strategic cluster.” The authors
described it as “the communications that take place between the management level of the
organization and its internal and external audiences.” From my perspective, this is an agreeable
statement. I would say that without a solid foundation, managing communication strategies will
be a difficult feat. Thus, a firm and effective management communication team will solidify an
organization’s framework. Nevertheless, I would not say that the other aspects are not as
equally important in supporting an organization’s strategies and goals. We can imagine the
other types of communication as a stepping stone. If there is one missing, it is difficult, if not
impossible, to move forward towards your destination. In light of all this, as a student who is
enthusiastic about communication, I would like to express my appreciation and interest to all
types and aspects of communicating that are embodied in corporate communication.

Sources:

Cornelissen, Joep. (2004). Corporate Communications: Theory and Practice. London: SAGE
Publications Ltd.

Van Riel, Cees B.M. and Fombrun, Charles J. (2007). Essentials of Corporate Communication:
Implementing Practices for Effective Reputation Management (1edition). Routledge