Catholic University of Eastern

Africa: Gaba Campus, Eldoret

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
Department of Marketing & Management

CMM 423 – PUBLIC RELATIONS

Chapter 2
Strategic Public Relations

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
In this Chapter, we shall learn…
1.Corporate Communication
2.Corporate Identity
3.Public Affairs and Issues Management
4.Business Ethics PR, and CSR

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1

1.
Corporate Communication

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Strategic Public Relations
 SPR is all about interaction between an organisation and
its publics;
 Therefore, setting a message and selecting appropriate
media channels are significantly important to organisations
in order to fulfil their SPR objectives and achieve success,
while increasing their stakeholders' confidence regarding
the organization.
 A PR strategy helps professionals to plan and
deliver strategic activities that work towards achieving the
same goal.
 A good strategy will set a direction for the business and it
should be possible to summarise the strategy in a few short
words.
 A public relations strategy is your game plan.
Dr. Gilbert arap Bor
 Corporate communication
•Corporate communication
– Corporate communication is a management function that
offers a framework for the effective coordination of all
internal and external communication.
– The overall purpose is to establish and maintain favourable
reputations with stakeholder groups upon which the organization is
dependent.
–Corporate communication strategy
– The framework used by organizations to plan out
communication with employees, customers, suppliers, and
investors.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

Strategic communication in PR
– In the industry this is referred to as a “strategic
communication” plan.
– PR managers must make sure all media coverage and
publicity promote their organizations'
overall strategic missions.
– To do this, public relations managers should be
involved in all communication channels within their
organizations.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Corporate communication
Components Corporate Communication:
1. Corporate branding.
2. Corporate and organizational identity.
3. Corporate responsibility.
4. Corporate reputation.
5. Crisis communication.
6. Internal/employee communication.
7. Investor relations.
8. Public relations: issues management and media relations.


Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Types of Corporate Communication
There are two main types of corporate
communication:
1. Internal communications
2. External Communication

 The difference between the two forms of communications is

the environment in which they happen. 
 Internal communication is an exchange of ideas and
information within the organization. 
 External communication is the exchange of
information that happens outside the organization.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Types of Corporate Communication
There are two main types of corporate communication:
1. Internal communications
 This is a branch of public relations that deals with
communication within a business or organisation.
 It is a form of PR that happens internally, and is used to
inform, engage and motivate employees and ensure everyone
in the organisation is ‘reading from the same page'.
 The role of internal communications is to share information
about the company so employees can perform their jobs well.
 It keeps people informed, providing an effective flow of
information between an organization's departments and
colleagues.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Types of Corporate Communication
There are two main types of corporate communication:
 Role internal communications
 Internal communications is important for avoiding conflicts and
having smooth co-ordination among the employees in a company.
 People understand the value system of the company better which
reduces potential clashes between the work force and helps in
having a quicker turnaround time.
 The different types of internal communications:
1. Leadership and top-down communications.
2. Change communication.
3. Crisis communication.
4. Information communications.
5. Bottom-up or two-way communication.
6. Peer communication; Culture communication;
Campaign communication.
Dr. Gilbert arap Bor
 Internal Communication
 Objectives of the internal communication
1. Developing effective connection between the different units across the
organization
2. Encouraging cooperation, empowering and teamwork
3. Exploiting synergies with the external publics’s systems of relations
4. Enhancing performance - individual and global
5. İmproving the quality of all decision-making and execution processes
 The internal publics of a company are the organization’s
associates who represent:
1. The key resource for the company’s success
2. The key elements of production, marketing and sales processes for
services and products
3. A source of input, being channels of analysis/collection of internal or
external opinions and evaluations; Active and pro-active subjects
4. Precise targets, identified and specific publics to be addressed
Dr. Gilbert arap Bor
 Types of Corporate Communication
There are two main types of corporate communication:
2. External communications.
 External communication is the transmission of information between
a business and another person or entity in the
company's external environment.
 Examples of these people and entities include customers, potential
customers, suppliers, investors, shareholders, governments, and society
at large
 Exchange of information both within the organization itself and outside the
organization.
 Organizations communicate with the outside world on a daily basis.
  External communication can be formal and informal.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Types of Corporate Communication
There are two main types of corporate communication:
2. Three Strategies of External communications.
 Three general external communication strategies employed by
businesses are:
1. public relations
2. Media relations, and
3. Advertising.
 Examples of external communications:
 External communication typically includes email, brochures,
newsletters, posters, advertisements and other forms of
multimedia marketing designed to attract customers, partners
and suppliers to conduct profitable business transactions.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2

2.
Corporate Identity

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 Corporate Identity
Corporate identity or corporate image refers to the manner
in which a corporation, firm or business enterprise presents
itself to the public.
The visual means through which an organization is recognized. 
The combination of ways in which an organisation’s personality
is expressed. As
Identity includes design aspects such as logos, colour, typeface
and house style.
Also embraces less tangible elements such as behaviour, culture,
values, mission, communication style and associations (with
personalities, charities, political parties or other organisations via
donations or sponsorships.
Getting the identity right is seen to be strategically
important.
Dr. Gilbert arap Bor
 Corporate Identity
The aim of a corporate identity is to make a company
distinctive and better able to clearly differentiate itself
from competitors.
The primary means by which companies communicate
their corporate identity is by their brands.
 Logos, slogans and package designs are all components of a
company’s brand identity.
Managing corporate identity (CI) is about identifying
the right image for an organisation, and communicating
it effectively.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Corporate Identity vs. Corporate Image
Corporate identity Corporate image
 What the organisation  How publics view the
communicates via various cues.
firm.
1. Company name; logo;
tagline. 1. The public perception; exists
2. Staff uniform only in the mind of the
3. Style of advertising receiver; the reputation of
campaigns the company.
4. Product packaging
2. To formulate an image,
5. Style of posts on social
publics interpret an identity
networks
6. Music tracks
in a wider context with
7. Colours
broader frames of reference

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Strong Corporate Identity

Corporate identity gives a sense of the culture or

personality of the business.
In creating a consistent identity, a company is ensuring
that they will be recognised and remembered
A strong corporate identity can improve customer
awareness and can increase a company's competitive edge.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 The main Components of
Corporate Identity

1. Corporate
behavior,
2. Corporate
communication
and
3. Corporate design
are considered the
three pillars of
corporate identity.
Dr. Gilbert arap Bor
 Maintaining Corporate Identity
The visual assets and design elements that create the
corporate identity must be used correctly, and kept up to
date. 
This is Corporate identity management and is the process of
controlling and managing all the relevant visual aspects and
design elements, and ensuring that they are used correctly by all
employees.
 Ensuring employees have access to and use the correct logos, fonts,
images, letterheads, business cards, etc.
 Maintaining these corporate identity design elements so that the most
recent version is always available.
 Governing how elements of corporate identity are applied to documents.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Corporate Image
Corporate image" is today a common phrase referring
to a company's reputation.
The "image" is what the public is supposed to see when the
corporation is mentioned.
It is how a company is perceived.
Corporate image is one of the most important assets of
an organisation.
It acts as a comfort factor for customers and assures them
that they are buying from the best.
Moreover, it influences attitudes of not only customers but
also employees, media, analysts, influencers 
Dr. Gilbert arap Bor
 Elements of Corporate Image
The major elements of corporate image are:
1. The core business and financial performance of the company,
2. The reputation and performance of its brands ("brand equity")
3. Its reputation for innovation or technological prowess, usually
based on concrete events
4. Its policies toward its salaried employees and workers
5. Its external relations and relationships

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3

3.
Public Affairs & Issues Management

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Public Affairs & Issues Management
 Public affairs is defined as efforts made by organizations to
track, engage, and organize their external business processes.
The public affairs function of an organization aims to
influence public policy, build and maintain strong relationships
with legislators, and engage with and monitor stakeholders.
 Issues management is an anticipatory, strategic
management process.
It helps organizations detect and respond appropriately to
emerging trends or changes in the socio-political environment.
The process of identifying and resolving issues that might have
a negative impact on the organization.
Problems with staff or suppliers, technical failures, material
shortages are examples of issues.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Public Affairs
 Examples of Public affairs
 Public Administration.
Public Policy.
Government and Politics.
Political Science.
International Affairs.
Women in Government.
Urban Planning.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Public Affairs
 Companies/Organizations need Public affairs:
 A public affairs strategy, i.e. building meaningful
relationships with government and other key
influencers, is crucial for organisations wanting to
influence public decision-makers.
Many businesses and organisations still shy away from
investing in this very specialised arm of
communications

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Public Affairs & Government relations
Government relations is the branch of public
relations that helps an organization communicate
with governmental publics. 
Public affairs is the type of public relations that
helps an organization interact with the government,
legislators, interest groups, and the media.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Issues Management in Public Relations
As a PR matter, issues management is about looking for
emerging issues that can affect the client's organisation.
Communication is a key factor in the issues management
process, which is why public relations practitioners play
such a key role in issues management.
The real purpose of issues management is to defend the
organization in light of external factors as well as to enhance
the firm's business by seizing imminent opportunities.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Issues Management in Public Relations
As a PR matter, issues management is about looking for
emerging issues that can affect the client's organisation.
Communication is a key factor in the issues management
process, which is why public relations practitioners play
such a key role in issues management.
The real purpose of issues management is to defend the
organization in light of external factors as well as to enhance
the firm's business by seizing imminent opportunities.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1

4.
Business Ethics, Public Relations and
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Business Ethics
Business ethics is the study of appropriate business policies
and practices regarding potentially controversial subjects
Includes corporate governance, insider trading, bribery,
discrimination, corporate social responsibility, and fiduciary
responsibilities.
Business ethics enhances the law by outlining acceptable
behaviors beyond government control.
 Corporations establish business ethics to promote integrity among their
employees and gain trust from key stakeholders, such as investors and
consumers.
 Corporate ethics programs have become common, but the quality varies.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Business Ethics & Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR)
 Business ethics includes the moral principles and standards that
guide behavior in the world of business;  
 Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an integrative
management concept, which establishes responsible behavior
within a company, its objectives, values and competencies, and the
interests of stakeholders.
CSR is more concerned about a company's SOCIAL
obligations
Business ethics is concerned with not just social obligations, but
also obligations to employees, customers, suppliers and
competitors.
Dr. Gilbert arap Bor
 Advantages of Business Ethics
The advantages of ethical behaviour include:
Higher revenues – demand from positive consumer support.
Improved brand and business awareness and recognition.
Better employee motivation and recruitment.
 Employees make better decisions in less time with business ethics as
a guiding principle.
 This increases productivity and overall employee morale.
 When employees complete work in a way that is based on honesty
and integrity, the whole organization benefits.
Examples of ethics?

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 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
The idea that business has obligations to society beyond
the pursuit of profits
Every organisation must assume full responsibility for its
impact on employees, the environment, customers and
whomever and whatever it touches.
That is its social responsibility.
Key CSR issues:
 Environmental management; Eco-efficiency
 Responsible sourcing; Stakeholder engagement
 Labour standards and working conditions; Employee and
community relations;
 Social equity; Gender balance; Human rights; Good governance;
and anti-corruption measures.
Dr. Gilbert arap Bor
 Philanthropy vs. Strategic CSR

Corporate philanthropy is a key component of the larger

concept of Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate philanthropy focuses more on support of
required fields and publicly beneficial projects.
 CSR is a concept focusing on general impact of company's
actions on society, namely both on national and global level.

Dr. Gilbert arap Bor

 Philanthropy vs. Strategic CSR
 Philanthropy:
The donation of money, time, goods, or services to charitable,
humanitarian, or educational institutions.
The corporation is simply donating money.
A narrower form of CSR
 Strategic CSR:
 The incorporation of a holistic CSR perspective within a
firm's strategic planning and core operations so that the firm is managed in
the interest of a broad set of stakeholders to achieve maximum economic and
social value over the medium to long term”
Social contributions that are directly aligned with a company’s overall
business strategy.
Involves a hands-on approach to solving social and environmental
issues in which the corporation is involved.
Describes the overall attitude of an organization
Dr. toward society
Gilbert arap Bor at large