Sinergie Italian Journal of Management

The Strategic Role of Communication in Management

2024-11-25T08:37:44+00:00

The concept of strategic communication represents a significant shift from that of corporate communication and, as several scholars have argued (Hallahan et al., 2007; Vercic and Zerfass, 2017), represents a new paradigm useful for interpreting the broadening content of communication and the evolving role it plays in complex organizations. Role which becomes strategic as it increasingly tends to support top management and directors of other business functions in achieving their overall strategic goals. In fact, the concept of corporate communication is used to identify the set of different communication activities that aims to achieve specific audiences and/or objectives such as avoiding or overcoming crises, engaging internal or external stakeholders, improving the visibility of brands, people, products or services. The overall goal that corporate communication aims to achieve, through the set of its initiatives, is to develop and consolidate the organization’s reputation.... to be continued

The role of strategic communication in driving marketing-decision making

2024-02-12T11:32:09+00:00

Framing of the research: In recent years, the academic literature has focused on the topic of strategic communication as an emerging field of knowledge encompassing public relations, organizational communication and marketing communications. In this research stream, scholars interpret strategic communication as a discipline that embraces complexity and interdisciplinarity, with the aim of fully grasping the different nuances of the organization without neglecting strategy, orientation, and organizational objectives.
Purpose of the paper. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of strategic communication in the marketing decision-making process.
Methodology. We conducted a qualitative multiple-case study analysis involving five companies operating in the food industry. Specifically, we collected qualitative data from seven semi-structured interviews with key informants operating in the case companies, company visits, and secondary data. Using multiple methods to collect qualitative data from various sources was useful to avoid bias from a single method and to obtain robust results.
Findings. The results highlight that strategic communication plays an increasingly central role in the marketing decision-making process of companies. Specifically, our analysis reveals that, on the one hand, strategic communication influences product policy, while on the other, it fosters the innovation of marketing communications.
Research limits. This study presents limitations related to the generalizability of the results, as it adopts a qualitative perspective. Future studies could include the consumer perspective by adopting quantitative methodologies.
Practical implications. The analysis presents a series of implications for communication and marketing professionals, and in particular for corporate communication directors, identifying the potential of their role in the company’s strategic decisions.
Originality of the paper. This study contributes to the management literature by clarifying the ways in which strategic communication influences the marketing decision-making process. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study depicting a framework summarizing how strategic communication influences companies’ product policy and marketing communications.

Business intelligence and corporate communications

2024-02-21T10:29:23+00:00

Frame of the research: Providing insights on public opinions, social developments and relevant stakeholders is an important strategic contribution of communication in management. This sheds light on listening and internal consulting in corporate communications research and practice – how communicators can integrate these tasks into their daily work and how they can use them to support executives in their business decisions.

Objectives: This article explores how communication professionals can use business intelligence (BI) methods based on digital technologies to incorporate communication insights into managerial decision-making processes.

Methodology: An interdisciplinary literature analysis was performed to develop a novel conceptual framework. This was validated in a qualitative interview study.

Findings: To utilize information from external and internal sources for internal consulting, communicators need to process data, translate them into relevant information for decision-making, and make them accessible to decision-makers in organizations. The framework shows how this can be achieved through a BI process that covers all phases as well as the necessary technologies and applications, from cleansing and merging data to accessing aggregated information.

Managerial implications: The outlined process enables communicators to act as internal consultants and ensures that managerial decisions can consider communication-related opportunities and risks.

Limitations: The framework could not be tested in a large-scale study so far, as integrating BI in communication management is still an emerging practice.

Originality: This article contributes to the body of knowledge by systematically introducing BI to corporate communications. It also adds to current debates on the digitalization of communication management and new roles for communication practitioners.

Bridging Corporate Communication and Marketing Narratives for organizational success: How collaboration happens

2024-02-12T09:57:20+00:00

Purpose of the paper: This study explores synergies between corporate communication and marketing in audience, media, and message, aiming to enhance the debate on their strategic and tactical roles. It argues that integrating these functions strengthens firms as social actors and addresses marketing misperceptions.

Methodology: The methodology employed in this study is a mixed qualitative approach, incorporating both focus groups and elite interviews with executives from multinational enterprises across various industries.

Findings: The paper's findings reveal several key insights into the evolving and sometimes troublesome relationship between corporate communication and marketing in multinational enterprises (MNEs) and shed light on the contemporary state of the art.

Research limitations: Since findings are based on a limited sample of multinational enterprises, the generalizability of the findings to other industries may be limited.

Practical implications: The research underscores the need for organizations to recognize and navigate the evolving dynamics between corporate communication and marketing.

Originality of paper: The originality of our paper stems from its empirical investigation, multi-industry perspective, focus on societal expectations, recognition of integration challenges, and the nuanced role of corporate communication in guiding marketing strategies.

Data-driven strategic communication for brand identity building: the case study of Capital One

2024-02-26T08:16:13+00:00

Purpose of the paper: This paper aims to investigate the role of strategic communication, empowered by the data-driven approach, in the process of brand identity building.

Methodology: The paper is drawn from Jaakkola's "theory synthesis design" (2020). Through the lens of the Resource-Based View, data-driven approach in strategic communication and branding studies are integrated to reexamine Urde's Corporate Brand Identity Matrix. Through a theoretical re-conceptualization a novel framework is derived. An illustrative case study relying on secondary data offers empirical support.

Findings: The theoretical framework shows that big data, as strategic resources, improve organized listening and reflective communication, impacting on the brand identity building. Data-driven strategic communication influences mission and vision (innovation orientation), culture (data-driven decision making), competences (data science skills), value proposition (personalized products and experiences), relationships (data-driven corporate communication), and positioning (strategic stakeholder listening). The Capital One case study, as best practice, illustrates the application of the novel theoretical framework.

Research limits: The study presents the limitations of a conceptual paper built from the literature review and on a single illustrative case study, based on secondary data.

Practical implications: The proposed theoretical framework could orient top management decisions and strengthens the strategic role of communication/brand managers in brand identity building in the digital age. Thanks to strategic communication based on a data-driven logic, managers could develop new value propositions for innovative business models, improve competitive positioning and build personalized relationships. Moreover, the inclusion of data in corporate culture, as well as the synergistic coexistence of different managerial skills, facilitate performance excellence.

Originality of the paper: This interdisciplinary paper proposes a rethinking of brand identity building, emphasizing the data-driven approach in strategic communication.

The role of strategic communication in facing paracrisis: a multiple case approach in the lab-grown meat industry

2024-02-07T14:35:39+00:00

Purpose of the paper: This article explores the strategic role that communication can play in preventing crises and minimizing their negative effects in the cultured meat industry.

Methodology: The article adopts an exploratory methodology, particularly a multiple-case approach, to explore in detail and compare the communication strategies adopted by leading companies on the social media Facebook.

Findings: The findings of the study show evidence of paracrisis in the negative comments expressed by users to the corporate communication conveyed on Facebook, as well as highlighting the main objectives of strategic communication, such as educating the public, creating network effects, and creating emotional storytelling to increase public consciousness on the issue of cultured meat.

Research limits: The limitations of this research, which future studies can overcome, lie in the small sample of companies analyzed and the lack of quantitative methodologies suitable for measuring the real benefits of strategic communication on business performance.

Practical implications: The study provides many implications for managers and practitioners, such as establishing a stable presence on the leading online discussion channels to contain negative narratives, spread by detractors, and developing proactive communication strategies to highlight the positive contributions made by the company's activities.

Originality of the paper: The paper's originality lies in its appreciation of strategic communication's central and multifaceted role in the innovative cultivated meat sector. Emphasizing its essential role in the pre-crisis phase in monitoring the external environment and identifying the most influential stakeholders in the narrative.

Antifragile Crisis Communication: An Exploratory Study

2024-02-21T10:38:32+00:00

Purpose of the paper: This paper explores the concept of antifragility and its application to crisis communication in the contemporary business environment marked by perpetual disruptions and uncertainty.

Methodology: Qualitative research methodology was employed, involving 22 in-depth interviews with industry professionals. Data was analyzed using grounded theory and theories-in-use approaches.

Findings: The study identifies six critical factors for antifragile crisis communication: experimentation, option generation, stress, redundancy, subtraction, and creativity. These factors contribute to an organization's ability to thrive in the face of ongoing disruptions, aligning with the principles of antifragility.

Research limits: The research is based on qualitative data from a specific set of participants and may not be fully generalizable. Further quantitative research could validate these findings.

Practical implications: Organizations can enhance their crisis communication strategies by integrating the identified factors, promoting adaptability, and leveraging uncertainty to thrive in the new business environment.

Originality of the paper: This research offers a novel perspective by applying antifragility principles to crisis communication, bridging the gap in existing literature and providing valuable insights into managing crises in the contemporary business landscape.

Brand activism in search for an ethical communication leader: Vivienne Westwood and the clashes between person and brand

2024-03-20T08:37:43+00:00

Frame of the research: This paper builds on the recent, fast-growing body of literature on brand activism to explore how brand leaders construct themselves as activists in contemporary society and the challenges they face inherent to their roles.

Purpose of the paper: The aim of our paper is to shed light on how the cultural tensions of being a socio-political activist and an iconic fashion entrepreneur in contemporary society of consumer movements and collective agitations are constructed and amplified in social media platforms.

Methodology: We developed an in-depth critical case centered on Vivienne Westwood as person, leader, and brand. We adopted a netnographic research design that combined a diachronic, retrospective, auto-biographical reconstruction of Vivienne Westwood’s life story, with non-participant observation of online posts, conversations and comments centered on Westwood as person and as brand, shared on social media platforms.

Results: Our study highlights a series of clashes that arise when an activist leader does not act as a true ethical leader of meanings and does not use communication as a strategic lever to transform society through listening to, engaging and fine-tuning with stakeholders, but rather indulges in a self-referential attitude aimed at giving full expression to her changing moods, needs, and desires.

Practical implications: This paper highlights the challenges of being an activist leader and brand in contemporary woke society. In so doing, it provides strategic guidelines on how communication should be conceived in the company to achieve ethical leadership and overcome cultural tensions.

Originality of the paper: This paper contributes to advance brand and CEO activism as well as strategic communication theoretical debate, through explicitly linking the tensions and the clashes between authentic purpose and commodified market logics emerging in social media platforms to a lack of exercise of ethical communication leadership on the part of the brand leader.

Strategic communication and greenwashing. Theoretical reflections and managerial implications.

2024-02-12T10:36:52+00:00

Purpose of the paper: The pervasiveness of the greenwashing phenomenon poses important challenges for companies in leading sustainability communication, an increasingly strategic asset for organizations. Recognizing the current complexity of greenwashing phenomena, this conceptual paper aims to provide a reflection on the role, research directions and managerial implications of a strategic communication approach designed to prevent greenwashing.

Methodology: The conceptual study develops starting from an integrative review of the literature.

Findings: The study highlights scarce consideration for the strategic communication perspective, despite the constant emergence of new forms of greenwashing. Explanations of greenwashing behaviors mainly tend to focus on the supposed benefits/harms derived from the discrepancy between talk and action, rather than questioning the underlying processes governing and effectively managing the phenomena that lead to such misalignments.

Research limits: The conceptual paper presents the typical limitations of the deductive approach based on literature review.

Practical implications: From the practical standpoint, the research provides several recommendations for decision-makers aimed at preventing accusations of greenwashing and the negative associated consequences.

Originality of the paper: This paper is a first attempt to address some unresolved issues in sustainability communication approaches that cause deep-rooted greenwashing, and suggests a systemic approach to strategic communication to prevent such phenomena.

Crafting Clarity: A Textual Framework for Optimizing Strategic Communication in Italian Banking Foundation Mission Reports

2024-04-15T08:08:00+00:00

Purpose of the paper: This paper delves into the realm of mission reports within the context of banking foundation to scrutinise the communicative aspects of these documents and unearth their fundamental characteristics to shed light on prevalent trends and discern potential directives to write them effectively.

Methodology: The study focuses on the major Italian banking foundations, namely those boasting assets exceeding the billion euros, by employing a methodology that integrates textual analysis such as Lexical Correspondence Analysis (LCA) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to comprehensively scrutinize their mission reports, investigate the communicative strategies employed and explore the thematic priorities and accessibility of information dissemination.

Findings: The study reveals a dichotomy in communication approaches among major Italian banking foundations in their mission reports, with some treating them as regulatory obligations while others employ dedicated, engaging reports emphasising community involvement and societal impact.

Research limits: Limitations include potential variances in communication practices among smaller foundations, not included in the analysis, and a constrained stakeholder perspective.

Practical implications: Our findings can guide efforts in strategic communication practices of the banking foundation, offering insights into enhancing the transparency, accessibility, and inclusivity of mission reporting.

Originality of the paper: This paper presents an original analysis of Italian banking foundations' strategic communication through mission reports, uncovering distinct approaches and outlining best practices to enhance transparency in social accountability reporting.

Linking Strategic Communication and Sustainability Reporting. Exploring Corporate Websites of Georgian Banks

2024-03-20T08:34:45+00:00

Purpose of the paper: This paper analyses the existing link between strategic communication and CSR/Sustainability in the banking sector and explores whether banks use corporate websites to communicate their social and environmental contributions.

Methodology: The multiple case study applied for this research intends to analyse the companies’ (two banks and two microfinance organizations) communication efforts regarding CSR and/ or Sustainability. Strategic communication aspects of CSR are explored from the organizations’ websites.

Findings: Banks in Georgia invest heavily in CSR and Sustainability programs to demonstrate their social and ecological orientations. Special attention is devoted to education, charity, and ecological projects. However, the strategic communication lacks the comprehensiveness and coherence. The researched financial companies tend to communicate information on their websites about CSR programs and results without presenting information about the CSR process.

Research limits: The paper shows several limitations. It focussed on selected items to analyse the role of strategic communication in boosting CSR. Future research can be devoted to the cultural dimensions of strategic communication of CSR to different groups of stakeholders by analysing various communication channels.

Practical implications: Our results have implications for CSR/ sustainability managers and communication professionals who should not only present a report on corporate websites but consider more long-term oriented strategic communication.

Originality of the paper: The CSR programs carried out by the analysed companies are considering their financial capacity and desire to enhance their public image, improve their reputation and attract investors. Accordingly, CSR and sustainability communication of finance companies in Georgia is significant not only for their success, reputation, and brand image but also for promoting sustainable practices and contributing to the economic and social development of the country.

Unlocking the Power of Strategic Communication: A Deep Dive into Industrial Tourism and Engaging Company Openings

2024-02-12T11:14:55+00:00

Purpose of the paper: this paper aims to explore the potential of strategic communication in the context of industrial tourism open-door events, investigating how effective storytelling by companies can positively influence visitors' perceptions, subsequently impacting their intentions to purchase, recommend, engage, and their overall satisfaction.

Methodology: we employed a mixed-method approach to investigate the impact of storytelling ability (SA) on visitors' perceptions during Open Factory 2022 by conducting qualitative interviews with company representatives and administering structured questionnaires to 233 event attendees.

Findings: the analysis suggests that open-door events serve as a valuable platform for companies to communicate their brand stories and enhance internal communication processes. Moreover, we argue that visitors who perceive companies positively during the openings are more likely to make purchases and recommend products.

Research limits: as the research primarily focuses on B2B companies, the homogeneity of the sample might impact the generalizability of the findings to a broader market context, particularly in understanding consumer behavior typical of business-to-consumer (B2C) interactions.

Practical implications: our study highlights that companies can enhance their communication strategies during industrial tourism open-door events by employing compelling storytelling, emphasising product history, quality, and local ties to boost visitor engagement, reputation, and actions.

Originality of the paper: this research contributes to the literature by exploring the intersection of strategic communication and industrial tourism, revealing how effective storytelling during open-door events positively influences visitor perceptions, engagement, and actions, shedding light on innovative communication approaches within this underexplored context.

The strategic role of communication in management and the contribution of corporate museums

2024-02-07T14:02:26+00:00

Purpose of the paper: The paper aims to highlight the potential of corporate museums as a tool for corporate communication and to offer an overview of the current performance of Italian corporate museums in this regard.

Methodology: The paper moves from the analysis of the main assumptions of the economic-managerial literature, with particular regard to the issue of the relational dimension of strategies and corporate communication on the one hand and corporate museums on the other. At the same time, it leverages an empirical survey conducted on Italian corporate museums.

Findings: While there is a high and widespread awareness on the part of corporate museum management about the potential of these institutions to direct all stakeholders for the benefit of the enterprise, differences emerge regarding the implementation of the most effective strategies and tools to achieve all the value possible/optimise the value achievable.

Research limits: The main limitation of the research is the national sample size under investigation.

Practical implications: The paper aims to contribute to both the advancement of theoretical studies and managerial practice, including highlighting strategies and actions that can be implemented to improve the performance of corporate museums in terms of corporate communication.

Originality of the paper: The paper focuses on corporate museums' contribution to the strategic role of communication in management, approaching the topic from theoretical and empirical perspectives.

Charting the ‘Lunar Alignment’ in Today’s Media Landscape

2024-02-29T13:34:46+00:00

Frame of the research: Significant transformations in the field of communication are marked by the increasing integration and transboundary role of communication across organizational functions. The diffusion of digital information technologies has further transformed strategic communication and journalism and challenged traditional notions of organizational control.

Purpose of the study: This study delves into the changing landscape of these professions, emphasizing the impact of digital technologies, media logics, and the democratization of communications through platforms like social media. Against these media transformations, this research questions whether the professional identities and institutional logics of those operating in these fields have evolved.

Methodology: Through expert interviews, this study explores professionals experience recent changes in the media landscape and digital technologies and reflect back on how these have influenced their professional identities, practices and the perceptions of the other profession.

Results: this study shows that some transformations in the social representations associated with the profession of strategic communication and journalism are present, while there is a convergence of these professional skillsets.

Research limitations: The study is qualitative in nature and based on a limited sample, thus the results cannot be generalized.

Practical implications and originality of the study: This study providing insights into the evolving professional landscape of communication in Italy, offering some empirical evidence on these professions’ perception. The study addresses a gap in research with a country-specific focus and shedding light on the intricate interplay of technology, culture, and evolving communication practices.

Connecting with visually acculturated audiences: A hypermodern perspective

2024-02-07T14:08:01+00:00

Purpose of the paper: This conceptual paper aims to examine drivers behind the emergent communication preference of audiences towards visual media. It also offers recommendations for organizations to adapt their engagement strategies with visually oriented audiences.

Methodology: NA as this is a conceptual paper

Findings: Using the theoretical lenses of hypermodernity and organizational identification the paper suggests that organizations can enable identification with visually acculturated audiences through co-creating identity through individual rhetors using visual spectacles that might appeal to hypermodern audiences who are driven by creating extraordinary and unique identities based on experiential, emotion-rich consumption, and their love of the spectacular.

Research limits: This is an exploratory conceptual paper, which could be followed up with empirical work. Future studies could create research instruments that could help to identify hypermodern audiences. Studies can also examine the processes through which visual rhetoric of organizational identity accomplishes identification with hypermodern audiences.

Practical implications: Communicators in organizations can strengthen their audience engagement strategies through co-creating organizational identities that are likely to resonate with these hypermodern audiences.

Originality of the paper: This paper enriches audience research in organizational contexts applicable across disciplinary domains such as organizational communication, public relations, marketing, and advertising by borrowing and connecting concepts such as hypermodernity, visual rhetoric, and organizational identity from sociology, organization studies and communication management.