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2018/2019  BA-BHAAI1020U  Organizational Communication and Reputation Management - Theory and Practice

English Title
Organizational Communication and Reputation Management - Theory and Practice

Course information

Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Bachelor
Duration Summer
Start time of the course Summer
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Max. participants 120
Study board
Study Board for BSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Jay Rubin, Faculty, Management Communication Program, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University, jar.msc@cbs.dk
    Jay A. Rubin - Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC)
For academic questions related to the course, please contact the course instructor.

Other academic question: contact academic director Sven Bislev at sb.msc@cbs.dk
Main academic disciplines
  • Communication
  • Management
  • Marketing
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 23-05-2019

Relevant links

Learning objectives
To achieve the grade 12, students should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or errors:
  • Understand the primary disciplines, functions, and objectives of organizational communication as they relate to targeted stakeholder groups
  • Demonstrate how commonly accepted communication models, theories, precedents, and best practices help guide corporate strategy and management decision-making
  • Explain how globalization, greater consumer access to corporate information, and other factors are reshaping the communication disciplines and heightening their importance
  • Identify potential communication challenges and opportunities in different business scenarios and apply the knowledge gained in this course to develop objectives, strategies, tactics, and other aspects of an organizational communication/reputation management plan
Course prerequisites
None
Examination
Organizational Communication and Reputation Management - Theory and Practice:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Home assignment - written product
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Size of written product Max. 15 pages
Assignment type Project
Duration Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period Summer, Ordinary exam: Home Assignment: 25/26 June - 29 July 2019. Please note that exam will start on the first teaching day and will run in parallel with the course.
Retake exam: Home Assignment: 72-hour home assignment: 8-11 October 2019 – for all ISUP courses simultaneously
3rd attempt (2nd retake) exam: 72-hour home assignment: 25-28 November 2019 – for all ISUP courses simultaneously

Exam schedules available on https:/​/​www.cbs.dk/​uddannelse/​international-summer-university-programme-isup/​courses-and-exams
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Retake exam: 72-hour home project assignment, max. 10 pages, new exam question
Exam form for 3rd attempt (2nd retake): 72-hour home project assignment, max. 10 pages, new exam question
Course content and structure

This course explores the increasingly important and evolving role of organizational communication and reputation management in today's business environment. Supported by theories, models, precedents, best practices, and case studies, the curriculum focuses on the six primary organizational disciplines that contribute to stakeholder relationships, corporate decision-making, and issues management. These disciplines include media relations, employee relations, investor relations, government relations, community relations, and crisis management. Through lectures, readings, discussion, and some role-play exercises, students become familiar with the fundamentals of organizational communication. They gain further insight by analyzing how companies address social trends, cultural imperatives, competitive challenges, and unexpected controversies -- and apply targeted communication strategies and tactics -- to build "reputation capital." 

 

Preliminary assignment: About 50 pages of reading and a brief summary of a timely reputation management issue (about two-thirds of a page)  

Class 1: Historical and contemporary perspectives on organizational communication and reputation management

Class 2: Intro to reputation management planning: issues, stakeholders, objectives, strategies & tactics

Class 3: Communication disciplines: media relations, investor relations

Class 4: Communication disciplines: employee relations, government relations

Class 5: Communication disciplines: community relations, crisis management

Class 6: Feedback activity: A reputation management case exercise involving small-group and class-wide discussion guided/critiqued by professor; opportunity to practice analytical and planning techniques required in mini project due at end of term

Class 7: Corporate social responsibility and sustainability

Class 8: Reputation management effectiveness: authenticity, measurement, and other determining factors

Class 9: Communication leadership

Class 10: Emerging organizational communication and reputation management trends

Class 11: Comprehensive review

Description of the teaching methods
Teaching methods include lectures, accompanied by slide decks and videos; theory and case study discussions; and guided role-play exercises on specific business issues and communication strategies (subsequently critiqued in class by the instructor and peers for additional insight)
Feedback during the teaching period
Discussion (in both small groups and class-wide) will focus on topics relevant to key elements required in mini projects.

All Home Project Assignments/mini projects are based upon a research question (problem formulation) formulated by the students individually, and must be handed in to the course instructor for his/her approval no later than 11 July 2019. The instructor must approve the research question (problem formulation) no later than 16 July 2019. The approval is a feedback to the student about the instructor's assessment of the problem's relevance and the possibilities of producing a good report.

Student workload
Preliminary assignment 20 hours
Classroom attendance 33 hours
Preparation 126 hours
Feedback activity 7 hours
Examination 20 hours
Further Information

Preliminary Assignment: To help students get maximum value from ISUP courses, instructors provide a reading or a small number of readings or video clips to be read or viewed before the start of classes with a related task scheduled for class 1 in order to 'jump-start' the learning process.

 

Course timetable is available on https://www.cbs.dk/uddannelse/international-summer-university-programme-isup/courses-and-exams

 

We reserve the right to cancel the course if we do not get enough applications. This will be communicated on https://www.cbs.dk/uddannelse/international-summer-university-programme-isup/courses-and-exams end February 2019 at the latest.

Expected literature

Mandatory readings:

 

Primary text available for purchase at CBS bookstore: Reputation Management: The Key to Successful Public Relations and Corporate Communication, 3rd edition, 2015, 408 pages, published by Routledge, an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group.

Several articles for purchase as digital coursepack from Harvard Business Publications (purchasing instructions will be forthcoming on CBS LEARN).

Other required materials (available free on the CBS LEARN course site) will focus on communication fundamentals and best practices, timely business developments, student interests, and other factors. 

 

Additional relevant readings:

 

Students are responsible for independent reading and other research tied to their specific mini project topics.

Last updated on 23-05-2019