Introduction
The face that corporations reveal to the public is carefully controlled. This includes almost all of its activities, from the amount of a particular product a company sells to the amount of public dissent a company may experience.
This careful elaboration of the public image of the corporations determines the effectiveness of the participation with the companies on issues of social and environmental justice.
When it comes to public image management, the first recourse for corporations is public relations, which has become a multi-billion dollar industry that dominates major media. Corporate public relations can be aimed at persuading the public to buy
Corporate social responsibility
Corporate social responsibility is defined as "the practice of social management" a concept by which companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their relationships with their interlocutors on a voluntary basis. The environmental and economic impacts of business activities may include the following:
Corporate philanthropy
Donating to charity is a simple way to improve your public image, and is often used to control dissent and channel. Businesses can use charitable donations simply as a way to look good.
Marketing with a cause
This is the practice of associating a company logo with a charity or campaign in order to associate the company's brand with the positive effects of the program.
Sponsorship
Businesses also seek to promote and enhance their image by sponsoring high-visibility public events.
Codes of Conduct and Social and Environmental Notification
Companies often publicly declare their "values" through voluntary codes of conduct and reports that document internal monitoring of companies' social and environmental performance.
Community investment
Businesses often develop community projects to offset the negative effects of their business.
Stakeholder participation
Businesses often engage in 'dialogues' with what they consider to be 'stakeholders' - that is, consumers, people affected by projects, and so on. These commitments can include:
Public inquiries
These are aimed at persuading the public that a new project would be beneficial to them. These consultations are usually handled by the authorities of the public hand in hand with the company involved in the project.
Consumer participation
This is used to facilitate the introduction of a new consumer product or technology.
The relationship between the company's philosophy and its public image is closely integrated. The vision and philosophy of a company often affect its modes of operation, as well as its communication with the public. The result of carrying out these philosophies generally has a strong influence on the evolution of the public image of the company.
Cultural Philosophies
Company philosophies include the key points of management and used to motivate certain behaviors and activities. These philosophies help shape the shared values that develop in a company and create its organizational culture. "Doing the right thing all the time" and "The customer always has to leave happy" are examples of possible company philosophies.
In the first example, the managers of the company would have to convey to the employees that, regardless of the impact on the business or costs, they should always make, only or just correct decisions in business activities, meanwhile, in the second case, to The company will not care about the costs or the difficulties that it has to face, its primary objective is and will always be customer satisfaction.
Ethics
Ethics is a significant area of particular concern with company philosophies. All companies have different ethical views and standards. Philosophies and ethical practices contribute to the public image of a company.
Public perception
The public image of a company results from the cumulative way in which key stakeholders interpret its business practices and communication. Over time, business activities tend to show philosophies and the level of commitment to them for the company, what matters in the long term is how stakeholders, especially communities and customers, interpret their business activities and interact with each other. yes.
Public relations
Companies have a certain ability to control public perception of their image beyond the way they operate. This is the purpose of corporate advertising and public relations. Corporate advertising includes monetary costs to promote a desired image. Public relations includes media coverage, acts of goodwill, charitable engagement, press releases and conferences, and other communications with the intention of establishing and promoting a certain image.
Key differences
Philosophies are developed internally, while an image is formed in the external market. Businesses have greater control in shaping the culture and values that make them public image, even with public relations efforts. These philosophies often affect employees directly and customers and communities indirectly. A company might wish to project a certain image that aligns with its philosophies, but for poor product performance, company missteps or scandals could lead to a public image that contradicts the company's basic philosophies.
Most business owners know what a public image is and why it is necessary to create and maintain a good image for their business. Your company's image is only as good as the public's perception of it. It can increase your sales or bring your turnover to the ground.
Steps to achieve a good public image
- Present your employees with company policy and why they have to follow it. In order to create a coherent company image. You will need to align your different aspects, from your company brand to your social responsibility and your contribution to the community through charities. By establishing honest and constructive relationships with the public and your employees. Specify who the policy applies to. The next step after creating a positive image is maintaining it. Create a partnership with the public, receive feedback as often as possible, and adapt to meet customer expectations. Offer quality products or services, which reflects the opinion of the public and its employees. Also, keep the public informed about any significant changes in your company. Company policy and public image procedures are guided by principles.You can explain these principles by using keywords and phrases such as access, fairness, opportunity, fairness, ethics, etc. It can be indicated, for example, that the company's public image policy follows and is guided by the principle of justice and equity, of giving back to the community. Showing you care about your community as much as you care about your business benefit. Remember the difference between policy and procedures. Company policy establishes the rules to be followed, while procedures establish the actions that must be taken in order to comply with the policy. To clarify the procedures, briefly list the actions your employees must take to perform each step of the procedures.
conclusion
Once your business gets a bad name, it is difficult to regain a good reputation. The negative impact can take four years or more to counteract, and regain public trust can take up to seven years. It is imperative, therefore, that you do everything you can to avoid such damages rather than being forced to repair the public image of your company.
References
- Carla Mason Mathis and Helen Villa Connor, The Triumph Of Individual Style, Fairchild Books & Visuals, EU, 2002. Center for Economic and Business Research, 'PR Today: 48,000 Professionals; £ 6.5 billion turnover ", November 2005. p.14.Flora Davis, Non-verbal communication, Alianza Editorial, Spain, 1995. Günther Rebel, Body language, EDAF, Madrid, 2000. Green Book of the European Commission "Promoting a European framework for corporate social responsibility". July 18, 2000. Pierre Guiraud, La semiología, Siglo XXI, México, 1997. Roland Barthes, La aventura semiológica, Paidós, Barcelona, 1993.Sigband & Bell, Communication for Managers, New York, 1996.
