The Eighth Week.

Chapter 8: Reputation – Again?

Coming to chapter 8, I realize that the reading has very much repeated from previous chapters. Or maybe it tries to get a little more depth from the previous chapter.

I have previously read about the reputation of the organization being very vital and that it was the PR practitioner’s job to keep it in well perspective.

Although I have read about reputation in the previous chapter, and that I find a lot of the information repeated, I find that this chapter takes a different view. Previously, the book took on the role of being the PR practitioner. But now, it is taking on the role of the organization. Let’s see what we can learn from this.

‘Stakeholder’ is a widely used term by PR professionals. I learnt that while stakeholder management is often linked to the notion of corporate social performance, there is considerable disagreement about the extent to which corporations should go in satisfying expectations of their various stakeholders. But if companies paid attention to their stakeholders, they would be more successful financially.

While the reputation if your organization matters a whole lot to your stakeholders, they will decide whether or not to rely on you, place trust in you, finance in you, or even work for you.

The stakeholders consist of shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, governments, and communities. So it goes to show that a stakeholder does not have to be a person who pumps in money and resources in to the company only. They are both your internal and external guests. They are not your chess pieces; how you treat them will in turn come back to you.

“High-calibre corporate public relations executives are greatly valued and in short supply.” (Murray & White, 2005)