Examining the Impact of Public Engagement and Presidential Leadership Communication on Social Media in China: Implications for Government-Public Relationship Cultivation

This study examined how public positive and negative social media (i.e., WeChat) discussion about President Xi Jinping in China, along with Xi’s leadership communication styles of assertiveness, responsiveness, and authenticity on social media influence publics’ evaluation of his leadership effectiveness, which in turn, influences public trust and satisfaction with the government. Through a quantitative online survey of 396 WeChat users in China, randomly selected via an international sampling firm and a structural equation modeling analysis, the results show that publics’ political discussion about Xi on social media in China significantly influences the perceived leadership effectiveness of the president. Specifically, the more the publics engage in positive discussion about the president on social media, the more they perceive him to be a better political leader, and vice-versa. The president’s leadership communication attributes of responsiveness and authenticity strongly and positively influenced perceived leadership effectiveness and the quality of government-public relationships. Publics’ evaluation of the president’s leadership effectiveness directly contributed to public trust and satisfaction toward the government. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.     

Exploring Effects of CSR Initiatives in Strategic Postcrisis Communication Among Millennials in China and South Korea

ABSTRACT

This study explored what types of postcrisis CSR activities can make corporate crisis management effective and why. Eighty-one in-depth interviews with Chinese and South Korean millennials showed that they perceived postcrisis CSR positively even when they perceived an underlying self-serving motive. The interview data also revealed that postcrisis CSR initiatives relevant to the company’s business (CSR fit) and to the crisis at hand were more effective in both countries than the other CSR initiatives. Millennials in both countries valued CSR’s impact (benefiting the society as a whole), continuity (being long-term planned and sustainable), uniqueness (with few precedents), and transparency (fully disclosing detailed information) when evaluating various postcrisis CSR initiatives. Controllability (CSR being under full control of a company) was a significant criterion for South Korean millennials only. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Social Media Activities of Political Communication Practitioners: The Impact of Strategic Orientation and In-Group Orientation

The question of why political communication practitioners use social media for strategic political communication activities has rarely been investigated. By using well-established theoretical approaches of communication research, such as the influence of presumed influence approach, this study sought to determine the extent to which the subjective perceptions of German political communication practitioners explain their professional social media activities. The results of a survey (N = 1,067) indicate that the more political communication practitioners perceived that other political communication practitioners used and were influenced by Facebook and Twitter, the more often they used social media themselves. In contrast, the presumed reach of Facebook and Twitter among politicians, journalists, and citizens, as well as the presumed influence of both media on these groups, were not related to the practitioners’ social media activities. These findings suggest that the practitioners’ social media activities are driven more by an in-group orientation toward their colleagues and less by a strategic orientation toward external stakeholders.     

Naming as Strategic Communication: Understanding Corporate Name Change through an Integrative Framework Encompassing Branding,Identity and Institutional Theory

This article presents a framework for understanding corporate name change as strategic communication. From a corporate branding perspective, the choice of a new name can be seen as a wish to stand out from a group of similar organizations. Conversely, from an institutional perspective, name change can be perceived as a way to claim membership of a given organizational field. The framework integrates these understandings and serves a double purpose. First, it can be applied as a theoretical lens through which we can analyze and consequently understand naming in diverse sectors around the world. Second, it offers practical support to organizations, private as well as public, who find themselves in a situation where changing the name of the organization could be a way to reach either communicative or organizational goals.     

发展现代邮政物流 实施商业化经营战略

面对“入世”后日益激烈的现代物流市场的竞争，文章阐述了邮政应大力拓展邮政物流领域和空间，建立完善的现代邮政物流系统，提供精益物流服务，发展以物流配送为基础的现代网络邮政，实现较高层次的商业化经营。     

A Review of New Evaluation Models for Strategic Communication: Progress and Gaps

After identification of “stasis” in evaluation of strategic communication including public relations and corporate communication despite intensive focus for more than 40 years, recent initiatives in measurement and evaluation on three continents highlight a number of important advances in theory and practice. Although studies have identified a lack of standards and a narrow focus on “activities” and “outputs” in traditional evaluation models and literature, a two-year international study, which examined a number of recently developed evaluation frameworks and models and accompanying implementation guidelines, identifies several new concepts and dimensions in evaluation, along with some remaining gaps for further research. Based on content analysis of evaluation literature, interviews, and ethnography, this article reports four key findings of recent research and explains how these can contribute to theory-building and practice to transform the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public relations and corporate, government, organizational and marketing communication.     

Cultivating Quality Employee-Organization Relationships: The Interplay among Organizational Leadership,Culture, and Communication

Based on a random sample of employees (n = 391) working in various industrial sectors in the United States, we examined the respective linkages between employee–organization relationships (EORs) and authentic leadership, symmetrical internal communication, and organizational culture. Results indicated that authentic leadership, organizational culture of supportiveness, emphasis on reward, and stability were significant predictors of the symmetrical internal communication system of an organization and EORs. Symmetrical internal communication cultivates quality EORs and mediates the effects of authentic leadership and cultural dimensions of supportiveness on EOR outcomes. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings were also discussed.     

Social Media Influencers as a Crisis Risk in Strategic Communication: Impact of Indiscretions on Professional Endorsements

ABSTRACT

Social media influencers (SMIs) are increasingly employed by organizations to amplify their strategic communication efforts. Yet, little is known about the impact an SMI’s personal indiscretion has on their endorsing organizations. This article examines the factors that trigger these crises and their effects on the organizational image. Five cases – PewDiePie (U.S.), Munroe Bergdorf (UK), James Charles (U.S.), Grace Mongey (Ireland) and Sarah Bowmar (U.S.) – were analyzed using Rapid Issue Tracking, a method to capture stakeholders’ sentiments. Findings showed that SMIs’ personal indiscretions trigger paracrises. Organizations typically used distancing strategies but adopted image repair situationally. Anchored on image repair theory, we propose a framework for crisis identification and response strategies. With the increasing use of SMIs in marketing, their potential as a new type of crisis trigger warrants attention.     

万国邮联经营理事会主席席尔瓦在实施“北京邮政战略”国际会议上的讲话

作为邮政经营理事会主席,我想简要回顾一下我们在“北京邮政战略”两个目标上所取得的成果:服务质量和国际邮政网络的经济活力。我们尽一切努力提高全球的服务质量及国际邮政网络的经济活力。随着时间的推移,服务质量已得到了广泛的重视,全球的邮政管理者和经营者都承诺要提高质量水平,这是不可否认的事实。质量的提高离不开监测,我们为此采取的行动是: 一套崭新的、永久性的端对端服务质量评估系统已在全球推出。到2 0 0 3年第四季度末,已有36个国家的邮政主管部门参加了12 8条连续测试邮路,共进行了4 4次诊断分析。该系统于2 0 0 4年2月正…     

万国邮联国际局总局长利维在实施“北京邮政战略”国际会议上的讲话

能够参加2 0 0 0～2 0 0 4实施“北京邮政战略”国际会议的开幕式,以及随后进行的工作会议,我感到非常荣幸。“北京邮政战略”纵贯邮联行动的5年周期,包含一系列供各国政府、各邮政主管部门及邮联各机构执行的目标和战略,在新旧世纪交替之际,针对如何面对全球化、市场放开和竞争,如何利用科技进步等问题,为各国邮政指明了发展方向。“北京邮政战略”还制定了积极、连贯的行动计划,为世界各国邮政部门在快速变化的世界通讯环境中,在以下方面提供指导:邮政改革和发展、邮政新产品和服务开发、国际合作、改善服务质量满足客户需求。“北京邮政…     

Corporate Communications from the Top and from the Center: Comparing Experiences and Expectations of CEOs and Communicators

Common viewpoints as well as divergences between top executives and communication professionals influence the institutionalization of strategic communication. However, there is little empirical evidence on the accordance between both groups. Most research explores either communication professionals or chief communication officers (CEOs). Very few studies have combined both perspectives. This article identifies the research gap, explores insights from previous research, and contributes to the body of knowledge in strategic communication with an original study that is based on two surveys with replies from 602 CEOs and executive board members as well as 1,251 communication managers from companies in the largest European country, Germany. Although top executives rate the information and motivation of employees as the most important objective of corporate communication, communication professionals focus on the creation of a positive image. Respondents from both groups also state different opinions about dealing with the demand for transparency. Both top executives and communicators give most support to a role model that describes communication professionals as a facilitator between an organization and its publics. Nevertheless the overall conclusion is that perspectives diverge quite often and attention should be directed towards a better alignment between top management and those leading the strategic communication function.     

国家邮政局局长刘安东在实施“北京邮政战略”国际会议上的讲话

女士们,先生们:下午好!今天,我们在美丽的天府之国迎来了出席“北京邮政战略”实施成果大会的各位代表。首先,请允许我代表中国邮政,并以我个人的名义,向参加本次会议的各位代表和来宾表示最热烈的欢迎。中国邮政对邮联的工作一直给予了高度关注和大力支持。中国邮政积极响应和参加邮联的各项活动,并为发展中国家提供技术、资金、培训和设备援助,为邮政大家庭的事业做出我们应有的贡献。1999年在北京成功举办了第2 2届万国邮联大会,通过了面向2 1世纪的“北京邮政战略”。2 0 0 4年9月第2 3届邮联大会将在布加勒斯特召开,邮联和各成员国正在…     

国家邮政局国际合作司司长、万国邮联行政理事会主席黄国忠在实施“北京邮政战略”国际会议上的讲话

这次会议由万国邮联和中国邮政联合组织邀请所有行政理事会和经营理事会成员国参加。此次选择成都作为会议的举办地点,具有特殊的意义。中国拥有世界上2 0 %的人口,因此,中国邮政承担着十分繁重的普遍服务义务,需要保障全国13亿人民的基本通信权力。在提供普遍服务方面,四川在中国的省份中很具有代表性。这里的服务人口有85 0 0万人,服务范围覆盖近5 0万平方公里。中国有句古话说:“蜀道之难,难于上青天”。在中国,一封平信的资费是0 8元,但是在四川处理一封信函的成本是资费的2 0倍。所以,怎样在中国日益开放、竞争日益激烈的邮政环境下保…     

Strategic Ambiguity and Crisis Apologia: The Impact of Audiences' Interpretations of Mixed Messages

Based on the perspectives of strategic ambiguity and organizational reputation, the current study examines the effects of mixed crisis response strategies, which adopt seemingly contradictory messages (i.e., apology and denial), through experiments. Consistent with the scope of strategic communication research, this study incorporates theoretical aspects of distinct areas of organizational communication to examine audience response to strategic messages, and makes recommendations for organizational communication strategies during crisis situations. The findings demonstrate that, instead of taking messages straightforwardly, people interpret the same messages divergently in their own ways, and these interpretations accordingly affect their attitudes and behavioral intentions. Findings indicate participants choose a dominant interpretation when given mixed messages, and subsequent responses are based on the initial interpretation, such that evaluating a mixed message as an apology yielded more positive outcomes than those who interpreted the message in other ways. In addition to people’s diverse interpretations, organizations’ crisis communication strategies and the business type also significantly influenced the outcomes. The apology-interpreters showed more positive outcomes than those who were exposed only to apology for an automaker’s crisis. On the other hand, for a nonprofit organization’s crisis, those who were exposed to a simple denial message showed more positive outcomes than those who perceived the mixed message as a denial. Based on these findings, this study offers practical recommendations on when to use single messages versus mixed messages, along with the explanation of how these divergent strategies work.     

In the Twilight Zone Between Veracity and Lying: A Survey on the Perceived Legitimacy of Corporate Deception in Reaction to Ethical Dilemmas

In their effort to attain legitimacy, corporations are tempted to resolve ethical dilemmas that arise from conflicting stakeholder expectations by ambiguous and misleading communication. Such processes of organizational decoupling may in turn threaten corporate legitimacy. Therefore this article explores public acceptance of deceptive corporate practices that range between the poles of veracity and lying: They involve half-truths and concealment but no blatant lies and they neglect veracity only to conform to conflicting ethical values. The analysis builds on the assumption that specific types of corporate deception fulfill protective functions, such as privacy protection, self-defense, and social cohesion, and are therefore socially accepted. Results from an experimental online survey (n = 1,417) indicate that protective functions are ascribed to corporate deception, yet participants show only moderate levels of acceptance and advocacy on behalf of the corporation. Corporate deception is most likely to be perceived as legitimate when it serves privacy protection and when it involves altruistic intentions. These findings point out limits of organizational decoupling and emphasize the need for pluralistic ethics in strategic communication that provide a framework for the resolution of ethical dilemmas under consideration of situational conditions.     

Strategic Communication in U.S. Higher Education: Testing Congruity Effects of University Identity and Image Among Parents of Prospective Students

Although higher education institutions (HEIs) are in a quest to win the “reputation race” in the hopes of luring prospective students, debate exists about how much strategic effort and internal organizational structure influence HEI reputation, which is subjective and multidimensional by nature. Thus, this study poses the question of how HEIs’ identity and image through strategic communication influence parents of prospective students. We examined this question by conducting a web-based experiment with 314 United States (U.S.) parents of prospective college students. We explored their perceptions of university identity and image as their supportive condition based on the theoretical argument of relational reputation management. Although the results show that parents perceive both identity and image as important assets for HEIs, establishing a strong identity is critical to enhancing their perceptions of and behavioral intentions toward a university. The findings contribute to understudied strategic communication research assessing parents’ informational and cognitive processes toward HEI reputation and reveal how HEIs can build their strategic communication directions.     

Struggling with New Media and Old Expertise: Reconstructing the Professional Role of Communication Consultancy

This study investigates how communication consultants struggle to reconstruct their professional role in the digital media landscape. The extant literature on professional roles in public relations has a tendency to render roles as static pregivens. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to contribute conceptually and empirically to role research by focusing on the process of “role-making” and how role actors purposefully engage in role construction in order to maintain legitimacy. The qualitative study of Scandinavian communication consultants reveals how these actors effectively refashion their role as expert advisors by describing the client and her problems, the competitors, their own knowledge and values. The role construct is supported by a narrative strategy and an epic storyline, where social media serves as a vehicle for self-definition and the consultancy role is framed and reinforced by social media. However, the jurisdictional claims of professional expertise and values that constitute the core of a consultant’s role construct are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain in a digital society. A critical reading of the consultants’ narrative thus implies that social media may in fact constitute a professional identity crisis rather than a consolidation of the expert role.     

Lessons for Crisis Communication on Social Media: A Systematic Review of What Research Tells the Practice

This study analyzes explicit pieces of advice for effective social media crisis communication given by researchers in various subdisciplines of strategic communication. The themes are identified by a systematic content analysis of peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers (n = 104) published between 2004 and 2017. Five overall thematic “lessons” are identified and critically discussed. These are that effective social media crisis communication is about: (1) exploiting social media’s potential to create dialogue and to choose the right message, source and timing; (2) performing precrisis work and developing an understanding of the social media logic; (3) using social media monitoring; (4) continuing to prioritize traditional media in crisis situations; and finally, (5) just using social media in strategic crisis communication. These guidelines mainly emerged from quantitative research conducted in the context of the United Stated and on Twitter. There is need for more research focusing on other platforms and other empirical material. There is also a future need for an in-depth methodological discussion of how to further bridge the gap between research and practice on a global scale, and how to develop more evidence-based recommendations for strategic crisis communication practitioners.     

The Role of Leadership Development in Issues Management: An Online Survey of Communication Practitioners in the Greater China Area

By using an online survey, the study investigated how communication practitioners (N = 132) in the Greater China area can acquire effective leadership capabilities through appropriate leadership developmental approaches when managing critical professional issues and challenges. Results indicate that three critical professional issues (i.e., developing and retaining talented professionals, managing the rise of social media, and dealing with high volume of information flow) as the most urgent ones to deal with for communication practitioners in the Greater China area. Results of this study also provide leadership development solutions to improve effective issues management in a region of rapid growth.