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A CEO's internal communication programme for middle management and its influence on their perception of the corporate reputation: a quantitative and qualitative analysis

a quantitative and qualitative analysis

Irma Meyer
Gideon de Wet
University of Johannesburg
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A CEO’s internal communication programme for middle management and its influence on their perception of the corporate reputation: a quantitative and qualitative analysis. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 26(2), 18-35. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v26i2.1724
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  • Submited: October 18, 2022
  • Published: October 20, 2022

Abstract

There seems to be consensus amongst scholars that reputation management rests on a foundation
of corporate communication, and it is moreover believed that the chief executive officer (CEO) is
the perceived owner and defender of an organisation’s reputation (Hutton, Goodman, Alexander
& Genest, 2001: 248 and Gonring 2004: 12).
Since corporate reputation and values instilled through internal corporate communication reverberate
outside organisations (Roberts, 2004), the CEO should utilise internal corporate communication
effectively to enhance his/her and the company’s reputation among employees as a stakeholder.
The research problem that prompted this research has, therefore, been formulated as: Does the
internal corporate communication programme of the CEO of the ABC Group have any significance
for middle management employees’ perception of the reputation of the organisation? The aim of
the study is to illustrate the link between the internal corporate communication programme of an
organisation's CEO and middle management employees' perception of the reputation of the
organisation.
A pragmatic research approach was adopted for this study, and two communication theories – the
systems theory and in particular the interrelatedness aspect thereof, and the flow of information
aspects of the information theory (Bowers & Courtright, 1984: 23) - were used as the conceptual
premise of the study. Based on the fact that the nature of the study is interpretative, a combined
qualitative-quantitative research approach was employed for the collection, analysis and representation
of data. The study concurs with the finding that the internal corporate communication programme
of the CEO of the ABC Group does in fact have significance for middle management employees’
perception of the reputation of the organisation

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How to Cite
A CEO’s internal communication programme for middle management and its influence on their perception of the corporate reputation: a quantitative and qualitative analysis. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 26(2), 18-35. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v26i2.1724

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