This study seeks to understand the relationship between corporate communication and perceived image of University of Ilorin among student publics. The survey method was used through the instrumentation of questionnaires to know the perceived image of the institution among University of Ilorin undergraduate student while the interview was conducted to know more about the structure, the practices and activities of University of Ilorin corporate affairs department. With the systematic sampling procedure, 380 respondents were selected in this study. Using Pearson correlation co-efficient and regression as well as paired sample t-test to test the hypothesis, the study shows that the use of corporate communication by the corporate affairs division contribute a lot in maintaining good image, academic stability of the institution through a better information management. Though media and government relations are well perceived, corporate communications practitioners should focus more on their employee and community relations. Finally, the study recommends that public relations practitioners and the top executives should ensure high excellence in the communication practice in the universities and other corporate institutions.
Keywords: corporate communication, corporate image, excellency theory, reputation etc.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1 Corporate Communication
2.2 Public Relations Programmes & Reputation Management
2.3 Public Relations in the Universities
2.4 Corporate Communication and Corporate Reputation in Education
3. Methodology
3.1 Results of Reliability Test
4. Results
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between corporate communication strategies and the perceived image of the University of Ilorin among its student body. It seeks to determine how effectively the institution's communication practices contribute to its overall reputation and whether these efforts align with stakeholder perceptions.
- Analysis of corporate communication paradigms in higher education institutions.
- Evaluation of reputation management through public relations programs.
- Examination of the link between internal/external communication and institutional image.
- Assessment of student perceptions regarding university information management.
Excerpt from the Book
Corporate Communication
Etymologically, ‘corporate’ originally stems from the Latin words for ‘body’ (corpus) and for ‘forming into a body’ (corporare), which emphasize a unified way of looking at ‘internal’ and ‘external’ communication disciplines. That is, instead of looking at specialized disciplines or stakeholder groups separately, the corporate communication function starts from the perspective of the ‘bodily’ organization as a whole when communicating with internal and external stakeholders. Corporate communication, in other words, can be characterized as a management function that is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the work done by communication practitioners in different disciplines, such as media relations, public affairs and internal communication (Cornelissen, 2008). At this stage, the common features of some of the prevailing definitions of corporate communication have been synthetized in three points (Goodman & Hirsch, 2010; Cornelissen, 2008):
First, corporate communication is a strategic management function that takes a strategic approach to communication activities and is tied to the overall strategy of the company. Second, it integrates external and internal communication activities spread among a series of organizational practices to build, maintain, change and/or repair one or more positive images and/or reputations. Third, these entire activities take place inside relationships with the external and internal stakeholders of the company. These authors added that corporate communication encompasses and manages all company’s communication activities as an integrated whole with the aim of building and maintaining a valuable corporate reputation across different stakeholder groups, markets and audiences (Christensen & Cornelissen, 2011; Cornelissen, 2008).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the foundational concepts of corporate communication and establishes its critical role in building and maintaining the reputation of tertiary institutions.
2. Literature Review: The chapter provides a theoretical framework by synthesizing various definitions of corporate communication, reputation management, and the specific application of public relations within the university context.
3. Methodology: This section details the exploratory, cross-sectional survey design used to collect data from students, including the sampling techniques and the reliability testing of the research instruments.
4. Results: This chapter presents the empirical findings derived from the survey, including descriptive statistics and the results of correlation and regression analyses regarding student perceptions.
5. Discussion: The discussion interprets the findings in light of the research hypotheses, evaluating the impact of the University of Ilorin's communication strategies on its perceived image.
6. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the study's findings, highlighting that while corporate communication significantly impacts institutional reputation, there remains a gap in student awareness regarding specific communication functions.
Keywords
corporate communication, corporate image, excellency theory, reputation, public relations, higher education, University of Ilorin, stakeholders, media relations, public affairs, employee relations, community relations, institutional image, strategic management, university reputation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research?
The research investigates the relationship between an institution's corporate communication strategies and how its target audience, specifically students, perceives its image.
Which key thematic fields are addressed?
The work covers corporate communication as a strategic management function, reputation management, public relations in higher education, and the specific interaction between universities and their stakeholder publics.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to understand how the University of Ilorin manages its reputation through corporate communication and whether these efforts effectively influence student perception and satisfaction.
What scientific methodology does the study employ?
The study uses an exploratory, cross-sectional survey design with a non-random, purposive sampling technique, analyzing data through Pearson correlation and regression analysis.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers the theoretical definition of corporate communication, the role of PR programs in reputation building, and an empirical analysis of data collected from students at the University of Ilorin.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as corporate communication, reputation management, public relations, institutional image, and stakeholder engagement.
How does the study define the role of public relations in universities?
It defines PR as a fundamental management function essential for coordinating internal and external communication to ensure the institution maintains a favorable image among stakeholders.
What specific conclusion does the author reach regarding the University of Ilorin?
The author concludes that while the university possesses a strong communication foundation, students often lack awareness regarding the specific practices and functions of the corporate affairs division, limiting the perceived impact of these efforts.
- Citation du texte
- Akintola Abdulraman (Auteur), 2020, Relationship between corporate communication and perceived image of Ilorin University among students, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/515183
