Reputation Management: The Key to Successful Public Relations and Corporate Communication

Reputation management is the most important theme in corporate and organizational communication today. Leading corporate communicators and educators John Doorley and Helio Fred Garcia argue that most CEOs don't actually pay much heed to reputation and this is to their peril. Heads of government and non-profit agencies don't do much better managing the reputation asset, as recent scandals demonstrate. Yet, when leaders get reputation right over the long term, they follow certain principles, like the ones described here for the first time by Joe Hardy, one of the world's most successful builders.

This book is a how-to guide for professionals and students in public relations and corporate communication, as well as for CEOs and other leaders. It rests on the premise that reputation can be measured, monitored, and managed. Organized by corporate communication units (media relations, employee communication, government relations, and investor relations, for example), the book provides a field-tested guide to corporate reputation problems such as leaked memos, unfair treatment by the press, and negative rumors--and it is this rare book that focuses on practical solutions. Each chapter is fleshed out with real-world experience by the authors and their 25 contributors, including Lynn Appelbaum, The City College of New York; Gail Belmuth, International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.; Kenneth Berkowitz, Healthcare Marketing and Communications Council; Roberta Bowman, Duke Energy Carolinas (formerly, Duke Power); Sandra Boyette, Wake Forest University; Andrea Coville and Ray Thomas, Brodeur; Lou Capozzi, Publicis; Steve Doyal, Hallmark; Anthony Ewing, Logos Consulting Group; Ed Ingle, Microsoft Corporation; James Lukaszewski, The Lukaszewski Group; Tim McMahon, McMahon Marketing; and Judy Voss, the Public Relations Society of America.

John Doorley, an expert in reputation management and former head of corporate communications for Merck & Co. Inc., is academic director and clinical assistant professor of the M.S. in Public Relations and Corporate Communications program at New York University.

Helio Fred Garcia is the founder and president of Logos Consulting Group. He is an adjunct professor of management in the Executive MBA program at New York University's Stern School of Business and teaches communication ethics, law, and strategy in NYU's M.S. in Public Relations and Corporate Communication program.  He is the author of the two-volume book Crisis Communications.