Course description
1. Code
SFB50506
2. Name & ECTS credits
Corporate Communication, 10 ECTS
3. Category
The course is an obligatory module in the bachelor’s degree programme International Communication. Optional for students on other degree programmes.
4. Prerequisites
The first two semesters of the degree programme, or equivalent qualifications.
5. Semester
Autumn, 3rd semester.
6. Objectives
The main objective of the course is to make students aware of the importance of interaction between organisations and their environment and of building relations with all stakeholder groups. Students will be familiar with the importance of planned and integrated communication for building internal and external reputation, and that organisational culture, shared values and employees’ perception of identity are important success factors. At completion of the course students will have acquired basic knowledge of salient factors for solving communication tasks in private or public businesses.
7. Contents
Aspects and theories dealt with in the course are:
- Corporate identity and corporate branding
- Reputation management
- Stakeholder theory
- Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
- Organisational culture’s influence on identity and reputation
- Symbolic and value-based leadership
- Vision and mission
- Crisis communication and media relations
- Storytelling (corporate stories) as a management tool and a tool for corporate branding and culture dissemination.
8. Organisation and teaching
The course is organised as two blocks. The first half of the semester consists of lectures with tasks as group and plenum discussion. In the second half students complete a project/case study individually or in groups (two or three students in each group) with the course lecturer as facilitator.
The course is taught in English. The case study report is to be written in English.
9. Work placement/internship
None
10. Mandatory assignments
None
11. Final assessment
A case study/project in carried out in the second part of the semester, ending in a final report of 12-15 pages that is assessed on the A-F grading scale. The case study takes its starting point in one or more actual organisations or cases and is related to one of the themes taught in the course.
12. Required reading
- Compendium/text collection, local print.
- Cornelissen, Joep (2004). Corporate Communications: Theory and Practice. London: Sage.
- Handouts from lectures.
A separate list of recommended supplementary reading will be made available.
Lecturer: Bjørg Hellum (bjorg.hellum@hiof.no)