Corporate Communication Analysis

Purpose

You’ve learned how communication has a shaping effect on the organization and functioning of a corporation; on the economies and markets in which the corporation is active; and on public perceptions of the corporation’s identity and work. In this short paper, you’ll provide a brief analysis of the corporate communication practices you’ve encountered so far in this class.

Instructions

Analyze the corporate communication practices of one or two corporations, using the “organizational communication/public communication” distinction between corporate communication activity.

Focus on one of the corporations we’ve examined thus far: Dell, Microsoft, GE, Monsanto, Theranos, Nike, the NFL, or Colin Kaepernick’s business and charitable activism.

Describe the communication best practices of this corporation. How does it organize itself to share information across divisions and with stakeholders? How does it convey its identity and narrative to the public? Rely on the course readings and shared media to help you precisely describe examples of these practices.

Describe the corporate ethos or identity of the company. How does it acknowledge its own economic, social, and/or environmental impacts? What issues or challenges does the company ignore or de-emphasize? Rely on the course readings and shared media to help you precisely describe examples of these practices.

Make a comparative analysis of the internal and outward-facing communication practices of the company, revealing the extent to which the company’s internal business practices align with its outward-facing corporate narrative and identity.
Stance and Audience

Assume that your audience is not enrolled in this course and has not closely examined corporate communication. You’ll need to educate and inform them of relevant information and concepts, and you’ll need to contextualize your analysis in a way that answers your readers’ questions, “Why should I read this analysis? What’s interesting, enlightening, or significant about this topic?”

Take a stance that is both fascinated by but critical towards corporate activity. We can learn a lot about organizational acumen by studying a corporation’s communication practices, and at the same time we can criticize that behavior when warranted.
Document Design and Submission