Organizational Communication

The strategic communication of each (political, governmental, non-profit and for-profit) organization is highly complex and multilayered. It includes classical media relations, but also online communication, social media, responsibility communication, campaigns and events, and personal communication. The success of an organization and its actors, or even of a whole country, strongly depends on its attributed reputation, trust and legitimacy.

In the research group "Organizational Communication and Strategic Communication Management", the team around Prof. Dr. Diana Ingenhoff focus on various key topics, such as, for instance, which factors influence the reputation of an organization or a country and how to measure and manage them. Also, they investigate the challenges of digitalization and its consequences for the strategic communication management of organizations. Prof. Dr. Laura Illia and her team focus on how discourses and narratives contribute to our understanding of business. Specifically, they look into questions of legitimacy, reputation, and corporate social responsibility. 

 

Research Projects

  

  • Firms’ Fake-News: A Framing Perspective
    • Principal investigator:  Laura Illia
    • Duration: 2021-ongoing
    • Funding:  own

     

    The increasing danger that fake-news pose for businesses is well established. Yet, majority of studies have been conducted in the field of political communication and there are no studies which analyze what are the characteristics of fake news targeting businesses, and what makes them effective.  In this study we adopt a framing perspective and we study which characteristics (i.e., frames and topics) make fake news on a business visible online.  We develop a series of hypothesis that we empirically test through a dataset we collected and includes the (verified) fake news that have been circulating online during the last ten years related to the Fortune 500 US companies. Our contribution is three-fold. First, we contribute to the nascent literature dealing with fake news and their impact (by using framing theory to explain the success of different kind of fake news in the specific case of businesses. Second, we contribute to the framing literature on fake news which has been mostly dealing with episodic and thematic frames in the context of disinformation about politicians . We expand this line of research by investigating the visibility of fake news about business depending on their adopted frame. Third, given that it is reasonable to expect that more visible fake news would have a greater impact on the various social evaluations of a firm (e.g. legitimacy, reputation), we contribute to the broader literature on firm social evaluation through investigating which frame characteristics of fake news might most likely reach visibility and thereby a greater impact on social evaluations.

     

    Publications and Presentations

    • Zyglidopoulus, S., Illia, L., Bantimadouris, P. (2023) The visibility of firms’ fake news: A framing perspective.  Working paper.
    • Zyglidopoulos, S., Gardberg, N., Illia, L., Colleoni, E. and Romenti, S. (2021). How to mitigate the impact of fake news on corporate reputation. European Group for Organizational Studies, 37th EGOS Colloquium, 8-10 July, Amsterdam, NE. (virtual conference due to Covid-19 situation)
  • Customer Centricity
    • Principal investigator:  Laura Illia
    • Duration: 2019-2020
    • Funding: IE center for C-centricity

     

    A review of how management and psychology scholars employ the term customer centricity in an organizational context suggests that, while the field of customer centricity may seem fragmented, it is, in fact, a more coherent field than it first appears. We conducted our review of a sample of abstracts in the over 1200 peer-reviewed journals of Business Source Premier Database and 2500 publications at the Psychology Info database that use the term “customer centricity” together with the terms “organizational identity”, “organizational leadership”, “organizational culture”, and “employee engagement”. Our computer assisted analysis allowed us to identify four main common areas of research and practice which represent four main open debates scholars and practitioners are working on. These areas are displayed by mapping psychology vs. business scholars, and by plotting on topics, they are primarily focusing on. In addition, they are presented in light of how they might inspire future studies on customer centricity in the organizational field. Hence, the computer assisted analysis allows us to propose a research agenda for studies on customer centricity in the organizational field.

     

    Publications And Presentations

    • Colleoni, E., Bonaiuto, F., Illia, L., & Bonaiuto, M. (2021). Computer‐Assisted Concept Analysis of Customer Centricity: A Review of the Literature on Employee Engagement, Culture, Leadership and Identity Co‐Creation. Sustainability, 13(9), 5157.  https://doi.org/10.3390/su13095157
  • Offsetting Stigma through CSP and Emotions: The Social Performance of Stigmatised Firms
    • Principal investigator: Naomi Gardberg, Stelios Zyglidoloplous, Maria Fotaki, Laura Illia
    • Duration: 2019-ongoing
    • Funding: Own funds

     

    We investigate how stigmatized firms try to offset their stigma through their Corporate Social Performance (CSP) activities. We theorize that firms in stigmatized industries attempt to offset their stigma by engaging in higher levels of CSP, a different pattern of technical and institutional CSP activities and use more emotional language in discussing their CSP. Testing our hypotheses on a matched-pair sample of 128 Australian, British and U.S. firms from 2011 to 2016, we find that stigmatized firms are associated with higher levels of CSP compared to their peers in non-stigmatized industries, and that firms in stigmatized industries perform higher levels of institutional CSP activity than non-stigmatized firms. In particular stigmatized firms differ from non-stigmatized ones because they tend to express sincerity of their CSP activities to increase the emotional appeal and thereby temper the negative consequences of their stigma.

    Key words: corporate social performance, emotions, institutional theory, organizational stigma, stigmatized industries 

     

    Publications and Presentations

    • Gardberg, N., Ziglidoloplous, S., Fotaki, M., Illia, L. (2020) Offsetting Stigma through CSP and Emotions: The Social Performance of stigmatised firms. Paper presented at the Academy of management annual conference 2020 (Virtual conference)
    • Gardberg, N., Ziglidoloplous, S., Fotaki, M., Illia, L. (2020) Offsetting Stigma through CSP and Emotions: The Social Performance of stigmatised firms. Paper presented at the IABS conference 2020 (virtual)
  • Being the Best of the World or the Best for the World? Analysing the Role of Informative and Persuasive Messages on Individual Attitude to Collaborate in a CSR Dilemma
    • Principal investigator:  Laura Illia
    • Duration: 2019-ongoing
    • Funding: Own funds

     

    Communication plays an important role for those corporations who want to be environmentally friendly. Yet, we know little about which message strategy influences the attitude of a manager who is confronted with a CSR dilemma: prioritize environment or rather bottom line. In order to understand this, we designed an experimental study where we test whether individuals exposed to persuasive or rational messages are pushed to co-operate with competitors in order to maintain a clean natural resource in spite of privileging corporate gains.  Results indicate that persuasive messaging strategy has the most significant effect on participants’ attitude to be cooperative, and that informative messaging strategy did not significantly affect individuals’ decisions. These findings contribute to studies on social responsibility as they unveil the role of communication at the micro individual level - rather than corporate level; also, they show which message strategy may facilitate environmentally responsible decisions within corporations.

  • The country image of Switzerland and its value drivers in an international comparison
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM)
    • Duration: 2017
    • Funding: Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA / Presence Switzerland

     

    Measuring a country image is still one of the biggest challenges in national communication. The project, based on data of Presence Switzerland’s study “Image Monitor Switzerland 2016",  aims to analyze:

    1. how different country dimensions of Switzerland's country image interact
    2. which factors shape the country image of Switzerland in different target countries
    3. how these indicators (the so-called “value-drivers”) differ in the various target countries
    4. what impact do the various country dimensions have on the behavioral intentions of survey respondents

    The interactions indicated above are analyzed and illustrated with structural equation models. Importance-performance matrixes display the strengths and weaknesses of the country image in different target countries with regard to behavioral intentions. The results highlight which countries and target groups public diplomacy actors should address the most efficiently. It further allows for the clustering of some communication strategies and evaluation of communication successes.


    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Ingenhoff, D., & Buhmann, A. (2019). Public Diplomacy. Messung, Entstehung und Gestaltung von Landesimages. Konstanz: von Halem. Link
    • Ingenhoff, D. (2017): A Validated 5-Dimensional Country Image Measurement Scale for Public Diplomacy: Analyzing Value Drivers and Effects of Country Images on Stakeholders’ Behavior in Seventeen Countries. IAMCR International Association for Media and Communication Research, International Communication Section, Cartagena, Colombia, 16.-20.07.2017.
  • Developing a 360-degree Integrated Public Diplomacy Evaluation Approach: Analysing Country Images from Stakeholder and Media Perspectives
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff
    • Duration: 2017-2019
    • Funding: Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) at Annenberg School, University of Southern California

     

    With her research project “Developing a 360-degree Integrated Public Diplomacy Evaluation Approach: Analysing Country Images from Stakeholder and Media Perspectives” Diana Ingenhoff was selected Research Fellow of the Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) at Annenberg School, University of Southern California.

    Her study aims to conceptualize and validate an integrated country image measurement instrument that is applicable to survey design studies as well as media content analysis, comparing and analyzing similarities and differences of the country image across varying countries and media outlets.For more information about the project, see project page.

    The independent review committee honored the topic and the value of the project for both the academic and professional public diplomacy communities and elected Diana Ingenhoff for the term for 2017 to 2019. The research fellow homepage you can find here.

    Each year since 2009, the Center on Public Diplomacy selects three non-resident fellows from a competitive pool of international applicants for a two-year term, to support and publicize outstanding work in the area of public diplomacy. For the announcement of the CPD Fellowship see the USC webpage.

    The USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) was established in 2003 as a partnership between the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California. It is a research, analysis and professional education organization with outstanding reputation dedicated to furthering the study and practice of global public engagement and cultural relations.

    CPD is a recognized leader in the public diplomacy research and scholarship community and is the definitive go-to destination for practitioners and international leaders in public diplomacy, while pursuing an innovative research agenda designed to bridge the study-practice gap.

    In 2008, USC received the Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Diplomacy from the U.S. State Department in recognition of the university's teaching, training and research in public diplomacy.

    See project page here.

     

    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Ingenhoff, D., & Chariatte, J. (2019). Solving the Public Diplomacy puzzle – A multimethod-design study on what constitutes a country image. 69th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Washington, D.C., USA, 24.–28.05.2019.

    • Ingenhoff, D., & Chariatte, J. (2019). The multiple facets of the country image – an integrated public diplomacy evaluation approach. Annual Conference of SACM (Swiss Association of Communication and Media Research), St.Gallen, Schweiz, 3.–5.4.2019.

    • Ingenhoff, D., Segev, E. & Chariatte, J. (2018): New Insights for Public Diplomacy: The Country and Its Objectives mirrored between attitudes and information searches in a cross-national comparison. 68th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Prague, Czech Republic, 24.-28.05.2018.

  • Developing a scale for the constitution and effects of the Swiss country image and identity for a cross-country comparative survey
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM)
    • Duration: 2015-2017
    • Funding: Research Pool University of Fribourg

     

    This study aims to develop a new scale for measuring the country image and its effects on behavioral intentions. It draws on an instrument recently developed with colleagues in the U.S. and aims to validate, translate and pretest the instrument so that it can be applied in the three main language regions in Switzerland and the neighboring countries of France, Germany, and Italy. The validation, translation, and statistical pretest of the instrument will allow the refinement of a sophisticated scale to measure country images.

    In a next step, the instrument could be applied with representative data and show empirical evidence on how different dimensions of the country image influence behavior in terms of, e.g., intentions to politically support Switzerland, travel to Switzerland, and invest in Switzerland. For the first time, this will clarify in detail the economic, political, and cultural significance of the (Swiss) country image in important partner countries and show how Switzerland’s image in these countries relates to the self-image of Swiss citizens (country identity).

     

    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Ingenhoff, D.; White, C.; Buhmann, A.; Zhang, T. & Kiousis, S. (2016): Developing a scale to measure country image. 19th annual International Public Relations Research Conference, Miami, Florida, USA, 2.-6.3.2016.
  • Reputation spillover effects: How corporate and politician’s reputation affect the country image
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM), Candace White (University of Tennessee), Spiro Kiousis (University of Florida)
    • Duration: 2015-2018
    • Funding: Own funds

     

    Organizational crises not only damage an organization’s reputation, but can also influence how an organization’s home country is perceived abroad. In this project, we examine the effects of media-constructed associations between a country and another entity like a company or a political leader on perceived associations between the two during organizational crises to assess how differences in these perceived associations may lead to differences people’s assessment of crisis responsibility (organization/political leader v. country) and reputational damage (organization/political leader v. country). Also, we analyze the role of country image as a potential buffer to moderate those effects for the organization’s home country.


    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Ingenhoff, D., Buhmann, A., White, C., Zhang, T. & Kiousis, S. (2018). Reputation Spillover: Corporate Crises’ Effects on Country Reputation. Journal of Communication Management, 22(1), pp. 96-112. Link
    • Ingenhoff, D.; Buhmann, A.; Zhang, T.; White, C. & Kiousis, S. (2016): Country of origin reversed: spillover effects of corporate crises on home country's image. 6th European Communication Research Conference ECREA, Prague, 9.-12.11.2016.
    • Ingenhoff, D.; Buhmann, A.; White, C.; Zhang, T. & Kiousis, S. (2016): Exploring reputational spillover effects: How corporate crises affect their home country's reputation. European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) Annual Conference, Groningen, Netherlands, 29.09.-1.10.2016.
    • Ingenhoff, D. & Klein, S. (2016): Charisma or competence? Spillover-effects of political leader's image on their home country's image. European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) Annual Conference, Groningen, Netherlands, 29.09.-1.10.2016.
  • Developing indicators for the usage value of research in Communication Sciences. Testing the productive interactions approach
    • Principal investigators: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM), Benedetto Lepori (Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano)
    • Duration: 2012-2017
    • Funding: Rektorenkonferenz der Schweizer Universitäten (CRUS) / Swissuniversities

     

    Under the lead of Prof. Dr. Diana Ingenhoff (DCM) and in cooperation with Benedetto Lepori (University of Lugano), a project funded by Swissuniversities analyzes the Swiss research performance in media and communication research. It not only ensures the inclusion of specific research activities of the various Swiss research institutions, but also takes into consideration their interactions in a wide social environment. The project is a follow-up to the successfully realised CRUS Project of 2009-2012, "Measuring Research Output in Communication Sciences between international benchmarks, cultural differences and social relevance", and is carried out in collaboration with the Swiss Association of Communication and Media Research.


    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Lepori, B.; Wise, M.; Ingenhoff, D. & Buhmann, A. (2016): The dynamics of university units as a multi-level process. Credibility cycles and resource dependencies. Scientometrics. 109(3), 2279–2301. Link
    • Buhmann, A.; Ingenhoff, D. & Lepori, B. (2015): Dimensions of diversity: mapping the field of media and communication studies by combining cognitive and material dimensions. European Journal of Communication Research. Vol. 40(3), 267–293. Link
    • Buhmann, A., Lepori, B., Ingenhoff, D. (2017): Clashing Conventions: Exploring Human Resource Management in the Cleavage Between Local Orders and Global Standards. CHER Consortium of Higher Education Researchers Conference 2017, 28.-30.08.2017, Jyväskylä, Finland
    • Buhmann, A.; Lepori, B. & Ingenhoff, D. (2016): Clashing Conventions? Exploring Human Resource Management in the Cleavage Between Academic Field Traditions and New Institutional Rules. Quantitative and Qualitative Insights from the Field of Communication and Media Studies in Switzerland. International Conference on Science and Technology Indicators (STI), Valencia, Spain, 14.-16.09.2016.
    • Lepori, B.; Wise, M.; Ingenhoff, D. & Buhmann, A. (2015): The dynamics of university institutes as a multi-level process. Credibility cycles and resource dependencies. 20th International Conference on Science and Technology Indicators (STI), Lugano, Switzerland, 2.-4.9.2015.
    • Buhmann, A; Ingenhoff, D. & Lepori, B. (2015): Comparing strands of research in media and communication studies: an empirical analysis of the cognitive and material territory in Switzerland. Annual Conference of SACM (Swiss Association of Communication and Media Research), Bern, Switzerland, 13.-14.3.2015.
    • Buhmann, A.; Ingenhoff, D. & Lepori, B. (2014): Dimensions of Diversity: Analyzing research patterns in media and communication science by combining cognitive and material dimensions. 64th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA). Seattle, USA, 22.-26.5.2014.
  • From social responsibility to social advocacy: A multicultural analysis of CSR communication effects
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM), Kelly P. Werder (University of South Florida, Tampa)
    • Duration: 2015-2016
    • Funding: Page Legacy Scholar Grant, Arthur W. Page Center

     

    From more than 50 submissions, Diana Ingenhoff, as first European researcher, and Kelly P. Werder of the University of South Florida in Tampa were awarded the Page Legacy Scholar Grants of the Arthur W. Page Center. Their project, "From social responsibility to social advocacy: A multicultural analysis of the effects of CSR communication on the communication behavior of publics", analyzes the effects of CSR/responsibility communication and the political engagement of organizations with regard to different communication strategies within a comparative study in Switzerland and the USA.

    The Arthur W. Page Center tenders research funds every year to support projects dealing with public communication, ethics and responsibility, and distributes them according to a competitive selection process for innovative projects. The selected researchers are Arthur W. Page and Johnson Legacy Fellows for a year, and work in close exchange with the research network of the Arthur W. Page Center.


    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Ingenhoff, D.; Werder, K. & Bachmann, P. (2016): CSR and Issue Advocacy: how issue topic influences credibility and legitimacy. 6th European Communication Research Conference ECREA, Prague, 9.-12.11.2016.
    • Werder, K.; Ingenhoff, D. & Bachmann, P. (2016): From social responsibility to social advocacy: An analysis of the effects of issue advocacy in corporate and non-profit CSR messaging. European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) Annual Conference, Groningen, Netherlands, 29.09.-1.10.2016.
  • The Challenges of Digitalization for Organizational Communication and Public Diplomacy: Social Media Communication, Network Analysis and Key Influencer Marketing
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff
    • Duration: 2015-2020
    • Funding: Own funds

     

    The Challenges of Digitalization for Organizational Communication and Public Diplomacy: Social Media Communication, Network Analysis and Key Influencer Marketing
    In recent years, social media communication and influencer marketing has become one of the main challenges of the media sector, especially for organizational communication and (digital) public diplomacy. Our research in this area aims to analyze

    • the potential advantages of influencer marketing and its effects on credibility and professionalism
    • the role of international exchange program participant blogs and their narrative strategies of audience engagement, conceptualizing bloggers as cultural mediators in digital diplomacy 
    • why and how individuals use corporate brand pages on social networking sites

    From an interdisciplinary perspective, our research draws on theories and literature from the fields of communication management and international public relations, marketing, media psychology, as well as media usage studies, combining qualitative and quantitative methods.

     

    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Ingenhoff, D., Calamai, G., Sevin, E. (2019). Key Influencers in Public Diplomacy: A Country-based Social Network Analysis. 69th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Washington, D.C., USA, 24.–28.05.2019.
    • Calamai, G., & Ingenhoff, D. (2019). Key Influencers in Public Diplomacy: A Country-based Social Network Analysis. Annual Conference of SACM (Swiss Association of Communication and Media Research), St.Gallen, Schweiz, 3.–5.4.2019.
    • Chariatte, J., Segev, E., & Ingenhoff, D. (2019). Tweeting #Country: A comparative analysis of country images as a new instrument for developing international communication strategy. IAMCR International Association for Media and Communication Research, International Communication Section, Madrid, Spain, 7.-11.07.2019.
    • Sevin, E., & Ingenhoff, D. (2018). Public diplomacy on social media: Analyzing networks and content. International Journal of Communication, 12, 3663–3685.
    • Ingenhoff, D. & Tovirac, A. (2017): Herausforderungen und Grenzen von Influencer-Kommunikation. DGPuK-Fachgruppentagung PR/Organisationskommunikation, Wien, Österreich, 23.-25.11.2017.
    • Lee, K. S. & Ingenhoff, D. (2017). Storytelling as an engagement strategy: Key influencers in online educational and cultural exchange communities. CPD (Center on Public Diplomacy) Oxford Doctoral Conference on Digital and Public Diplomacy, University of Oxford, Great Britain, 02.-03.06.2017.
    • Sevin, E., Ingenhoff, D. (2017): Overcoming the Measurement Challenge: Nation branding messages on social media. 67th ICA Annual Conference, San Diego, USA, 25.-29.5.2017.
    • Ruehl, C.H. & Ingenhoff, D. (2015): Communication management on social networking sites: Stakeholder motives and usage types of corporate Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages. Journal of Communication Management. Vol. 19(3), 288-302. Link
  • The social construction of discourses on country image and identity in Western and Eastern Europe. A comparative study in Switzerland and Romania
    • Project team: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM), Alina Dolea (University of Bournemouth)
    • Duration: 2015-2017
    • Funding: Sciex – Scientific Exchange Programme

     

    Funded by the Sciex – Scientific Exchange Programme, Diana Ingenhoff is working with Dr. Alina Dolea (University of Bucharest) on the preoccupation of countries with promoting their images across borders, and the recent links of such discourses to new topics emerging in the European public space, such as mass immigration within the European Union, which have developed into heated internal debates in both well-established and new democracies. However, it seems that in Eastern, post-communist, countries, immigration has triggered a debate focused on the very process of national identity reconstruction after the fall of Communism and led to a discourse on country identity ("who are we"), while in consolidated democracies, the debate is instead related to the impact of anti-immigration measures on the country image ("how are we perceived"), all the more as these can be seen as contradicting the existing image of "model" democracy. It is in this context that this research project aims to discuss the social construction of discourses on country identity and image in Switzerland and Romania, countries considered as representative of consolidated and post-communist democracies, embedding different political systems and different cultures (individualist vs. collectivist country). The research builds on the 4D model of country image (Buhmann & Ingenhoff 2015) and fills a consistent gap in the literature on the topic by (1) focusing on how governments, media and civil society socially construct country images, while most studies focus on campaigns towards foreign audiences, and (2) illustrating how differences in political systems and culture ultimately have consequences for the formation of country images and identity.


    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Dolea, A.; Ingenhoff, D. & Tarnovan, A. M. (2016): Media discourses on Swiss Country Image and Identity: The case of the "stop mass immigration initiative". European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) Annual Conference, Groningen, Netherlands, 29.09.-1.10.2016.
    • Dolea, A. & Ingenhoff, D. (2017): Public diplomacy in new and old European democracies: how institutional understanding shapes practices. ISA’s 58th International Studies Association Annual Convention, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 22.-25.2.2017.
  • Media Corporations Between Media Responsibility and Corporate Social Responsibility
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff, Philipp Bachmann
    • Duration: 2012-2016
    • Funding: Own funds


    Questions of media corporations’ responsibilities are a more ambiguous issue than ever due to huge structural changes in the media, digitalization and the moralization of business. In this context, debates on Media Responsibility (MR) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) collide.

    Our team addresses the topic by analyzing how media and social responsibility is perceived and what stakeholders expect from media corporations. Philipp Bachmann’s doctoral thesis investigates the mechanisms of ascribing these responsibilities – particularly with regard to legitimacy and trustworthiness. He develops an innovative ascription theory of responsibility based on Gidden’s theory of structuration which can be applied to all kinds of responsibility ascriptions between various actors.

     

    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Bachmann, P. (2017). Medienunternehmen und der strategische Umgang mit Media Responsibility und Corporate Social Responsibility. Wiesbaden: Springer VS. Link
    • Bachmann, P. & Ingenhoff, D. (2014): Interpreting Media Responsibility and Corporate Social Responsibility through Giddens' Structuration and Late Modernity Theory. Annual Conference of SACM (Swiss Association of Communication and Media Research), Zurich, Switzerland, 11.-12.4.2014.
    • Ingenhoff, D. & Kölling, A. M. (2012): Media governance and corporate social responsibility of media organizations: An international comparison. Business Ethics: A European Review. Vol. 21(2), 154-167. Link
  • Comparing Corporate Communication Cultures
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM), Jochen Hoffmann (Aalborg University), Ulrike Röttger (University of Münster)
    • Duration: 2012-2015
    • Funding: Own ressources


    In this international comparative project we are analyzing the interrelations between practice in corporate communications (dependent variable) and the different national cultures (independent variable). This is done by looking at the 500 largest companies in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Australia, Great Britain, Indonesia, Israel, and Vietnam. The project shows which factors in corporate communications are specific to national/cultural contexts and which are generic and in line witch a global approach to corporate communications.


    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Hoffmann, J.; Röttger, U.; Ingenhoff, D. & Hamidati, A. (2015): The rehabilitation of the “nation variable”. Links between corporate communication and the cultural context in five countries. Corporate Communication: An International Journal. Vol. 20(4), 483 – 499. Link
    • Hoffmann, J.; Ingenhoff, D. & Röttger, U. (2014): A universal practice for diverse cultures? An international comparative study on exploring the links between corporate communications and perceptions of the organizational environment. European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) Annual Conference, Brussels, Belgium, 11.-13.9.2014.
  • Quality Management for Online Communication of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC)
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM)
    • Duration: 2008-2009
    • Funding: Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC)

     

    Political communication on the internet can substantially contribute to the perception of political processes. The website of the Swiss confederation concerns itself with the Federal Council’s communication goals, its organization, and its users’ needs. As part of the “Web strategy Confederation 2010”, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transportation, Energy and Communications (DETEC) has commissioned Prof. Dr. Diana Ingenhoff and her research team to develop a set of quality management options for online communication of the Confederation. Beyond that, target goals for controlling communication in political organizations were discussed and evaluated in cooperation with an internal group of experts.

  • Evaluation of the Communication Activities of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs (FDEA)
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM)
    • Duration: 2007-2008
    • Funding: Federal Department of Economic Affairs (FDEA)


    The aim of a communications concept of governmental activity is to impart long-term and complex processes, to spark incentives, and finally to gain trust. The Federal Department of Economic Affairs (FDEA) has assigned Prof. Dr. Diana Ingenhoff and her research staff the task of evaluating its communication activities or strategies used with its most important partners. This is intended to measure their perception with regard to thematic foci and analyze their perception of the target goals of reputation and trust.

    For this, a standardized questionnaire was developed which was answered by the different stakeholders and partners of the FDEA and complemented by selected qualitative interviews. Results indicate that the FDEA communicates actively in its main fields of competences. In particular, foreign economics, education policy, and competition are favorably noted with respect to problem-solving skills of the FDEA. Regarding the target goals of communications, results turned out positively as well, particularly in matters of reputation, competence, authenticity, trustworthiness, and sympathy.

  • The Quality of Economic Media Coverage in Television and Radio News
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM) and Sabine Einwiller (University of Vienna)
    • Duration: 2006-2008
    • Funding: Federal Office for Communications (OFCOM)


    The project promoted by the Federal Office for Communications (OFCOM) examines selected newscasts of public and private broadcasting stations of the three linguistic regions of Switzerland (German-, French-, and Italian-speaking) and studies the extent to which they comply with the public service obligation. The investigation focuses on the quality of newscasts with regard to their comprehensibility, independence, and recipient orientation. By means of a recipient survey, differences and commonalities between programs of public service and private broadcasting corporations across the three linguistic regions were determined and analyzed.

    As a follow up to the study, the production side was addressed. The function and needs of economic journalists working for TV and radio broadcasting stations were analyzed. Thus, in depth knowledge of all relevant parties can be provided and consolidated conclusions can be drawn about the quality of public service economic news coverage in electronic media in Switzerland.

    The study concludes with proposals for improvements of the newscasts along with modifications of special formats on economic themes.


    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Sommer, K.; Einwiller, S.; Ingenhoff, D. & Winistörfer, N. (2010): Wirtschaftsberichterstattung im Rundfunk der Schweiz – Unterschiede zwischen den Sprachregionen. SComS (Studies in Communication Sciences). Vol. 10(2), 27-50.
    • Einwiller, S.; Ingenhoff, D.; Sommer, K. & Wiegand, G. (2008): Business News Coverage in Switzerland – Comparing the News Programs in Public and Private TV and Radio. 2nd European Communication Conference of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), Barcelona, Spain, 25.-28.11.2008.
  • IReMS: Integrated Reputation Management System - Integrated Analysis of Value Drivers for Reputation
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM)
    • Duration: 2003-2012
    • Funding: Telekom Austria, Corporate Communication Cluster Vienna

     

    The project aims to clarify the specification and dimensions of corporate reputation and the interrelation between reputation and trust in order to develop and validate a scale for measuring these constructs in various stakeholder groups, analyzing differences and similarities. Through multiple stakeholder surveys and via structural equation modeling the integrated model is tested, establishing which dimensions the groups apply to evaluate an organization’s reputation as a prerequisite to build trust.

    In today’s media society, which is affected by an increasing information overload, reputation and trust have become the key criterium of differentiation and thus a competitive factor for long term decisions and the ongoing success of an organization.

    In order to actively impact those intangible assets, it is necessary to analyze what the value drivers of reputation for different stakeholder groups are, how they can be measured, and how they contribute to reputation building. Only a detailed analysis of reputation and its constituent factors allows for an evaluation of communication efficiency and effectiveness, and the optimization of those efforts to look for possible causes of variation in reputations.

    In cooperation with international companies, this project developed and refined an instrument for the measurement and control of value drivers of reputation which links methods of market research with the evaluation of media coverage (IReMS).

     

    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Ingenhoff, D. & Bredl, M. (2010): Integriertes Reputationsmanagement¬system der Telekom Austria. In: Pfannenberg, J. & Zerfass, A. (eds.) Wertschöpfung durch Kommunikation. Kommunikations-Controlling in der Unternehmenspraxis. Wiesbaden: Frankfurter Allgemeine Verlag, 239-250.
    • Ingenhoff, D. (2007). Integrated Reputation Management System (IReMS). Ein integriertes Analyseinstrument zur Messung und Steuerung von Werttreibern der Reputation. PR-Magazin 38(7), 55-62.
  • Relationship building for charitable fundraising NPOs via the Internet and Online-PR
    • Principal investigator: Diana Ingenhoff (DCM)
    • Duration: 2007-2008
    • Funding: Own funds


    For almost two decades public relations scholars have pointed out the potential of the internet for relationship building and dialogue. In particular, organizations that depend on their stakeholders such as charitable fundraising organizations could benefit. However, this potential is still often underutilized. This project examines the websites of charitable fundraising organizations in Switzerland and neighboring countries in order to analyze how they use the medium to build up dialogic relationships with their most important stakeholder groups, i.e. with potential donors and the media. Results should indicate how to use new media technologies to improve relationship building and engaging stakeholder dialogue not only for non-profit organizations.


    Publications and Presentations (Selection):

    • Ingenhoff, D. & Kölling, M. (2010): Web sites as a dialogic tool for charitable fundraising NPOs – an international comparison. International Journal of Strategic Communication. Vol. 4(3), 171-188. Link
    • Ingenhoff, D. & Kölling, M. (2009): The potential of web sites as a relationship-building tool for charitable fundraising NPOs. Public Relations Review. Vol. 35(1), 66-73. Link
    • Ingenhoff, D. & Kölling, M. (2008): Using the Potential of Online-Communication for Fundraising Activities of Charitable NPOs: A Comparative Study in Switzerland, Germany and France. European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) Annual Conference, Milan, Italy, 16.-18.10.2008.