Abstract
Corporate reputation (CR) sciences have made way into c-level management quite rapidly in the past two decades. During the same period, numerous CR measurement techniques also emerged. This study evaluates the effectiveness and appropriateness of available models for thoroughly reporting an organization’s CR. By highlighting and rationalizing the central features of the ‘reputation’ construct, the usefulness of notable measurement approaches for thoroughly reporting CR is critiqued. The analysis reveals that most techniques deviate from theory, and in several ways fall short of incorporating online aspects of corporate (e-) reputation formation. A corporate reputation reporting framework is modeled and directed towards large-scale applicability across contexts. The proposed framework robustly integrates a variety of CR features, facilitating the creation of comprehensive CR reports and delivers insights into the urgency of adapting to digital aspects of reputation formation and management.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ali, R., et al. 2015. The moderating influences on the relationship of corporate reputation with its antecedents and consequences: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Business Research 68 (5): 1105–1117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.10.013.
Baka, V. 2016. Formative reputation: From being an organizational asset to becoming a process in the making. Corporate Reputation Review 19 (2): 152–165. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2016.4.
Barnett, M.L., J.M. Jermier, and B.A. Lafferty. 2006. Corporate reputation: The definitional landscape. Corporate Reputation Review 9 (1): 26–38. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1550012.
Barnett, M.L., and S. Leih. 2016. Sorry to (not) burst your bubble: The influence of reputation rankings on perceptions of firms. Business and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650316643919.
Bartikowski, B., G. Walsh, and S.E. Beatty. 2011. Culture and age as moderators in the corporate reputation and loyalty relationship. Journal of Business Research. 64 (9): 966–972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2010.11.019.
Berens, G., and C.B.M. van Riel. 2004. Corporate associations in the academic literature: Three main streams of thought in the reputation measurement literature. Corporate Reputation Review 7 (2): 161–178. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540218.
Bernett, M.L., and T.G. Pollock. 2012. The Oxford handbook of corporate reputation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bromley, D. 2002. Comparing corporate reputations: League tables, quotients, benchmarks, or case studies? Corporate Reputation Review 5 (1): 35–50. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540163.
Brown, M., and P. Turner. 2008. The admirable company: What it takes to be ranked among the best. London: Profile Books.
Caruana, A., and S. Chircop. 2000. Measuring corporate reputation: A case example. Corporate Reputation Review 3 (1): 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540098.
Casado, A.M., and J.I. Peláez. 2014. Intangible management monitors and tools: Reviews. Expert Systems with Applications. Elsevier Ltd 41 (4): 1509–1529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2013.08.048.
Chun, R. 2005. Corporate reputation: Meaning and measurement. International Journal of Management Reviews 7 (2): 91–109. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2005.00109.x.
Claeys, A.-S., and V. Cauberghe. 2015. The role of a favorable pre-crisis reputation in protecting organizations during crises. Public Relations Review 41 (1): 64–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.10.013.
Clardy, A. 2012. Organizational reputation: Issues in conceptualization and measurement. Corporate Reputation Review 15 (4): 285–303. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2012.17.
Cravens, K., E.G. Oliver, and S. Ramamoorti. 2003. The reputation index: Measuring and managing corporate reputation. European Management Journal 21 (2): 201–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-2373(03)00015-X.
Davies, G., et al. 2001. The personification metaphor as a measurement approach for corporate reputation. Corporate Reputation Review 4 (2): 113–127. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540137.
Davies, G., et al. 2003. Corporate reputation and competitiveness. London: Routledge.
Davies, G., et al. 2004. A corporate character scale to assess employee and customer views of organization reputation. Corporate Reputation Review 7 (2): 125–146. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540216.
Davies, G. 2013. In support of personality as a measure of reputation: A rejoinder to Clardy’s “Organizational reputation: Issues in conceptualization and measurement” (2012). Corporate Reputation Review 16 (2): 168–173. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2013.7.
Deephouse, D.L. 2000. Media reputation as a strategic resource: An integration of mass communication and resource-based theories. Journal of Management 26 (6): 1091–1112. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920630002600602.
Dowling, G. 2006. Reputation risk: It is the board’s ultimate responsibility. Journal of Business Strategy 27 (2): 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1108/02756660610650055.
Dowling, G. 2016. Defining and measuring corporate reputations. European Management Review 13 (3): 207–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12081.
Dutot, V., and S. Castellano. 2015. Designing a measurement scale for e-reputation. Corporate Reputation Review 18 (4): 294–313. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2015.15.
Dutot, V., E. Lacalle Galvez, and D.W. Versailles. 2016. CSR communications strategies through social media and influence on e-reputation. Management Decision 54 (2): 363–389. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-01-2015-0015.
Felbermayr, A., and A. Nanopoulos. 2016. The role of emotions for the perceived usefulness in online customer reviews. Journal of Interactive Marketing 36: 60–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2016.05.004.
Fill, C., and S. Roper. 2012. Corporate reputation: Brand and communication. Harlow: Pearson.
Fombrun, C.J. 1996. Reputation: Realizing value from the corporate image. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Fombrun, C.J. 1998. Indices of corporate reputation: An analysis of media rankings and social monitors’ ratings. Corporate Reputation Review 1 (4): 327–340. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540055.
Fombrun, C.J., N.A. Gardberg, and J.M. Sever. 2000. The Reputation QuotientSM: A multi-stakeholder measure of corporate reputation. Journal of Brand Management 7 (4): 241–255. https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2000.10.
Fombrun, C.J., L.J. Ponzi, and W. Newburry. 2015. Stakeholder tracking and analysis: The RepTrak® system for measuring corporate reputation. Corporate Reputation Review 18 (1): 3–24. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2014.21.
Fombrun, C.J., and C.B.M. van Riel. 2004. Fame and fortune: How successful companies build winning reputations. Upper Saddle River: FT Prentice Hall.
Fombrun, C.J., and C.B.M. van Riel. 2007. Essentials of corporate communication: Implementing practices for effective reputation management. Abingdon: Routledge.
Foroudi, P., T.C. Melewar, and S. Gupta. 2014. Linking corporate logo, corporate image, and reputation: An examination of consumer perceptions in the financial setting. Journal of Business Research 67 (11): 2269–2281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.06.015.
Fryxell, G.E., and Jia Wang. 1994. The fortune corporate “Reputation” index: Reputation for what? Journal of Management 20 (1): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639402000101.
Gandomi, A., and M. Haider. 2015. ‘Beyond the hype: Big data concepts, methods, and analytics. International Journal of Information Management 35 (2): 137–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2014.10.007.
Gray, E.R., and J.M.T. Balmer. 1998. Managing corporate image and corporate reputation. Long Range Planning 31 (5): 695–702. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0024-6301(98)00074-0.
Greyser, S.A. 1999. Advancing and enhancing corporate reputation. Corporate Communications: An International Journal 4 (4): 177–181. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563289910299292.
Hannington, T. 2004. How to measure and manage your corporate reputation. Aldershot: Gower Pub Co.
Harvey, W.S., et al. 2017. Lens or prism? How organisations sustain multiple and competing reputations. European Journal of Marketing 51 (4): 821–844. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-03-2016-0122.
Helm, S. 2005. Designing a formative measure for corporate reputation. Corporate Reputation Review 8 (2): 95–109. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540242.
Helm, S. 2007. One reputation or many? Comparing stakeholders’ perceptions of corporate reputation. Corporate Communications: An International Journal 12 (3): 238–254. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563280710776842.
Ji, Y.G., et al. 2017. Staking reputation on stakeholders: How does stakeholders’ Facebook engagement help or ruin a company’s reputation? Public Relations Review 43 (1): 201–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2016.12.004.
Khan, S., and J. Digout. 2017. A synthetic literature review and prognosis of corporate e-reputation. Indian Journal of Computer Science 2 (2): 7–27. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijcs/2017/v2/i2/112039.
Krueger, T.M., and M.A. Wrolstad. 2016. Impact of the Reputation Quotient® on investment performance. Corporate Reputation Review 19 (2): 140–151. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2016.5.
Lange, D., P.M. Lee, and Y. Dai. 2011. Organizational reputation: A review. Journal of Management 37 (1): 153–184. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310390963.
Lewellyn, P.G. 2002. Corporate reputation: Focusing the zeitgeist. Business and Society 41 (4): 446–455. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650302238777.
Mahon, J.F. 2002. Corporate reputation: Research agenda using strategy and stakeholder literature. Business and Society 41 (4): 415–445. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650302238776.
Mariconda, S., and F. Lurati. 2014. Being known: A literature review on media visibility, public prominence and familiarity with implications for reputation research and management. Corporate Reputation Review 17 (3): 219–236. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2014.11.
Martinez, R.J., and P.M. Norman. 2004. Whither reputation? The effects of different stakeholders. Business Horizons 47 (5): 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2004.07.005.
Meadows, C.Z., and C.W. Meadows. 2016. Corporate reputation on mass media, public opinion, and YouTube: Examining the factors influencing reputation of Fortune 500 companies. Corporate Reputation Review 19 (4): 345–356. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-016-0011-2.
Men, L.R. 2012. CEO credibility, perceived organizational reputation, and employee engagement. Public Relations Review. 38 (1): 171–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2011.12.011.
Mostafa, M.M. 2013. More than words: Social networks’ text mining for consumer brand sentiments. Expert Systems with Applications 40 (10): 4241–4251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2013.01.019.
Ponzi, L.J., C.J. Fombrun, and N.A. Gardberg. 2011. RepTrak™ Pulse: Conceptualizing and validating a short-form measure of corporate reputation. Corporate Reputation Review 14 (1): 15–35. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2011.5.
Puncheva-Michelotti, P., and M. Michelotti. 2010. The role of the stakeholder perspective in measuring corporate reputation. Marketing Intelligence and Planning 28 (3): 249–274. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634501011041417.
Rauschnabel, P.A., N. Kammerlander, and B.S. Ivens. 2016. Collaborative brand attacks in social media: Exploring the antecedents, characteristics, and consequences of a new form of brand crises. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice 24 (4): 381–410. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2016.1205452.
Rhee, M., and P.R. Haunschild. 2006. The liability of good reputation: A study of product recalls in the U.S. automobile industry. Organization Science 17 (1): 101–117. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1050.0175.
Rindova, V.P. 1997. Part VII: Managing reputation: Pursuing everyday excellence: The image cascade and the formation of corporate reputations. Corporate Reputation Review 1 (2): 188–194. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540042.
Rindova, V.P., et al. 2005. Being good or being known: An empirical examination of the dimensions, antecedents, and consequences of organizational reputation. Academy of Management Journal 48 (6): 1033–1049. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2005.19573108.
Sarstedt, M., P. Wilczynski, and T.C. Melewar. 2013. Measuring reputation in global markets—a comparison of reputation measures’ convergent and criterion validities. Journal of World Business 48 (3): 329–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2012.07.017.
Schultz, M., J. Mouritsen, and G. Gabrielsen. 2001. Sticky reputation: Analyzing a ranking system. Corporate Reputation Review 4 (1): 24–41. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540130.
Shad Manaman, H., S. Jamali, and A. AleAhmad. 2016. Online reputation measurement of companies based on user-generated content in online social networks. Computers in Human Behavior 54: 94–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.061.
Tetrault Sirsly, C.-A., and E. Lvina. 2016. From doing good to looking even better: The dynamics of CSR and reputation. Business and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650315627996.
Tischer, S., and L. Hildebrandt. 2014. Linking corporate reputation and shareholder value using the publication of reputation rankings. Journal of Business Research 67 (5): 1007–1017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.08.007.
Turk, J.V.S., et al. 2012. Examining the interplay of an organization’s prior reputation, CEO’s visibility, and immediate response to a crisis. Public Relations Review 38 (4): 574–583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.06.012.
Walker, K. 2010. A systematic review of the corporate reputation literature: Definition, measurement, and theory. Corporate Reputation Review 12 (4): 357–387. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2009.26.
Walsh, G., and S.E. Beatty. 2007. Customer-based corporate reputation of a service firm: Scale development and validation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 35 (1): 127–143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-007-0015-7.
Walsh, G., S.E. Beatty, and B.B. Holloway. 2015. Measuring client-based corporate reputation in B2B professional services: Scale development and validation. Journal of Services Marketing 29 (3): 173–187. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-04-2014-0141.
Wang, S.W., G.H.-Y. Kao, and W. Ngamsiriudom. 2017. Consumers’ attitude of endorser credibility, brand and intention with respect to celebrity endorsement of the airline sector. Journal of Air Transport Management 60: 10–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2016.12.007.
Wartick, S.L. 2002. Measuring corporate reputation: Definition and data. Business and Society 41 (4): 371–392. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650302238774.
Wepener, M., and C. Boshoff. 2015. An instrument to measure the customer-based corporate reputation of large service organizations. Journal of Services Marketing 29 (3): 163–172. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2014-0026.
van den Bosch, A.L.M., M.D.T. De Jong, and W.J.L. Elving. 2005. How corporate visual identity supports reputation. Corporate Communications: An International Journal 10 (2): 108–116. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563280510596925.
van Noort, G., and L.M. Willemsen. 2012. Online damage control: The effects of proactive versus reactive webcare interventions in consumer-generated and brand-generated platforms. Journal of Interactive Marketing 26 (3): 131–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2011.07.001.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Khan, S., Digout, J. The Corporate Reputation Reporting Framework (CRRF). Corp Reputation Rev 21, 22–36 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-017-0041-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-017-0041-4