BACKGROUND: Corporate reputation refers to an organisation’s past and present action, which has a huge impact on how the organisation is viewed by its internal and external stakeholders. In the context of business organisation, the importance of reputation in public service and government organisations needs to be recognised, especially in South Africa, where many problems are associated with local government. Coupled with this, there has been lack of emphasis on collaborative consultation processes and participation by the communities in matters that affect them. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive study was to analyse personal experiences of employees at a local municipality, on the management of corporate reputation. Systems theory was adopted as a theoretical framework for the study. METHOD: This research employs a qualitative research method and a case study design. The qualitative research was relevant for this research as it is naturalistic, which is research based in natural settings where communication occurs. The in-depth individual, semi structured interviews enabled the researcher to get rich information from the participants, who are employees of the municipality and work within the broad frame of public relations, communications, event management and marketing. These participants engage with the external stakeholders on events management or on expertise, leadership and management skills with regard to corporate reputation management. RESULTS: The results reveal that management of reputation is probably a multifaceted concept. Hence corporate social responsibility, emotional appeal, financial performance, products and services, vision and leadership and workplace environment all feature but it is unlikely that the participants perceive reputation as separate from image and identity as they use the terms synonymously. The responses reveal that a systems view of an organisation, being social in a social system, indicate that the various components in the internal environment cannot be separated from the external environment as they are continuously and dynamically interacting with one another with corporate communication acting as a ‘glue’, which holds them together. Corporate communication is thus an essential part of the system as it serves to align the organisation’s vision, culture and image that people have of an organisation.

This study focuses on measuring the corporate reputation of an organisation within the information technology (IT) industry in South Africa. An empirical investigation was conducted to identify the elements that influence corporate reputation. The research design selected was a case study. For purposes of confidentiality, the organisation used in this dissertation will be referred to as The Group. There were three specific objectives to this study; firstly to identify the channels of communication between the organisation’s stakeholders; secondly to identify the specific elements that influence corporate reputation for each stakeholder group, and finally to provide The Group with recommendations to develop an investor-orientated image and reputation within the South African business environment. This research study consisted of four phases: initial qualitative exploratory research, problem finalisation and re-conceptualisation, quantitative data collection and finally analysis reporting. Stakeholders included in this study were The Group’s employees, The Group’s executive board, clients, non-clients, financial analysts, trade and business media, partners and suppliers, public relations houses and the general public. The main conclusions drawn from the study are that the channels of communication internally and externally to the organisation influence corporate reputation. The most important disseminators of information regarding The Group are its employees. Corporate communications, clients and the media also play a vital role in influencing corporate reputation. These stakeholders should be targeted to receive the bulk of the reputation improvement activities so that a change in their perceptions can be filtered through to the stakeholders. Four specific business processes have been identified that have an impact on corporate reputation, namely general business management, financial management, corporate marketing and corporate communications. Recommendations emanating from this study to improve corporate reputation within the IT industry suggest that The Group create a stronger public awareness. Communication initiatives need to assure stakeholders that The Group is performing well although the share price is low. An extensive black economic empowerment (BEE) programme will enhance the corporate reputation. Finally, The Group needs to agree on a set of actionable initiatives across corporate functions, marketplaces and service lines to enhance the corporate reputation. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Communication Management / MCom / Unrestricted