This study explores the previously less researched impact of corporate reputation on employees, more specifically on employee engagement. Employee engagement and corporate reputation are concepts that have been receiving attention in both business and academia alike, especially in view of the economic turmoil of the past decade as both constructs have been shown to affect profits. The study was designed in a way to measure the impact of employees’ perceptions of corporate reputation on their engagement with the corporation, while controlling for the state of their psychological contract with the organisation. An online survey of 509 employees from a large South African bank provided the data to which a Structural Equation Model (SEM) emanating from the theoretical background was fitted. The results of the model unequivocally confirmed that corporate reputation perceptions are an important predictor of employee engagement. It was also found that psychological contract breach influences both perceptions of reputation by employees and employee engagement directly. The implication is that corporate reputation can have a strong influence on tangible results through employee engagement. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

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Corporate responsibility is increasingly involved in corporate reputation, and so, in the economic success of a company. Car fleet operating companies are exposed to criticism and, as a direct result of this many corporate protagonists responsible for the operation of car fleets are developing measures to decrease CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. A second trend is the increasing usage of image-generating marketing actions in the worldwide ‘information society’. For various reasons, these image campaigns do not always lead to the expected improvements in corporate reputation. The crucial question is, how do these marketing actions, in the name of corporate social responsibility, relate to corporate reputation? The objective of this research is to establish rules for these relationships and to derive a new stakeholder approach to optimise corporate reputation regarding car fleet management marketing. First of all this study examines theoretical evidence in preparation for further empirical studies on the behaviour of sustainable car fleet management. With this in mind, the thesis looks at empirical evidence about the factors deemed necessary for successful responsible car fleet operation and its marketing. After conducting an online survey with more than 300 respondents, a multiple-embedded-case study with three cases, six supplementary cases, and several stakeholders represents the main part of this work. As a result, this work depicts, through three models, and via a new stakeholder approach (a combination of the three), the relationships of certain main types of firm with main types of fleet as well as the main types of marketing to support corporate reputation. Unexpected findings regarding the suitable intensity of communication to internal and external stakeholders have emerged. This approach successfully supports the design of sustainable car fleet management and a suitable arrangement of the marketing approach.

El propósito de la presente investigación es resolver las principales controversias que giran alrededor la responsabilidad social corporativa. Teniendo como principal objetivo conocer el grado de influencia e impacto de su aplicación en la reputación corporativa y el rendimiento financiero en las empresas del sector Retail, específicamente en los supermercados de Lima Metropolitana del año 2018. Para lograr esto se utilizó como modelo principal las cuatro dimensiones de la responsabilidad social corporativa planteadas por Carroll. El trabajo consta de un marco teórico en el cual se define tres temas importantes: la responsabilidad social corporativa, reputación corporativa y el rendimiento financiero. En segundo lugar, se encuentra el plan de investigación estableciendo el problema, hipótesis y objetivos de la investigación así como la metodología a utilizarse. Después, se realizó el desarrollo a través de entrevistas en profundidad a expertos dentro del rubro y encuestas a personas que cumplieran con el perfil delimitado para el estudio. Como consecuencia, en el quinto capítulo se desarrolla el análisis de cada uno de los instrumentos realizados. Por último, esta investigación termina con conclusiones y recomendaciones para todo aquel que busque conocer el grado de relación e impacto entre las Responsabilidad social corporativa, Reputación corporativa y Rendimiento financiero generadas a partir del análisis realizado. / The purpose of the present investigation is to resolve the main controversies of corporate social responsibility. Having as main objective to know the degree of influence and the impact of its application on corporate reputation and financial performance in companies in retail sector, specifically in the supermarkets of Lima Metropolitana in 2018. To achieve this, it was used as main model the four dimensions of corporate social responsibility proposed by Carroll. The work consists of a theoretical framework in which three important topics are defined: Corporate social responsibility, Corporate reputation and Financial profitability. Secondly, is found the research plan establishing the problem, hypothesis and objectives of the investigation as well as the methodology to be used. Then, the development was carried out through in-depth interviews with experts within the sector and surveys with people who met the profile defined for the study. Finally, the analysis of each of the instruments performed. This research ends with the conclusions and recommendations generated from the analysis accomplished. / Tesis

Den här studien demonstrerar vilka effekter en säljares kompetens, serviceprestation och etiska beteende har på relationskvaliteten till kunder inom fastighetsmäklarbranschen, samt vilka effekter ett företagets rykte och prestation har på relationskvaliteten till kunder i fastighetsmäklarbranschen. Undersökningen genomförs för att få en förståelse för hur relationerna fördelar sig på företagen och försäljarna. Med en kvalitativ metod har undersökningen gjorts i form av intervjuer, med tio stycken kunder som har sålt deras bostäder inom de senaste två åren. Resultatet visade att kunderna har starkare relation till fastighetsmäklarna än till företagen. De flesta kunderna har inte upplevt någon relation alls till företagen, när kunderna står inför att sälja sin bostad, väljer de oftast fastighetsmäklaren oberoende av vilket företag dessa arbetar för. Den starkaste komponenten för att stärka relationskvaliteten till kunderna har visat sig vara säljarens serviceprestation. / This study demonstrates the effects of salesperson expertise, service performance and ethical behavior on relationship quality to customers in the real estate brokerage industry, and the impact corporate reputation and corporate performance have on relationship quality to customers in the real estate brokerage industry. The survey was conducted to gain an understanding of how relationships are divided into companies and salespersons. With a qualitative approach, the examination has been made by interviewing ten customers who have sold their properties within the last two years. The results showed that customers have stronger relationship with the real estate agents than with the companies. Most customers have not experienced any relation at all to the company, when the customers face to sell their properties, they usually choose the real estate agent regardless of which company they work for. The strongest component to enhance the relationship quality to customers has proven to be the seller's service performance.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / A intensificaÃÃo das relaÃÃes entre os mercados globalizados tem reflexo relevante nas organizaÃÃes, de forma que, para permanecerem no mercado, elas necessitam preservar e aprimorar sua imagem perante seus stakeholders. Nesse sentido, emerge o conceito de reputaÃÃo, frequentemente discutido no contexto das organizaÃÃes, e que pode ser entendido como o conjunto de atributos organizacionais desenvolvidos ao longo do tempo, que influencia na forma pela qual os stakeholders percebem as empresas no mercado. No presente estudo, a reputaÃÃo corporativa à analisada na perspectiva da sustentabilidade e de sua influÃncia no desempenho superior e persistente das empresas, sob a fundamentaÃÃo da teoria da sinalizaÃÃo. EvidÃncias empÃricas revelam que as aÃÃes socialmente responsÃveis por parte das empresas lhes conferem reputaÃÃo favorÃvel, na medida em que emitem sinais positivos ao mercado, propiciando maior atratividade aos stakeholders, uma vez que estes percebem maior confianÃa e menor risco (FOMBRUN; SHANLEY, 1990; FOMBRUN; RINDOVA, 1996; FOMBRUN; VAN RIEL, 1997; SCHULTZ; NIELSEN; BOEGE, 2002; GARDBERG; FOMBRUN, 2002; ROBERTS; DOWLING, 2002; CAIXETA et al. 2011). Ao atrair e firmar suas relaÃÃes com os vÃrios stakeholders, garante-se a conquista da vantagem competitiva sustentÃvel, ou do desempenho superior e persistente, das empresas no mercado (BARNEY, 1991; TIERGARTEN; ALVES, 2008; SARAIVA JUNIOR; ALCALDE; COSTA, 2009). A abrangÃncia de estudos anteriores sobre o tema nÃo permitiram anÃlise da longevidade dos benefÃcios conquistados pela boa reputaÃÃo corporativa e nem em contextos mercadolÃgicos diferenciados. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo tem o objetivo de investigar a relaÃÃo entre a reputaÃÃo corporativa e o desempenho superior e persistente das companhias de capital aberto que publicam relatÃrios de sustentabilidade, segundo a listagem do Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Para tanto, trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva e explicativa, de natureza quantitativa, utilizando-se os procedimentos bibliogrÃfico e documental, com a aplicaÃÃo das ferramentas estatÃsticas AnÃlise de CorrespondÃncia (Anacor), Teste de MÃdia, AnÃlise fatorial e AnÃlise em painel, no perÃodo de 2008 a 2011. O estudo se justifica na medida em que busca contribuir para ampliaÃÃo da discussÃo sobre a reputaÃÃo corporativa na perspectiva da sustentabilidade. AlÃm disso, apresenta uma anÃlise diferenciada, por tratar do tema relacionando-o com o desempenho superior e persistente, verificando se a reputaÃÃo corporativa se relaciona com a conquista e preservaÃÃo da vantagem competitiva sustentÃvel. A Anacor aponta que as empresas com mais elevados nÃveis de reputaÃÃo figuram no grupo de empresas com maior desempenho. AlÃm disso, o teste de mÃdia realizado demonstra que as empresas com desempenho superior e persistente possuem reputaÃÃo estatisticamente diferente das empresas sem desempenho superior e persistente, sendo que aquelas apresentaram mÃdia de Ãndice de reputaÃÃo corporativa maior do que estas. A anÃlise de dados em painel preliminarmente realizada indicou que nÃo hà associaÃÃo entre a reputaÃÃo corporativa e o desempenho superior e persistente, refutando a hipÃtese da pesquisa. PorÃm, ao transformar as variÃveis em fatores e utilizar estes na anÃlise de dados em painel, identificou-se relaÃÃo de dependÃncia do desempenho para com os fatores porte (representado pelo tamanho) e credibilidade (representado pelo endividamento e reputaÃÃo). Logo, conclui-se que, para a amostra considerada, a reputaÃÃo sozinha nÃo à capaz de influenciar o desempenho empresarial, mas levando em conta o endividamento, o fator credibilidade (constituÃdo pelos fatores endividamento e reputaÃÃo) pode ser explicativo do desempenho. Assim, conforme a Teoria da SinalizaÃÃo, a reputaÃÃo representa sinais emitidos ao mercado capaz de influenciar o comportamento dos stakeholders, impactando seu desempenho. / The intensification of relations between the global markets presents a relevant reflection on organizations, so as to remain in the market, they need to further preserve and improve their image in front of their stakeholders. In this sense, the concept of reputation emerges, being often discussed in the context of organizations and moreover can be understood as the set of organizational attributes developed over time, which influences the way stakeholders perceive companies within the market. In this study, corporate reputation is examined from the perspective of sustainability and of its influence in the companiesâ superior and persistent performance under the theory of signalingâs foundation. Empirical evidence reveals that socially responsible actions taken by companies provide them a favorable reputation, as they issue positive signals to the market, offering greater attractiveness to stakeholders since they perceive higher reliability and lower risks (Fombrun, Shanley 1990; Fombrun; RINDOVA, 1996; Fombrun, Van Riel 1997, SCHULTZ, Nielsen; BOEGE, 2002; GARDBERG; Fombrun, 2002; ROBERTS & Dowling, 2002; CAIXETA et al. 2011). By attracting and establishing their relationships with various stakeholders, the achievement of either sustainable competitive advantage or the superior persistent performance is assured in the market companies (Barney, 1991; TIERGARTEN; ALVES, 2008; HAIL JUNIOR; ALCALDE; COSTA, 2009). The scope of these previous studies on the topic did not allow analysis of the longevity of the benefits gained by neither good corporate reputation nor in differentiated market contexts. Within this context, this study aims at investigating the relationship between corporate reputation and superior persistent performance of public companies that publish sustainability reports, according to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)âs listing. It is a descriptive and explanatory research of quantitative nature, using bibliographic and documentary procedures with the application of statistical tools Correspondence Analysis, Average Testing and Panel Analysis. The studyâs justification is to seek to contribute on expanding the discussion on corporate reputation in the perspective of sustainability. Moreover, it presents a differentiated analysis for dealing with the issue relating to the superior persistent performance and checking whether corporate reputation relates to the achievement and maintenance of a competitive advantage for a long period of time. Anacor points out that companies with higher levels of reputation are included in the group of companies with higher performance. Moreover, the conducted average testing shows that companies with superior persistent performance regard a statistically different reputation from their counterparts without superior persistent performance, being that the former presented an average index of corporate reputation greater than the latter. The preliminarily performed panel data analysis indicated no association between corporate reputation and superior persistent performance, disproving the research hypothesis. However, by transforming the variables into factors and using them in the panel data analysis, a performance dependency relationship was identified regarding size (represented by its size) and credibility (represented by its debt and reputation) factors. Therefore, it is concluded that, for the sample considered in this research, reputation alone is not able to influence business performance, but taking debt into account; the credibility factor (grouping the reputation and debt factors) may provide further explanations about performance. Thus, according theory of signaling, the reputation represents signals to the market and it is able to influence the behavior of stakeholders, impacting their performance.

This dissertation studied the determinants and consequences of corporate reputation. It explored how firm-, industry-, and country-level factors influence the general public’s assessment of a firm’s reputation and how this reputation assessment impacted the firm’s strategic actions and organizational outcomes. The three empirical essays are grounded on separate theoretical paradigms in strategy, organizational theory, and corporate governance. The first essay used signaling theory to investigate firm-, industry-, and country-level determinants of individual-level corporate reputation assessments. Using a hierarchical linear model, it tested the theory based on individual evaluations of the largest companies across countries. Results indicated that variables at multiple analysis levels simultaneously impact individual level reputation assessments. Interactions were also found between industry- and country-level factors. Results confirmed the multi-level nature of signaling influences on reputation assessments. Building on a stakeholder-power approach to corporate governance, the second essay studied how differences in the power and preferences of three stakeholder groups – shareholders, creditors, and workers – across countries influence the general public’s reputation assessments of corporations. Examining the largest companies across countries, the study found that while the influence of stock market return is stronger in societies where shareholders have more power, social performance has a more significant role in shaping reputation evaluations in societies with stronger labor rights. Unexpectedly, when creditors have greater power, the influence of financial stability on reputation assessment becomes weaker. Exploring the consequences of reputation, the third essay investigated the specific effects of intangible assets on strategic actions and organizational outcomes. Particularly, it individually studied the impacts of acquirer acquisition experience, corporate reputation, and approach toward social responsibilities as well as their combined effect on market reactions to acquisition announcements. Using an event study of acquisition announcements, it confirmed the significant impacts of both action-specific (acquisition experience) and general (reputation and social performance) intangible assets on market expectations of acquisition outcomes. Moreover, the analysis demonstrated that reputation magnifies the impact of acquisition experience on market response to acquisition announcements. In conclusion, this dissertation tried to advance and extend the application of management and organizational theories by explaining the mechanisms underlying antecedents and consequences of corporate reputation.

This essay examines corporate reputation and reputation management online, where destinations were selected as an example of a reputation-dependent industry with special terms. The aim of this study is to examine how Swedish destinations strategically manage their reputation online. Furthermore, the thesis sees into six destinations in Sweden using a theoretical approach on how companies work with their reputation to prevent and nurture their reputation online from a public relations perspective. The result showed that the destinations work actively online to maintain their reputation. Their primary critical stakeholders are politicians and their visit nutrition, their secondary stakeholders are in the long term their own residents. The result also showed that the digitalization has led to both challenges and opportunities. There is thus, an internal challenge in finding resources and an external challenge to compete globally. The destinations determinedly work to measure and monitor their reputation online, but see management as complex today. This study concludes that some areas of online reputation management are found to be applicable for companies in general, but mainly Swedish destinations. In conclusion the study presents a model on how companies proactively can manage their reputation from a public relations point of view.

Corporate social responsibility has attracted broad attention of scholars and practitioners over the past decades. However, organizations are at the same time frequently exposed for acts of corporate misconduct, accompanied by media coverage, public disapproval and financial penalties. This master thesis attempts to connect these two concepts by explaining changes in corporate social responsibility as a consequence of preceding irresponsibility. Based on a sample of misconduct events that were disclosed and penalized in the United States between 2010 and 2017, this work focusses on two factors that are argued to stimulate higher CSR performance. First, it is reasoned that the height of imposed financial penalties from governmental agencies leads to more responsible practices, as their unmediated effect sensitizes managers to increase measures against transgressive behavior, which aims to prevent reoccurrence and further penalties in the future. Second, the misconduct causes damage to stakeholders and thereby impairs the overall corporate reputation. Since firms are dependent on stakeholder goodwill, they will consequently increase their CSR performance to repair the reputational losses. Results from empirical data analyses confirm the positive effect of reputational damage, but give no support to the hypothesized impact of legal penalties on CSR enhancement. When assessing the effect of both factors on the subsequent behavior of the respective parent organizations, mixed and non-significant results indicate that there is no negative legitimacy spillover within the intrafirm network. The findings provide valuable implications for managers and promising directions for future research.