The Strategic Communication Imperative For Mid and Long Term Issues Management 1st Edition by James Mahoney 1000522091 9781000522099

1 Facing up to issues: An introduction

Strategic communication concepts

Embracing theoretical approaches from other disciplines

Strategic communication as a high-order, value-added function

Strategy, issues, and professional communication

Definitions of strategic communication

Professional communication and business objectives

Theoretical concepts

The non-market environment

Organisations as social and political actors

Issues dynamics

Strategic communication as discursive social practice

Structuration theory and professional communication

2 The alchemy of professional communication

Communication practitioners’ views

Summarising significant findings from the research

Values, reputation, and relationships

Issues drive strategic communication

Issues as organisational risk factors

Willingness to engage in dialogue with opponents

A tendency to tactical practice

Sectoral differences in issue priorities

Gender differences

Corporate social responsibility

The importance of communication strategy

Willingness to communicate on issues

Communication strategy and organisational reputation

Aligning business and communication strategies

Issues management and communication strategy

Identifying potential and emerging issues as professional practice

Issues management contexts

Tactical issues communication

Overall issue priorities

Issue categories as influences on strategic communication

Differences in issue priorities between industry sectors

Gender and strategic communication

Influences on strategic communication decision-making

Reputation and values

Enhancing an organisation’s financial performance

Engaging with opponents

Political and regulatory issues and corporate social responsibility

Organisational complexity

The possibility of litigation

Stakeholder media coverage as an influence on communication decisions

Relationships between influences on decisions about strategic directions

The importance of communication strategy and issues management contexts

Issue category priorities and the importance of strategy

The importance of strategy for organisation sectors

Importance of strategy and issues identification time frames

Influences on communication decisions and issues management contexts

Keys to the strategic communication imperative

3 The nature of strategic communication

The role of strategy in professional communication

Strategy as intentional action

Strategic plans for professional communication

Definitions of strategic communication

Engaging with stakeholders

Defining stakeholders

News media as stakeholders and journalists as target publics

The stakeholder model

Stakeholder management

Communication environments

Habermas and communicating in the public sphere

Communicating in the non-market environment

Factors that influence strategic communication

Organisational reputation

Organisational values

Relationships and change

Regulatory factors

Communicating with employees

Future challenges

4 Identifying, analysing, and managing organisational issues

But what is an ‘issue’?

Issues, non-market environments, and social actors

The non-market environment

Communication and non-market issues

Social and political actors

The argumentative context: framing and understanding issues

Influencing public policy issues debates

Zones of meaning

Issues management as a professional practice

Defining issues management

Public affairs and issues communication

Differentiating tactical and strategic communication

Issues management as strategic practice

Avoiding surprises

Issues management as multifunctional practice

Responding to issues

Issues dynamics

Contingency theory and dynamic issues

Contingency theory and organisational structure

Contingency theory and professional communication

Issue categories and communication decisions

5 Decision-making and communication strategy

Issues communication planning as discursive social practice

Strategic communication and decision-making

Communication decisions and stakeholders

Communication decisions, issues dynamics, and stakeholders

Communication decisions and ethical practice

Structuration theory and strategic communication decision-making

Communication and organisations

Giddens’ structuration theory

Professional communication and structuration theory

Communication strategy and structuration

Structuration and strategic communication decision-making

6 Linking strategic communication and theoretical concepts

The long-term essence of strategic communication

Issues and strategic communication in the non-market environment

How other disciplines’ concepts help understand strategic communication

Strategic communication decision-making

Theorising a paradigm shift to a new planning model

Towards a better understanding of strategic communication

7 A strategic communication planning model

Understanding practitioners’ views about communication strategy

Strategic communication, values, reputation, and stakeholder relationships

Issues drive strategic communication

Issues as risks

Engaging with opponents

A tendency to tactical practice

Attempting a strategic approach

Significant issues

Reputation, values, and credibility

Stakeholder relationships and management

Long-term issues management

Sectoral differences

A definition of strategic communication

The strategic imperative paradigm shift

Interpreting decisions about strategic communication

Influences on communication strategy decisions

Contingency theory and communication decisions

A structurationist interpretation of strategic communication decisions

Explaining strategic communication decisions with structuration theory

Linking business and strategic communication planning

Implications for future research and practice

Implications for professional communication scholarship

Potential future research

Implications for professional practice

Conclusion

A reflection on an unending journey

Appendix 1: Research approach and headline results tables

References

Index