Corporate Communication goes international and intercultural

Professor Robert Wakefield (Brigham Young University, USA) discussed the changing conditions of transnational interaction with stakeholders.

Issues such as corporate social responsibility in India were outlined by Professor Vasanthi Srinivasan of the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore and visiting lecturer at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of management. She also delivered insights into the governance and citizenship of Indian companies.

Uta-Micaela Dürig, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications, Brand Management and Sustainability at Robert Bosch GmbH and Bill McAndrews, Vice President of Communications Strategy, Corporate and Market Communications at the BMW Group, showed how communication processes are strategically developed and conducted in an international context.

Thomas Voigt, Vice President of Corporate Communications at the Otto Group, shed light on the structures, processes and strategies of communication in the social web. Judith von Gordon, Vice President of Corporate Communications and PR at Boehringer Ingelheim, Dr. Christof Ehrhart, Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications and Responsibility and Silje Skogstad, Senior Vice President of Global Media Relations, Deutsche Post DHL, contributed to this topic by discussing their companies’ approaches. They consider the management of information through the various channels to diverse stakeholders to play a fundamental role.

During the evening program the participants were able to learn more about architecture of the former East Berlin. The dinner was used to exchange opinions and experiences inside (as well as outside) the communication field. The 15th floor of the tower of the Frankfurter Tor offered a panoramic view over Alexanderplatz. The evening was rounded off by the musical experience provided by DigiEnsemble. These musicians do not play traditional instruments but use apps to create complex melodies. The participants also got the chance to have a go making music themselves and see their devices in a different light.

Professor Schwalbach and Professor Zerfass presented the findings from the latest empirical research. Professor Schwalbach looked at the findings from research into the reputation of companies and CEOs. Professor Zerfass introduced the results of a study, conducted in cooperation with Professor Schwalbach, on how CEOs view the role of the communication department within their companies. More than 600 CEOs of German-speaking corporations participated in the survey. This study was initiated and funded by the Academic Society for Corporate Management and Communication.