History and background

Recent scandals, crises and corruption across the world have led to the focus on practices and the communication thereof in the corporate, government and civil society environment.  Stakeholders are demanding proper governance practices, information and messaging to protect the corporate values of organisations as well as their own interests.

Another trend that communication scholars are witnessing and that should be advanced – also in Africa – is that the field of communication and reputation management is not only developing into an important professional asset for organisations, but there is a movement towards a mature field of science, both in research as well as in conceptual theory-building and the broadening of the body of knowledge. Issues like corporate identity, reputation and corporate social responsibility and involvement, along with stakeholder sentiment will remain significant for research and the professions in the decades to follow.

These and similar issues are investigated at the Centre for Communication and Reputation Management.  The CCRM offers communication management research, consultation services, education and training on a managerial, strategic and policy level to individuals, university staff, students, government, SMME’s, NGO’s and business in general.