“Business success depends on support from stakeholders. Support depends on trust. And trust is at the heart of a strong reputation. But what drives reputation? And how can you impact stakeholders to trust and support you?” – Reputation Institute
Entitled “Managing Reputation on our Threatened Planet – Communication: Trust: Sustainability”, the 2014 Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) annual conference takes place at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng, on 9 and 10 June 2014, and features an impressive lineup of professional speakers who will address the issue of reputation management.
Among the confirmed speakers is Trevor Ndlazi, Country Manager of the Reputation Institute, the world’s leading reputation management consultancy focussed on enabling leaders to make confident business decisions that build and protect reputation capital and drive competitive advantage. Ndlazi’s presentation entitled “So, then, what is reputation management? promises to provide delegates with a fresh new perspective on reputation management.
A good reputation enhances profitability because it attracts customers to products, investors to securities and employees to their jobs, according to Dr. Charles Fombrun, one of the founders of the Reputation Institute. Reflecting a company’s culture and corporate identity, reputation can be an asset that provides a competitive advantage, enhances profitability and directly influences a public company’s stock prices in the financial markets. Sustaining a positive reputation requires behaving and governing in a responsible manner in order to build social capital. By being reliable, credible, trustworthy and responsible in the market, a company is more likely to influence stakeholder behaviours such as advocacy, commitment and cooperation, which are key outcomes of a positive reputation.
Stakeholders, through their behaviours – be it negative or positive – influence the reputation of companies. A good reputation is achieved through establishing long-lasting relationships with these stakeholders, managing the relationships among stakeholder groups and shaping opinions with strategic public relations efforts. It is, therefore, essential to integrate public relations strategies into corporate governance to manage the relationships with and among stakeholders, which will enhance the organisation’s reputation.
Paula Fray, media expert and development communication specialist with a focus on Africa, and Jean Pierre Kloppers, CEO of BrandsEye and co-founder of Just Engage, will provide delegates with an overview of the media’s progress over the last 20 years and its impact on reputation, as well as the latest tools available to measure online reputation. Thebe Ikalafeng, CEO of Brand Leadership, will share valuable insights regarding leveraging sponsorships to build great brands and reputations, while Sonja Verwey from University of Johannesburg will explore the role of ethics and professional conduct in personal reputation. From the academic world, Rene Benecke, CPRP Senior Lecturer, Public Relations and Communication Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, will address the question ‘Why don’t public relations and communication professionals use academics to assist in research?’
The conference is open to PRISA members and non-members. For more information, visit www.prisa.co.za or contact Susan Richardson at info@prisa.co.za. For more information on the Reputation Institute, please visit www.reputationinstitute.com.
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