Corporate communications: Conception and structure in some European, American and Asian countries Available to Purchase

This paper deals with the rationales which prevail in the organisation of the communication function of international companies, ie the reasons which govern this organisation and the principal patterns and underlying conceptions of corporate communication. Beyond the logic or absence of logic in this organisation, one should be able to contribute to knowledge of communication in the following areas: what conceptions (definition) of corporate communication does this organisation manifest? What are the main patterns in the organisation of communication according to business field and to country? Are some better than others? To what extent does this organisation depend on managerial cultures (national culture, culture of the business sector, management style, culture of the company, etc…)? This paper was written from a survey conducted in the chair ‘Communication et Management’ of ESSEC, Graduate School of Management, in 1995. Its results appeared in International Public Relations Review, IPRA, Volume 16, 1995.