(KOM 5317)

THEORY & PRACTICE OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

COURSE SYNOPSIS
LEARNING OUTCOME
The student able to;
1.
Analyse major corporate communication practices.
2.
Produce corporate communication messages for internal and external audiences.
3.
Plan corporate communication practices relevant to the organizations situation and
operation.
4.
Explore new ideas and alternative solutions to corporate communication problems.
SYNOPSIS
This course covers the theoretical and practical aspects of corporate communication;
i.
Management of organizational image, identity and reputation;
ii.
Definition of corporate communication;
iii.
Corporate culture;
iv.
Media relations and corporate writing;
v.
Employee communication;
vi.
Branding and corporate advertising;
vii.
Government affairs;
viii.
Corporate social responsibility;
ix.
Customer relations;
x.
Financial communication;
xi.
Communication audits;
xii.
Corporate communication research.
Reading and Text References
Argenti, P.A.(2012). Corporate Communication (6th ed.). Boston: Irwin McGraw-Hill.
Cornelissen, Joep (2014). Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory and Practice (4th ed.) London:
Sage Publication.
Goodman, Michael B. (2012). Corporate Communication: Tactical Guidelines for Strategic Practice.
New York: Business Expert Press.
Van Riel, Cees B.M. & Fombrun, Charles J. (2007). Essentials of Corporate Reputation: Implementing
Practices for Effective Reputation Management. London: Routledge
UPM On-Line Journals.

Assignment & Examination

There will be TWO individual and ONE group assignment/s, and one final examination.
Due Dates of Assignment
Item
Assignment 1 (Individual)
Assignment 2 (Individual)
Assignment 3 (Individual)
Final Examination

Mark Distribution
(Percentage)
15%
20%
25%
40%

Due Date
15th October 2015
15th November 2015
15th December 2015
To be notified

Submission
All assignments (soft copy AND hard copy) should be accompanied with a complete students details;
1.
Students name and number
2.
Course code number and course name
3.
Name of lecturer (Dr. Muhamad Rosli Selamat)
4.
Assignment number
Hard copy assignments should be handed directly to the lecturer on or before the due dates. No marks
are given to assignments sent after the datelines. Soft copy (pdf or word format) assignments should be
mailed to the following address;
m_rosli@upm.edu.my

Examination
The examination will cover the units/topics discussed in the lecture/seminar. The examination will
attempt to test students understanding and ability to apply the concepts of corporate communication
components. The examination will be in essay-type question format and closed book.
Assignment Format
All assignments should consist with the following information:
1. Cover Page (details of student and course)
2. Content page
3. Title page
4. Write-ups (introduction, discussion & conclusion)
5. Bibliography
6. Attachment (if any)

Assignment Topics
Assignment 1 (Individual)
Due date
:
15th October 2015
Value
:
15%
Length
:
Minimum 10 pages (A4 size: Type written double spacing)
Reference
:
Minimum 10 (Published after 2000, using APA Citation Style
Topic
:
Definition of Corporate Communication
Background:
People have many different definitions of what we mean by "corporate communication." No single
definition has been accepted as being the only or best one for the profession. But several have been
proposed by various organizations and authors, and still others are held by average men and women.
The purpose of this assignment is for you to explore the meaning of corporate communication and come
to your own understanding. This is important as you begin your professional studies, because ultimately
the way you understand corporate communication will have a lot to do with the contributions you will
make and the benefits you will derive from the profession.
Assignment:
Part One: Consult TWENTY books or periodicals. TEN of these should be corporate communicationorientation. TEN others should be from a related discipline such as image, identity, branding,
advertising, corporate social responsibility, etc. Copy a definition of corporate communication from each
of these sources. These should be formal definitions or full explanations, not simply passing references.
Include the title, author, and publication date of each; do not cite sources published before 2005.
Part Two: Think about your own understanding of corporate communication. Create a comprehensive
definition that you find encompasses this understanding. This definition may include thoughts similar to
those in other definitions, but it must be your own phrasing.
Part Three: Discuss how you think your definition in Part Two relates to the formal definitions you
discovered in Part One. Specifically, discuss three questions: How is your definition similar? How is it
different? What are the significances of the definitions?
Presentation:
This assignment should be typed with double spacing. Clearly label each part (as outlined above) with
boldface type or an underline.
Evaluation: (15% marks)
Part One: 4 marks (completion)
Part Two: 4 marks (thoroughness, thoughtfulness, professional insight)
Part Three: 4 marks (logic and thoroughness of discussion for each element)
Mechanics: 3 marks (language usage, punctuation, spelling, appearance)
Lecturers e-mail address: m_rosli@upm.edu.my

Assignment 2 (Individual)
Due date
:
15th November 2015
Value
:
20%
Length
:
Minimum 16 pages (A4 size: Type written double spacing)
Reference
:
Minimum 16 (Published after 2005)
Topic
:
Discuss the Problems or Issues Affecting Corporate
Communication Practice in Malaysia.
Moderation of Assignment 2
1. Choose ONE company OR government agency operating in Malaysia OR your country.
2. Analyze their practice of CORPORATE COMMUNICATION to raise their REPUTATION, address
messages to customers or publics AND improve their bottom line (company/ government agency).
3. Define your subjects CORPORATE COMMUNICATION management different components of
corporate communication practice, frequency of practice AND reasons for practice of different
components (5W/H).
4. Identify the PROBLEMS or ISSUES affecting the practice of different components of corporate
communication practice. Which one is the most significant issue? Why?
5. Conclude the assignment by rationalizing reasons for the existence of these PROBLEMS or
ISSUES.
Presentation: This assignment should be typed with double spacing. Clearly label each part (as
outlined in the assignment format) with boldface type.
Assignment 3 (Individual)
Due date
:
15th December 2015
Value
:
25%
Length
:
Minimum 20 pages (A4 size: Type written double spacing)
Reference
:
Minimum 20 (Published after 2005)
Topic
:
Corporate Communication Rubrics.
Moderation of Assignment 3
1. Reminder: This is a conceptual paper.
2. Understand the meaning of rubric It is a measurement for examining performance.
3. Understand the three components of rubric standard of excellence; criteria; indicators.
4. Identify standard of excellence for CORPORATE COMMUNICATION best practice.
5. Identify the criteria for CORPORATE COMMUNICATION best practice.
6. Identify the indicators for CORPORATE COMMUNICATION best practice.
7. Analyze the rubrics for CORPORATE COMMUNICATION best practice.
8. Conclude the assignment by rationalizing reasons for the need of rubrics for CORPORATE
COMMUNICATION best practice.
Presentation: This assignment should be typed with double spacing. Clearly label each part (as
outlined in the assignment format) with boldface type.
p/s
References should be cited (in-text) and quoted in bibliography according to the American Psychological
Association (APA) Citation Style. The style can be viewed through internet using Yahoo or Google
search engine.