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PurposeEconomic pressures and rising stakeholder expectations have led public sector organisations to measure their reputation. The paper aims to highlight the importance of reputation for the public sector, define sector reputation and report findings on a quantitative study of sector reputations of four different types of Finnish public sector organisations.Design/methodology/approachInspired by stakeholder theory and the value of organisational reputation, a quantitative survey of stakeholder assessments on reputation was carried out in the 12 organisations from the field of the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in 2003. The organisations represented four sectors: research, authority‐functions, semi‐commercial functions and legislation. Survey data were first analysed with factor analysis to form five reputational factors for public sector organisations. Further analyses were carried out to compare differences between the organisational types and groups of stakeholders (analysis of variance) and to define the part of the different stakeholders (cluster analysis) for sector reputation.FindingsThe paper distinguishes between two major sector reputations: flexible and bureaucratic public sector organisations. Those organisations with more traditional functions (legislation and authority functions) are by reputation labelled bureaucratic, whereas those with more modern functions (research and semi‐commercial functions) are by reputation more flexible. These findings give insight into the strengths and weaknesses in the reputation of different types of public sector organisations, and hence contribute to the body of literature on strategic management of public sector organisations.Research limitations/implicationsThough the concept of sector reputation is universal, the contents of sector reputations are culturally bound. The study was conducted on Finnish public sector organisations, so the results could best be generalised to other Nordic countries. Moreover, reputation is an artificial concept based on stakeholder assessments and perceptions, and does not measure reality as such, though it is associated with stakeholder behaviour.Practical implicationsThe results of the paper point toward rather stable, yet specific sector reputations. Knowing the reputational strengths and weaknesses of each type of public sector organisation provides a deeper understanding of how stakeholders perceive different types of organisations, and hence enables suitable allocation of public resources.Originality/valueThe paper will contribute to both theory and practice by addressing the concept of reputation for public sector organisations as well as providing new results on sector reputation. The paper will be of interest to those searching for ways to measure the effectiveness of public sector organisations as well as to those interested in stakeholder relations and strategic management.

Medioituvan ja nopeasti muuttuvan maailman keskellä julkisorganisaatiota uhkaa legitimaatiokriisi: miten viestiä sellaisten julkisten palveluiden tarpeellisuudesta, joiden kohteena on yhteinen hyvä? Tähän haasteeseen on pyritty vastaamaan tutkimalla sidosryhmiä, stakeholdereita, jotka asioivat julkisten organisaatioiden kanssa. Stakeholder on käsitteenä melko uusi julkisille organisaatioille, mutta se heijastaa hyvin niitä erilaisia odotuksia, joita valtionhallintoon kohdistetaan nyky-yhteiskunnassa. Valtionhallinnon tuoreen sidosryhmätutkimuksen tulosten mukaan julkisten organisaatioiden ja niiden sidosryhmien välinen suhde koostuu neutraalista maineesta ja korkeasta luottamuksesta. Suhdetta kuvaamaan voidaan käyttää termiä luottojoukot (faith-holders), sillä julkisorganisaatioiden olemassaolo nojaa juuri toistuvien sidosryhmien hyväksyntään.

"This comprehensive Handbook offers an extensive overview of current knowledge of corporate communication from a digital perspective. It provides a state-of-the-art view of the ubiquitous impact, both positive and negative, of digital technologies and digitalisation processes on corporate communication. Bringing together insights from leading thinkers in the field of digital corporate communication (DCC), the book explores how digitalisation is transforming organisations and corporate communication. Chapters examine new, emerging and progressive topics and future trends in DCC, including digital hijacking, disinformation and the role of artificial intelligence. Collectively, they present over 30 case studies from around the world to help relate theory to practice. Analysing the changing practices and functions of digitalisation, the Handbook illuminates how organisations are striving to be continuously available 24/7 while embracing the new demands of digital stakeholders. Addressing future challenges facing increasingly digital organisations, this Handbook will be a valuable resource for scholars and students interested in strategic management, branding, marketing and organisational behaviour. Its overview of CommTech development will also be beneficial for communication practitioners and organisational leaders seeking to navigate the expectations of digitally-active stakeholders"--

Interaction between organizations and stakeholders today takes place on virtual and physical 'issue arenas'. This study examined opinions on nuclear power and asked who are the players discussing nuclear power in Finland? Through content analysis, surveys and interviews, the study concluded that politicians, power companies and regulators were the ones with voice, as NGOs and citizens were hardly heard. The paper suggests the future role of PR practitioners to be to find the right issue arenas and facilitate corporate voice and reputation on those arenas. ; peerReviewed

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Notes on Contributors -- Acknowledgment -- Introduction to Public Sector Communication -- Why Is Public Sector Communication Special? -- Defining Public Sector Communication -- What Is Our Current Understanding of Public Sector Communication? -- Studying Public Sector Communication in Times of Change -- References -- Part I Public Sector Communication and Society -- Chapter 1 Public Sector Communication and Democracy -- Introduction -- Defining and Distinguishing the Public Sector -- Defining Public Sector Communication -- Democracy and Public Sector Communication -- Public Sector Communication and the Policy‐Making Process -- Citizens' Discursive Engagement in Public Sector Policy‐Making Processes -- The Public Sphere Foundations of Public Sector Engagement: The US Case -- Concluding Thoughts: From Democratic Public Sector Communication to a Democratic Public Sector -- References -- Chapter 2 Public Sector Communication and Organizational Legitimacy -- Introduction -- Organizational Legitimacy -- Context -- Legitimacy and Public Sector Communication -- Critique and Challenges -- Conclusions and Directions for Future Research -- References -- Chapter 3 Trust, Fairness, and Signaling: Studying the Interaction Between Officials and Citizens -- Introduction -- Trust and Information Asymmetries in the Public Encounter -- Signaling Theory and Its Applications -- Signaling Trustworthiness in Public Sector Encounters -- The Consequences of Misinterpretation -- The Challenges of Signaling Trustworthiness -- Future Research on the Role of Signaling in Public Sector Communication -- References -- Chapter 4 Transparency and Corruption in the Public Sector -- What Makes Public Sector Organizations Prone to Corruption? -- Levels of Nontransparency -- Public Sector Communication or Propaganda?.

A comprehensive guide to future-proofing public sector communication and increasing citizen satisfaction' How to communicate with the citizens of the future' Why does public sector communication often fail' Public Sector Communication combines practical examples from around the world with the latest theoretical insights to show how communication can help bridge gaps that exist between public sector organizations and the individual citizens they serve. The authors'two experts in the field with experience from the public sector'explain how public entities, be they cities, governments, foundations, agencies, authorities, municipalities, regulators, military, or government monopolies and state owned businesses can build their intangible assets to future-proof themselves in a volatile environment. The book examines how the recent digitalization has increased citizen expectations and why one-way communication leaves public sector organizations fragile. To explain how to make public sector communication antifragile, the authors map contributions from a wide variety of fields combined with illustrative examples from around the world. The authors propose a research-based framework of different intangible assets that can directly improve communication in the public sector.'' This important resource: -Helps explain the sector-specific conditions and why communication is often challenging in the public sector' -Summarizes all relevant literature on the topic across disciplines and includes the most popular management ideals of the recent decades' -Explores how public sector organizations can increase citizen satisfaction with effective communication -Presents new approaches to both the study and practice of communication in the public sector' -Provides international examples of successful public sector communication' -Offers realistic guides to building intangible assets in practice Written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, as well as public managers and leaders, Public Sector Communication offers an illustrative, research-based guide to improving communication and engaging citizens of today and the future. '

Crises are common in today's unpredictable environment rising the importance of crisis response strategies. Two societies in Europe are chosen: Finland, where trust in society is generalized to institutions, and Spain, where trust in society remains on the level of individuals. Using the results of the European Communication Monitor 2013 survey on crisis communication, we explored three hypotheses: "certain types of crises are often met with certain types of strategies," "cultural context makes some crises more likely than others," and "cultural context makes some response strategies more likely than others." We find evidence for all three hypotheses and discuss our findings about perceived differences in the two societies. The results show that the cultural context plays an important role for crisis communication.

Purpose
– The public sector worldwide is under pressure to downsize, which has led to mergers of public sector organisations. This paper seeks to bridge the unstudied gap of what happens to organisational reputation after a merger. The paper discusses change and reputation in the public sector, and reports findings of a longitudinal study on stakeholder assessments of four public sector organisations undergoing mergers recently.


Design/methodology/approach
– Following a theory-driven content analysis, this longitudinal study compares stakeholder assessments of four public sector organisations' reputations a year before an organisational merger with assessments of the two resulting organisations' reputations two years after the merger.


Findings
– The paper finds that the mergers did not really re-shape reputation, but the once established reputation persevered. Although the organisations faced greater expectations after the merger, only minor changes in reputation were detected post-merger: the reputation for expertise, heavy bureaucracy and trustworthiness remained strong after the merger, but certain traits, such as being international and esteemed, were lost. In both cases, one organisation's prior reputation slightly dominated the new reputation.


Research limitations/implications
– The findings may be limited to Finland and other Nordic countries, as well as those countries where trust in the public sector is high.


Practical implications
– Mergers may not change once-established reputations, and hence the improvements desired by mergers may go unnoticed by the different stakeholders. Organisations merging must prepare for increased stakeholder expectations, as the new organisations arise questions. Previous organisational traits may remain in stakeholders' assessments despite any achieved improvements.


Originality/value
– This paper addresses the gap in studying organisational reputation after public sector mergers, and contributes to both theory and practice by providing insight into the stability of once-established reputations.

AbstractReputation of public sector organizations is increasingly formed through Word of Mouth (WOM) as citizens and stakeholders share their experiences with others both online and offline. Understanding and measuring WOM is a challenge for many public sector organizations, who often resort to measurement tools designed for the private sector. This paper looks at a popular WOM measurement tool, namely the Net Promoter Score (NPS) in the context of public sector organizations. In this paper, we ask how well does the NPS describe public sector reputation, and look at what the different stakeholder groups categorized by NPS are like in the public sector. As an illustrative case, we report findings of a stakeholder reputation survey (n: 1198) conducted for a large Finnish ministry utilizing both established reputation measures and the NPS. Based on our findings, we conclude that the traditional NPS requires tailoring to match the public sector context, and propose "The Public Sector Net Promoter Score (PSNPS)" as a new measure for WOM in the public sector context.