What determines a corporation’s global reputation and what impact does it have on company performance? A new center established in late June at Oxford’s Saïd Business School sets out to answer these and other questions surrounding issues of corporate reputation.
Founded on a major set of new research programs and led by appointed international fellows from leading universities and business schools around the world, the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation will feature several teaching programs targeting Oxford MBA and EMBA students as well as senior corporate executives, chairmen and CEOs. The center will also feature programming for the public, as well as a Distinguished Speaker annual lecture for undergraduates.
An organization’s reputation can be influenced its by its ability to attract talent, the perceptions of potential suppliers, customer support, community relations, investor relations, financial ratings, media relations and more, according to Rupert Younger, the new center’s director. “Yet, to date, there has been little rigorous academic research conducted to explore these issues,” Rupert continued. “Our aim is to correct that and to become one of the leading repositories of knowledge on corporate and institutional reputation globally.”
A group of 70 international visiting fellows – internationally recognized senior executives from a range of industries and regions as well as journalists, regulators and public sector officials – has committed its time to teaching the center’s various programs.
A global advisory board has also been appointed to advise the center on its research agenda. This board will be led by Bob Wigley, chairman of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Merrill Lynch International.
“It is ironic that for such an important business subject, there is very little in the way of robust research,” Wigley said in a statement about the new center. “What excited me about this initiative is the fact that Oxford is looking at reputation from the perspective of fundamental corporate behavior,” he continued.
To learn more about the new Oxford Center for Corporate Reputation, click here.
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