0000000000166055
AUTHOR
Laura Olkkonen
Stakeholder expectations : conceptual foundations and empirical analysis
Expectations are an inseparable part of interaction, whether in interpersonal, intragroup, or organization–stakeholder relations. As a concept, expectations appear frequently in the public relations literature, yet definitions are scarce or narrow. This thesis contributes to the conceptual and empirical understanding of expectations in the context of organization–stakeholder relations and, more specifically, studies how organizations translate their societal roles and how stakeholders form expectations of these roles. The theoretical framework is drawn from Scandinavian institutionalism and corporate responsibility as social connectedness that, first, places organization–stakeholder relatio…
Expectation management for public sector organizations
Abstract Transparency and collecting stakeholder feedback are becoming the norm also in the public sector. Though much of feedback is related to stakeholder experiences, we propose that it is more beneficial to study expectations than experiences, as expectations affect future satisfaction. This study reports a process of collecting and analyzing stakeholder expectations in one health-care oriented public sector organization in Finland, and reports how these expectations and their implications were assessed by the organization's top management. The study suggests that to ensure stakeholder satisfaction and organizational success, top management should be guided to work through the feedback.…
Public relations as expectation management?
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess how expectation management can contribute strategically to communication management, and how understanding and managing expectations can increase organizations’ sensitivity toward stakeholder voices and concerns. Design/methodology/approach – An example of mapping and identifying expectations is presented as a result of a thematic analysis of qualitative interview data, collected from six stakeholder groups of the media industry. Findings – Expectation types and gaps can be identified through the use of systematic expectation mapping, conceptualized in this paper as “expectation management.” Expectation management analyzes expectation types …
Broadening the concept of expectations in public relations
Expectations have been connected to many central concepts of public relations research, yet, definitions of what is meant by expectations are lacking. This article aims to broaden the understanding of expectations by taking into account their multi-dimensional nature, suggesting that there are several explanations to expectations depending on what the expectation is based on. We suggest that in organizational context expectations are two-fold assessments of what is considered good or desirable (expectation tone ranging from positive to negative) and the confidence placed in the organization (organization-specific context ranging from high to low confidence). As a result of the conceptual re…
The Legitimacy of the Media Industry – What do Advertisers Expect?
AbstractAs the media industry is globally affected by changes, we fill a gap that exists in understanding stakeholders’ expectations about the future of media by examining the perceived legitimacy of the media industry through advertisers’ expectations. Expectations contribute to stakeholder assessments and behavior, and unmet expectations may hinder organizational legitimacy. The qualitative study consisted of interviews of the 10 biggest media advertisers in Finland and social media observations. The results show that both traditional and new expectations may pose threats to the legitimacy of media, calling the industry to engage the central stakeholders in future planning and scenarios.
Public relations and expectation theory : Introducing Relationship Expectation Theory (RET) for public relations
Expectations provide organizations with information and cues about their stakeholders’ and publics’ values, interests, experiences, and knowledge. This chapter argues for a move that takes expectations beyond the current cursory level for different areas of public relations—reputation management, corporate responsibility, issues management, and legitimacy—toward explicit theoretical understanding and models for addressing expectations. The chapter introduces expectations as an intersecting phenomenon in public relations research and builds postulations for theorizing expectations in public relations by reviewing theories that address expectations in relationships, and by exploring different…
Theorizing expectations as enablers of intangible assets in public relations: Normative, predictive, and destructive
Expectations intersect with many areas of public relations, yet conceptual and theoretical understandings of expectations have not been strong in public relations research. In fact, expectations are often discussed at a cursory level, expectation theories are seldom applied, and the concept of expectations is not problematized. In this article, therefore, we explore the role of expectations in public relations and illustrate how expectations shape organizational relationships, particularly by enabling or destroying the creation of organizational intangible assets. We identify gaps in how expectations are addressed in public relations, present the results from a literature review of 159 acad…