Laura Olkkonen

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 multidimensional 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 review with theoretical input from areas outside the scope of public relations, the article presents the Expectation Grid, where expectations are acknowledged as continuums of tone and context.

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 and priorities, and it assists in crafting response strategies. Four types of expectations (must, will, should, and could) were identified in an empirical study of the media industry. Research limitations/implications – As the empirical study focussed on one industry in one country, the findings should be considered an i...

The Legitimacy of the Media Industry – What do Advertisers Expect?

Abstract As 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.

Audience Enabling as Corporate Responsibility for Media Organizations

Media organizations engaging in journalistic production face ethical challenges that concern business ethics as much as journalism ethics. This article studies expectations of responsibility for media organizations that engage in journalistic production and assesses them from the viewpoint of sector-specific corporate responsibility. The data are obtained from interviews with Finnish nongovernmental organization experts who work closely with media issues. Of the three positive and three negative expectation themes identified, audience enabling was associated with most confidence. Audience enabling deals with the impacts of media products and social connectivity that links media organizations (as businesses) into larger societal processes and issues. It is concluded that without the synchronization of journalism ethics and business ethics, it can be difficult to address complex corporate responsibility issues.

Separation or integration of journalistic and business responsibilities? Corporate responsibility in Finnish media companies

ABSTRACT Not only do media organisations serve a societal role, they also influence societies through their behaviour as businesses. Therefore, the full range of the responsibilities of media organisations extends to include issues of both journalism ethics and business ethics. This article examines sector-based corporate responsibility as a way to integrate journalistic and business responsibilities. Empirically, the article examines how journalistic and business responsibilities unfold in large Finnish media companies. The analysis shows that “dual thinkers” narrow corporate responsibility only to environmental issues and, consequently, fail to address large areas of social responsibility, whereas “integrative forerunners” make meaningful connections between journalistic and business responsibilities. For media managers, the article offers insights into how sector-based corporate responsibility can weave industry-specific responsibilities into general corporate responsibility issues.