Abstract
Given the speed and diversity of the information on offer in today’s global media society, the saturation of markets with high-quality, yet almost indistinguishable products, and a global shortage of qualified specialists, it is no longer self-evident that companies can retain employees and suppliers, keep their customers’ loyalty, or convince investors to hold on to their shares for the long term. A growing tension is emerging between the emancipation of consumers and employees on the one hand, and their disorientation in a sea of information and goods on the other. Here, reputation is becoming more important as an intangible corporate asset and a means of orientation in society. This is because, for a long time now, product and price strategies have no longer been the only decisive factors for competition. Instead, the focus has increasingly turned to the competence, integrity and the attractiveness of a company in the battle for stakeholder trust.
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Acknowledgments
First, you fashion the book according to yourself, and then yourself according to the book.
Jean Paul (1763–1825)
In all frankness: from the beginning, we had very clear ideas about the topics that had to be included in a volume on reputation management in the 21st century. In our work for international companies and organisations, not a day goes by without us dealing with the issue. We have felt challenged person-ally as consultants in reputation matters by the crisis of confidence that, during our work on this book, has assumed ever greater dimensions. And it was clear to us from the start that we would have to approach this topic not from a European, American or Asian perspective, but from a global perspective — that is, with an international team of authors. And, with just as much frankness: owing to this international perspective and the collective work on the articles, which has lasted over a year from conception to publication, a book has emerged that has exposed us as editors to new facets and interrelationships. For this, we would like first of all to thank all the authors, whose excellent articles and unconventional, new perspectives on reputation management have made Reputation Capital: Reputation Capital. Building and Maintaining Trust in the 21st Century a book capable of providing both theoretical insights and practical guidance. Further thanks go to the colleagues at Pleon, especially Ralf Langen, Frank Behrendt and Timo Sieg, and the entire international team at the European Centre for Reputation Studies. We also would like to thank Dr. Niels Peter Thomas of Springer Verlag for his patient and very helpful support.
Particular thanks are due to Julia Schankin, who not only has managed the entire project untiringly and reliably, keeping her good humour throughout, but also has contributed her expertise in the area of country reputation management in one of the most exciting articles in this volume. Further, we would like to thank Thomas Fischer, Sarah Jüttner, Saskia Schirmann, Susann Hoffmann, Mariya Mihaylova, Jürgen Langhanns and the Reputation Management Team in Munich for their continuous support and their helpful advice.
And especially because – as many readers will know – it is a real challenge to combine everyday work with work on a book, we would like to thank our families for their understanding and support. So, a huge thank you to Lisa, Paulina, Titus, Christina, David, Julian, Sarah and Geraldine. And last but not least, this book would not have been published had it not been for the skills and commitment of our translators Rowan Payton and Miles Staveley. A warm thank you to both of them.
As the editors of this volume, we of course remain solely responsible for any remaining shortcomings. We therefore welcome your comments, critical or supportive: please send us an e-mail to joachim.klewes@pleon.com and robert.wreschniok@pleon.com.
Düsseldorf/Munich, Joachim Klewes
July 2009 Robert Wreschniok
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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Klewes, J., Wreschniok, R. (2009). Reputation capital Building and maintaining trust in the 21st century. In: Klewes, J., Wreschniok, R. (eds) Reputation Capital. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01630-1_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01630-1_1
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