Content Analysis in the Research Field of Corporate Communication

Abstract

Content analyses in corporate communication can reveal organizational phenomena that are otherwise hard to obtain. Research themes are manifold and range from corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate reputation to stakeholder relations and crisis responses as well as corporate culture and employee commitment. Content analyses are able to assess concepts such as the vagueness of annual reports or the courage in speeches of chief executive officers (CEOs). Research designs employing content analysis follow qualitative, standardized manual, dictionary and machine-learning approaches, partly combined with surveys of stakeholder groups or interviews with corporate actors.