CORPORATE SOCIAL CAPITAL

This paper discusses the concepts of stakeholder, reputation and social capital and their relevance forcorporations in modern society. The paper argues that there is a special demand for reputation managementin today’s corporate communications and public relations due to fragmented publics and stakeholders, as wellas to increased public interest in corporations. The introduction of real-time media has also imposed newdemands which corporations today must meet to survive. Different stakeholders possess the ability to benefitbut also to harm the corporations through corporate reputation. Cultivated stakeholder relations can beespecially beneficial to corporate reputation and long-term development, and the social ties that stakeholdersembody can even be seen as social capital for the corporation. A new concept of “Faith-holders” is alsopresented to better describe corporate social capital.<P

Lupa toimiaJulkisorganisaatioiden sidosryhmäsuhteet

Medioituvan ja nopeasti muuttuvan maailman keskellä julkisorganisaatiota uhkaa legitimaatiokriisi: miten viestiä sellaisten julkisten palveluiden tarpeellisuudesta, joiden kohteena on yhteinen hyvä? Tähän haasteeseen on pyritty vastaamaan tutkimalla sidosryhmiä, stakeholdereita, jotka asioivat julkisten organisaatioiden kanssa. Stakeholder on käsitteenä melko uusi julkisille organisaatioille, mutta se heijastaa hyvin niitä erilaisia odotuksia, joita valtionhallintoon kohdistetaan nyky-yhteiskunnassa. Valtionhallinnon tuoreen sidosryhmätutkimuksen tulosten mukaan julkisten organisaatioiden ja niiden sidosryhmien välinen suhde koostuu neutraalista maineesta ja korkeasta luottamuksesta. Suhdetta kuvaamaan voidaan käyttää termiä luottojoukot (faith-holders), sillä julkisorganisaatioiden olemassaolo nojaa juuri toistuvien sidosryhmien hyväksyntään

The Role of Social Media Influencers in Public Health Communication : Case COVID-19 Pandemic

During public health crises, public organizations face a variety of strategic communication challenges, and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is an extreme example. In Finland, the Prime Minister’s Office initiated a communication campaign that utilized social media influencers to communicate timely instructions regarding the pandemic. However, it is uncertain how social media influencers adapt to briefings of public organizations given that they typically work with brands that align with their own interests and expertise, which rarely is epidemiology. We use the two-step flow of communication model and social influence theory to analyze research data that consisted of 96 Instagram posts, 108 Instagram Stories and 1097 comments. Qualitative content analysis was used to see how the influencers communicated about the pandemic and how their followers reacted. The results suggest that the influencers tried to adapt the messages to their own style, and, instead of committing to the wordings of the campaign, they shared general guidelines and, with their own example, showed how to behave during the pandemic. Their participation in the campaign helped affect social norms during the time of the crisis, which in the case of public health communication is a substantial, strategic goal.During public health crises, public organizations face a variety of strategic communication challenges, and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is an extreme example. In Finland, the Prime Minister’s Office initiated a communication campaign that utilized social media influencers to communicate timely instructions regarding the pandemic. However, it is uncertain how social media influencers adapt to briefings of public organizations given that they typically work with brands that align with their own interests and expertise, which rarely is epidemiology. We use the two-step flow of communication model and social influence theory to analyze research data that consisted of 96 Instagram posts, 108 Instagram Stories and 1097 comments. Qualitative content analysis was used to see how the influencers communicated about the pandemic and how their followers reacted. The results suggest that the influencers tried to adapt the messages to their own style, and, instead of committing to the wordings of the campaign, they shared general guidelines and, with their own example, showed how to behave during the pandemic. Their participation in the campaign helped affect social norms during the time of the crisis, which in the case of public health communication is a substantial, strategic goal.Peer reviewe

Conquering the liminal space : Strategic social media influencer communication in the Finnish public sector during the COVID-19 pandemic

Peer reviewe

Making and breaking relationships on social media : the impacts of brand and influencer betrayals

This study considers how the relationships between social media influencers, brands and individuals are intertwined on social media and analyses the spill-over effects of feelings of betrayal. An experimental design with two transgression scenarios (influencer vs. brand) was created, and 250 individuals were recruited to participate in the study. The results show that a perceived betrayal by a brand can negatively affect the perceived coolness of the social media influencer that has endorsed the brand, as well as the parasocial relationships that followers have with the influencer. Accordingly, a perceived betrayal by a social media influencer can negatively affect attitudes, trust and purchase intentions toward a brand that the influencer has endorsed. The current research helps in understanding brand and influencer transgressions and highlights the fact that both influencers and brands should have a sense of collaboration responsibility. It also introduces the concept of influencer coolness, understood here as a desirable success factor for social media influencers, which partly explains their desirability and influence, and a feature that can be endangered through both influencer and brand betrayals.Peer reviewe

Taylorism on steroids or enabling autonomy? A systematic review of algorithmic management

The use of algorithmic management systems is rapidly changing organizational models and practices, as millions of workers in multiple sectors worldwide are managed by computer software. Despite receiving increasing academic interest, little summarizing literature exist on the ways algorithmic systems are used in management. This article aims to fill this gap by systematically reviewing and qualitatively analyzing 172 articles on the topic. Our research contributes to the existent algorithmic management literature in three ways. First, we provide a descriptive overview of algorithmic management as a field of research. Second, we identify and synthesize the discussion on the key concepts of the topic, namely how algorithmic management: (1) simultaneously restrains and enables workers’ autonomy—yet income dependency and other factors force inflexible work practices; (2) creates a complex, digital version of Taylorism; and (3) creates new and changes existing organizational power structures. Third, as our main theoretical contribution, we create the framework of Algorithmic Management Grid that demonstrates the ways in which organizations use algorithmic systems in management. The Algorithmic Management Grid illustrates how, in both novel and traditional organizational models, algorithmic management may be used with emphasis either on controlling or enabling workers. Based on the reviewed literature, we claim that so far, companies have mostly utilized algorithmic systems in a controlling manner, neglecting the technology’s enabling potential in organizing.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Govorit Moskva – Moskova puhuu : Venäjän strategisen viestinnän erityispiirteet

Selvityksessä käsitellään Venäjän strategista viestintää ja sen erityispiirteitä. Selvityksessä on keskitytty ylimmän valtiojohdon viestintään erotuksena alemman tason informaatiovaikuttamisesta. Siinä ei ole käsitelty viestintäalan teknologiakehitystä eikä syvennetty alalla esiintyviin uusiin lieveilmiöihin. Pääpaino on ollut venäläisen strategisen tason viestinnän ymmärtämisen lisäämisessä. Selvityksessä analysoidaan valikoituja aihealueita, kuten kieli ja kulttuuri, tärkeät historialliset tapahtumat, yhteiskunnalliset valtarakenteet sekä informaatiopolitiikan normatiiviset lähtökohdat. Selvitys pyrkii myös selvittämään ja lisäämään ymmärrystä sosiaalisista ja yhteiskunnallisista taustatekijöistä sekä niiden yhteyksistä laajempaan kansainväliseen kokonaisuuteen ja viestintään. Selvitys eroaa monesta lännestä tuotetusta tutkimuksesta siinä, että se perustuu suurelta osin venäjänkielisiin alkuperäislähteisiin. Lisäksi on haastateltu Venäjän viranomaisia, asiantuntijoita ja korkean tason vaikuttajia. Strateginen viestintä on kamppailua vaikutusvallasta ja narratiiveista, joilla pyritään vaikuttamaan toisten valtioiden ajatteluun ja toimintaan. Putinin Venäjän narratiivissa Venäjä kokee olevansa suurvalta, joka on pettynyt sääntöpohjaisen kansainvälisen järjestelmän epäonnistumiseen. Selvitystyön valossa Venäjän strateginen sanoma on säilytyt lähes muuttumattomana Putinin vuoden 2007 Münchenin puheen jälkeen. Loukattuna olemisen ja petetyksi tulemisen kokemuksella on hyvin keskeinen osa venäläisessä ajattelussa. Näitä yhdistää suvereniteetin ja koskemattomuuden ja ennen kaikkea itsenäisen ja vapaan päätöksenteon äärimmäinen korostaminen. Suomen kannalta Venäjän strateginen ajattelu on Neuvostoliiton romahtamisen jälkeen muuttunut merkittävästi. Suomi on EU:n jäsenmaa, demokraattinen oikeusvaltio ja hyvä naapuri. Venäjä ei koe Suomea vaikutusvaltaiseksi EU:n jäsenvaltioksi. Siksi ei Suomi myöskään ole Venäjän strategisen viestinnän tärkeäksi koettu kohde

Assessing inoculation’s effectiveness in motivating resistance to conspiracy propaganda in Finnish and United States samples

IntroductionThis study tested the motivational power of inoculation to foster resistance to conspiracy propaganda (9/11 Truth Movement), comparing inoculation effects across United States and Finnish study participants.MethodWe used a 2 inoculation (treatment vs. control)  ×  2 national culture (American vs. Finnish) independent groups design (N = 319), while examining the effects of motivational threat and thinking modes—analytic vs. intuitive—on the inoculation process. To test the effectiveness of the inoculation strategy, we used an excerpt from a conspiracy film Loose Change as a counterattitudinal attack message.ResultsOur results indicated that inoculation was effective at motivating resistance regardless of national culture. Inoculation effects emerged mostly as a direct effect on resistance and two indirect effects wherein motivational threat mediated the relationship between inoculation and resistance as well as inoculation and analytic mode of message processing. Although we found that an increase in analytic mode of processing facilitated resistance and intuitive processing increased conspiracy-theory endorsement, the indirect effects between inoculation and resistance via message processing modes were not significant. Finally, the data revealed national culture differences in analytic mode and cultural-context differences mostly pertaining to the relationships between thinking styles, media literacy, and modes of thinking.DiscussionThese results offer important theoretical implications for inoculation scholarship and suggest viable practical solutions for efforts to mitigate misinformation and conspiratorial beliefs

#SomeAgents dataset

The study data were obtained through an online survey conducted in Finland and the UK to study social media, brands and its effects on young people aged 15–30. The online survey resulted in a total of 2,674 responses, all the corresponding respondents reported using social media. The data were gathered in the spring of 2019 through a survey company Suomen Online tutkimus utilizing an online panel. The data were anonymous, and consisted only of those individuals reporting to use social media. The data consists of multiple choice questions and open ended questions. Data was collected utilizing both established survey measurement tools (eg. social media attitude scale, parasocial interaction scale) and statements built especially for this data collection Data files will be published in 2023