Organizations strategies and strategic communication

lcomu2310  2019-2020  Louvain-la-Neuve

Organizations strategies and strategic communication
Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
5 credits
30.0 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
Agie De Selsaeten Sandrine; Goedseels Emmanuel;
Language
English
Main themes
Communication can only be strategic. Any action should be integrated in a full communication plan that has been designed to reach defined communication objectives with a thought-out strategy.
This course will cover all elements of strategic communications, starting from the place of the communication leadership in the hierarchy of an organisation to the measurement of communication actions.  This course aims at teaching how to build a strategic communication plan through:
  • Organisation standards: corporate objectives, structure, budget...
  • Situation analysis: audits, mapping, intelligence gathering, opportunities, vulnerabilities,...
  • Communication basics and prerequisites:  mission, vision, objectives, strategy, messaging, stakeholders and audiences ;
  • Communication disciplines: corporate communication, brand communication, social-media relations, crisis and issue management, public affairs, financial communication, internal communication,...
  • Evaluation: KPI's and measurement
Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1. Understand the notions of strategic thinking in communication ;
 
2. Understand the process that leads from a strategic analysis to the definition of a specific strategy ;
 
3. Know the different stages of development of a communication plan in connection with the overall strategy of an organization (private, large or SME, public, non-profit,...) ;
 
4. Define communication objectives and communication strategies ;
 
5. Develop messages addressed to specific audiences and stakeholders ;
 
6. Know, assess and use the main types of communication disciplines.
 

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
Communication can only be strategic. Any action should be integrated in a full communication plan that has been designed to reach defined communication objectives with a thought-out strategy.
While this course is held in English, the central focus is not on language teaching. It is given by non- native English professors who will put students into a business environment where mainly “international English” is spoken, with specific terms and jargon linked to the communication sector.
This course will cover all elements of strategic communications, starting from the place of the communication management team in the hierarchy of an organisation all the way to the measurement of communication actions. This course aims at teaching how to build a strategic communication plan through:
  • Organisation standards: corporate objectives, structure, budget, …
  • Situation analysis: audits, mapping, intelligence gathering, opportunities, vulnerabilities, …
  • Communication basics and prerequisites: mission, vision, objectives, strategy, messaging, stakeholders and audiences
  • Communication disciplines: corporate communication, brand communication, social-media relations, crisis and issue management, public affairs, financial communication, internal communication, …
  • Evaluation: KPI’s and measurement
Teaching methods
Lecture with case studies and exercises
Evaluation methods
Written examination partly on content of the course and definitions, partly on case solving (to develop a strategy and to elaborate a communication action plan)
Bibliography
Gregory, Anne (2015). Planning and Managing Public Relations Campaigns: A Strategic Approach (PR In Practice). Kogan Page
Starbuck, W. H. (2006). Organizational Realities: Studies of Strategizing and Organizing. OUP Oxford.
Faculty or entity
COMU


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Master [120] in Translation

Master [120] in Multilingual Communication

Master [120] in Communication

Master [60] in Information and Communication