Corporate reputation and crisis management: the threat and manageability of anti-corporatism

Advances in technology and communication have rendered corporate reputations more vulnerable than ever to criticism and attack from anti-corporate pressure groups, which now have the capacity to reach a global audience and mobilize their protests at a multinational level. This paper will discuss the increasing value of corporate reputation as a source of differential advantage in the global marketplace, and the threats that exist to even the most reputable organizations. Based on this analysis, the paper will investigate the role of reputation in crisis management, and the extent to which the actions of the increasingly influential anti-corporate movement can be managed successfully.