Corporate communications impact on corporate image and corporate competitiveness

The subject of this paper is an analysis of the impact of corporate communications and of the intensity of their application on a company’s image management, and an emphasis of the role that a company’s image plays as one of the fundamental sources of its competitiveness in contemporary market conditions. Through review and analysis of theoretical contributions, the paper shows how corporate communications integrate management, organization and the marketing communication dimension at the level of the company and how, by adequate intensity of their application and an adequate degree of integration, they may have an impact on the company’s image management. The need to understand the concept of company image as a significant source of competitiveness is also stressed. For that purpose, the work includes comprehensive research of the impact of the intensity of corporate communications on the company’s image on the market of the Republic of Croatia while also researching the impact of the company’s positive image on its competitiveness. The methodology used in this work comprised a public opinion poll, carried out on a convenient sample of persons. Gathered data were analyzed using multiple regression and correlation analysis methods. Research results confirmed the impact of the intensity of corporate communications on the company’s image as well as the statement that the company’s positive image contributes to increasing its competitiveness. In that sense, it is possible to attribute to corporate communications a strategically important role for the company’s business operations within the framework of newly emerging market conditions.