Fundamental Paradigms for Corporate Reputation

Abstract

Thanks to the divergent theoretical approaches from institutional theory, signaling theory, stakeholder theory, social identity theory, game theory, economics theory, mass communication theory, social cognition theory, impression management theory and to transaction cost theory the term corporate reputation is regarded as a conflux for social sciences. The concept of corporate reputation is an interdisciplinary phenomenon and within the social sciences literature it is defined as a state of awareness, as an assessment or as an asset in which reputation functions as an intangible resource and economic asset. In this comprehensive survey, the notion of corporate reputation is addressed in the framework of three basic and most prominent theories - institutional theory, signalling theory, resource-based view- in order to avoid a theoretical confusion and elusiveness.