Final GCN Networking Apero before the Summer Holidays – 9 July 2009 at 18h30

Dear GCN members,

In the last months we have welcomed many new members to the GCN. To give everyone a chance to mingle before jetting off for the summer holidays, we are pleased to invite you to a ‘Geneva Communicators Apéro”. 

Considering the optimal weather conditions, we have decided to hold the apéro at the Chateau des Penthes, just up the road from the UN and the ICRC and across from the US Mission in Geneva.

When: Thursday, 9 July 2009, from 18h30 onwards
Where: Chateau des Penthes, 18 chemin de l’Impératrice, 1292, Pregny-Chambésy, Geneva Chateau des Penthes, see map (pdf)
Format: Socialising and networking AND drinks and tapas!
Entry: CHF 10 (to cover some costs)

Since space is limited, please register as soon as possible>>

If this link does not work, please paste the following link into your Internet browser:
http://optima.benchpoint.com/optima/SurveyPop.aspx?query=view&SurveyID=145&SS=gQX62O

We look forward to seeing you there!

Melitta, Patricia, Glenn, & Vincent
Geneva Communicators Network
www.genevacom.org

Event sponsored by the International University in Geneva.

4th MScom Geneva Communications Forum – Monday, 14 September 2009

The Geneva Communications Network  is proud to be associated with the following event organised by the  Executive MScom Program (University of Lugano):

Professors Mary Jo Hatch and Majken Schultz began their research into corporate branding on a foundation of expertise in the areas of organizational culture and identity. They will take the position that there is no reason to reinvent the wheel and offer their
thoughts about how to leverage existing cultural knowledge about an organization to inform strategic change that resonates with corporate brand management. They will explore how managers and executives can most effectively interact with and influence
their organization’s cultures, how subcultures can undermine the cross-functional collaboration a corporate brand requires, and whether or not you want to engage stakeholders in your cultural change efforts. They will present their model of corporate
branding, featured in their new book Taking Brand Initiative: How Companies Can Align Strategy, Culture and Identity Through Corporate Branding, and work from this foundation to explain how to manage your corporate brand.

Title: Taking Brand Initiative: Aligning Strategy, Culture, and Identity
Speakers: Professor Majken Schultz,Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Professor Mary Jo Hatch, University of Virginia, USA
Date and time: Monday, September 14, 2009, 18:00 hrs
Location: Merck Serono, Chemin des Mines 9, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Fee: 85 CHF including cocktail

Further information and registration>>
Event flyer (pdf)>>

‘Going Green’ with the help of the Intranet

Intranets have the opportunity to play a front line role in corporate efforts to combat global warming. That is according to the Intranet Benchmarking Forum’s (IBF) latest brieifing paper: ‘The green intranet’.

The document provides organisations with 10 tips for using the intranet to combat climate change and build environmental practices. It draws on real-life examples from organisations including: IBM, Aviva, BT, Highways Agency, Nokia, Yahoo! and Sun Microsystems.

Here are the IBF’s 10 tips in summary: 

1. Automate administrative processes 
2. Use web meetings to cut travel 
3. Convert travellers into online collaborators 
4. Use the intranet to enable telecommuting 
5. Enable car pooling 
6. Make more efficient use of office space to enable reductions in real estate 
7. Migrate printed documents online 
8. Engage employees in greening the organisation 
9. Provide environmental performance data 
10. Provide visibility of employees’ availability and whereabouts

Melitta

New communication jobs in Geneva

New communication jobs in Geneva are up on our careers page!

Communications intern, IFRC, Geneva
Corporate communications officer, Geneva

Good luck!

Wikipedia: a new frontier in PR

Wikipedia is one of the World’s most important sources of information online, accounting for 8% of global internet traffic with around 60 million unique visitors a month. As such, it can play an important role in managing a company’s public perception and reputation – but recent research has revealed that firms are failing to actively manage these challenges and capitalise on the available opportunities. 

The study by Lundquist, an international strategic communications consultancy, looks at how Italian companies are featured on Wikipedia and forms part of its research series examining how companies are taking advantage of new trends in web communications. 

The study found that, despite having dedicated Wikipedia articles, information on most major Italian companies is generally limited, scoring on average just 8.4 out of a possible 18 points for completeness. One reason could be that companies have been scared off engaging with online communities following a variety of scandals involving corporate manipulation of Wikipedia articles.

Effective public relations with online communities has had proven success, however. Fiat, for example, has achieved high viewing figures for its corporate information on Wikipedia as a result of engaging directly with the site’s editors. 

“The most important thing for companies is to realise that Wikipedia can boost their international profile,” said Joakim Lundquist, founding partner of Lundquist Srl.

Tips from the report include:

• Respect the Wikipedia community and understand how the site works
• Only edit the verifiable facts in your article, such as no. of employees.
• Make copy-right free images and media available for Wikipedia
• Use discussion pages to interact with Wikipedia editors and express opinions
• Monitor your Wikipedia article for updates and vandalism.

For more about the study and its findings, download the Executive summary >

Melitta

Neglecting Internal Communications is failing employees, says survey

A recent YouGov survey of 524 white-collar workers in the UK, commissioned by financial comms agency Financial Dynamics, found that only 15 per cent of respondents felt that their employer had communicated news about job security “very well”, while 37% said communication had been poor or non-existent.

And the worrying statistics don’t end there.

Less than half (48%) agreed that they had a clear picture of their company’s performance – with the ‘rumour mill’ seen as a more trustworthy source of information than official channels.

And when it comes to leadership communication, only 28% of respondents said they trusted messages from their chief executive more than “a little”, and just one third have regular face-to-face time with their superiors. Yet a significant 81% said that face-to-face contact with their line manager was the most trusted form of communication.

Nadia Kelly, director of PR at Ask Jeeves, warned: ‘Too many companies have turned their attention to protecting their external reputations during the recession at the expense of their internal reputation. But the two need to be absolutely integrated, especially in uncertain times such as these.’

For more information, read the PR Week article >

Melitta

 

SwissW2 meeting on online marketing- Tuesday 26 May in Geneva (in French)

Stamm – Les stratégies gagnantes du marketing online : Buzz et tendances 2009

Date: Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Location: International University in Geneva (IUG) ,  dans le batiment de l’ICC 
Time: 19h30
Organised by SwissW2
Co-organised with the Geneva Communicators Network

Avec l’essor du web 2.0, la communication est en pleine révolution depuis quelques années. Désormais les stratégies gagnantes de ce nouvel univers se détachent nettement avec des cas d’école particulièrement intéressants des petites aux grandes structures, en B2B comme en B2C. A travers cette intervention, vous pourrez mieux comprendre les outils qui sont désormais indispensables aux marketers et la manière dont les utiliser au mieux. Présentation: Après être passé par une grande école de commerce, Grégory Pouy est passé par différentes entreprises et a connu des expériences diverses en marketing : grandes et petites structures (Noos, Bouygues Telecom ; Goldwell), B2B & 2C. Depuis près de 4 ans il s’intéresse de près au marketing digital et aux media sociaux. C’est d’ailleurs dans ce cadre qu’il a ouvert son blog personnel, aujourd’hui reconnu comme le 1er blog marketing en France. Par ailleurs, il travaille désormais chez Vanksen, agence à 360° spécialisée sur le marketing alternatif (communauté, buzz, viral…), au poste de directeur de la stratégie et de la communication.

Register on the SwissWe site

Companies underperform in CSR, survey says

Half of employees are disappointed by their companies CSR performance according to a new study led by coaching, consulting and training company Krauthammer, the University of Amsterdam and Erasmus University of Rotterdam. One explanation for the split could be that some companies just aren’t communicating their CSR activities to staff well enough.

“CSR is needed, especially during an economic crisis,” said Professor Rob van Tulder from Erasmus University.

“The global economic crisis puts the spotlight on CSR in an almost perverse manner. On one hand everybody acknowledges that the causes of the economic crisis lie with a clear lack of CSR. On the other hand, it’s fiercely disputed whether the solution to the crisis entails stepped-up CSR efforts. In the end, the systematic nature of the crisis demands longer-term approaches involving all relevant actors.”

Four findings from the survey

• Employees are doing it for themselves (PSP) – and are watching. 
• Corporate performance is divided. Around 50% are operational or exemplary. The other 50% are perceived to be failing. 
• There are serious gaps between the practice employees seek and experience they get when it comes to: People, Planet and Profit.
• What employees really want… 
  People – Training, with 96% expecting it systematically, with external trainers
  Planet – 60% of people want their company to practice the belief that “the economy and ecology are one, taking responsibility”
  Profit – 59% want it to practice the credo that “long-term competive advantage depends on the efficient use of resources

For more information, download the Executive Summary or full report >

Melitta

A practical workshop on freelance journalism – saturday 30 May 2009, Geneva

An interesting workshop for all those interested in journalism:

A practical workshop on freelance journalism – saturday 30 May 2009

-Finding markets
-Generating ideas
-Approaching editors
-Constructing news and features articles
-Understanding commission and copyright
-Opportunities to ask questions/air concerns

Venue:    Residence Colladon,
Chemin Colladon 5-7, Petit Saconnex, Geneva
(No.3 bus from station, arret Colladon or Migros Parking, La Tourelle
(2 mins away with charge)

Cost:    CHF 200 (to include lunch, refreshments and copy of Byliners)

facilitator: Cedric Pulford is a freelance with 20 years’ experience for the Guardian in London, and is one of Britain’s most experienced journalism trainers.   To mark the publication of his new book, Byliners, 101 ways to be a freelance journalist, Cedric is running one-day workshops in Geneva and London.

More information and registration>>

Communicating to boost morale and performance in a downturn

Only 40% of full-time UK employees feel their company has a clear plan to withstand the recession, according to a new study by Threshold Communications, specialists in communication and behaviour change.

These figures are particularly important to business leaders as the research also shows that a link with productivity and morale. Of those who feel strongly that their company has a clear plan to withstand the recession 82% have considerably more enthusiasm in their day-to-day jobs and 86% feel committed to their organizations long-term success.

The research also stresses the importance of good manager/employee communications, stating that: “People don’t leave companies – they leave managers”. Key in this relationship is the managers ability to listen and respond to staff. 

Other key findings:

• The extent to which employees beleive their company has a plan to withstand recession, correlates directly with their motivation and long- term commitment.
• Most employees are not confident that their organization has a plan to withstand recession.
• Employees are considerably more likely to trust their direct line managers than senior leaders.
• Only 32% of employees feel that the way in which their line manager communicates with them supports their motivation.
• Where line managers talk through company plans and aims employees are  significantly more likely to feel motivated and committed.
• Where line managers genuinely listen and seek input and ideas, employees are significantly more likely to feel motivated and committed.

For more information about the survey and its findings, see the full report >

Melitta