IMC Hawks Blog

Category: Corporate Communication

  • Going Global

    As one of my business school professors always says, “If you’re not thinking international, you’re not thinking business.”  UNCW is constantly encouraging their students to either study abroad or do an exchange program in another country.  In January 2009, I made my way across the Atlantic Ocean and landed in the city of Arnhem, located in the Netherlands.  I journeyed with the intent of studying in a local school for six months.  It was more than a culture shock when everyone around me was speaking a language that I knew nothing about.  However, over time, I became more comfortable in talking with my peers and locals.  In class, we always spoke in English, but it wasn’t always that simple.  Sometimes having to re-word a sentence or change a sentence altogether was necessary to get one’s point across.  As an English-speaking native, I couldn’t take for granted the fact that the other students knew what I was saying.  This is exactly what organizations have to be mindful of on an everyday basis.  They must pay close attention to the communication they use within their company so that they provide a consistent and effective message to all of their shareholders.

    International student dinner in Arnhem, Netherlands.
    International student dinner in Arnhem, Netherlands.

    Internationalization is key in organizations today.  Often, when searching for new hires, organizations look for candidates with some experience abroad.  Some students think that this isn’t a fair measurement of one’s ability and even you may be asking, “why is international experience so important?” Well, with the increasing push towards globalization and companies easily having affiliates in other countries, it is imperative that these different cultures communicate effectively.   Within an organization, clients, customers, employees, colleagues, and even supervisors could potentially be from a different culture or nationality.  Multi-cultural business ethics and communications must be a priority to organizations because in one culture, a quick, to the point email is acceptable, and others, it’s not.  It is imperative to be aware of these differences and function accordingly.

    UNCW and the Communication Studies department are continually trying to make students aware of the need to be more global.  Offering courses such as Intercultural Communication, International Management, International Marketing, Business and Professional Communication, International Organizational Communication, and numerous foreign language courses as well as speaking partners for students that English is their second language, UNCW is committed to molding students into culturally aware career candidates in organizations.

    Breanna Alexander

    For more information about UNCW’s international programs, visit their website here.


  • Why You Should Hire a UNCW Com Studies Major!

    Last week our Corporate Communications class discussed why other majors consider Communication Studies as the “easy major” or the “business school dropouts”. This is untrue and is the very reason that we have gateway classes such as com 105(intro to communications) and com 200 (research methods).  You are a pre-com major until you earn a “B” or better in both of these courses and then you become a full Communication Studies major. The gateway classes sort out the people who are serious about getting a degree in Communication Studies from the people who need to go a different route. Some people may think that a Corporate Communications class belongs in the business school; however, we feel that every corporation needs effective communication to succeed so, why not hire students who have a Communication Studies degree.

    Here are our entrance requirements: http://www.uncw.edu/com/academics-entrance.html

    In order to prepare for our future careers we have the option to partake in an internship. While an internship is not required to graduate with a Communication Studies degree from UNCW, many students choose to be involved in one. Most students who are interning from this department are working in fairly large corporations.  Since communication in different careers varies there are many positions a Communication Studies Major may hold. Students at UNCW  intern and may eventually be hired in positions like…event planner, public relations assistant, marketing assistant, account executive, news anchor, journalist, human resources recruiter etc. and that is just to name a few! The options available with a Communication Studies degree in the Corporate world are unlimited and with all the wonderful things we learn and the networking we create thanks to UNCW, we are already well on our way!

    -Emily Hunter

  • Let’s find the connection

    What is the connection between Corporate Communication and Communication Studies?  Finding this connection may be more difficult than first perceived.  What we do know is that both of these subjects have broad definitions which can be interpreted and defined in a variety of ways.  Communication studies at UNCW is one of the largest undergraduate programs on campus.  The department focuses on eight core skills that are vital to the success of each person within the department. These eight skills include: confidence, intellectual curiosity, responsibility, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, civility, and praxis.  Within communication studies, students have the opportunity to focus on a number of different concentrations.  The central aspect that each concentration revolves around is the statement of clarifying who we are and what we are about.  This idea creates a strong link between the communication studies major and personal development as a whole.

    Communication Studies @ UNCW

    All this being said, how does this relate in the slightest bit to Corporate Communication? Our team defined Corporate communication as the communicative interaction of building and maintaining a reputation and consistent brand while fostering relationships internally and externally within each level of an organization.  The eight core skills of our department go hand in hand with this definition.  Here are the definitions of them……Core Skills

    After reminding ourselves of the definitions of these skills, it is easier to see how they are necessary for work in a Corporate Communication profession. We can see  that without confidence and praxis, we will be unable to take responsibility for the decisions made when dealing with a company’s reputation and brand; and without the combination of intellectual curiosity and critical thinking, the organization will remain at a stand still. Beyond this we are able to easily say that corporate communication involves various positions within a company. This requires collaboration and civility with and among each individual. Lastly, problem solving is a conjunction of all of these things. Problems that are brought to a company regarding their corporate communication can be successfully solved only by utilizing the other seven skills.

    That is how we view Corporate Communication in terms of our Communication Studies department and skills. It is an extreme understatement to say that we will simply use our skills in our future professions. They will be the cornerstones upon which we operate day to day and all that we do will in some way relate back to one of those skills.

    Haley Williams
    Arielle Williams
    Lora Hampton
    Danielle Dorantich

  • UNCW on Forbes Top 20

    As a university, UNCW must make a conscious effort to promote itself through advertising in order to continue to appeal to and reach perspective students. They also must network with other businesses and other universities to help expand and further their opportunities as a university. For instance, UNCW partners with many local and regional businesses during “Connect 2010” which is put on by the Communications department. The event allows students to meet perspective employers and for employers to connect with the freshest talent in the job market. Similarly, the Cameron School of Business hosts “Business Week” to promote the business school and help connect their students and other businesses. Also, international corporate communication is evident through UNCW’s partnership with foreign universities in order to place and entice students to travel and study abroad. With these types of corporate communication, UNCW is able to market and advertise the university.

    When corporate communication is successful, the university’s image is enhanced. For example, UNCW just received its highest regional ranking to date. It has been listed among the top 5 public master’s institutions in the South for the upcoming 2011 year. Out of 118 public and private universities in the south, UNCW ranks 13th for undergraduate and master’s level programs. UNCW is ranked at number 5 in the region, which puts it among the 68 colleges and universities nationally that U.S. News identified as making the most promising and innovative changes. It is estimated that in 2014 the student body at UNCW will have an average SAT score of 1170 and an estimated average high school GPA of 3.8. These studies can be found at U.S. News & World Report rankings can be viewed online at www.usnews.com/colleges.

    Similarly, because of UNCW’s successful corporate communication practices, top names such as Forbes Magazine ranked UNCW among the top 20 “Best Buy” universities in the nation. This ranking places UNCW in the magazine’s top 20 among all colleges and universities in the U.S. for providing a high quality education at the lowest cost to students. Corporate communication not only helps gets the message out about all aspects of the university to local communities, but it also plays a big role in why UNCW is recognized by such impressive organizations, namely Forbes and U.S. News.

    Breanna Alexander
    Lauren Dehart
    Lauren Smith
    Kelly Wiley

  • How Does UNCW Handle Communication?

    Within the University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a department which offers a full range of services for providing optimal communication and promotion of news and events regarding the university.  The UNCW Marketing and Communications (MaC) department works to enhance the image of the university and to increase its position among other higher education marketplaces by managing marketing, communication, public relations, media relations, community relations, and advertising strategies.  MaC also seeks to preserve the integrity of UNCW and its reputation for excellence through a variety of services such as crisis communication, event promotions, issues management, and marketing and research strategies. Furthermore, MaC takes charge of the management of corporate events and marketing communication activities, which is done in order to build strong relationships with key institutional stakeholders who are vital to the continued success of the university.

    Although many crisis situations potentially occur without warning, many situations can be anticipated or mitigated before they get out of hand.  This is where MaC comes in.  MaC helps facilitate and maintain an extensive and effective system of communication during a period when the university may be in a crisis due to a campus emergency or circumstances that threaten to integrity of the institution.  In the event that an emergency occurs such as a major tropical storm, hurricane, fire or some other campus or regional emergency, MaC is responsible for communicating with the faculty, staff, students, visitors, and external audiences in the community.  The Seahawk Siren System, the UNCW Emergency Information Hotline, the UNCW Alert Website, as well as mass text messages and e-mails, are all efficient forms of notifying people if there is an emergency on campus.

    Corporate communication is the foundation of UNCW’s success as a university, just as with any successful business.  When dealing with crisis on campus it is important that it is effectively and positively handled through the marketing and communications department, but it also is important that the students and faculty are in the know and able to efficiently deal with the crisis. Students and faculty may be the image of this university, but a great deal of work is accomplished by other staff members, who are vital its success.  The university has very similar responsibilities and obligations to their students as a corporation does to their employees.  Each must create a strong public appearance in order to draw students/employees, and must provide a favorable work environment in order to keep them from leaving for another, more desirable, school or company.  Furthermore, within the system of higher education, UNCW must compete with other colleges and universities if they wish to be successful, thus it is just as important to foster a strong corporate bearing which will maximize opportunities for funding and university advancement.

    – Arielle, Danielle, Haley and Lora