Managing Corporate Reputation - Article2

8/4/2019 Managing Corporate Reputation - Article2

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Case:

A Revenue Authority

Post Graduate Diploma in

Marketing (Level 7)

Ashveer Babboo (ACIM)

ID Num: 12620632

September 2010


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TASK ONE - Understanding Corporate Communication.

Demonstration of the organisations use of the identity mix.

Behaviour, Symbolism and Communication; three pillars of corporate reputation encapsulated un-

der the label of Identity Mix. For any organisation which strives for an unblemished and strong

reputation; an appropriate use of the Identity Mix is godly. The Revenue and Customs Department(RCD) does not escape from this mindset. Although being the sole provider for its services, it has to

account for its reputation; be it at national level or on the international platform. In fact, being the

revenue collector of the country makes it the target of various misconceptions, pre-conceived beliefs

and foul names.

In this sense, the RCD uses the identity mix to erase any wrong perceptions and to build an en-

hanced reputation of the organisation. The three aspects making up the Identity Mix is being used by

the RCD within specific conditions. The fact that the latter comprises of specific departments, which

are legal representatives of the government, its officers must be easily recognised and identified by

anyone requiring its services.

Behaviour

The RCD vision (which clearly summarises its corporate strategy) is to become a world-class reve-

nue authority. Therefore it must adopt such behaviours which promote this objective of becoming

recognised as being on the path of continuous improvement. The years, prior to the consolidation of

governments revenue departments to form the RCD, the various departments such as Income Tax

and Customs had processes which were mostly paper based. The services were time consuming and

carried the much maligned reputation of forming part of the government slow machinery. Ho w-

ever, with the advent of the RCD the same departments were relabelled and had drastic changes in

processes and behaviour. The departments had been rebranded and modernised.

Tailor-made computer systems were introduced for the Customs Department and furthermore

guidelines recommended by conventions and treaties signed by the Republic of Mauritius were be-ing implemented such as the Revised Kyoto Convention and The Arusha Declaration. The RCD has

been able to show that it was a modern organisation and is a new entitydifferent from the gov-

ernment departments. A Code of Ethics was published and blood donation activities were organised;

which aimed at showing a responsible and societal behaviour of the organisation.

In the space of four years the RCD has demarked itself from the government type organisation and

positioned itself as a responsible, ethical and modern organisation. Implementing the online filing of

tax-returns form in view of using less paper as a way to protect environment has further demon-

strated an environmental friendly behaviour. To enable proper filing of forms; kiosks were set up in

various parts of the country to assist anyone who had problems in filling them. Information is avail-

able on the internet and queries may be formulated for response; a service which was not available

before. The RCD has been able to project itself as near to the stakeholders and also positioned itselfas a professional and responsible organisation.

The RCD is also an approved employer of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA).

Moreover, it gives study facilities to its staff for education purposes e.g. study leaves, sponsors over-

seas and local training and organises workshops for continuous improvement. People are keener to

join the RCD and to pursue a professional career. Currently the organisation is taking part in the

Anti-Corruption Framework; a competition launched by the Independent Commission Against Cor-

ruption (ICAC) and which awards a prize to the winning organisation. This award was won by the

Customs Department, prior to the setting up of the RCD. Moreover, the organisation has also em-

barked on an ISO journey; concerning the review of its processes and procedures. Its behaviour is

that of an organisation not afraid of taking risk so as to demonstrate its want to build a new image

and distant itself from the stereotype reputation government departments have.


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Symbolism

The advent of the RCD in the year 2006 has brought about a revolution in the revenue collection of

the government and also in the international positioning of the Republic of Mauritius as a develop-

ing economy and present itself as a sound and safe destination for investment. For any organisationconsolidating and marking its presence on the business checkerboard, it has to be seen and be rec-

ognised in a single glimpse. Its symbolism must be visible and well represented. The role of symbol-

ism is now assigned a greater role and has grown from its original purpose of increasing organisa-

tional visibility to a position where it is seen as having a role in communicating corporate strategy

(Cees B.M. van Riel & John M.T. Balmer, 1997)

To achieve the feat of being a single-glimpse recognisable organisation, the symbolism of the latter

must be strong and easily stamped in the mind of people. The RCD s logo is one of the most recog-

nisable in Mauritius and its bluish corporate colour is easily identifiable. Any activity organised is

clearly marked with its logo. Tax forms, Customs documents and correspondences all bear the RCD

logo. Furthermore, all Customs Officers and attendants have been recently provided with uniforms

bearing the RCD sign. The New Customs House bears a huge sign of the RCD logo on its roof; viewedsome 200 meters away. The Customs Department had a previous uniform which was of grey and

white colours and was embossed with the logo of the pre-RCD Customs Department. However, now

the uniforms have been changed to soft blue and dark blue colours.

Moreover, the K-9 Unit (specialised dog unit) has its own vehicles which are visibly marked with K9

Unit - RCD Customs; previously it was marked Dog Unit - Customs Department. The Customs Area

of the airports passenger terminal is also marked with the RCD sign. It is a strong message saying

that the RCD is present and ready to act.

However, not all the department have uniforms and, unfortunately, creates confusion in the mind of

the citizens; as many still do not know which department constitutes the RCD. However, a name

sign/tag is always being worn by ALL the employees, around the neck, of the organisation and allvehicles are embossed with the RCD logo and painted with the corporate colour. The logo com-

mands respects and the colour of the RCD is seen as an Authority representing values such as re-

spectability, integrity, transparency and modernity; which is the projected image of the organisation.

It must be pointed out that visual identification is the most easily controlled and pervasive form of

communication.

Communication

With the development of global media and communication channels, an integrated corporate com-

munication mix is primordial in building an effective and strong reputation; which is a major, if not

utmost, capital asset of an organisation. Reputation is ultimately about how your business is per-ceived by stakeholders including customers, investors, regulators, the media and the wider public(The Economist, 2005). The breadth, complexity, and importance of corporate communications was

pointed out by Bernstein who argued that organizations should communicate effectively with all of

their stakeholders (Cees B.M. van Riel & John M.T. Balmer, 1997).

The RCD, every year, organises a blood donation programme and is open to every citizen. Posters,

brochures and TV/Radio adverts are used to invite people to give their blood. The organisation has

even been rewarded the best blood collection organiser. The RCD does benefit from a strong image

and communication has a lot to do with it. The RCD has a department which caters for communica-

tion, the Tax Education and Communication Department. Communication is extremely important for

the organisation and is fundamental in informing stakeholders on what is permissible and what their

rights are.


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In this world of knowledge management, it is very important to open up information on the laws and

regulations prevailing in the country. A knowledgeable and informed stakeholder will be keener in

interacting with the organisation and be more in dealing with tax issues. As we often say in law jar-

gon not knowing is not an excuse. Investments have increased and so has tax collection. Commu-

nication has enabled the organisation to come closer to the citizens; a customer care service has also

been setup for attending queries.

Critical assessment of the extent to which the current use of corporate communi-

cations supports the corporate strategy and intended positioning.

The Revenue and Customs Department aims at positioning itself as a modern and honest organisa-

tion; striving for transparency of processes and safeguarding and promoting the socio-economic wel-

fare development of the country. Becoming a world class revenue authority is good; but showing it is

better and this can be achieved only through adequate use of corporate communication. The

breadth, complexity, and importance of corporate communications was pointed out by Bernstein

who argued that organizations should communicate effectively with all of their stakeholders. Implicit

in Bernsteins (1986) comments, and those made more recently by Grunig (1992), is that the corp o-

rate communication mix and its management is fundamentally different from and is more compli-cated than, the marketing communications mix (Cees B.M. van Riel & John M.T. Balmer, 1997).

Communication help in closing any gaps between desired and perceived identity, it reduces reputa-

tional risks and enhance image of an organisation. Undeserved poor or mediocre reputations can be

maddening. The temptation is to respond to them with resignation and conclude: No matter what

we do, people wont like us, so why bother? The reason executives should bother through redou-

bled efforts to improve reporting and communications is that their fiduciary obligation to close such

reputation-reality gaps is as great as their obligation to improve real performance. Both things drive

value creation for stakeholders (Harvard Business Review, 2007). The Identity is quintessence of an

organisation and how better to enhance or preserve or create an identity than communicating about

the achieved goals and steps taken to achieve desired strategy and positioning.

The principle values of Corporate Communication must be taken on board to properly reduce repu-

tation risk and support the corporate strategy and intended positioning of the RCD. The latter MUST

state its raison dtre vis--vis its stakeholders as it is accountable to all taxpayers of the country. An

appropriate corporate communication chain must have, at least, the following cogs; Internal Com-

munication, Investor Relation, Marketing Communication, Public Affairs and Public Relations. Cor-

porate communication, as such, is not inherent at the Revenue and Customs Department; however,

upon investigation, the following can be deduced and illustrates the existence of such cogs, as men-

tioned previously:

Internal Communication

Internal communication is usually present at the RCD. Any changes in legislations or any amend-

ments to legal proceedings are communicated instantly. Code of Ethics and Prevention of Malprac-

tice Manuals has been distributed to all employees. Furthermore, the Customs and Excise Depart-

ment uses the intranet to disseminate information amongst its officers. Departmental Orders / In-

struction, Memorandums or even posters are often used to announce any changes or to communi-

cate on activities being conducted.

Furthermore, all departments organise brainstorming sessions or informative training on issues that

need to be communicated. The Human Resources Department recently organised informative ses-

sions, named HR Issues to all staff of the organisation and the Information Systems Department

are currently hosting briefing sessions on the use of several components of the Customs Manage-

ment Systems II (CMS II). Lectures are organised frequently to issues such as Integrity and Ethics,

Customer Service Delivery or on customer care issues.


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The mission, vision and objectives of the RCD are present, through posters and brochures or on dia-

ries, in all departments; which constantly keep reminding employees on the essence of the RCD;

which is to provide quality service and ensure protection of the Mauritian citizens and look after

their well being.

Investor relation

The RCD is an organisation different in many aspects. It does not have investors but rather stake-

holders. One such stakeholder is the Customs Broker. The latter are the link between importers and

the Customs Department. There proper relationship should be kept so as to facilitate trade and help

in the development of the countrys economy. Training sessions on the Customs computer system

have been provided to them; user manuals and anti-malpractice manuals have been written and

provided to them. It is a fact that nowadays the customs brokers see the department as different

from before. The RCD has been successful in communicating its new image and has been able to ce-

ment its place as a professional, responsible and modern organisation.

The CMS has been developed to limit interaction between brokers and customs department; in view

of eliminating any risk of corruption and malpractices. This has been well seen by stakeholders as a

whole as it proved the promises laid down during the launching of the RCD; which was to eliminatecorruption in the revenue departments. Training manuals on the computer system has been pro-

vided to them along with intensive training.

Another group of stakeholders are the tax payers. The latter are sent blank income tax forms, to be

filled, via post mail! There is no need for them to come and collect form at the organisations prem-

ises. Furthermore, the online filling system has been a success; which was effectively communicated

through TV adverts and newspapers. Eventually this cemented the eco friendly and modernity repu-

tation of the organisation.

Marketing Communication (MC)

MC is not that much present in the organisation. All taxpayers must eventually come to pay their

dues at the RCD. Invariably, the RCD is the sole collector of taxes and duties. It must be said that the

organisation benefits from a monopoly stature. Therefore there is lesser need to continuously com-

municate on the services provided. The only time where excessive use of media prevails, is during

the tax returns period and this is when the RCD seize the opportunity to show its presence the na-

tional scene. Communiqus are often published in newspapers to inform on auction sales or special

announcements concerning changes in legal frameworks or procedures for submission of tax forms

or goods declarations.

The RCD does not make full use of the different medias available to communicate on its services and

also to cement its reputation. There has never been any advertisement on services provided on bill-

boards or even new papers. The RCD never provides information to passengers landing in the coun-

try; and it must be said that lack of information at the airport or on the web site of the RCD createslots of misinterpretation and unintentional petty crimes form passengers. This illustrates a lack of

brand portfolio management, which is detrimental to supporting the transparency image of the RCD.

Public Affairs

Communicating with government agencies is omnipresent in the case of the RCD. The Ministries,

semi government organisations and government sponsored organisations are key stakeholders for

the effective delivery of service. Moreover, it is extremely important to maintain a good relationship

with international governments and bodies; in view of achieving its aim of being a world class reve-

nue authority. Such stakeholders are the World Customs Organisations, EU, the International Mone-

tary Fund, SADC, COMESA, ACP and all governments around the world.

Good management and effective communication with international and local bodies will eventuallyhelp in establishing a good reputation and perception of the RCD in the eyes of locals and interna-


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tionals. In view of such, international meeting and seminars are often hosted in Mauritius by the

RCD. It must not be forgotten that along with its own reputation, the RCD is one of the international

ambassador of the country. Furthermore, locally, several workshops with government agencies and

Ministries are frequently organised. In the New Customs House, provision has been made for the

permanent posting of representative of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture; so as to

facilitate business communication between them and the RCD. The RCD has opened itself and haschosen the path of bilateral processes rather than imposing decisions on others.

At the airport, the Customs & Excise department work in close collaboration with the Anti-Drug and

Smuggling Unit of the Police Department. Furthermore, on the international stage, the RCD is part of

the Regional Information Liaison Offices, which regroups the Customs Department of several coun-

tries and information are disseminated instantly on issues pertaining to national and international

security. The RCD does consolidate its aim at being a young and yet professional organisation, in the

African region at least, striving for a corruption free and modern environment.

Public Relations

The Revenue and Customs Department, as illustrated previously, is an organisation that protects the

people of the country from hazards and other dangers prevailing from drugs, illicit products and alsohelps in regulating the entry of such products in the country. Its role itself is Public Relations.

However, these aspects are not known to majority of the people in Mauritius. PR is sometimes con-

ducted through blood donation activities and the RCD Staff Welfare Association goes to meet needy

people by providing lunch and organising recreational activities. Unfortunately, more has to be done

in that particular field in view of sustaining the corporate strategy and desired positioning of the

RCD.

Recommendation of ways in which the organisation could improve its corporate

communication.

Having a monopoly status; the RCD is unaffected by competition or any possible entrant in its sector.

However, every move made by the Revenue and Customs Department is meticulously followed by

local media and political parties, as policy decisions taken by the RCD follows the pathways set up by

the actual government. Moreover, officers working for the RCD are often subject to criticism, pre-

conceived beliefs and accusations maligning their reputation and at the same time that of the or-

ganisation. In this context, the corporate communication strategies adopted by the RCD must be

improved in many ways.

The best way for the improvement of corporate communication at the RCD is to set up a Corporate

Reputation Management Department (CRMD). The latter will only deal with the management of the

corporate reputation. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) can be used as a benchmark for im-

plementing such a department in the RCD; the latter has its own reputation management depart-

ment. The Marketing Communication will be conducted by the Tax Education and CommunicationDepartment. Furthermore, the CRMD will have to be autonomous in its activities so as to collect

relevant information and deduce conclusions for appropriate actions to be taken.

The setting up of such a department will enable the communication of the organisations mission

and philosophy through formal corporate communications policies.

No survey has been conducted to know about what is the perception of stakeholders towards the

RCD. Four years have lapsed since the creation of the RCD; and not a single, external, survey on cus-

tomer satisfaction has been made. Complaints are received in the whistle blower type. A specific

team, e.g. the CRMD, will eventually collect complaints and investigate to provide solutions. By going

towards stakeholders eventually enhances the corporate communication process. Proper handling

of complaints creates a word-of-mouth effect; which is the best possible way to promote a brand insuch a small country as Mauritius.


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Everything the enterprise communicates, produces and provides should reflect and reaffirm its brand

image, consistently and repeatedly, both internally and externally. This is accomplished by encourag-

ing and facilitating horizontal communications and cooperation within a company. (Helen Lom,

WIPO)

Internal communication processes must be improved. It is a fact that the Board of Directors of the

RCD do not communicate efficiently with the employees. Frequent get together must be organisedso as to mend the different layers in the hierarchy. Many staff still does not know the names of Sec-

tion Heads and Directors of their own organisation! This is a complete missor mess in the commu-

nication process. A reputation is build internally prior to its exteriorisation. Internal communication

merits close attention as employees may be the most importantaudience for a companys organiza-

tional communication and corporate branding efforts ( Christensen and Askegaard, 2001 ).

Marketing Communication Mix must be used so as to provide adequate dissemination of informa-

tion to the stakeholders. Media coverage must be organised for major events the RCD is taking part

e.g. SADC or COMESA committees. Auction Sales (AS) must be advertised adequately for all stake-

holders to know about it; many people still believe it is opened only to selected persons or to busi-

nessmen. Pamphlets must be devised to make information flow to those around the organisation.The MRA must also make legal frameworks available to the public. Use of internet technologies can

be used to publish legal scriptures to be viewed by anyone around the world.

A brand portfolio management process must also be adopted by the RCD. Not all services provided is

given the same importance and communicated in the same way. Talking about the various services

will support the transparency strategy of the RCD and also really adopt the new adage of Knowledge

based era; which promotes knowledge dissemination. Brand portfolio management addresses,

among other issues, the interrelated questions of what brands to add, retain, or delete. A small num-

ber of brands in a firms brand portfolio can often have a disproportionately large positive or neg a-

tive impact on its image and reputation and the responses of stakeholders. (R.Varadarajan, Mark P.

DeFanti and Paul S. Busch)

The RCD must imperatively adopt an extrovert behaviour; doing such will facilitate trade, encourage

compliance, increase revenue and provide a new dimension for its reputation. Moreover, the cur-

rent location of the RCD, in Port-Louis, makes it difficult to access for many people around the coun-

try. People living in the southern part of Mauritius take a minimum of 1h30min to reach the HQ of

the RCD. A decentralisation of activities is a must to be closer to its clients; branches can be opened

in other key towns of the country e.g. Curepipe and Quatre-Bornes.

Being nearer to customers, the RCD must evaluate its current position and reputation; and this must

be effected on a regular basis. This can be done through the development of Corporate Reputation

Index (CRI). These indices look at either individual elements that will affect corporate reputation or

try to measure the intangible assets or liabilities, but none isolate all of the comprehensive elements

of corporate reputation. Much like knowledge capital, corporate reputation is an aggregate intangi-ble asset that must be evaluated using both internal and external information (K. Cravens, E.G.

Oliver, S. Ramamoorti).

Frequent analysis of customer perception will provide alleys for improvement; both services and

communication side. An effective analysis of customer perception will prevent the RCD from market-

ing myopia. The RCD has the reputation of being money takers. It is no new news that revenue

collectors are seen as vampires who sucks the money of people. The organisation must address this

issue; which for me is extremely important for the reputation of the RCD. Furthermore, it is recom-

mended to communicate on performances of the organisation. Every serious corporate sustainability

effort requires effective communications to all internal and external stakeholders. Sustainability re-

ports make organizational commitments clear, and so many organizations publish annual sustaina-

bility reports. Sustainability reporting is the practice of measuring, disclosing, and being accountable


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to internal and external stakeholders for organizational performance towards the goal of sustainable

performance. (Yudelson Associates, March 2010)

PR activities are practically inexistent in the organisation. Seizures of drugs or illicit products are not

advertised through either TV coverage or newspapers. PR helps enormously in arousing esteem in

the eyes of the public and to bolster the reputation of the organisation. Special events must be or-

ganised to commensurate the importance of the RCD and its aims and objectives. A good example isthe celebration of the bicentenary anniversary of the Customs presence in Mauritius.

(About 3857 words)

TASK TWO - Managing Employees to build reputation. (White Paper)

To: Chief Executive Officer

From: Corporate Reputation Manager

Subject: Managing Employees to Build Reputation

Date: August 20, 2010

Appraisal of the opportunities for employees to contribute to the development of

an organisations reputation.

This paper illustrates and shares what I have recently learned from the Reputation Management

Conference 2010, which recently took place in Australia. One important aspect of Reputation Man-

agement is about involving employees in the process. A proper plan must be set up to encompass all

criteria that will enable employees to understand, apply and convey the vision, mission and objec-

tives of the organisation.

Employees are the foremost depositaries of the organisations reputation. They deliver the services

and are the one responding to queries. Moreover, employees are those who have direct contact

with stakeholders; and are the reflection of the organisations behaviour, aim and image being pro-

jected. Moments of truth are created through interaction of employees with external stakeholders

and where brand promise is delivered and enhance image and reputation of the organisation. All

companies must instil shared understanding of brand values in the mind employees so that the lat-

ter have a correct behaviour. Continuous training,

The employees are the means by which a corporate reputation is created. Through the actions of all

employees, at the senior management and lower levels, the public derives an image of the corpora-

tion. For most industries, if the employees are not loyal to a company, then it is unlikely that custom-

ers and other stakeholders will be loyal. A similar situation applies with respect to trust. That is why it

is essential to assess the employees opinions of corporate reputation and overall satisfaction with

the company (K. Cravens, E.G. Oliver, S. Ramamoorti).It must be pointed out that employees are the first to give views on the organisation. They are thereferrals who will appraise the organisation whenever needed. They will build the reputation that

will prompt other professionals to join in. They are the ones who will provide information and dis-

seminate the aims and objectives of the organisation. They are the most trusted information sources

of an organisation.

In the case of a service delivery organisation; the Service quality dimension is an important bench-

mark to cater for. Empathy of an organisation is the understanding demonstrated by employees; be

it with internal or external stakeholders. They are the one stakeholders will rely to make an image of

the organisation. Furthermore, the skills, knowledge of employees are import for an effective service

delivery. Appropriate behaviour like courtesy and calmness is important; behaviours projected by

employees.


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An employee communicating is the voice of the organisation. The way the service staff listens and

give solutions to consumers is important as the latter derives an opinion be it negative or positive.

Employees must be provided effective training on customer and care and be informed on the values,

strategies and vision of the organisation. Behaviour outside the organisations premises also is an

important aspect which must be catered upon. It is a fact that employees tend to talk about their

work and their employers to people from outside. Therefore their working experience must be madeappraisable and comfortable. They must be given maximum office requirements and optimum work-

ing conditions. They will communicate only what they have experienced.

Critical assessment of the extent to which employees are currently involved in the

reputation management process in the chosen organisation.

The recent fashion in branding is internal branding which believes that if employees fully understand

and appreciate their brand they will be better able to provide the desired brand experience to con-

sumers (Ind, 2001; Kunde and Cunningham, 2002). The brand cannot just be a unique selling proposi-

tion. It has to be an organising principle, uniting and directing the entire corporation. Employees

cannot just do a good days work anymore. They have to live the brand (Mitchell, 2001). (Ying Fan,

Brunel Business School, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK)At the RCD there is the want to involve the employees in the reputation management process. The

following ways have been identified as been used by the RCD to enable positive image to be circu-

lated by its staff.

Training

Training is an important means by which the RCD has found to disseminate information on

the organisation and try to inculcate values and enhance, positively, the behaviours of the

employees. Training on such subjects as honesty and integrity, customer care and ethics

have been delivered to all employees and to all those joining the organisation. The training is

mostly delivered by current senior employees and they are chosen depending on their quali-

fications. Despite being a good initiative, I am rather sceptical on its relevancy and success

rate. Infact I would recommend interactive sessions between employees and the manage-

ment team; which enable proper communication throughout the hierarchy; this will also

eliminate communication barriers.

Moreover, several officers are sent abroad to follow trainings; and in some cases for one full

year. However, are they being posted in their appropriate fields? Not always. In many cases

the full ability of officers are not used efficiently and there may create frustration amongst

employees.

Employee Satisfaction Survey (ESS)

A survey was recently conducted, for employees, to have their views on the working condi-

tions and whether they are happy at the RCD. Likewise, the initiative was laudable; however,there was no committee setup to discuss the matter; eventually the impact of the report di-

luted with time. However, it did enable the shifting of the Customs Department to a brand

new building. A building which was promised to the said department some 26 years ago!

This new working place has given a new identity and a new impetus to the Customs Officers

along with the organisation as a whole.

The conduction of the ESS itself was seen as a revolution in the organisation and enabled

many anomalies to be catered for. Internal processes were enhanced to deliver satisfactory

service and some new equipment was brought in along with appropriate maintenance of ac-

tual equipments were made.

Delegation of work


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Employees are involved in many activities organised by the RCD. Despite hosting several in-

ternational seminars and meetings, the RCD do not outsource to external event manage-

ment companies. Trust is given to its staff to organise and participate in the events. Entrust-

ing responsibilities to the employees give shows the appreciations on the work performed

by the latter.

However, the issue that arise is whether they are qualified to undertake such initiatives; asthe reputation of the RCD on the international platform is concerned.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

The KPIs are the deliverables that are measured to assess the performance of the employees

at the RCD. These deliverables or targets, as it is labelled at the RCD, are given at the b e-

ginning of the year so as to assess the performance of the employees. The latter are given

increments on their salary depending on their personal performance; which eventually en-

courages best practices and better service delivery.

However, it does create room for gossiping and misinterpretation between colleagues. In

many cases employees have voiced out about favouritism and unfair practices from superi-

ors who assess and set out targets.

The RCD could further involve the employees by indulging more in Public Relations. The latter is an

important aspect that is not enough used. Involving employees in doing benevolent activities and

provide lectures for students and other people would have promoted a sense of belonging.

Identification of gaps between actual and best practice.

There are some key elements that must be taken into consideration when involving employees in

the reputation management process. Below are factors that must be taken on board:

Values

When employees understand and are aligned with the core values, they have a better ap-

preciation of their roles and higher commitment to delivering the brand promise, resulting in

higher brand performance. (Mark Chong, Corporate Reputation Review)

It is extremely important to align employees values with that of the organisation. Only then

will the organisation benefit from an appropriate sustainable service delivery through com-

mon perceived values; from employees and the organisation. However, at the RCD, same is

not done appropriately. There are several instances where there are differed views resulting

in inadequate training, rewards, punishment and behaviours; that are not aligned with the

values of the organisation.

Internal Communication

Setting goals for an organisation is important and communication such with employees car-

ries equal importance. The RCD must encourage employees to deliver on the brand promise.

Understanding the companys goals and their role in achieving these goals, employees will

eventually support with their interaction with stakeholders; be it internal and external. The

RCD do support internal communication, however, it does not necessarily meet the aim of

inculcating the importance of achieving the goals and objectives of the organisation. Com-

munication is conducted only in a routine and constant way; it is not tailor-made for each set

of employees composing the different departments of the organisation.

Dialogue vs Monologue

Internal communication is good, but it must be a two-way traffic. Senior management will

provide guidance about organisations values, but must find ways to indulge employees is

giving their views and thus achieve a consensus.


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At the RCD, there is practically no interaction between senior management and the rest of

employees. There has been slight change towards bringing the organisation into a melting

pot but nevertheless the gap has not been filled till now. Decisions are rather imposed

rather than finding consensus. A good example has been the design for the new uniforms;

which unfortunately was imposed to Customs Officers rather than mutual decision making

process.A dialogue helps in solving conflicts and eventually promotes good working conditions and

atmosphere.

Consistent messages

Messages communicated internally must be consistent with the organisations values. It must

deliver the same content to all staff in the hierarchy and throughout the whole organisation.

Same information must be available to all employees.

The RCD normally delivers such messages through mails of the Section Heads and the latter

disseminate the information to his subordinates. However, with all the layers that the mes-

sages pass through, the recipients usually get it late or a distorted version.

Recommendation of ways in which these gaps can be closed.

It is important to infuse in the employees mind the core promise that the organisation has towards

the stakeholders. Effective communication guides and adequate means of internal communication

must be implemented. The RCDs internal communication program must be based on the mission

and key corporate values of the organisation. The vision of the RCD is to become a world class

revenue authority; its values are integrity, honesty, transparency and employee welfare.

Surveys must be conducted, involving face-to-face interviews with all the levels of the hier-

archy. Training sessions must be observed by a tiered party and conclusions deduced for

adequate measures to be taken to enhance training sessions and achieve the aim of the or-

ganisation. Usual brainstorming sessions must be organised to collect information with em-

ployees so as to provide them adequate training and align them with the organisations core

values.

A special department, in our case the proposed Corporate Reputation Management De-

partment (CRMD), must be delegated the duty of continuously collecting information from

the employees and liaising with the senior management so that appropriate decisions be

taken in management meetings. Collecting such information will eventually reduce the gap

between the best way of communicating internally and the way things are currently being

done.

Companies that attach higher importance to internal communication (such as setting up a separate

internal communication department) are known to have higher levels of employee engagement(Thomson and Hecker, 2000) and better reputations (Dortok, 2006). (Mark Chong, Corporate Reputa-

tion Review).

Communication is mostly done to disseminate information pertaining to changes in working

policy and legal changes and amendments. However, no proper communication has been

effected in view of conveying messages to solidify the core values driving the RCD towards

service excellence. Moreover, messages are not consistent and often results in ineffective

service delivery; which eventually results in negative reputation of the RCD. Frequent news-

letters must be made available to all staff. Frequent tailored face-to-face interaction, taking

into account the differences in the nature of work of the several departments, between

employees and senior management will eliminate barriers to communication. The RCD mayadopt a meet the people session; where senior management is involved directly with em-


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ployees; communications which are tailored to the different communication needs of the

employee groups.

Being in a modern and internet based environment, the RCD must adopt the best possible

communication means within the organisation. Tools such as Microsoft Outlook and Power-

Point can be used for better communication experiences.(About 2025 words)


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References:

1. Corporate identity: the concept, its measurement and management, by Cees B.M. van Riel &John M.T. Balmer, European Journal of Marketing, 1997.

2. Reputation and its Risks, by Robert G. Eccles, Scott C. Newquist and Roland Schatz, HarvardBusiness Review, Feb 2007.

3. http:/www.mra.gov.mu4. Ethical branding and corporate reputation by Ying Fan, Business School, Brunel Univer-

sity,Uxbridge, UK.

5. The Reputation Index: Measuring and Managing Corporate Reputation by K. Cravens, Eliza-beth.G. Oliver, S. Ramamoorti, European Management Journal Vol. 21, 2003.

6. Branding: How to Use Intellectual Property to Create Value for Your Business, Helen Lom, Di-rector-Advisor (Brand Development), Sector of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geo-

graphical Indications, WIPO.

7. Brand Portfolio, Corporate Image, and Reputation: Managing Brand Deletions,R.Varadarajan, Mark P. DeFanti and Paul S. Busch.

8. Corporate Sustainability Management: Best Practices, Yudelson Associates, J. Galayda, J. Yu-delson and Yudelson Associates, March 2010.

9. Corporate identity and corporate image revisited, L.T Christensen and S. Askegaard , Euro-pean Journal of Marketing ( 2001 ).

10. In Practice The Role of Internal Communication and Training in Infusing Corporate Valuesand Delivering Brand Promise: Singapore Airlines Experience, Mark Chong, Corporate Repu-

tation Review, Vol 10 Num 3.


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ANNEX 1

Background

The Revenue and Customs Department (RCD)

Its AdventThe Revenue and Customs Department (RCD) has been established as an agent of the State under

the RCD Act 2004 for the management, operation and administration of Revenue laws. RCD became

fully operational with effect from 1st July 2006. RCD is a body corporate and is administered and

managed by a Revenue Board.

The RCD is responsible for the administration of tax policy, and the collection and accounting of all

revenues arising under the Revenue laws, with Income Tax, VAT, Customs, Excise and Gaming.

It administers and collects taxes due in Mauritius within an integrated organisational structure.

The Organisational Structure

The RCD is divided into four (4) separate umbrellas namely; the Customs & Tax Operations, theShared Operation Services, the Shared Corporate Services and the Specialised Division. The Customs

& Tax Operations is made up of the Customs & Excise Department (CED), the Large Taxpayers De-

partment (LTD), the Small & Medium Taxpayers Department (SMTD) and the Fiscal Investigation De-

partment (FID). The Shared Operations Services holds only one department namely; the Operational

Services Division (OSD). The Shared Corporate Services is broke down into six (6) departments which

are the Finance & Administrative Department (FAD), the Human Resources Department (HRD), the

Information Systems Department (ISD), the Taxpayer Education and Communication Department

(TECD), the Research Policy & Planning Department (RPPD) and the Legal Services Department (LSD).

And finally the Specialised Division covers the Internal Audit and Internal Affairs; which are the two

guardians investigating into internal malpractice.

The RCD is run by a total of about 1200 staff which includes 680 Customs Officers in the Customs &

Excise Department; including me. The RCD is located within two main buildings; the New Customs

House (NCH) which shelters the Customs & Excise Department and the Ehram Court which regroups

the remaining departments.

The Customer Base

The customer base of the RCD is made up of taxpayers, importers, declarants, travelers, manufac-

turers, businesses and nearly everyone! It must be pointed out that the RCD is a not for profit or-

ganisation. It collects revenue in the form of taxes and duties from its customers; and debited to the

purse of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Empowerment. The RCD has the task of collecting

and protecting money for the Republic of Mauritius and also about ensuring the wellbeing of the

citizens of the Republic.

Services Offered

The services offered are as follows:

Border protection

Revenue protection

Tax and duty collection

Trade facilitation


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ANNEX 2

I confirm that in forwarding this assessment for marking, I understand and have applied the CIM

policies relating to word count, plagiarism and collusion for all tasks. This assignment/project is the

result of my own independent work/investigation except where otherwise stated. Other sources are

acknowledged in the body of the text and/or a bibliography is appended. The work that I have sub-

mitted has not previously been accepted in substance for any other award and is not concurrently

submitted in candidature for any other award.

Ashveer BABBOO (ACIM)


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Notes to Examiners

Dear Sir/Madam,

This paper is based on a real life organisation which is based in Mauritius. However, due to its nature

of business and the field it is involved in and for the purpose of this module I had to replace its origi-

nal name with that of Revenue and Customs Department (RCD).

Thanking you for your comprehension and support.

Yours faithfully,

Ashveer BABBOO (ACIM)

Documents

Managing Corporate Reputation - Article2