Corporate reputation, national image building and Taiwan in social media: a proposed model

本文的目的在於說明國家形象和企業聲望的重要性，以及二者對國家競爭力的影響，並且針對如何改善台灣國家品牌計畫以提高它的形象建直一個模型。該模型強調在國家品牌計畫中，社群媒體所扮演的重要角色。由於社群媒體愈趨普及與廣泛使用，社群媒體將形成很大的可能性以凝聚民意。 本文主要分析材料分為兩個部分。其一，透過分析機關團體和群眾所編寫的聲望排名列表的內容，所收集到的原始數據，並且該數據也包括一項透過Facebook分析以觀察品牌貫徹的研究；其二，透過社群媒體與形象形成有關的研究著作、網站與書籍等文獻回顧，所收集的補助數據。 原始數據顯示大眾對於在技術媒體網站上建立產品排名有很大的興趣，而且在這些網站上的排名通常與一般機關團體排名有顯著不同，且以Facebook為材料分析顯示，台灣企業的品牌貫徹與全球最有聲望的企業並未有很大的差別。另外，輔助數據也顯示形象與聲望的重要性，以及社群媒體確有極高的可能對象與聲望生高度影響。 由於數據可見，台灣在技術開發和產品質量方面確有良好的形象，本文進一步指出，台灣應該集中這些功能，二非僅是推廣旅遊景點，方能改善國家形象的諸多方面。作為這項研究的結果，本文對於台灣以及和台灣具有相似特徵的其他國家，提出一個較能妥善貫徹國家品牌的模型。該模型強調國家與企業之間合作的必要性，進以改善雙方的形象與聲望。此外，該模型也指出，利用社群媒體提供的工具將有效地達成品牌貫徹。The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the importance of national image and corporate reputation and the interrelating power of the two on national competitiveness. In addition I hope to develop a model for the improvement of Taiwan’s nation branding project. The model points to the relevance of Social Media channels in nation branding projects. As a consequence of its increasing popularity and extensive usage, Social Media offers great opportunities for the reformation of public opinion. Data has been collected through a comprehensive literature review of research papers, websites and books on the two major subtopics: Social Media and image construction. Besides, analyses of reputation ranking lists prepared by organizations and the public were conducted. In addition, the paper also includes research through Facebook to examine branding practices. The research demonstrated the relevance of image/reputation, moreover the wide-ranging possibilities inherent in Social Media for exertion of influence. The data also showed that there is a broad public interest in product rankings of Tech Media Websites and that the top companies of those are usually distinct from the favorites of the official listings. The Facebook research did not show relevant differences between nation branding practices of the Taiwanese and the most reputable companies worldwide. The data showed that Taiwan has a good reputation in terms of technological development and product quality. This paper states that Taiwan should concentrate on these features instead of the promotion of tourist attractions, as a spillover effect will eventually lead to improvements in all aspects of national image. Based on the results of the study, this paper includes a nation-branding model for Taiwan and for other nations with similar characteristics to Taiwan. The model emphasizes the necessity of collaboration between the state and the corporate sphere in order to improve the image of both. Additionally, the model illustrates that an effective nation-branding project needs to exploit the tools provided by Social Media