One of the few empirical analyses that examine the contribution of communication
management to the formulation of corporate strategy has been carried out by Dolphin
and Fan (2000). Based on a survey of communication managers in 20 British
corporations they came to the conclusion that those responsible for communication had
a growing influence on the formulation of corporate strategy. The significance of
communication management for corporate strategy, however, depends on whether the
organization is more traditional (in these cases the influence of communication
management is minimal) or whether communication generally enjoys high standing
within the corporation. According to the results of the European Communication
Monitor, a long-term European-wide survey among communication practitioners, the
link between business strategy and communication is regarded as the most important
issue for communication management within the next three years (Zerfass et al., 2009,
p. 66).