Letter From the President
by Mark Weiner, President, Delahaye

Why are some companies regularly recognized as being among the nation’s most admired even when their across-the-board performance is inconsistent? This issue of The Gauge is devoted to understanding and improving corporate reputation.

Diagnosing GM’s Media Coverage Ailments
by Matthew Merlin, Research Account Director, Delahaye

It’s no surprise to hear that the year 2005 was bad for General Motors. Before you jump to conclusions about GM’s 2005 yearly coverage, consider this: GM scored in the top 10 of the 2005 Delahaye Index, which tracks media coverage of the largest U.S-based companies.

Getting An Edge On the Inevitable
By James E. Lukaszewski, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA

More often than not and despite good monitoring programs, when problems do pop onto our radar there is little if any time to establish baseline information. While many organizations try to maintain some level of Issues Management (IM), many IM approaches used today are of low intensity and high complexity.

What Do You Stand For?
By Carol L. Cone, Founder and Chairman of Cone, Inc.

“What do you stand for?” is the resounding question being asked of companies around the globe by consumers, employees, business partners, and governments. In an age of corporate scandals, companies are evolving how they interact with society.

Sudden Impact: When PR Meets Six Sigma
By Jerry Mikorenda

If PR can’t be measured and accountable as a business practice, what good is it anyway? As a widely accepted productivity tool used to improve bottom-line results by many industries, Six Sigma is the ideal subject to study the changing role of communications in corporate America.