dr. J.F. Gosselt (Jordy)

• Overarching research theme: Public relations and innovations

• Researcher on topics related to reputation management, crisis communication, legitimacy of tech innovations, and stakeholder communication.

• As technological innovations are key to understanding modern society, many scholars have analyzed the determinants of the innovation and adoption of technologies. While the greater part of the literature focuses on economic and technical factors, an important subset emphasizes the role of politics, policy, and organizational communication. This is because society does not simply adapt to new technologies, it also shapes them. Hence, the rise of an emerging technology often leads to resistance from actors with interests in the incumbent system. For example, political barriers may occur as a result of lobbying efforts of producers of incumbent technologies. Likewise, advocacy groups can promote the development and diffusion of technologies that help them achieve their own aims. More specifically, technological innovation that is incongruous with established social rules and practices is often confronted with strong skepticism and a lack of societal legitimacy. Yet, how the early actors in a new technological field create legitimacy for new technologies is not well researched. By means of combining the domains of public relations, public affairs, and technology innovation systems theory (TIS), the research focus is on the legitimation of technological innovations, under the umbrella of ‘public relations of innovations’. 

Publicaties

Jordy Gosselt is program director of both the bachelor and master Communication Science. Next to that he teaches in both programs, including the following courses:

The innovation journey (Bachelor course, year 1, coordinator)

In this course, students will learn about the success and failures of the development and implementation of innovations that may change society focusing on the role of stakeholder-, reputation-, and crisis communication. Students (in a group) will set up their own company and give advice to external parties on how to foster the development and implementation of a particular innovation. Input for the advice include a thorough big data media analysis (to grasp the public sentiment regarding the innovation); stakeholder analyses (to know who is involved); and an arena analysis (what are the most prominent issues affecting the innovation's success?). All these steps give insights into all relevant stakeholders and issues involved and expose the actors and factors that may foster or hinder the innovation. Based on this, students come up with a public relations plan: How should we frame the innovation to make it distinctive from competitors, but in line with societal needs?

Damage Control (Bachelor course, year 1, coordinator)

Corporate reputation has consolidated its significance as one of the most important immaterial assets of any organization. In times of greater transparency and increasing critics by stakeholders, corporate reputation has further manifested its status due to its central role in building and maintaining trust. In this module students will act as communication professionals and are asked to measure, analyse, and improve the reputation of a typical organization. Further, when things go wrong in the organization during a crisis situation, students take the lead and perform damage control. 

Facilitating Technological change (Bachelor course, year 2, coordinator)

Throughout history many technological innovations have changed the way we live. Such  innovation projects usually involve many different stakeholders that have a ‘make-or-break’ influence. This module addresses the development of technological innovations from a system and stakeholders perspective. Students learn about the key processes of innovation and the different stakeholders involved in those processes. The knowledge acquired serves as input for a communication strategy to advance the development and implementation of a specific innovation.

Reputation management (Master course, coordinator)

In this course, students analyse how to manage corporate reputation by relating the concept to the following topics: identity and image; stakeholder management; reputation measurement; corporate social responsibility; crisis communication; and media coverage. Every week another organization is put central that serves as a case to discuss relevant reputational topics.

• Communication Science

• Communication Science

• 202000276 - Stakeholder & reputation management (P)
• 202000277 - Public relations of innovations (T)
• 202000309 - Bachelor thesis COM
• 202200014 - COM@work

• 192403650 - Reputation Management
• 202000276 - Stakeholder & reputation management (P)
• 202000277 - Public relations of innovations (T)
• 202000279 - Media framing & crisis response (S)
• 202000579 - Bachelor Thesis IBA
• 202100090 - Risicoperceptie & Communicatie

Verbonden aan

• Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS), Communication Science (CS)