NEWS

CHAPEL HILL – Wall Street Journal writer Ronald J. Alsop will address the importance of managing an organization’s reputation at Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill May 25 at 6 p.m. as part of the Dean’s Speakers Series.

Alsop, a veteran Wall Street Journal authority on branding and reputation management, will discuss "Corporate Reputation: Your Most Valuable – and Vulnerable – Asset." 

He will draw lessons from his new book, "The 18 Immutable Laws of Corporate Reputation: Creating, Protecting, and Repairing Your Most Valuable Asset," which is based on interviews with dozens of corporate executives, market researchers, communications experts and academics over the past two years.

"Reputation management is more of an art than a science, but there are definite guiding principles that constitute the 18 immutable laws," writes Alsop. He will provide examples from such companies as FedEx Corp., DuPont and IBM and give practical advice about establishing and maintaining a good reputation as well as repairing a damaged one.

A news editor and senior writer at The Wall Street Journal, Alsop is in charge of The Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive Business-School Survey. He is the editor of "The Wall Street Journal Guide to the Top Business Schools 2004" and writes the MBA Track column on CollegeJournal.com as well as articles about business education, corporate reputation and marketing. He previously served as the Journal’s marketing columnist and as editor of its Marketplace page, and he has written other books, including "The Wall Street Journal on Marketing" and "The Wall Street Journal Almanac."

He is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Journalism.

The lecture series, funded in part by the Archie K. Davis Lectureship Fund, brings key movers and shakers to the business school for talks that are free and open to the community.

Alsop will speak in the Maurice J. Koury Auditorium at UNC Kenan-Flagler. To R.S.V.P. to the lecture or for questions, call (919) 843-7787 or e-mail KFBSRSVP@kenan-flagler.unc.edu.  Parking will be available in the business deck located at the entrance of UNC Kenan-Flagler. 

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Kenan-Flagler contact: Allison Adams, (919) 962-7235, aadams@unc.edu