The Company and the Activist: Going Beyond PR

Addressing the rise of a new breed of activists who present a real threat not only to reputations but to business operations, this book explores what businesses need to understand about these communities, why they should be taken seriously, and how business leaders can successfully navigate this shifting terrain.

Existing business books address only the communications challenges involved in the rise of these new communities, but this book goes beyond PR issues to the very real impact on business decisions - and acknowledges that businesses must understand activists, and vice versa, if progress is to be made. To lead this conversation, the book includes interviews and contributions from key players across activism and businesses to look at how both sides operate and what success looks like for them. It also features practical steps that businesses can take to build a network of supporters, drawing on global examples from the corporate sector, grassroots campaigns, and people and organisations taking up the mantle of activism.

Leaders and professionals working in all aspects of business, across industries and firm types, will appreciate learning about what drives activists and how businesses can work with them to not only avoid reputational damage, but to create stronger connections and, perhaps, a better world.

Stuart Thomson is a public affairs and communications specialist, and published author. He advises clients on all elements of their political engagement and reputation management running his own consultancy, CWE Communications. Stuart regularly provides comment across the media, is an honorary research fellow at the University of Aberdeen, a regular speaker at conferences and delivers training for leadership teams. He was listed as one of the Top 100 Public Affairs Consultants by Total Politics, was shortlisted for the IoD and CIPR Director of the Year award, and won Vuelio online influencer of the year in the current affairs category.