Unveiling clarity in a digital world

: transparency in the digital corporate communication of the german automative industry

Abstract

The aim of this master dissertation is to explore the role of perceived transparency in the digital corporate communication of the German automotive industry. For this purpose, a mixedmethods approach was selected, in which a quantitative experimental online survey was conducted among 190 people living in Germany, as well as 10 interviews with communication experts from the automotive industry. After evaluating the online survey, slight differences between digital communication with high and low transparency levels were found. Therefore, the results show that automotive companies that disclose product information are perceived as more transparent than those that do not. However, other than expected, no significant impact of CSR report publication on transparency perception was found. In addition, significant correlations between transparency and corporate reputation as well as trust are recognizable. These findings indicate the importance of digital corporate communication of automotive companies in building a perception of transparency. The results of the conducted interviews confirmed the quantitative findings and showed the important role of transparency regarding building trust and a good corporate reputation, while also pointing out the complexity of the issue and the challenges it poses. Based on the present data, it was also possible to formulate recommendations for the future of automotive digital corporate communication, as well as to present a definition about transparency in digital corporate communication.

Date of Award	20 Jan 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Patrícia Dias (Supervisor)