Globalization, technological advances and fundamental changes in the business environment have highlighted the value of public relations in the context of corporate communication. Corporations dealing with mergers and acquisitions, technological development, public perception of credibility and a variety of other business issues use public relations tactics to support the organization's strategic objectives. PR practitioners in the area of corporate communication serve as writers, strategists and consultants to CEOs and upper management to develop comprehensive corporate communication plans that will serve target audiences, target publics and target markets.

A corporate communicator depends on resources used in a variety of public relations activities and perform across public relations specialties. From media relations to investor relations, a corporate communicator uses a variety of communication tools to help the company strategize image and reputation through message and communication strategies. Practitioners in the area of corporate communication need to be skilled technicians of the practice as well as have the ability to consult upper management about strategic communication issues.

Rapid development of communication technologies such as Web blogs and RSS feeds have forced practitioners to alter the tactics used in gathering, distributing and responding to information to and for the company. In today's instant, 24-hour-a-day media environment, companies need to be prepared for assaults on their credibility and reputation. Practitioners use an assortment of controlled and uncontrolled media technologies to distribute information developed to maintain or restore company credibility. By focusing on openness, honesty, consistency, social responsibility and education, practitioners can work toward restoring damaged credibility or business reputation.

Overall, corporate communicators have a responsibility to provide factual information about the company that serves both the company mission and a broader, societal mission. The challenge for practitioners is being able to communicate complicated information in a manner that is easy to understand across all publics. In addition, practitioners must now deal with the realties of multicultural, and in some cases, multi-national, communication processes.