Unveiling the distinction: Exploring how key airport stakeholders differentiate between status and reputation

Forough Jonghani

London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism

Supervisors:

Professor Alexandros Paraskevas

London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism

Dr Ivan Sikora

School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science

(University of Hertfordshire)

Airports play a crucial role in regional economic and social development, national transportation infrastructure improvement, and regional accessibility enhancement. Their success, as for many corporations, lies in their status and corporate reputation (CR) in relation to their peers. However, there is a gap in our understanding of how to effectively govern this intangible resource and how its value is generated. To address this, the main goal of this paper is to examine the role status plays as a key element in social evaluations of CR in strategic management, from the perspective of key airport stakeholders. The research question is therefore, how do stakeholder groups and their perspectives vary in their assessment of status and CR?

In this qualitative study, a literature review and semi-structured interviews with seven airport stakeholder groups were conducted and the data collected from these interviews was then analysed thematically.

While the literature review failed to highlight key differences in status and CR, analysis of the interviews showed more distinct themes regarding these constructs in unstable settings such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, perceptions of the interview groups were aligned in terms of what constitutes a low-status airport and how to measure status through inspections. This suggests that status fosters predictable behaviour, which increases trust and CR, leading to consistent expectations and responses among stakeholders (shared understanding). The location of the airport and type of company are likewise important determinants of the airport’s status, which ultimately affects the level of predictability of its operations.

This research contributes to a better understanding of the CR construct and holds practical importance for corporations. Considering CR is further significant when assessing the reliability and trustworthiness of an airport. Future research could investigate how airport location and company type influence status perception, operational predictability, and CR in the aviation industry.