The comms company is given responsible for the public face of a corporation - a company that operates in the public domain. Its duty is to promote and protect the image of the company in front of all its stakeholders - customers, staff, investors, suppliers, financial backers. It requires a longer-term view, and a high level of planning and orchestration. Everything follows a plan, along a path to the target position, introducing changes exactly when the company wants them (new branches, new products, new direction), not by chance or ahead of time. It is strategic thinking in its widest sense.