Mitigating Corporate Image Crisis in the Social Media: Focus on some Nigerian Firms

We all live in an entrepreneurial/industrial age just as we live in a digital age. That combination is as challenging, intriguing as it is complex. Corporate organisations have had to grapple with the use of the conventional (old) media to help build their corporate image as well as repair damaged corporate image. However, the advent of the social media makes this challenge more daunting. True, the social media can help bolster a desirable corporate image. They can also generate and escalate corporate image crisis, just as they equally can be deployed to mitigate the effects of corporate image crisis. In this paper, we shall, together examine the following: Corporate image, identity, reputation and brand Corporate crises, types and dimension Forms, advantages, and disadvantages of the social media Managing corporate image crisis in the social media. Before delving into the details of the paper, we need to provide important contexts to understanding the rationale for the topic. Firstly, Pang et al. (2014) see the use of the social media platforms as a two edged sword namely: an effective crisis management tool, and serving as platforms where crises could be triggered. Secondly, the management of corporate identity in the social media context, Kostamo (2013) observes, requires understanding of both the management of corporate identity and management of social media. This is so because social media have altered the consumer’s role from a passive listener to a more active participant, the reason brand owners tell brand stories and re-create the brand by collaborating with the consumers in the social media. Thirdly, Chaher and Spellman (2012), the widespread use of the social media has equal potential to transform corporate agenda. These tools are available for use by directors as much as by disgruntled employees, by consumers both satisfied and aggrieved, by competitors and by share owners in confrontations with the board. Fourthly, the social media are new media technologies which as Pang et al. (2014) say, share at least three defining features: digital, converging, and networked. Digitisation means sharing, accessing, and interfacing multimedia information with other smart devices and users to enable the public to interconnect irrespective of geographical boundaries or time zones. User-generated content leads to increased consumer participation and facilitates the free flow of opinions and the sharing of experiences online. Information and conversations are no longer controlled top-down by governments, mainstream media and organisations. To this end, persons empowered by social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Blog, are able to confront giant corporations with ease. Fifthly, evidence is growing higher, as Chaher and Chaher (2012) point out, that social media can increase awareness about a company and its products and services, provide opportunities for more targeted marketing, help gain ideas for new business opportunities, improve communication with partners in the supply chain and help companies learn how existing and potential customers perceive the company’s brand and reputation

Crisis Communication Strategies and Reputation Risk in an Era of Social Media: A Study of Online Users' Perception and Engagement

RÉSUMÉ : Depuis quelques années, les médias sociaux sont devenus extrêmement populaires. Facebook, Twitter, et YouTube prennent une place de plus en plus importante comme moyens de communication pour les individus et les organisations. D'une part, grâce à ces nouveaux sites Internet, les organisations peuvent atteindre leurs partenaires et interagir avec eux directement, mais aussi elles peuvent le faire par le biais de communautés en ligne de façon indirecte. Les individus, d'autre part, peuvent se joindre à ces communautés en ligne, s’exprimer, et avoir un accès illimité à une quantité massive d'informations. Toutefois, l'information qui circule sur les médias sociaux n’est pas contrôlée, ce qui soulève des préoccupations telles que le degré de crédibilité de l'information. Les rumeurs, des informations fausses ou biaisées parfois, peuvent rapidement circuler sur les médias sociaux et de plus en plus d’organisations se retrouvent face à des situations inattendues. La réputation des entreprises peut être mise en cause. Cette thèse vise à explorer les changements potentiels qui sont apparus dans l’environnement des entreprises avec l'émergence des médias sociaux. De plus, cette recherche tente de mettre en perspective les risques et les opportunités des médias sociaux pour les entreprises, et comment elles doivent adapter leurs activités et les stratégies d'ajustement aux exigences de l'environnement des médias sociaux. Pour cette raison, la présente thèse étudie trois questions de recherche : (i) comment les organisations communiquent et réagissent à une crise qui débuterait sur les médias sociaux afin d'éviter et de prévenir les effets indésirables, (ii) comment les utilisateurs des médias sociaux perçoivent la crédibilité des informations qui circulent sur internet et les médias sociaux, et (iii) quels sont les facteurs qui expliquent l’engagement des utilisateurs des médias sociaux dans les communautés de marque en ligne? Pour répondre à la première question de recherche, une analyse approfondie de huit études de cas de médias sociaux a été effectuée afin d’explorer les stratégies de communication de crise des organisations dans un contexte de médias sociaux. Afin de répondre à la deuxième et la troisième questions de recherche, une enquête par questionnaire en ligne a été menée auprès d'un échantillon d'utilisateurs de médias sociaux pour analyser leur perception de la crédibilité de l'information des médias sociaux, et d'évaluer les facteurs qui pourraient expliquer leur engagement dans les communautés de marque en ligne.Sur la base de l'analyse des études de cas de crises, un modèle conceptuel de stratégie de communication de crise des médias sociaux est proposé intégrant les canaux de diffusion de l'information, les origines de la crise, les raisons de la crise, l'intervention et les résultats. L’analyse statistique des résultats des données de l'enquête révèle que les utilisateurs des médias sociaux vont allouer différents niveaux de crédibilité à chaque source d'information. Les résultats de l'enquête confirment également que des facteurs comme « activités avec médias sociaux », « confiance perçue », « sujet d'intérêt » et « pays d'origine » pourraient expliquer certains comportements dans l'engagement des utilisateurs dans les communautés de marque en ligne. Cette thèse est organisé comme : le premier chapitre de la thèse explique le contexte et l'importance des médias sociaux qui ont révolutionné le domaine de la communication entre les individus et les organisations en raison de sa popularité et l'utilisation. Le deuxième chapitre comprend un examen précis de la littérature portant sur six domaines: le Web 2.0 et les médias sociaux, les crises dans l'environnement des médias sociaux, la crédibilité de l'information qui circulent sur les médias sociaux, le risque de réputation, les stratégies de communication de crise, et l'engagement des utilisateurs dans les communautés de marque en ligne. Chaque chapitre commence par une brève introduction et se termine par une conclusion sur les sujets examinés. Le troisième chapitre présente la méthodologie de recherche et les trois questions de recherche. Tout d’abord des études de cas sont utilisés pour répondre à la première question de recherche qui est: «comment les organisations vont communiquer et faire face aux crises de médias sociaux pour éviter les conséquences indésirables?». La méthodologie inclut également un sondage en ligne pour aborder les deuxième et troisième questions de recherche: «comment les utilisateurs perçoivent la crédibilité des informations des médias sociaux en temps normal et en temps de crise», et «comment l’adoption des médias sociaux concerne leur engagement des utilisateurs dans les communautés de marque en ligne». Le quatrième chapitre intitulé «la communication de crise et le risque de réputation dans l'environnement des médias sociaux» contribue à une meilleure compréhension des stratégies de communication de crise des organisations sous forme d'un article scientifique publié. Les conclusions de ce chapitre résultent dans la proposition d'un modèle de communication de crise, incluant les exigences de réagir à une crise dans l'environnement des médias sociaux. Le cinquième chapitre intitulé «la perception de la crédibilité de l'information lors d'une crise de médias sociaux» adresse la deuxième question de recherche de la thèse et contribue à comprendre la perception de la crédibilité de l'information des médias sociaux par les utilisateurs en temps normal et en temps de crise. Les résultats de ce chapitre confirment que la presse nationale est la source d'information la plus crédible en temps normal, alors que les moteurs de recherche en ligne (par exemple Google) sont perçus comme la source d'information la plus crédible au cours d'une crise. Le chapitre six intitulé «L'engagement des utilisateurs dans les communautés de marque en ligne: une étude de commenter dans l'environnement des médias sociaux» aborde la troisième question de recherche et explique les liens entre l'adoption des médias sociaux et leur engagement dans les communautés de marque en ligne. Ce chapitre contribue à un meilleur apprentissage sur les comportements d'engagement des utilisateurs de médias sociaux. Les résultats représentent que « les activités avec médias sociaux», « le niveau de confiance perçue», « le sujet d'intérêt » et « le pays d'origine » pourraient expliquer certains comportements dans l'engagement des utilisateurs dans les communautés de marque en ligne. Le chapitre sept résume les conclusions générales des chapitres précédents. Le chapitre huit explique les contributions théoriques et pratiques de la thèse. Ce chapitre comprend également des recommandations pratiques pour les gestionnaires de crise et relations publiques à revoir leurs stratégies de communication de crise pour répondre convenablement aux risques liés à l'environnement des médias sociaux. Ce chapitre comprend des recommandations pour la commercialisation des stratèges et des praticiens de la marque pour examiner les activités des utilisateurs de médias sociaux comme une explication de leurs comportements d'engagement dans les communautés de marque en ligne. Ce chapitre comprend les limites de la recherche et des recommandations actuelles pour d'autres recherches. Cette thèse étend la compréhension sur la façon dont les organisations doivent réagir aux crises dans les médias sociaux pour prévenir les résultats indésirables. Les résultats de cette recherche contribuent également à une meilleure compréhension des risques et des opportunités potentiels de médias sociaux pour les individus et les organisations engagés dans les médias sociaux. Les départements de communication et de relations publiques pourraient utiliser les résultats de cette recherche afin de positionner précisément les médias sociaux dans la stratégie de communication de leur organisation. Le constat est également utile pour les gestionnaires de crise en raison de l'émergence des médias sociaux et des risques associés, car les stratégies de communication de crise plus traditionnelles ne sont pas tout à fait applicables. Les organisations ont besoin de revoir et modifier leurs stratégies fondées sur les exigences d'un environnement en ligne pour répondre adéquatement aux crises de médias sociaux et diminuer les conséquences qui pourraient être désastreuses. En outre, les stratèges du marketing peuvent être mieux guidés par l’identification des facteurs permettant d’expliquer l’engagement des utilisateurs de médias sociaux d'engager des discussions en ligne.----------ABSTRACT : Over the past few years, social media have become surprisingly popular. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are growing as important pathways for communication means among individuals and organizations. Throughout these tremendous platforms, organizations can reach to their stakeholders and interact with them through building online communities. Individuals, on the other hand, can join to these online communities, express themselves, and have unlimited access to massive amount of information like never before. However, the uncontrolled information of social media environment raises concerns such as the information credibility. Rumors, false, and biased information can quickly circulate among social media platforms and consequently organizations confront with unexpected incidents, which could expose their reputation at risk. This dissertation aims to explore the prospective changes that have appeared along with the emergence of social media. Furthermore, this dissertation attempts to put in to perspective what organizations need to know about social media risks and opportunities, and how they should customize their activities and strategies fitting to the requirements of social media environment. For this reason, the present dissertation investigates three particular research questions: (i) how do organizations communicate and respond to social media crisis to avoid and prevent undesirable outcomes?, (ii) how online users perceive the credibility of social media information?, and (iii) how users’ social media adoption relates to their engagement in online brand communities? To address the first research question, an in-depth analysis of eight social media case studies was conducted in order to explore organizations’ crisis communication strategies in the online social media environment. In order to address the second and third research questions, an online survey was conducted among a sample of social media users to investigate their perceived credibility of social media information, and to assess the factors that could explain their engagement in online brand communities. Based on the results of case study analysis, a model of social media crisis communication strategy is proposed which is built upon the channels of crisis information diffusion, crisis origins, reasons, response, and outcomes. The findings of the online survey reveal that online users allocate different levels of credibility to information sources based on their actual situation. The survey results also confirm that factors like “social media activities”, “perceived trust”, “subject of interest”, and “country of origin” could explain some of the users’ engagement behavior in online brand communities. This dissertation is organized as follows: he first chapter of the dissertation explains the context and significance of social media, which have revolutionized the communication sphere among individuals and organizations due to its popularity and growing use. The second chapter includes a careful review of the related literature mainly focusing on six areas, including: Web 2.0 and social media, organizational crisis in social media environment, the credibility of social media information, reputation risk, crisis communication strategies, and users’ engagement in online brand communities. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction and ends with a conclusion on the examined subjects. The third chapter unfolds the research methodology and the three research questions. The research methodology includes a case study research to address the first research question that is: “how do organizations communicate and respond to social media crises to avoid undesirable outcomes?”. The methodology also includes an online survey addressing second and third research questions as: “how online users perceive the credibility of social media information in normal time and during a crisis”, and “how users’ social media adoption relates to their engagement in online brand communities?”. The fourth chapter entitled “crisis communications strategies and reputation risk in the online social media environment” carefully addresses the first research question and contributes to a better understanding of organizations crisis communication strategies in form of a published scientific article. The findings of this chapter result in proposition of a crisis communication model including the requirements of responding to a crisis in social media environment. The fifth chapter entitled “perceptions of information credibility during a social media crisis” addressed the second research question of the dissertation and contributes to understand the users’ perceived credibility of social media information in normal time compared to crisis time in form of an article. The results of this chapter confirms that national press is the most credible information source in normal time, whereas online search engines (e.g. Google) perceived to be the most credible information source during a crisis. Chapter six titled “users’ engagement in online brand communities: a study of commenting behaviors in social media environment” addresses the third research question and explains the links between users social media adoption and their engagement in online brand communities. This chapter contributes to a better learning on driving factors of social media users’ comments on brand posts in form an article. The results represent that users’ “online presence”, “social media activities”, “perception” and “topic of interest” can explains some of their commenting behaviors. Chapter seven summarized the general findings of the previous chapters. Chapter eight explains the theoretical and practical contributions of the dissertation. This chapter also includes practical recommendations for crisis managers and public relation to revisit their crisis communication strategies to properly respond to the risks associated with social media environment. This chapter includes recommendations for marketing strategists and brand practitioners to consider social media users’ activities as an explanation for their commenting practices in online brand communities. This chapter includes the limitations of current research and recommendations for further researches. This dissertation extends the understanding on how organizations respond to crises in the online social media environment to prevent undesirable outcomes. The results of this dissertation also contribute to a better understanding of social media potential risks and opportunities for individuals and organizations by engaging in online social media environment. Public relations could employ the findings of this dissertation to accurately position social media in communication agenda of their organization. The finding are also useful for crisis managers concerning that due to the emergence of social media, prior crisis communication strategies are not entirely applicable. There is a need for organizations to revisit and modify their strategies based on the requirements of the new environment to properly respond to social media crises and to avoid undesirable outcomes. Moreover, marketing strategists can be guided in view of the findings of this dissertation with regards to the motivational factors for engaging social media users in their online discussions that could be beneficial for the organization

PR goals in the public sphere

The ability to improve a competitive position involves the need to promote and create entrepreneurship in public organisations as well as implement modern management concepts. The strategic orientation in the management of public organisations is related to the search for identity, the vision of development and the implementation of a particular management strategy. The key issue is the incorporation of public relations into an institution’s development strategy and its close connection with the existing promotional activities. All public organisations are constantly assessed by the general public, and their functioning is seriously hindered without an appropriate level of social trust. Trust is a prerequisite for their development, necessary for implementing new ideas or operation methods. In order to win trust it is crucial to achieve probity social participation in the activities of a public organisation. The reliability and a positive image of a public organisation are necessary for the performance of its public tasks. A favourable reputation supports the link, maintaining and strengthening it, with the social environment

Crisis Communications: How Businesses Respond in the Wake of Tragedy

Crisis communication is an ever-evolving form of communication that is integral to a business’s success. When tragedy strikes, businesses must have a thorough plan of response that manages the situation and protects their brand. This paper discusses the definition of crisis communication, its history, and how modern trends like social media, have revolutionized it. This study is important because it influences a business’s public perception, and sustainability. Thorough knowledge of crisis communication is critical to a business student’s education and will prepare them for working in fast-paced communication and business environments. An analysis of this topic should yield an understanding of crisis communication and how it can be best applied in crisis situations

BP’s use of posture to respond to the deepwater horizon crisis

This paper focuses on the posture the oil company BP adopted when faced with a legitimacy crisis during one of the worst environmental disasters in history. Against a backdrop of a discussion of the rhetorical aspects of image repair discourse and organisational legitimacy, Hearit’s strategy of corporate apologia was employed to determine the posture BP adopted in relation to the crisis. This paper adds to the literature on image repair strategies by heeding a call by Hearit for the context within which corporate apologia takes place to be taken account of, an approach that warrants a distinct line of research. The literature was further extended by complementing Hearit's strategy with semiotics and analysing its use in both the annual and sustainability reports. The additional focus on the sustainability reports is important, due to the high premium placed on sustainability in the changing business environment. On a practical level this paper contributes to an understanding of how organisations use sustainability reports to respond to legitimacy challenges

The Use of Social Media by UK Local Resilience Forums

The potential uses of social media in the field of emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR) are varied and interesting. The UK government have produced guidance documents for its use in the UK EPRR field but evidence of use is poorly documented and appears sporadic. This paper presents the results of a survey of Local Resilience Forums (LRF) in the UK on their use and engagement with social media. The findings suggest that the level of application of social media strategies as emergency planning or response tools varied significantly between the LRFs. While over 90percent of respondents claimed that their LRF used social media as part of their strategy, most of this use was reactive or passive, rather than proactive and systematic. The various strategies employed seem to be linked most strongly to local expertise and the existence of social media ‘champions’ rather than to the directives and guidance emerging from government

Reading between the lines : is news media in Fiji supporting or challenging gender stereotypes? : a frame analysis of local news media coverage of violence against women during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign of 2017

Violence against women is recognised as a global public health issue and an obstacle to development, as ending it is inextricably linked with achieving gender equality. The public relies on and believes in the capacity of news media to present them with a ‘true’ picture of reality and the news media are therefore treated as valuable allies in changing the norms, beliefs and attitudes that perpetuate violence against women. In the production and consumption of news, however, journalists employ frames to condense complex events into interesting and appealing news reports, in turn influencing how audiences view particular events, activities and issues, especially when it comes to attributing blame and responsibility. This study employs a frame analysis to identify whether, and to what extent, episodic or thematic framing is used in news articles on violence against women published in the Fiji Sun and Fiji Times during and around the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign of 2017. It showed that episodic framing was overwhelmingly used in the sample, thereby divorcing the violence from its social roots and encouraging audiences to blame the individuals involved, both for the violence itself and for remedying it. This directly contradicts the campaign’s central principles positioning violence against women as a social and development issue that requires every member of society to play a part in ending it. The results, therefore, suggest that changes are needed in how organisations engage with the news media to ensure that coverage of violence against women improves in both quantity and quality

Do companies reduce CSR disclosures during recessions?

Purpose: We investigate trends in prevalence and volume of CSR disclosure by the top 50 New Zealand listed companies from 2005 to 2010, i.e. from before until after the initial impact of the global financial crisis (GFC). Design/methodology/approach: We examine the annual reports of each of the companies between the years 2005 and 2010, as well as company websites for standalone CSR reports. We count the number of pages of any social and environmental disclosures in annual reports and in standalone reports for each year and use this data to assess whether overall trends can be discerned. We compare CSR disclosure trends with changes in business confidence. Findings: Our results reveal a general upward trend in CSR disclosures over the six-year period. The number of companies disclosing in their annual reports and standalone reports increased from 2005 to 2007. However, during the initial drop in business confidence in 2008 (brought on by the GFC), CSR disclosures in annual reports and standalone reports remained consistent overall with 2007. Companies operating within industries more prone to public scrutiny or those industries more sensitive to the social and environmental impacts of corporate operations actually increased their CSR disclosures, whereas other companies decreased their disclosure for an overall constant level. The upward trend resumed in 2009, but when business confidence again suffered in 2010, overall annual report CSR disclosures decreased, whereas overall standalone report disclosure continued the upward trend. In sum, during times of reduced business confidence, companies in non-environmentally-sensitive and non-socially-sensitive industries appear to buck the overall trend towards increased CSR disclosures. Originality: Many studies conclude that there is an upward trend in CSR disclosures over time. Other studies examine the impact of particular events on disclosure. However, we are not aware of any study that examines the impact of the initial phase of the GFC on the overall upward trend in CSR disclosures, i.e. whether companies subjugate CSR in favour of more pressing business priorities during times of reduced business confidence