Emotional stakeholders as “crisis communicators” in social media

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britt Foget Johansen ◽  
Winni Johansen ◽  
Nina M. Weckesser

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the Telenor customer complaints crisis triggered on the company Facebook site in August 2012. More specifically, the paper focusses on how friends and enemies of a company interact, and how faith-holders serve as crisis communicators in a rhetorical sub-arena that opens up on Facebook. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a textual analysis of 4,368 posts from the Telenor Facebook site, and an interview with the senior digital manager of Telenor. Findings – Not only current and previous customers but also those from rival telephone companies were active in the Facebook sub-arena. The customers complaining about the company services were met not only with the response of Telenor, but also with counter-attacks from faith-holders acting in defense of Telenor. However, these faith-holders were using defensive response strategies, while Telenor used accommodative strategies. Research limitations/implications – Organizational crises need to be seen as a complex set of communication processes, including the many voices that start communicating from different positions, and taking into account not only the response strategies of the organization but also the response strategies applied by supportive emotional stakeholders. In practice, faith-holders need to be monitored, as they may prove useful as “crisis communicators.” Originality/value – The paper provides insights into an under-investigated area of crisis communication: the strategies of faith-holders acting as “crisis communicators” defending a company and themselves against attacks from negative voices on social media.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-167
Author(s):  
Susana Costa Silva ◽  
Wilian Feitosa ◽  
Paulo Duarte ◽  
Marta Vasconcelos

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how a company could improve public engagement on social media (SM) analysing the case of Alento, which is a human resources and consulting company located in Portugal. The company’s presence on Facebook was analysed by using the honeycomb model for SM functionality, by Kietzmann et al. (2011), as a theoretical framework. Design/methodology/approach The authors implemented some actions to change procedures on SM management. Monitoring five months of data, the authors could compare the SM engagement before and after changes on SM management. Then, a convenience sample of 205 useable questionnaires was collected. The population of the study comprised Portuguese Facebook users who liked the Alento Facebook Fan Page. An analysis of honeycomb dimensions was performed. Findings The engagement level on Alento’s SM was increased by changing procedures identified on survey. In five months, Alento’s number of followers was increased by just 4.5 per cent, interactions were increased by 35 per cent, views were more than twice (+122 per cent) and fans who clicked on Alento’s Facebook page’s links were increased by 146 per cent. Research limitations/implications There were also some limitations related to the sample, since the authors only obtained 205 responses. Therefore, the second suggestion for future investigations would be to conduct the survey on a larger number of people. This study just considers five months after changing procedures. A longer range of time could produce different results. Practical implications The most relevant contribution of the current study is the offer of some insights into the use of a simple tool such as the honeycomb model of Kietzmann et al. (2011) for the analysis of the social engagement from a firm’s perspective, regardless of their nature. Social implications The importance of SM to spread good content and to reduce media costs is reinforced in this study. Originality/value This study is innovative, as it identifies a need of change on SM management, proposes and implements new procedures, checking its results. SM marketing is a new wagon of study, and the problem of how to increase engagement on professional SM is on top priorities of the field.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 14-16

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The ever-widening expanse of social media means that all companies now need an online profile. But such increased exposure means that companies are now under the influence of the public to look good. The need to strive for a good e-reputation is a fundamental aspect of any social media presence for a company. Instant communication means that public dissatisfaction can accumulate uncontrollably. Therefore, effective online communication of ethical plans and initiatives by companies through social media is a key concern. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-5 ◽  

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds impartial comments and places the article in context. Findings – Engagement can help strengthen the emotional bond that characterizes consumer–brand relationships. But mutual trust and commitment are fundamental if the customer is to closely engage with a company or brand in the first place. Thanks to social media, establishing this critical foundation has become easier. Social networking is a major part of many people’s lives, and communicating with both firms and other consumers is a routine activity. From an organizational perspective, such channels provide an invaluable means of reaching both existing and potential customers. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Wilburn ◽  
Ralph Wilburn

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the effects of social media on a company when stakeholders decide select companies are not living up to their corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals. As the number of CSR and sustainability reports on company Web sites increases, the more stakeholders, not just stockholders, know about a company’s commitment to CSR, and the more they can use social media to comment on those goals. It will describe three strategies for CSR initiatives that move beyond self-reporting of goals and progress: third party assessment, specialized certifications and partnerships to provide trustworthy data to stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – The experiences of Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo/Frito Lay and P & G are described. Key third-party assessors and their processes are described, as well as organizations who certify in specific areas. The importance of third-party assessment for CSR achievement is reinforced by examining the results of two reports on CSR reporting trends and capital markets’ response, one of Fortune 500® companies and the other of S & P 500® companies by the Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc. Findings – All three strategies used to verify the data for CSR accomplishment help companies communicate their goals through social media. Originality/value – All three strategies used to verify the data for CSR accomplishment are shown to help companies communicate and validate their CSR goals through social media.


2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 1070-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Anthony Carrillat ◽  
Alain d’Astous

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to contrast athlete endorsement vs athlete sponsorship from a power imbalance perspective when a scandal strikes the athlete. Design/methodology/approach – A first study was conducted with a probabilistic sample of 252 adult consumers where the type of brand–athlete relationship (endorsement or sponsorship) and the level of congruence between the two entities (low or high) were manipulated in a mixed experimental design. A second study with a probabilistic sample of 118 adult consumers was conducted to demonstrate that consumers perceive that the balance of power between the brand and the athlete is not the same in endorsement and sponsorship situations. Findings – The results of the first study showed that when an athlete is in the midst of a scandal, the negative impact on the associated brand is stronger in the case of an endorsement than in the case of a sponsorship. However, this occurs only when the brand–athlete relationship is congruent. The results of the second study showed that the athlete’s power relative to the brand is greater in an endorsement than in a sponsorship context. Research limitations/implications – The findings suggest that a company that worries about the possibility that the athlete with whom it wants to build a relationship be eventually associated with some negative event (e.g. a scandal) should consider sponsorship rather than endorsement as a strategy. Originality/value – This study is the first to compare the athlete endorsement and sponsorship strategies in general and the first to put forward the notion of power imbalance in brand–athlete partnerships, its impact on how the two entities are represented in consumers’ memory networks and the consequences on brand attitude when the athlete is associated with a negative event.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.M. Wong

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the teaching innovations that have been implemented in higher education institutions in Asia and the perspectives of educators on them. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 educators who were affiliated with 23 higher education institutions in ten Asian countries/regions. The interviews covered information about the teaching innovations of the participants’ institutions, the characteristics of the innovative practices and the participants’ views on them. The relationships between the characteristics of institutions and their teaching innovations were also examined. Findings The results showed that the teaching innovations included two main categories, namely, those which involved the use of advanced technologies and those which did not. The innovations that involved the use of advanced technologies were mainly from larger institutions, while the other category was mainly from smaller ones and had been practised for less than 1.5 years. Differences were also identified between the two categories in terms of the aims and importance of innovations, innovative features, the evaluation of innovations and improvements needed for them. Originality/value The results highlighted that technology is only one of the many aspects of teaching innovations, which is different from the view prevailing in the literature. They also suggested that differences in the scale of institutions (in terms of number of students) possibly influences the kind of teaching innovations adopted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 274-290
Author(s):  
Natalia Volkova ◽  
Vera Chiker

Purpose The purpose of this study to establish what demographic characteristics (gender, generations and organisational tenure) play a role in employee perceptions of organisational culture, commitment and identification in Russian public organisations. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected electronically from 248 employees of two public organisations. Three questionnaires were used. Findings Organisational tenure plays a central role in the way how employees perceive organisational culture; tenure also shapes the levels of both commitment and identification. The specific finding of Russian settings is that the longer employees work for a company, the lower the levels of psychological attachments they demonstrate, while it is not the case for some existing international results. The other findings correspond with those in international studies, in which women were more psychologically attached to the organisation and showed a higher level of identification and lower rates of negative forms of this concept than men did. The older the employees are, the higher the level of identification they express. Practical implications Managers working in Russian settings can struggle with engaging and retaining employees. Understanding the demographic effects can help alleviate these challenges. Originality/value Based on empirical findings, this paper contributes to the literature on organisational socialisation by providing evidence of the damaging effects of the length of organisational tenure on psychological attachment to the company (in the form of commitment and identification). Additionally, tenure is the shaping factor of employee perception of organisational culture.


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 718-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Gainous ◽  
Andrew Segal ◽  
Kevin Wagner

Purpose Early information technology scholarship centered on the internet’s potential to be a democratizing force was often framed using an equalization/normalization lens arguing that either the internet was going to be an equalizing force bringing power to the masses, or it was going to be normalized into the existing power structure. The purpose of this paper is to argue that considered over time the equalization/normalization lens still sheds light on our understanding of how social media (SM) strategy can shape electoral success asking if SM are an equalizing force balancing the resource gap between candidates or are being normalized into the modern campaign. Design/methodology/approach SM metrics and electoral data were collected for US congressional candidates in 2012 and 2016. A series of additive and interactive models are employed to test whether the effects of SM reach on electoral success are conditional on levels of campaign spending. Findings The results suggest that those candidates who spend more actually get more utility for their SM campaign than those who spend less in 2012. However, by 2016, spending inversely correlates with SM campaign utility. Research limitations/implications The findings indicate that SM appeared to be normalizing into the modern congressional campaign in 2012. However, with higher rates of penetration and greater levels of usage in 2016, the SM campaign utility was not a result of higher spending. SM may be a greater equalizing force now. Practical implications Campaigns that initially integrate digital and traditional strategies increase the effectiveness of the SM campaign because the non-digital strategy both complements and draws attention to the SM campaign. However, by 2016 the SM campaign was not driven by its relation to traditional campaign spending. Originality/value This is the first large N study to examine the interactive effects of SM reach and campaign spending on electoral success.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 398-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Ki Lee ◽  
Sally Y. Kim ◽  
Namho Chung ◽  
Kwanghoon Ahn ◽  
Jong-Won Lee

Purpose Social commerce using social media has been on the rapid increase. Among various social commerce models, group-buying has become the mainstream. There is a paucity of research related to how customers perceive value in group-buying situations. This paper aims to examine and analyze various factors that influence perceived customer value in group-buying. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a survey on customers who had purchased a restaurant service deal on a group-buying site. A partial least squares technique was used to estimate the model. Findings Results show that perceived customer value affects customers’ group buying intentions and that all four antecedents of perceived value (low price, valence of experience, trust in social media and reputation of the group-buying site) have a significant influence. Implications and further research directions are discussed at the end of the paper. Originality/value This study provides valuable strategic implications for social commerce firms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 82-84
Author(s):  
Gareth Hughes ◽  
James Comber

Purpose To remind sponsors to adopt an attitude of “professional skepticism” in Hong Kong IPOs. Design/methodology/approach Explains the Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”)'s sanction on BOCOM International (Asia) Limited (“BIAL”) as a sign of determination to hold sponsors to account as gatekeepers to the Hong Kong capital markets. Findings The SFC has reprimanded and fined BIAL HK$15 million for failing to discharge its duties as a sole sponsor in a listing application for China Huinong Capital Group Company Limited (“China Huinong”), a company established in the PRC. This substantial fine reinforces the need for sponsors to ensure that they fully and properly discharge all of their duties, and that they will be held responsible for any failure to do so, even if the listing is not ultimately approved. Practical implications If sponsors fail to fulfil the requirements required under the sponsors’ regulatory regime, the SFC will be proactive and impose tough sanctions, even if the listing application is eventually withdrawn or returned by the SEHK. Originality/value Practical guidance from experienced regulatory, financial and commercial dispute resolution lawyers.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document