The Volkswagen recovery: leaving scandal in the dust

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Welch
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Diesel Emissions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Step Process ◽  
The Public ◽  
Volkswagen Group

Purpose Following the diesel emissions debacle of 2015, Volkswagen Group has rebounded significantly in terms of sales and market value. When examining Volkswagen’s dramatic recovery, it is clear to notice four distinct elements that helped to bring about this rapid turnaround. To push through the public relations nightmare and regain sales traction, Volkswagen embarked on a four-step process that centered on four key words: Replace, Restructure, Redevelop and Rebrand. The purpose of this study is to examine that process. Design/methodology/approach This study is a case study examining the performance of Volkswagen Group and their recovery from the 2015 diesel emissions scandal. To achieve their significant turnaround, the company sought to: replace the leadership, restructure the organization, redevelop the strategy and rebrand the product. This study examines those four steps in the recovery process as a model for other firms. Findings To try and achieve an unprecedented turnaround, the company sought to: replace the leadership, restructure the organization, redevelop the strategy and rebrand the product. These four strategic elements formed the basis of a newly focused company and continue to push the company forward and further away from the scandal. This four-step process of recovery provides an excellent case study for other firms who may find themselves in the midst of turmoil and crisis. Originality/value To push through the public relations nightmare and regain sales traction following their 2015 emissions testing scandal, Volkswagen embarked on a four-step process that centered on four key words: Replace, Restructure, Redevelop and Rebrand. These four strategic elements formed the basis of a newly focused company and continue to push the company forward and further away from the scandal. This four-step process of recovery provides an excellent case study for other firms who may find themselves in the midst of turmoil and crisis.

Vigilant resilience: the possibilities for renewal through preparedness

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Renewal Theory ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
System Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Energy Company ◽  
Resilience Process

Purpose Post-crisis renewal discourse (Ulmer et al., 2007) is one form of communication that stakeholders may use as they attempt to organize for resilience. The purpose of this paper propose extending Discourse of Renewal Theory to explain how it could enact a different kind of resilience than scholars typically consider. Organizational resilience strategies often focus on the recovery or prevention stages of crisis management. Under conditions of persistent threat, it would be more productive for renewal discourse to emphasize greater preparedness. Design/methodology/approach To illustrate the need for this kind of theorizing, the author analyzes a case study that follows the public relations efforts of Canadian energy company Enbridge, Inc., in the aftermath of the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill. Findings By the criteria of Discourse of Renewal Theory, Enbridge attempted a renewal strategy, but it failed. By other criteria, however, it succeeded: it created the opportunity for richer dialogue among stakeholders about their interdependence and their competing interests. Originality/value By considering how elements of the resilience process may vary, this paper offers resources for more nuanced theory-building and theory-testing related to organizational and system-level resilience.

The conceptual heritage of public relations: using public memory to explore constraints and liberation

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-392
Author(s):  
W. Timothy Coombs ◽  
Sherry J. Holladay
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Memory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Counter Narratives ◽  
Dominant Narratives ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Development And Evolution

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe three foundational concepts that contribute to conceptual heritage of the field of public relations (publics, organizations and relationships). Conceptual heritage is positioned as a type of shared public memory, a dominant narrative, that encourages adherence to the past whilst recognizing that counter-narratives can pose useful alternatives to foundational concepts. Design/methodology/approach The approach is a selective literature review that describes three dominant concept categories and presents more recently developed alternative concepts and approaches to illustrate how public memory is subjective and evolving. Findings The concepts of publics, organizations and relationships have grounded the dominant narrative and development of the field of public relations. Though these concepts continue to be influential as researchers rely upon and expand upon their legacies, counter-narratives can spur the innovation of ideas, measurement and practice. Research limitations/implications The paper focuses on only three major foundational concepts selected by the authors. The importance of these concepts as well as additional examples of the field’s conceptual heritage and evolution could be identified by different authors. Practical implications The analysis demonstrates how the public memory contributes to the development and evolution of the field of public relations. Counter-narratives can offer appealing, subjectively constructed challenges to dominant narratives. Originality/value This paper describes and critiques public relations’ conceptual heritage and argues that conceptually and methodologically-based counter-narratives have contributed to its evolution.

Status of EDRMS implementation in the public sector in Namibia and Zimbabwe

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathrine Tambudzai Nengomasha ◽  
Alfred Chikomba
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Public ◽  
Units Of Analysis ◽  
Study Population

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the adoption and use of electronic document and records management system (EDRMS) in the public service in Namibia and Zimbabwe with the aim of establishing barriers and enablers, and best practices which each country could adopt from the other. Design/methodology/approach This multi-case study was informed by an interpretivist paradigm. Qualitative in nature, the study applied face-to-face interviews as the data collection method, supplemented by documents analysis. The study population was Namibia and Zimbabwe’s public sectors with units of analysis, being the governments’ ministries, offices and agencies which have implemented EDRMS. Findings The paper provides the state of EDRMS implementation in Namibia and Zimbabwe. It establishes how the two countries have implemented EDRMS and factors that have contributed to the success/failure of the implementation in both countries. Originality/value The paper is a response to the need for further research studies on the implementation of EDRMS in various countries.

Do the servicescape of public and private hospitals differ? The Malaysian context

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Piew Lai ◽  
Siong Choy Chong
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Private Hospitals ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public And Private Hospitals ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to explore if public and private hospitals have differing servicescape attributes. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a two-stage (EFA and CFA) procedure for identifying the servicescape attributes and examining their validity in the context of public and private hospitals. Findings The findings indicate that, in different contexts, patients would expect different aesthetics of servicescape attributes and how they are influenced by the hospital premises. Research limitations/implications It is interesting to note that: not all of the attributes that appear in both contexts are exactly the same; patients do not seem to face difficulties in analysing and interpreting directional cues, even though the spatial orientation in private hospitals is relatively smaller; the way patients of public hospitals draw inference about the ambient conditions is not consistent with private hospitals; and patients perceive that private hospitals pay special attention to developing a built environment that facilitates treatment and recovery process via interior layout, as well as decoration and architecture attributes. Practical implications The study grounds the servicescape attributes and provides insights to effectively promote public and private hospitals. Originality/value This study may be amongst the first to offer servicescape evidence in both the public and private hospitals.

Lean Six Sigma in policing services

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 935-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiju Antony ◽  
Bryan Rodgers ◽  
Inness Coull ◽  
Vijaya Sunder M.
Keyword(s):  
Six Sigma ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Learning Points

Purpose This paper is based on a single case study carried out as part of a change programme but is used as a reflective tool to draw on some of the wider organisational learning which can be considered when implementing, reviewing or re-energise a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Programme. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach has been used and referenced throughout the paper with references to literature to support the wider learning points drawn which are then applied to any continuous improvement (CI) programmes. Findings The paper presents a range of learning points which are drawn from a successful deployment of LSS within a change project carried out as part of an overall programme in Scottish policing services. Research limitations/implications The points are drawn from a single case study which was deployed within a wider change programme and is supported by wider literature but is used as a vehicle for informing strategic considerations within an organisation. Originality/value This case study is drawn from policing services in the public sector which alone is an area that has not been significantly studied. It is used to explore wider implications in terms of strategic alignment, organisational performance and project management and presents the argument that the design of a CI programme is much wider than the implementation of LSS itself.

Political will and public will for climate-smart agriculture in Senegal

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric D. Raile ◽  
Linda M. Young ◽  
Adama Sarr ◽  
Samba Mbaye ◽  
Amber N.W. Raile ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Study Country ◽  
Smart Agriculture

Purpose Agriculture must transform as climate change progresses. The international community has promoted climate-smart agriculture (CSA) as a set of solutions. Previous analyses of opportunities for scaling up CSA have not looked closely at building political and social support for policies, practices and programs. The purpose of this paper is to fill that gap in the case study country of Senegal. Design/methodology/approach The study applies the conceptual definitions, operationalizations and assessment targets from the political will and public will (PPW) approach to social change. Semi-structured interviews and documents constitute the sources of data and information. Findings The analysis identifies opportunities to generate political will for supplying an enabling environment for the widespread adoption of CSA. On the public will side, the analysis identifies opportunities to generate and channel demand for CSA. Research limitations/implications Researchers investigated some definitional components more completely than others due to resource and access constraints. Further, the context specificity of the components limits generalizability of certain findings. Social implications Social structures may need to change for successful adoption of certain CSA innovations, but improved agricultural outcomes are likely to result. Originality/value This examination of crucial elements for scaling up CSA efforts constitutes the most extensive application of the PPW approach to date, thus providing an example of this generalizable method.

The use of accounting in managing the institutional complexities of a festival organisation pursuing financial and social objectives

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Ståle Knardal ◽  
John Burns
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Institutional Work ◽  
Institutional Complexity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Alternative Community ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of accounting when managing the institutional complexities of a festival organisation pursuing financial and social objectives. Specifically, it focuses on how accounting can be implicated in handling a festival’s multiple and potentially conflicting logics. Also, through mobilising the concept of institutional work, the following builds on our knowledge of the importance of what people do, in managing an organisation’s institutional complexity. Design/methodology/approach This paper is grounded in a qualitative case study, for which the primary data derives from interviews, plus examination of internal documents and information in the public domain. Findings The festival studied is commercially successful, though ultimately one of its main organisational goals is to maximise donations to charitable causes. Other goals include: offering an alternative community through music, particularly to the young; fostering new and innovative artistry; and nurturing a festival family that is rooted to a large extent in its army of volunteers. The paper reveals how seeking such goals simultaneously requires the handling of logics that potentially can pull in opposite directions. Moreover, it highlights the efforts of festival organisers to maintain coexistence between the different logics, including the utilisation of accounting, accounts and accountability to facilitate this. Originality/value There are three main contributions of the paper. First, it offers new insight into how accounting can be purposefully used to mediate between potentially opposing logics in a complex organisational setting. Second, the paper extends our knowledge of the use of accounting specifically within a popular culture context. Third, the following adds to recent use of the concept of institutional work to understand why and how people mobilise accounting to handle institutional complexity in organisational settings.

Georgia rural hospital authorities as “shadow governments”

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-112
Author(s):  
Mary Eleanor Rawlings Wickersham ◽  
Robert Yehl
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Private Interests ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Special District

Purpose The tenuous financial viability of many of Georgia’s rural hospitals has driven increased scrutiny of the hospital authorities (HAs) that own and govern them. HAs are a type of “special district” established in state law to allow for specialization of function, while evading statutes that can limit local government borrowing and multi-year contracts. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a case example to introduce transparency and accountability in one local Georgia hospital and expands to include a descriptive analysis of transparency measures in 29 rural Georgia HAs. Findings Findings indicate that, like many other special districts in Georgia and the USA, Georgia’s rural HAs often act more like private entities than the public organizations they are. The lack of transparency demonstrated in this sector limits access to public information and reduces opportunities for citizen engagement, a necessary component of representative institutions. Research limitations/implications This case study is limited to Georgia HAs; however, the data support the lack of accountability and transparency found in many special district governments. Originality/value The lack of transparency in all of the organizations reviewed in this study demonstrates blurred lines between between public matters and private interests and raises questions of transparency, a key value in democracies.

Legislation for building back better of horizontal infrastructure

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Bassett ◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson ◽  
Sandeeka Mannakkara
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Similar Case ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Post Disaster

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine how post-disaster legislation can be used to support building back better (BBB) in the horizontal infrastructure sector (roading, water, wastewater and stormwater networks). Design/methodology/approach A case study approach was taken looking at the rebuild following the Canterbury earthquakes in New Zealand. Data were collected through document analysis and semi-structured open-ended interviews with members of the organization responsible for implementing the horizontal infrastructure rebuild. Findings The results showed that the post-disaster legislative actions taken in Christchurch were comparable to existing findings on post-disaster legislative best practices in developed countries. This study confirmed that post-disaster legislation is an effective mechanism to support BBB through enforcing BBB concepts such as risk reduction and better implementation, and facilitating the recovery process to improve efficiency. Research limitations/implications It is recommended that this study is extended to conduct similar case studies in other countries to further explore legislative implications in different sectors as well as different legislative environments. Originality/value This paper makes a valuable contribution to existing research on how post-disaster legislation can be used to support BBB in the horizontal infrastructure sector. The findings also add to wider knowledge on the Canterbury earthquakes recovery process.

The ideal blend of public relations and business diplomacy

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (12) ◽  
pp. 27-29
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Stakeholder Management ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
The Ideal

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 Business today are required to meet varying expectations of stakeholders growing in both number and diversity. The task demands a more comprehensive approach to stakeholder management that can be achieved by combining different aspects of the public relations and business diplomacy functions in order to increase the prospects of successfully meet the various challenges involved. 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.

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