Apologies combined with other crisis response strategies: Do the fulfillment of individuals' needs to be heard and the timing of response message affect apology appropriateness?

PurposeIreland is viewed as the shining base for Catholicism. That image is shattered as survivors revealed the abuse in the Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes, and sexual abuse by priests. This study aims to examine image repair efforts by the Pope during his August 2018 visit.Design/methodology/approachExamined against the Letter of His Holiness released days earlier, this study evaluates all the Pope's speeches during his visit to Ireland using the image repair theory (Benoit and Pang, 2008) as its theoretical lens.FindingsPope Francis used the evasion of responsibility strategy to address the Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes scandal and denial, corrective action and mortification for sex abuse crisis.Research limitations/implicationsAddresses call by Ferguson et al. (2018) to examine the consistency and effectiveness of strategies.Practical implicationsBeyond rhetoric, stakeholders would be looking to organizational leaders to provide relief and concrete steps to recover from their pain.Originality/valueA leader's narratives represent the organization's narratives; thus, insights from this study can help leaders plan what they should say when conducting image repair. It is not just their own reputations that are on the line but, in this case, it is also the reputations of the people they represent

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“…Yet, there are limits to apology uttered by the Pope in this case. Individuals need to be heard, argued Im et al . (2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the theory does not examine stakeholder or victims' reactions, which Coombs (2010) argued required further attention. Understanding stakeholders and victims' perspectives seem to increasingly dominate research (see for instance, Im et al ., 2021; Jong and Brataas, 2021; Wei and Kim, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Catholic Church abuse scandal in Ireland: two steps forward, one step back by Pope Francis?

Pang

Hogan

Andrasevic

2021

CCIJ

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“…Nigeria still operates a vertical approach to pandemics crisis with no emphasis on university pandemic crisis response and strategic plan to ensure continuity and maintain a positive reputation (Ilesanmi, & Afolabi, 2020). This review predicts RCRS as the most appropriate in meeting stakeholders' expectations and protecting Nigerian university reputations during a pandemic crisis (Im, Youk, & Park, 2021).…”

Section: Rebuilding Crisis Response Strategy (Rcrs) Rationale and Reputational Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, RCRS was perceived to be the best in meeting stakeholders' expectations, regaining customers' interest, and protect reputation during a severe pandemic crisis, not minding who is responsible for the crisis. This is because stakeholders only want to see positive actions taken by the organization to protect their interests (Im, Youk, & Park, 2021). During a pandemic crisis, RCRS allows an alternative system of procedures in the discharge and delivery of university services: the establishment of an emergency communications plan, creating an avenue to reduce close contact between the two groups (employees and stakeholders or customers), develop alternative approaches in using social media educating platforms to manage, message, signage and to educate customers on pandemic safety procedures, encouragements, and provisions of vaccination procedures (if available) to the staff, students-stakeholders, contingencies and care for sick customers by asking sick stakeholders not to enter the school environment, advancement of quick and ready respond to customers and meeting their expectation, provision of easy alternative university customers care services and reaching to relevant stakeholders' need relating to services delivery.…”

Section: Protecting Customers' Interest (Stakeholders)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…in connection with the above findings, Nigerian universities suffer most in terms of reputational threats associated with pandemic crises (Samuel, 2020). A study conducted by Im, Youk & Park (2021) evident that RCRS was perceived to be best and most appropriate in meeting expectations and guaranteed reputational sustainability during severe crises irrespective of who is responsible for the crisis.…”

Section: Reputation In University Organizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rebuilding Crisis Response Strategies: Nigerian University Reputation Sustainability during and after the Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis

Dominic¹,

Mahamed²,

Abdullah³

et al. 2021

IJARBSS

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Purpose: The outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is projected to have severe potential threats to university reputation. This paper aims to examine how rebuilding crisis response strategies (RCRS) will protect and sustain the university's reputations during and after emerging outbreaks of pandemic crises in the Nigerian context. Design/methodology/approach: This review paper is on the synthesis of university covid-19 related news, supported by relevant literature review on Covid-19 and university reputation, and the strength of Situational Crisis Communication Theory's (SCCT) rebuilding response strategies. However, the authors' personal experiences in investigating the trends on pandemic crises and university reputation sustainability also contributed to the study. Findings: This paper predicts that epidemics and pandemics have a potential impact on university reputation, thus, affecting good stakeholders' relationships, positive marketization, smooth functionalization, and favorable working environments. Rebuilding response strategies have the power to protect and rebuild universities' reputations during and after a pandemic crisis. Therefore, rebuilding strategies should be considered by university bodies for reputational sustainability during and after a pandemic crisis in the Nigerian context. Research limitations/implications: This review is limited to the pandemic crisis and its response strategies among Nigerian universities. While Nigerian universities reflect upon how to bring positive changes in terms of university-industry reputation following this Covid-19 pandemic, subsequent research should also consider the best possible crisis response strategy among universities to mitigate the effects of similar future pandemics crises, looking at other geographical contexts. Practical implications: This review paper serves as recommendations for Nigerian universities and policymakers, focusing on reputation sustainability during a pandemic crisis. The suggestions may help in the alleviation of and fight against an emerging pandemic-related outbreak, offers university bodies a newly enriching pandemic response strategy, and partially if not completely mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the university's reputation.

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Firms' responses to environmental misconduct accusations under the condition of contested practice complexity: Evidence from the palm oil production industry

2023

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Public accusations of misconduct by environmental organizations exert reputational pressure on firms. The targeted firms are thus faced with the decision of responding accommodatively or defensively. Situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) holds that such accusations require an accommodative response to reduce the reputational threat. However, defensive response behavior is frequently observed, and insights from the sociocognitive perspective explain that corporate conceptualizations of the contested practice (and hence threat) shape targets' responses. We integrate and extend prior research by (1) explicating the need for attention to the condition of contested practice complexity and (2) theoretically developing and empirically testing (using a sample of palm oil producers accused of illegal deforestation by Greenpeace) the impact of targeted firms' engagement in environmental alliances and past environmental misconduct experience, two key manifestation variables of practice meaningfulness. Overall, in line with calls for a more comprehensive understanding, we provide new insights into the question of when and why targeted firms respond accommodatively or defensively to environmental organizations' demands that they change their practices.

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Apologies combined with other crisis response strategies: Do the fulfillment of individuals' needs to be heard and the timing of response message affect apology appropriateness?

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

The Catholic Church abuse scandal in Ireland: two steps forward, one step back by Pope Francis?

The Catholic Church abuse scandal in Ireland: two steps forward, one step back by Pope Francis?

Rebuilding Crisis Response Strategies: Nigerian University Reputation Sustainability during and after the Covid-19 Pandemic Crisis

Firms' responses to environmental misconduct accusations under the condition of contested practice complexity: Evidence from the palm oil production industry

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