Message Strategies and Forgiveness during Crises

Abstract

In this study, the concept of forgiveness was proposed as an outcome variable to crisis management, and relationships among message appeals, causal attributions, and forgiveness were investigated. A 2 (causal attributions: internal vs. external) × 2 (message appeals: information-centered vs. emotion-centered) between-subjects design experimental study was conducted. The two types of causal attributions had significant main effects, and the different types of causal attributions and message appeals had interaction effects on forgiveness. This suggests the importance of selectively determining message appeals based on the public's perception of causal attributions during a crisis.A growing number of organizations have been experiencing a wide range of crises because of the increasingly complex society in which they operate. 1 Communication researchers have made substantial efforts to identify the most effective communication strategies that could help organizations address diverse types of crisis situations. 2

Crisis Management and Corporate Apology: The Effects of Causal Attribution and Apology Type on Publics’ Cognitive and Affective Responses

“…Although conceptually distinct, previous crisis studies have shown that the two causal dimensions of controllability and locus are indistinct in their operationalization and do not separately influence crisis outcomes (Lee, 2004; McDonald, Sparks, & Glendon, 2010; Moon & Rhee, 2012). According to Lee (2004), people who perceive that the crisis responsibility is within the boundaries of an organization (i.e., internal locus) are likely to regard the crisis as controllable, whereas those who perceive that the crisis responsibility is outside the realm of an organization (i.e., external locus) are likely to view it as uncontrollable.…”

Effects of Appeal Type and Audience Gender on Perceptions of the Pope’s Credibility

“…In contrast, the stimulating mechanism of emotional appeals centers on creating a state of heightened psychological arousal, whereby the individual becomes alert and prepared to take certain actions (Hawkins, Best & Coney, 2003).Rational appeals refer mainly to practical, functional consumer needs, as opposed to emotional appeals that are directed mainly to psychological aspects of these needs (Bovée & Arens, 1992). Moon and Rhee (2012) argue that rational appeals focus on providing concrete and clear information about the given topic in order to change the recipient's beliefs by relying on arguments or reason. On the other hand, in persuading recipients, emotion-centered appeals focus on presenting various images and words that stimulate positive or negative emotions and atmosphere about the given topic.…”

Effects of Appeal Type and Audience Gender on Perceptions of the Pope’s Credibility

“…Two common approaches to classifying message type in research on message have been to distinguish between verbal and nonverbal communication (e.g., Brooks, 2011;Grabe & Bucy, 2009;Koppensteiner & Grammer, 2010;Stewart & Dowe, 2013) or between rational (informational) and emotional messages (e.g., Claeys & Cauberghe, 2014;Leonidou & Leonidou, 2009;Moon & Rhee, 2012;Mortimer & Grierson, 2010). The former has been applied chiefly in various studies from the fields of political science and political psychology, while the latter is an active area of research in the fields of marketing and communication.…”

“…In contrast,the stimulating mechanism of emotional appeals centers on creating a state ofheightened psychological arousal, whereby the individual becomes alertand prepared to take certain actions (Hawkins, Best & Coney, 2003).Rational appeals refer mainly to practical, functional consumer needs,as opposed to emotional appeals that are directed mainly to psychologicalaspects of these needs (Bovée & Arens, 1992). Moon and Rhee (2012) argue that rational appeals focus on providing concrete and clear information about the given topic in order to change the recipient's beliefs by relying on arguments or reason. On the other hand, in persuading recipients, emotion-centered appeals focus on presenting various images and words that stimulate positive or negative emotions and atmosphere about the given topic.…”