Master of Science - Agricultural Education and Communication / Department of Communications and Agricultural Education / Jason D. Ellis / The Situational Crisis Communications Theory (SCCT) states that what organizations say to various publics during a crisis should influence the extent of the reputational and financial damage a crisis can inflict on the organization's image. Past research has focused on distinguishing types of crises and what crisis-communication strategies should be used with traditional media. Research exists, but looks at social media and its effects on brand reputation during a crisis via case studies or is an experimental design focused on the information source. There is a lack of controlled experimental studies that investigate the role of social media in crisis-communications strategies. Guided by Coombs’ Situational Crisis Communications Theory, this controlled experimental design employed a 2x2 factorial design. The independent variables were (a) type of crisis (preventable, accidental) and (b) type of response (rebuild, diminish) used on Twitter. The dependent variable was organizational brand reputation. Survey participants were recruited through a paid Qualtrics panel who were millennials that live in Midwestern states. Specific research questions were RQ 1: Will all participants begin with the same pre-test score; RQ 2: Is there a time effect on brand reputation; RQ 3: Does an accidental crisis change brand reputation; RQ 4: Does a preventable crisis change brand reputation; RQ 5: Does brand reputation change vary by crisis type? Based on findings in previous research, hypotheses developed were: H1: Brand reputation will be consistent from pre-brand to post-brand test for matched crisis responses; H2: Post-brand tests for unmatched accidental responses will be consistent with or better than pre-brand tests; H3: Post-brand tests for unmatched preventable responses will be lower than pre-brand tests. The findings from this study give insight to how SCCT translates to Twitter. In this study, matched responses did not maintain reputation as the SCCT literature suggests. In addition, the accidental unmatched condition did not perform better than the matched condition. However, unmatched preventable did have a bigger decline in brand reputation than matched, suggesting it could be better to have no response than the wrong response in some situations. This study confirms the need for practitioners to understand the crisis type prior to responding and understand the role of social media in communication. Throughout the study, it was found that using an unmatched response could cause a decrease in brand reputation. This is especially true when using a low-attribution response for a high-attribution situation, as the response will fall short of what the crisis requires.

Sponsorship is one of the most effective marketing strategies for corporations to communicate with their target audience as well as improving their brand. The most common sponsorship is sports related, despite this there is a lack of research regarding the on-field performance effect on sponsorship. The aim of this study is to investigate the importance of the on-field performances and their effects on the team’s sponsorships.   The following marketing model and marketing theories have been used: A-ERIC Model, Brand Equity and Brand Image Transfer. All of these have previously been used in different scientific studies and has, because of this, been chosen to act as the foundation of this study. A qualitative data collecting method has been used in this study to be able to work towards the aim of it and fulfil the ambition to answer the scientific questions asked. With an interview guide as support, five semi structured interviews have been created and completed.   The result of this study show that the on-field performances has an indirect effect on the sponsorships. Poor performances can result in worse exposure for the sponsorships and affect them negatively. On the other hand, the fact that sponsorgiver show their support can give them a positive effect because they appear loyal to the sport organization. It also became clear that communication had a major impact and depending on how the sport organization chooses to communicate its goals, it will determine the expectations for sponsorship. Additionally, the study has also shown that communication has a big effect on how important the on-field performances are for the sponsors. The communication between the sponsorgiver and sponsortaker, also has a big effect on how important the on-field performance is for the sponsor.

Aim: The study aims to explore the process of service recovery, its transformation into a marketing tool and identifying the outcomes of the tool to the organizations. Methodology: The research employed a qualitative methodology with an inductive approach. Data collection was carried out via semi-structured interviews with participants from four organizations in Stockholm City. The analysis involved the use of questions based on the main concepts derived from the literature and manual coding scheme to identify new themes. Findings & Conclusion: Service recovery is a powerful marketing tool that can benefit organizations in various ways. By implementing effective strategies such as employee training, transparency, multiple service recovery options, and process improvement, organizations can turn service failures into opportunities. The outcomes of using service recovery as a marketing tool include customer retention and repeat purchases, positive word-of-mouth marketing, confidence and trust, building customer relationships, competitive advantage, and business growth and sustainability. The findings of the study highlight the critical importance of service recovery in marketing for customer retention and acquisition. Limitations and recommendations for further research: While this study provides valuable insights into how organizations can use service recovery as a marketing tool, further research is needed to understand its impact from a customer’s perspective and to broaden the scope of industries and geographic locations studied. Further research is also suggested to compare the performance of organizations that prioritize service recovery in marketing with those that don’t and to conduct a comparative analysis with other marketing tools. Also, exploring additional theories and concepts could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Background: In previous years, Swedish company Na-kd has been promoted in the media due to allegations of poor working conditions. While this has potentially taken a hit on the company’s reputation, studying the relationship between corporate actions and perceptions of the public has been neglected. People engage in political consumerism to express their opinions regarding political, social, or ethical concerns, which could for example include boycotting (refusing to shop at) a specific company. Previous literature within the political consumerism and corporate brand reputation stream pays little attention to understanding the relationship between the two, which includes the impact of corporate brand reputation on political consumerism. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between political consumerism and corporate reputation, where corporate reputation is impacted by CSR, employer branding, corporate image, and crisis exposure. Method: This research has adopted a deductive structure and a quantitative approach where the Na-kd case was used as a stimulus/prompt. A non-probability sampling approach was used, and primary data was collected through an online questionnaire where results were exported and analyzed in SPSS software. The methods of analysis were correlations and the sample consisted of 114 female respondents in the ages of 18-35. Findings: To test the hypotheses Pearson’s Chi-Square test and Spearman’s rho was conducted and calculated to test the relationship and its strength between the chosen variables. The results proved to be significant, and all five hypotheses were supported, which concludes that corporate reputation is influenced by poor CSR activities, poor employer branding, negative corporate image, and crisis exposure which in terms affects consumer purchase decisions to boycott, buycott or doing nothing. Originality/Value: This research proves that there is a positive correlation between negative corporate reputation and political consumerism, which contributes to the political consumerism stream within the consumer research domain as well as literature about corporate brand reputation within the field of brand marketing.

Purpose - The purpose of the study is to explore how sustainability activities are perceived as a part of a company’s brand equity and brand reputation in a B2B context within the transport sector. This is studied from the perspectives of the supplier as well as of its customers. Methodology - The research purpose was of an exploratory nature and had an qualitative approach, where data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The research strategy is in the form of a case study based on a Swedish truck company, more specifically tanker trucks. The respondents consisted of current customers and employees at the forwarding company.   Results - The findings of the study showed that transport companies in the specific industry do not have a direct need to conduct marketing communication or focus as much on the brand reputation as the theory says. However, in terms of sustainability, marketing is still relevant, but not for creation of brand equity. Sustainability activities are therefore not a requirement for brand equity in the transport industry. Customers who do not have sustainability activities as a requirement for suppliers see sustainability as an add-on service, and since sustainability is not an expressed need for these customers, satisfaction is positively affected, although satisfaction does not say anything about the customer’s degree of fulfillment of sustainability. Implications - This study helps to fill the gap in the research area of sustainability activities and brand equity, both by studying the subject in the transport sector but also by providing a holistic view of the impact of sustainability on brand equity and brand reputation. The findings of the study also contribute to practitioners, by giving forwarding companies in a B2B market insights to prioritize their marketing efforts through obtained findings in terms of sustainability, brand equity, and brand reputation. Further findings show that B2B customers have a hard time fulfilling the emotional route in customer-based brand equity, instead, they fulfill the rational route. Sustainability is thus a complement to strengthening brand equity. However, it is not enough as an individual aspect when it comes to creating brand equity in the transport industry. The thesis shows that customers have the greatest interest in the environmental sustainability dimensions in terms of responsibility in the transport sector. Communicating sustainability and its value creation further in the value chain to customers can result in interest and commitment to sustainability.

Social responsibility has a long history and it is evolved from the genuine altruism of human beings. On the other hand, corporate social responsibility finds its roots from organizations. The interactions of an organization and the public enable CSR to emerge and affect both organizations and human beings.The term CSR is evaluated differently in different contexts with different approaches by the scholars.One type of CSR, strategic CSR, aims for evaluating CSR from a strategic point of view. As strategic CSR is a long term investment, it provides a competitive advantage over competitors once a company invests in CSR and communicates CSR properly. The interest of consumers in products is the main drive for the introduction of the brand concept. Brand becomes important due to the fact that organization wants the products and services to be recognizable by the public. This recognition is followed by formation of brand reputation which requires long term investments to be established.The purpose of this study is to analyze how strategic CSR and brand reputation are perceived to affect competitive advantage in a specific company. This study traces the perceptions of CSR, the brand reputation and the competitive advantage concepts in this company, with particular focus on how they are perceived by the employees in the organization.In this case study, Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Design is used to have different insights from qualitative and quantitative analyses. In this design, first qualitative analysis has been conducted and it is followed by the quantitative analysis.Findings of this study reveal that in the specific company, the perceptions of management and nonmanagement employees differ for the given concepts. The non-management employees think that CSR enables competitive advantage whereas management favors brand reputation more and thinks that it is crucial for competitive advantage of the specific company. Although management thinks that CSR is an important concept that the organization might benefit from, there is no plan to evaluate CSR strategically in the specific company.A crucial attribute of a company is to be dynamic and to adapt rapidly to the industry and market changes. This is followed by generation of the brand and improvement of the brand to provide reputation. From this perspective, it is a necessity that both CSR and brand reputation should be evaluated strategically in ACME AB and if neglected, the competitive advantage of a company cannot be realized. / Socialt ansvar har en lång historia och det utvecklats från äkta altruism av människans inneboende altruism. Å andra sidan, finner samhällsansvar (CSR) sina rötter i organisationer. Samspelet mellan en organisation och samhället möjliggör för CSR sikt att växa och påverka både organisationer och människor.Termen CSR utvärderas olika i olika sammanhang med olika metoder av akademiker. En typ av CSR, strategisk CSR, syftar till att utvärdera CSR ur ett strategiskt perspektiv. Eftersom strategisk CSR är en långsiktig investering ger det en konkurrensfördel gentemot konkurrenterna när ett företag investerar i CSR och kommunicerar CSR väl.Konsumenternas intresse av produkter är den viktigaste drivkraften för införandet av varumärkesbegreppet. Varumärket blir viktigt på grund av att organisationen vill att deras produkter och tjänster ska kännas igen av allmänheten. När väl varumärket etablerats kan dess rykte börja byggas upp.Syftet med denna studie är att analysera hur strategisk CSR och varumärke uppfattas påverka konkurrensfördel i ett specifikt företag. Denna studie analyserar uppfattningar om CSR, det varumärke och konkurrensfördelar uppfattningar om begreppen i ett specifikt företag, med särskilt fokus på hur de uppfattas av de anställda i organisationen.I denna fallstudie används metodiken Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Design för att få insikt både via kvalitativa och kvantitativa analyser. I denna metodik, har första kvalitativ analys genomförts och det följs av den kvantitativa analysen.Resultaten av denna studie visar att i ett specifikt företag skiljer sig uppfattningarna om de givna begreppen mellan anställda i ledande och icke ledande ställning. Anställda i icke ledande befattningartror att CSR ger konkurrensfördelar, medan ledningen gynnar varumärke mer och tycker att det är avgörande för att ge företaget konkurrensfördelar. Även om ledningen anser att CSR är ett viktigt begrepp som organisation kan dra nytta, finns det inga planer på att utvärdera CSR strategiskt i ett specifikt företag.En avgörande egenskap hos ett företag är att vara dynamiskt och att kunna anpassa sig snabbt till förändringar i branschen och dess marknad. Detta bidrar till att bygga upp varumärket och, på längre sikt, ge det ett got rykte. Ur detta perspektiv är det en nödvändighet att både CSR och rykte utvärderas strategiskt i ett specifikt företag och om de försummas, kan deras associerade konkurrensfördelar för ett företag inte förverkligas.

Text in English / Brand reputation has received the attention of many scholars and practitioners because it is central to the success of organisations of all kinds, and an intangible asset with no substitute. In the academic world, brand reputation has been demarcated by various scholars, depending on the disciplinary mind-set involved. It has been established that diverse stakeholder groups have different needs from a brand and their perceptions of brand reputation are thus varied. Acknowledging the needs of different stakeholders and the importance of the consumer stakeholder group allows for a more nuanced and systematic approach in conceptualising brand reputation. Although numerous studies have attempted to explain brand reputation, there is a paucity of studies that have actually conceptualised brand reputation as an attitudinal construct based on both cognitive (rational) and affective (emotional) components. Even fewer researchers have endeavoured to conceptualise brand reputation as an attitudinal construct in the consumer stakeholder group. The aim of this study was to explore female consumer perceptions of Nike’s brand reputation and conceptualise brand reputation as an attitudinal construct based on both cognitive and affective components. The study used qualitative research methods (focus groups and interviews) to collect data on Nike from a group of female consumers in order to identify perceptions and elements that contribute to conceptualising brand reputation on the basis of the components of attitudes. The key findings of this study highlighted the fact that brand reputation is a multidimensional construct and can be demarcated through various elements that contribute to the following themes: perception of product qualities and service, the perception of brand traits and the perception of brand strategy. These themes contribute to the conceptualisation of brand reputation as an attitudinal construct. Since brand reputation as an attitudinal construct has previously been conceptualised based on cognitive and affective components, this study confirmed the two components but a unique finding of this study was the identification of the behavioural component of attitudes. Hence the study findings not only make a contribution to the existing body of knowledge on perceptions of brand reputation in an elusive stakeholder group – female consumers, consumer-based reputation (CBR), and in defining brand reputation but also conceptualise brand reputation as an attitudinal construct based on previously identified cognitive and affective components as well as the newfound behavioural component of attitudes. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication Science)

Submitted by Ann-Kathrin Grüner (gruener_ann-kathrin@t-online.de) on 2017-11-16T18:47:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Ann-Kathrin Grüner_Master Thesis MPGI_2017.pdf: 2261176 bytes, checksum: eb202b6f04ec9ea725fc1f08bde8b2fd (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Josineide da Silva Santos Locatelli (josineide.locatelli@fgv.br) on 2017-11-17T10:30:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Ann-Kathrin Grüner_Master Thesis MPGI_2017.pdf: 2261176 bytes, checksum: eb202b6f04ec9ea725fc1f08bde8b2fd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-17T11:59:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ann-Kathrin Grüner_Master Thesis MPGI_2017.pdf: 2261176 bytes, checksum: eb202b6f04ec9ea725fc1f08bde8b2fd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-10-30 / The automotive industry always has been crisis prone and with the most recent Volkswagen emission incident, this dissertation aims at understanding the effects of a crisis on the brand reputation of the affected firm, measured with 4 different frameworks (namely the RepTrak model, the Interbrand method, Young&Rubicam’s Brand Asset Valuator and Keller’s Customer-based Brand Equity), and its behaviors reacting to it during the course of the crisis. To provide a base for comparison, two case studies about Ford and Volkswagen were considered and contrasted. Examining the companies’ cases, it showed that both enterprises dealt rather similar with the incident faced, proving that the firms did not learn from prior similar incidents occurred to third parties. In determining the adequacy of the initiative actions compared to the theoretically suggested ones, it was found that neither company followed the suggestions made by existing literature and that the companies’ own actions proved rather inadequate, happening with delay, trying to hide the own misdeeds and eventually losing their customers’ trust. Deducing lessons learned for future crisis-affected enterprises, the two cases proved beneficial in confirming the essentiality of speed and timeliness in a crisis situation, the relevance of admitting oneself to the scandal before the media covers it, sincerity and consistency in one’s words and actions, equity in the treatment of affected parties and the importance of regarding the own situational context. / A indústria automobilística sempre foi propensa a crises e com o incidente mais recente da Volkswagen manipulando valores de emissões, esta dissertação se dirige a compreender os efeitos de uma crise na reputação da marca da empresa afetada, medida com quatro modelos diferentes (para ser exato o modelo RepTrak, o método Interbrand, o Brand Asset Valuator de Young&Rubicam e o Customer-based Brand Equity de Keller), e seus comportamentos frente à crise. Para fornecer uma base para comparação, dois estudos de caso sobre Ford e Volkswagen foram considerados e contrastados. Examinando os casos das empresas, exibiu que ambas empresas lidaram com os incidentes encarados de uma forma parecida, provando que nenhum deles aprendeu de incidentes parecidos encarados por terceiros no passado. Determinando a adequação de ações iniciativas comparados com as sugeridas por teorias, constatou-se que ambas as empresas abdicaram das sugestões da literatura vigente e que suas tomadas de ações foram inadequadas, por conta de seu atraso e tentativa de ocultação dos próprios delitos, resultando em perda de confiança de seus clientes. Deduzindo lições para potenciais empresas afetadas de crises no futuro, ambos os estudos se mostraram proveitosos ao ratificar a importância da velocidade e tempestividade em uma situação de crise, a relevância em antecipar à mídia pública em se admitir o escândalo, sinceridade e consistência nas palavras e nas ações, equidade no tratamento de terceiros afetados e a importância de considerar o contexto da situação.

Företag blir idag mer exponerade för negativ publicitet än tidigare i och med digitaliseringens framfart. Det är därför viktigt för företag att veta hur de ska hantera den negativa publiciteten som mottages för att sedan kunna förebygga en kris och sitt företagsrykte genom väl genomtänkta strategier. Tidigare forskning jämför hur företag inom samma bransch förebygger och hanterar en företagskris. Däremot, att undersöka hur företag i olika branscher förebygger en kris är outforskat och det behövs vidare forskning kring detta ämne. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka strategier företag i olika branscher arbetar med för att förebygga en företagskris för att se huruvida olika branscher använder sig av samma strategier.  Studien har använt sig av en kvalitativ studie genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex fallföretag varav två företag är verksamma inom samma bransch: bank-, el- och telekommunikationsbranschen.  Resultatet visar att företagen strävar efter samma mål genom samma strategier men utförandet kan skilja sig åt efterom de har olika förutsättningar beroende på bransch. Genom studien har en analysmodell skapats för att visa företag de olika strategier som kan appliceras vid förebyggandet av en kris och sambandet mellan att arbeta proaktivt och reaktivt med varumärket, kundlojalitet och krishantering. Studien bidrar till att ge företag oavsett bransch praktiska lösningar som kan tillämpas i praktiken då företagen i de olika branscherna använder sig av samma strategier vid förebyggandet och under en kris. / Companies today are more exposed to negative publicity than ever before due to digitalization. It is important for companies to know how to manage the negative publicity that is received in order to be able to prevent a crisis and reputation through well-thought-out strategies. Previous research shows how companies within the same industry prevent and manage a crisis. However, investigating how companies in different industries prevent a crisis is unexplored and further research is needed on this topic. This study aims to highlight which strategies companies in different industries use to prevent a corporate crisis to see whether different industries use the same strategies.  The study has used a qualitative study where the primary data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with six case companies, two of which are active in the same industry: banking, electrical and telecommunications industry. The result shows that the companies strive for the same goals through the same strategies, but the execution may differ because they have different conditions depending on the industry. Through the study, an analysis model has been created to show how companies the different strategies that can be applied in order to prevent a crisis as well as the connection between working proactive and reactive with the brand, customer loyalty and crisis management which contributes to providing companies, regardless of industry, with practical solutions that can be applied in practice.

過往顧客滿意架構多集中在購前因素分析或購後行為探討，甚少連結前因後果之整合性架構，故本研究從認知、態度、行為三個面向予以探究，並以關係階段與替代性吸引力雙變數作為調節變項。 本研究針對上海速食業者德克士之消費客群為抽樣對象，共收集有效問卷329份，並利用結構方程模式檢驗研究假說。研究結果歸納如下： 1. 品牌聲望對知覺價值與顧客滿意度皆有正向影響，且知覺價值亦對顧客滿意度有顯著的正向關係。 2. 慣性行為對於顧客滿意到顧客忠誠的路徑具有部分中介效果，結果顯示慣性亦是形成忠誠度的前驅因子之一。 3. 顧客滿意到口碑傳播的路徑並不顯著，但顧客忠誠到口碑傳播卻有顯著的正向關係，代表客群如果只有滿意還不足以衍生口碑行為，需要透過忠誠機制才有足夠強度驅動口碑。 4. 關係階段會顯著調節「顧客滿意到顧客忠誠」以及「顧客滿意到慣性行為」之關係，其他路徑則不顯著。替代性吸引力則對所有路徑的調節效果皆不顯著，此結果可能源於實證對象與競爭企業在消費者的認知中並沒有太大差異或偏好。 / Past researches of customer satisfaction focus on analysis of pre-pruchasing factors or post-buying behaviors. Nevertheless, few studies have adapted integrative structures of combining whole causal connection. The study investigates into three dimensions of cognition, attitude and behavior, taking relationship stage and alternative attractiveness as moderating variables. The study collected 329 valid questionnaires from fast food chain stores, Dicos, in Shanghai and took advantage of SEM to verify research hypotheses. Results and discussions are concluded below： 1. Brand Reputation has positive influence in Perceived Value and Customer Satisfaction. Perceived Value also has significantly positive influence in Customer Satisfaction. 2. Inertia Behavior has mediation effect towards the path of Customer Satisfaction and Customer Lotalty. The result indicates inertia is one of the pre-exponential factors of Customer Loyalty. 3. Customer Satisfaction to Word of Mouth isn’t significant, but Customer Loyalty to Word of Mouth is significantly positive. The result reveals satisfaction is not enough to motivate WOM spreading. Loyalty mechanism is needed to drive WOM behaviors. 4. Relationship stage moderates “Customer Satisfaction to Customer Lotalty” and “Customer Satisfaction to Inertia Behavior” significantly and other hypotheses aren’t significant. Alternative attractiveness doesn’t significantly moderate all of the hypotheses. It may indicate there is no difference or preference to cognition of customers towards Dicos and their competitors.