Forskning inom kriskommunikation tyder på att det är viktigt som företagare att hantera kriskommunikation väl, oavsett storlek på organisationen. Utsläppsskandalen VAG-koncernen orsakade hösten 2015 skakade bilvärlden. Miljoner fordon blev påverkade av skandalen utan förvarning. I dagsläget pågår fortfarande utsläppsskandalen.Syftet med studien var att beskriva och analysera hur VAG-koncernen kommunicerade under utsläppsskandalen, baserat på uttalanden som de själva gjort samt utifrån det bedöma hur koncernen hanterade krisen. Slutligen analyserades resultatet med diskussion där slutsatsenblev att VAG-koncernen överlag hanterat krisen på ett bra sätt genom att de bad om ursäkt för skandalen, tillsatte en ny ledningsgrupp, tog ansvar för situationen och försökte återställa allt så gott det gick. Det negativa var att de agerade långsamt. Rekommendationen från de teorier som använts i denna studie är att agera fort, inom 24-36 timmar efter krisens start. VAG-koncernens första uttalande kom sju dagar efter skandalens uppdagande.De teorier som vi oftast kunde koppla till VAG-koncernens uttalanden var Image Repair Theory (IRT) och Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). Dessa teorier kopplades till alla tio uttalanden. Fem av uttalandena kopplades till strategin tillrättaläggande inom teorin IRT, vilket var den strategi som hade högst frekvens bland koncernens uttalanden. / Crisis communication is a globally central concept. Research in the area indicates that it isimportant for businesses to handle crisis communication well, regardless the size of theorganization. The emission scandal caused by the VAG-group in the autumn 2015 rattled theautomotive business. Millions of vehicles were affected by the scandal without warning. Thescandal is still going on in present time.The purpose of the study was to describe and analyze how the VAG-group communicatedduring the crisis based on the statements made by the VAG-group. Additionally, also determinehow VAG handled the crisis. Finally the result was analyzed with a discussion where theconclusion is that the VAG-group generally handles the crisis well since they apologized forthe scandal, changed the board, took responsibility for the situation and tried to restoreeverything as much as possible. The only negative aspect was their slow acting. Therecommendation from the theories used in this study is to act fast, within 24-36 hours after thestart of the crisis. For the VAG-group the first statement came seven days after the reveal of thescandal.The theories that we could connect mostly to the statements made by the VAG-group were theImage Repair Theory (IRT) and the Situational Crisis Communication (SCCT). These theoriescould be related to all ten statements. In five of the statements the strategy Corrective actionfrom IRT was connected which was the strategy with the highest frequency within thestatements by the VAG-group.

Denna studie undersöker kommunikationsstrategier hos tre online multibrand retailers (Matches Fashion, Moda Operandi och Mytheresa) verksamma inom lyxsegmentet i modeindustrin under en global pandemi. Krisen har påverkat modeindustrin omfattande och bidragit till ekonomisk instabilitet. Modeindustrin är vidare extra utsatt då den består av globala försörjningskedjor. Givet krisen blir en lojal kundbas för företag viktig för att upprätthålla lönsamheten. Detta med anledning av av den höga kostnaden som förvärv av nya kunder innebär, vilket blir särskilt kritiskt under en lågkonjunktur. Forskningsfrågorna vilka studien ämnar besvara är (i) Hur förändras företags kommunikation till kund under en kris? och (ii) Hur försöker företag upprätthålla kundlojalitet med hjälp av kommunikationsstrategier under en kris? De tre företagens kriskommunikation som återfinns i deras nyhetsbrev analyserades genom att använda det teoretiska ramverket: Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), utformat av Coombs (2007). En kvalitativ innehållsanalys genomfördes med hjälp av ett strukturerat observationsschema på urvalet om 432 nyhetsbrev. I enlighet med SCCT-teorin (Coombs 2007) påvisade resultatet att de strategier för utformning av kriskommunikation som var mest förekommande antingen var att förminska eller kompensera för krisen. Vidare kunde det utläsas från resultatet att företag genom kommunikationsstrategier försökte upprätthålla kundlojalitet med hjälp av rabattkoder, realisationer, kundservice samt redaktionellt innehåll, vilka är kategorier som framkommit ur operationalisering av kundlojalitet. / This bachelor thesis explores communication strategies of three online multi brand retailers in the luxury segment in the fashion industry; Matches Fashion, Moda Operandi and Mytheresa, during an external crisis, generated by a pandemic disease. Thus leaving the global fashion industry and supply chains with severe repercussions, contributing to a fragile financial environment for companies. Hence, retaining loyal customers is vital for sustaining profitability due to the high cost of acquiring new customers, which becomes critical during an economic recession. The research questions being examined are (i) how companies’ communication towards their customers changes during a crisis and (ii) how they try to maintain customer loyalty through communication strategies during the crisis. By using the theoretical framework Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), presented by Coombs (2007), each company’s communication through their newsletters was evaluated and analyzed. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on a sample of 432 newsletters using a structured observation schedule with predetermined categories. In accordance with the SCCT-theory (Coombs 2007), the findings showed that the most common strategies for crisis communication were to either diminish or rebuild. Attempts to maintain customer loyalty were communicated through discount codes, sales periods, customer service and editorial content which are categories generated from the operationalization. The thesis is written in Swedish.

The purpose of this study is to examine how the oat milk company Oatly applies crisis communication strategies and rhetorical components to maintain a good reputation and legitimacy in relation to the crisis regarding the investment firm Blackstone Growth. Creating a discrepancy between the way Oatly act and the way they present themselves; Oatly is presented as a sustainable company while Blackstone has been criticized to jeopardize environmental and human rights issues. The study provides three research questions: 1) How does Oatly apply CSR to their work and how can their sustainability work be related to the company’s crisis communication? 2) How is Oatly’s crisis communication portrayed in relation to the debated crisis regarding Blackstone Growth, based on IRT and SCCT? and 3) How does Oatly use rhetorical concepts in their crisis communication to maintain and construct their reputation? The material on which the study is based consists of press releases and sustainability reports published by Oatly as well as statements published in several articles made by the company CEO and communications manager. Based on a critical approach, the theoretical framework consists of the ideas from Corporate Social Responsibility, Image Repair Theory and Situational Crisis Communication Theory. Through a critical rhetorical analysis, the material is analyzed using the theoretical framework. The findings show that there is a correlation between Oatly’s crisis communication and their sustainability work, which is characterized by a persuasive rhetorical approach.

Vi har genomfört en innehålls- och textanalys samt retorisk analys av Furuviksparkens inlägg på Instagram och uttalanden i press och tv under schimpansincidenten 2022 i syfte att undersöka hur de använt olika strategier och retoriska medel för att upprätthålla sitt anseende och image. Med Image Repair Theory, Situational Crisis Communication Theory och retorikens appellformer har vi kunnat identifiera hur Furuvikparken använder olika strategier inom dessa teorier samt retoriska medel. I vår studie framkommer flera betydelsefulla resultat som ger insikter i hur Furuviksparken formulerade sina budskap under schimpansincidenten. En framstående observation är användingen av varierande retoriska strategier beroende på medieform. Furuviksparkens Instagram-inlägg utmärker sig genom en konsekvent ton och budskapsstruktur över tid, vilket indikerar en medveten ansträngning att bibehålla ett förtroendeingivande varumärke. Vidare visar studien på en dynamik i de retoriska strategierna över krisens förlopp. Pressutlåtanden och tv-intervjuer genomgick förändring där olika strategier som tillrättaläggande och återuppbyggnad användes i olika faser av krisen. Slutligen, vår analys pekar på en medveten användning av situational crisis communication- och image repair-strategier. Furuviksparken har strategiskt tillämpat dessa stratgier för att hantera och reparera sitt rykte under schimpansincidenten. Strategierna kan ses som ett försök att påverka uppfattningen om organisationen och skapa en positiv bild trots krisen. / We have carried out a content and text analysis as well as a rethorical analysis of Furuviksparkens posts on Instagram and statments in the press and on television during the 2022 chimpanzee incident in order to study how they used different strategies and rethorical means to maintain their reputation and image. With Image Repair Theory, Situational Crisis Communication Theory and rethorical forms of appeal, we have been able to identify how Furuviksparken uses different strategies within these theories as well as rethorical means. In our study, several significant results appear that provide insights into how Furuviksparken constructed its messages during the chimpanzee incident. A prominent observation is the use of varying rethorical strategies depending on the media form. Furuviksparkens Instagram posts are distinguished by a consistent tone and message structure over time, indicating a conscious effort to maintain a trustworthy organization. Furthermore, the study shows a dynamic in the rethorical strategies over the course of the crisis. Press statments and television interviews underwent change where different strategies such as relief and reconstruction were used in different phases of the crisis. Our analysis points to a conscious use of situational crisis communication- and image repair strategies. Furuviksparken has strategically applied these strategies to manage and repair its reputation during the incident. The strategies can be seen as an attempt to influence the perception of the organization and create a positive image during the incident.

The Volkswagen emissions scandal is one of the largest CSR crises in recent times given its scope and severity. From the outset, the manner in which Volkswagen has addressed the crisis and how it is going to be solved has been subject to public scrutiny. This study set out to examine the crisis communication in Volkswagen’s sustainability magazine Shift from 2016 featuring Volkswagen together with some of its internal and external stakeholders like the management and customers to find out what strategies were used by the company to repair its reputation and to assess the success of these strategies. Additionally, of interest was to compare the viewpoints of external stakeholders to that of Volkswagen, while also to investigate what kind of actors and opinions of the crisis that were presented. To answer these questions, a strategic selection of texts from the magazine were analysed through a qualitative text analysis. The theoretical perspectives consisted of the two crisis communication theories of image repair theory and situational crisis communication theory. The findings of the study indicate that the strategies used by Volkswagen to address the crisis do not seem very successful in general. Even if the most common strategy by Volkswagen is to discuss potential solutions to the crisis, these solutions are mainly oriented towards solving the crisis in a long-term perspective through a development of new vehicles. The biggest difference in comparison to external stakeholders is that they instead seem more concerned with solving the crisis in a shorter perspective through increased compensation to customers, for instance. Another finding is that a preference for more elitist stakeholders in the magazine could be due to a strategic choice by Volkswagen to avoid unfavourable reviews and use leaders as a tool for inspiring change. The main conclusion of the study is that work still needs to be done before Volkswagen can claim to have achieved a shift in the company’s sustainability communication. To do so, Volkswagen needs to take more responsibility for the crisis and to pay even more attention to the opinions of its different stakeholder groups.

Problem: Companies are becoming more active in social media. They usechannels such as Facebook, to communicate and interact with theirenvironment. In connection with this, companies must also be prepared todeal with crises in social media. Previous research shows no clear guidelineson how companies can work in social media to prevent crises. Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine how companiesin the communications industry can work with Facebook to prevent crises.We hope that our study can provide new perspectives and guidance on howcompanies can work with emergency communication for prevention. Methodology: We used a qualitative research to arrive at our results. Thismeant we got an insight into the complex world that companies are workingin. We interviewed six companies working in the communications industry.The material has been analyzed and reviewed in accordance with acceptedpractices. Conclusions: By analyzing the empirical material, we found out manyinteresting results. The results show that the companies we investigated arenot working to prevent crises in social media to any great extent. They ratheruses social media for marketing and commercial purposes. Companies needto develop strategies that can prevent crises from occurring

In this study, a qualitative rhetorical analysis is done on U.S. president Donald Trump’s crisis communication on Hurricane Maria, which was an Atlantic hurricane that struck areas such as Puerto Rico and Dominica in the autumn of 2017. Given that the former is an unincorporated territory of the U.S., the need for effective relief measures by the Trump administration became of particular importance there. However, in the media, the actual response by the administration was widely criticised as being slow and inefficient by actors like the relief group Oxfam and the humanitarian organisation Refugees International. Therefore, this study critically evaluates Trump’s crisis communication strategies on the hurricane to assess their success. The material consists of statements by Trump in both traditional and social media through official remarks and tweets, which are analysed through the crisis communication theories of image repair theory and situational crisis communication theory. In doing so, of interest is also to examine whether any differences can be seen in the strategies used by Trump in these two kinds of media channels. To address the hurricane, the findings showed that Trump mainly used the crisis communication strategies of corrective action, bolstering, defeasibility and attack accuser from image repair theory and compensation, reminder, ingratiation, excuse and attack the accuser from situational crisis communication theory. Moreover, no distinctive differences were found in which strategies Trump used in the respective channels, even if the attacks on Twitter were often more aggressive. While both positive and negative evaluations could be made of how Trump used these strategies overall, the main conclusion of the study is that his crisis communication was largely ineffective due to the strategies sometimes being contradictory and inconsistent.

Between approximately September 1, 2012 and February 1, 2014, the popular Canadian fashion retailer Lululemon Athletica Inc. faced an organizational crisis due to quality management problems. Beginning with manufacturing complications, the quality issues expressed themselves through various crisis symptoms (e.g., financial issues, legal issues, and senior leadership turmoil). The organization enacted crisis communication strategies to mitigate reputational risk and to inform the public and its stakeholders about the crisis. The news media also reported on the crisis extensively, which contributed to the public and stakeholders’ perceptions of the company and crisis. This dissertation draws on theories of narrative, translation, communication and media, and crisis communication to develop a theoretical foundation to guide the goals of this study. It is based on theories that conceptualize textual journalism as a process of both intralingual and interdiscursive translation that results in new narratives for the purpose of news media content creation. A qualitative content analysis informed by principles of critical discourse analysis is conducted to examine the narration of the crisis as depicted in the company’s textual communication about the crisis (e.g., press releases, annual reports), and the depiction of the crisis as narrated in textual media reports about the organization’s crisis. The two information streams are first analyzed individually to extract the main themes and sub-themes presented. Based on these analyses, a comparison of the two different information streams and their respective crisis narratives is conducted. The project investigates the ways in which the media translated information about the crisis to create their own narratives of the crisis. The findings of this dissertation show the process through which translation occurs, namely the linguistic and discursive variance between these two information streams. An analysis of the patterns in the linguistic and discursive variance between these two information streams indicates how the different social contexts in which each information stream is embedded may have impacted how the translation/journalism process occurs.

The BP Deepwater Horizon crisis in 2010 was one the largest catastrophes in the history of the oil industry. BP was sued over the disaster, and lost several billion dollars. This study examines the crisis response strategies and/or image repair strategies, which can be found in BP's press releases following the Deepwater Horizon crisis. In particular, the study looks closer at what established crisis communication strategies could be discerned in the material, and how they are used discursively. The theories used were the Image Repair Theory (IRT) and the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). The results show that BP utilized a number of different established crisis response strategies and/or image repair strategies in their crisis communication work in the press releases. These strategies were concern, corrective action, ingratiation, transcendence, differentiation, denial, shifting the blame/scapegoating, defeasibility, compassion and attacking the accuser. They were used discursively by the CEO by expressing sympathy, promising that a similar event will never happen again, by stating appreciation for and praising the leadership of the U.S. President and public sector. What is more, it is used by describing in detail how the solution process progresses, by stating what the causes of the crisis were, by describing other involved actors' lack of taking responsibility and by establishing a fraud hotline. The main conclusions of the study are that BP used several crisis strategies in their press release s, though rather inconsistently. Additionally, BP used the strategies in an ambiguous manner, and changed strategies over time. Lastly, one main conclusion is also that a company is prepared to utilize crisis communication strategies in their practical communications work, though not entirely in the way prescribed by the theories.

The case study ”Är det H&M eller luvtröjan?” intends to analyze the crisis communication that took place during H&Ms crisis in early 2018. The crisis situation stems from a controversial choice of letting a dark-skinned child wear the hoodie with the print “Coolest monkey in the jungle”. H&M was quickly criticized by the media for making racial remarks. To address the situation H&M published an official press release on their website and several public statements on their social media channels. With the main purpose of the case study being to analyze H&Ms official statements about the crisis situation, we intend to identify which strategies were applied to reduce eventual reputational damage to H&M. The case study focused on answering the different questions based on the crisis that occurred. The questions are “Which rhetorical appeals were used in the official statements published by H&M?”, “Which identifiable strategies from SCCT and IRT were used in the official statements published by H&M”, and “Which actions were implemented by H&M after the crisis situation, and what effect does that have on the brand?”. A rhetorical analysis was used to identify which rhetorical appeals including Ethos, Logos, and Pathos were used in the official statements by H&M, and furthermore, understand what the usage of certain appeals means to the crisis situation and its communicational part. The theories within crisis communication that were used are situational crisis communication theory and image restoration theory. These theories present strategies to use in cases of crisis. To answer the second question, the official statements were analyzed and categorized after which strategi they could identify as. The last question was not based on theories, and was answered by following research about H&Ms actions after the crisis. The results shows that H&M mostly used pathos to persuade the organization's stakeholders to show regret about the situation, and that pattern can be found in all the official statements that were analyzed. Furthermore, the theories that were most identified in the official statements were sympathy, regret, and apologetic, which overall shows regret from theorganization. To answer the last question about reputational damage. H&M has since the crisis followed by hiring a global head of diversity and inclusion, to prevent similar events from occurring.