Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Joye C. Gordon / As technology advances in social media, crisis management professionals and researchers are charged with revamping or discovering new communication tools to address the dissemination crisis information. Social media provides a platform for open conversations, community, and connectedness among individuals and permits anyone to become the source of information during a time of crisis. Crisis news can be shared and reshared among millions of people without the need of a professional source, such as a journalist. A crisis may disrupt social order to an organization’s reputation and legitimacy, but a crisis also provides an opportunity for growth or renewal. Previous literature has analyzed crisis communication affects on organizational reputation through cases studies; however, there is lack of analysis in using an experimental design. Through an experiment with 207 undergraduate students, this study empirically evaluates the dissemination of crisis communication through Twitter and its effect on organizational communication. Using McLuhan’s (1967) concept of the medium is the message, this study highlights past findings, explicates types of crises, and focuses on the medium as a variable (not content of response) of interest to provide groundwork for an experimental inquiry into how the medium itself (as opposed to message content) impacts the efficacy of organizational crisis responses. A 2x3 experimental design with two research conditions- types of crisis: (1) intentional and (2) unintentional and source types: (1) organization (2) journalist, and (3) friend was used in this study. An online questionnaire was administered through an online survey service to approximately 2,000 undergraduates. Participants were randomized in one of six conditions based on the type of crisis (unintentional and intentional) and the source (organization/journalist/friend) of the message and directed to read an unintentional or intentional press release. Findings indicated that the perception of responsibility is a valid factor to consider during a possible crisis. Overall, as the previous studies have concluded, the organization is perceived as responsible for the crisis.

In line with Schwarz’s (2008) suggestion of extending Situational CrisisCommunication Theory (SCCT) with Kelley’s covariation principle, the presentresearch aims to further examine the applicability of integrating a covariation-basedapproach to crisis responsibility assessment into the SCCT framework. Specifically, acontent analysis was conducted to verify the basic assumptions for applying acovariation-based approach in crisis communication context. A follow-upexperimental study was exercised to test the effect of consensus information – themissing variable in SCCT – on crisis responsibility attributions. The researchsuggested that a covariation-based approach of crisis responsiblilty assessment couldbe legitimately applied in the SCCT framework, and that crisis responsibilityassessment in the SCCT framework could be improved, at least in some particularsituations, by more consistently and systematically taking into account the threeinformation dimensions in covariation principle as integrated information patternsrather than separately considering the effect of one single information dimensionalone.Keywords:

Syftet med studien var att undersöka om det går att predicera hur väl den anställde talar om organisationen (mätt genom Employee Brand Equity Scale) utifrån prediktorerna arbetstrivsel (mätt genom The Generic Job Satisfaction Scale), organisationsidentitet (mätt genom Identification With a Psychological Group Scale) samt delaktighet (mätt genom Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire). En kvantitativ studie utfördes på en organisation inom stålindustrin. En enkät skickades ut och besvarades av 279 medarbetare. En multipel linjär regressionsanalys påvisade att ju högre delaktighet, arbetstrivsel och organisationsidentitet desto mer ökning gällande hur väl den anställde talar om organisationen. Prediktorerna förklarade tillsammans 61 % av responsvariabeln (hur väl den anställde talar om organisationen). Hur väl den anställde talar om organisationen kunde starkast förklaras genom prediktorn arbetstrivsel följt av prediktorerna organisationsidentitet och delaktighet. / The purpose of the study was to investigate whether it is possible to predict how well the employee speaks about the organization (measured by Employee Brand Equity Scale) based on the predictors of job satisfaction (measured by The Generic Job Satisfaction Scale), organizational identity (measured by Identification With a Psychological Group Scale) and participation (measured by Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire). A quantitative study was conducted on an organization in the steel industry. A survey was sent out and answered by 279 employees. A multiple linear regression analysis showed that the higher the participation, job satisfaction and organizational identity, the more increase regarding how well the employee speaks about the organization. The predictors together explained 61% of the response variable (how well the employee talks about the organization). How well the employee speaks about the organization could be explained most strongly by the predictor of job satisfaction followed by the predictors of organizational identity and participation.

Reputação tornou-se, no contexto contemporâneo, um valor que norteia os discursos e as atitudes de organizações e indivíduos na contemporaneidade. Para as organizações capitalistas tornou-se um ativo de geração e manutenção do seu valor de capital numa ambiência cada vez mais orientada pela intangibilidade, imaterialidade e no entendimento das significações produzidas pelos variados sujeitos contemporâneos integrados pelas redes de relacionamento virtuais suportadas pelas Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação-TICs. O grande objeto tranformador dessa realidade, a comunicação, tornou-a um instrumento de poder e validador de legitimidade, inclusão ou exclusão. Ela tornou-se processo, saindo de sua ação funcional para exercer àquela demandada pelas organizações: a de agente de interação, entendimento e do nível de porosidade interna do entendimento das significações e demandas do ambiente externo. A pesquisa conduzida neste estudo projeta reputação sob as interpretações e as essências surgidas das falas dos sujeitos gestores das organizações, das classes e daqueles em interação em ambiente virtual de uma rede colaborativa, comparadas à norma e ao discurso global do Reputation Institute. Buscou-se entendimento sob a ótica dos individuos gestores da Comunicação e da Comunicação bem como das classes que os representam. Procurou-se tambem entender como o termo se manifesta na contemporaneidade, a partir do levantamento dos estudos produzidos no Brasil e em quais campos eles mais são produzidos. Com relação aos sujeitos organizacionais foram considerados os da gestão da Comunicação Corporativa, da gestão de Marca e Comunicação Institucional e da gestão de Relação com Investidores do Itaú- Unibanco; o gestor de Marketing/Comunicação e do negócio da Lecom-Comunicação Digital; da Comunicação Corporativa da SAP Brasil; representantes da Abracom-Associação Brasileira das Agências de Comunicação, do Conrerp/Sudeste/Sul-Conselho Regional de Relações Publicas e do IBRI-Instituto Brasileiro de Relações com Investidores. Reputação se manifesta, na pesquisa, como norma. Ela apresenta indicadores para uma gestão diferenciada de reputação, a partir das essências dos sujeitos participantes. Como norma, reputação se mostra como instrumento que assegura o controle de comportamentos de forma a alinhar práticas e discursos e atitudes que garantam confiança e credibilidade de acionistas, investidores, publicos de relacionamento e da sociedade. Na integração de todos os sujeitos, o estudo mostrou que é possível a arquitetura de um modelo gestor de reputação integrador sustentado nas variaveis humanas, que leve à evolução de todos os sujeitos a partir dos valores e normas que permeiam cada agrupamento e a partir do qual gera confiança e pode tornar a organização referencial de construção de novos valores e padrões normativos integrados / Reputation has become in a contemporary context, a value that guides speeches and attitudes of organizations and individuals in the contemporary present. For capitalist organizations it has turned in an asset of generation and maintenance of its capital value in an ambience of increasing orientation by intangibility, immateriality and understanding of meanings produced by varied contemporary actual subjects integrated by virtual relationships networks supported by Communication and Information Technologies - CITs. The great transforming object of this reality, the communication, it made the communication an instrument of power and a legitimacy, inclusion or exclusion validator. It has changed to a process, moving from its functional action role to perform those demanded by organizations such as: agent of interaction, and of the level of understanding internal porosity of the meanings and demands of the external environment. The research led in this tesis highlights reputation under interpretations and essences extracted from organizations managing subjects, their representative classes and those interacting in a collaborative virtual environment network speeches, compared to the standard and the global discourse of the Reputation Institute. The understanding was based on the perspective of Communication and the Capital Management individuals. Also sought to understand how the term is manifested (expressed) in contemporary times currently, based on the researches produced in Brazil and in which fields they are produced more , available in the research environment google. Regarding to organizational subjects this reseach considered the Management of Corporate Communications , Brand and Corporate Communications Management and Management Itaú Unibanco Investors Relationship; Manager of Marketing /Communications and Business of Lecom - Comunicação Digital; Corporate Communication of SAP Brazil; representatives of Abracom - Associação Brasileira das Agências de Comunicação; CONRERP / South East / Southern -Conselho Regional de Relações Públicas and IBRI - Instituto Brasileiro de Relações com Investidores. Reputation is manifested in the research as a norma. It presents elements for a noteworthy reputation management, based on the essences of the participating subjects. As a norm, reputation is seen as a path to ensure control of behaviors in order to align practices, discourses and attitudes to assure confidence and trust of shareholders, investors , stakeholders and society . The study demonstrated that is possible to design an integrating reputation management model supported by human variables and subjects integration, leading to the evolution of all subjects based on the values and standards instilled in each group and from which can generate confidence and may place the organization as a reference leader for new values and integrated normative standards

Reputação tornou-se, no contexto contemporâneo, um valor que norteia os discursos e as atitudes de organizações e indivíduos na contemporaneidade. Para as organizações capitalistas tornou-se um ativo de geração e manutenção do seu valor de capital numa ambiência cada vez mais orientada pela intangibilidade, imaterialidade e no entendimento das significações produzidas pelos variados sujeitos contemporâneos integrados pelas redes de relacionamento virtuais suportadas pelas Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação-TICs. O grande objeto tranformador dessa realidade, a comunicação, tornou-a um instrumento de poder e validador de legitimidade, inclusão ou exclusão. Ela tornou-se processo, saindo de sua ação funcional para exercer àquela demandada pelas organizações: a de agente de interação, entendimento e do nível de porosidade interna do entendimento das significações e demandas do ambiente externo. A pesquisa conduzida neste estudo projeta reputação sob as interpretações e as essências surgidas das falas dos sujeitos gestores das organizações, das classes e daqueles em interação em ambiente virtual de uma rede colaborativa, comparadas à norma e ao discurso global do Reputation Institute. Buscou-se entendimento sob a ótica dos individuos gestores da Comunicação e da Comunicação bem como das classes que os representam. Procurou-se tambem entender como o termo se manifesta na contemporaneidade, a partir do levantamento dos estudos produzidos no Brasil e em quais campos eles mais são produzidos. Com relação aos sujeitos organizacionais foram considerados os da gestão da Comunicação Corporativa, da gestão de Marca e Comunicação Institucional e da gestão de Relação com Investidores do Itaú- Unibanco; o gestor de Marketing/Comunicação e do negócio da Lecom-Comunicação Digital; da Comunicação Corporativa da SAP Brasil; representantes da Abracom-Associação Brasileira das Agências de Comunicação, do Conrerp/Sudeste/Sul-Conselho Regional de Relações Publicas e do IBRI-Instituto Brasileiro de Relações com Investidores. Reputação se manifesta, na pesquisa, como norma. Ela apresenta indicadores para uma gestão diferenciada de reputação, a partir das essências dos sujeitos participantes. Como norma, reputação se mostra como instrumento que assegura o controle de comportamentos de forma a alinhar práticas e discursos e atitudes que garantam confiança e credibilidade de acionistas, investidores, publicos de relacionamento e da sociedade. Na integração de todos os sujeitos, o estudo mostrou que é possível a arquitetura de um modelo gestor de reputação integrador sustentado nas variaveis humanas, que leve à evolução de todos os sujeitos a partir dos valores e normas que permeiam cada agrupamento e a partir do qual gera confiança e pode tornar a organização referencial de construção de novos valores e padrões normativos integrados / Reputation has become in a contemporary context, a value that guides speeches and attitudes of organizations and individuals in the contemporary present. For capitalist organizations it has turned in an asset of generation and maintenance of its capital value in an ambience of increasing orientation by intangibility, immateriality and understanding of meanings produced by varied contemporary actual subjects integrated by virtual relationships networks supported by Communication and Information Technologies - CITs. The great transforming object of this reality, the communication, it made the communication an instrument of power and a legitimacy, inclusion or exclusion validator. It has changed to a process, moving from its functional action role to perform those demanded by organizations such as: agent of interaction, and of the level of understanding internal porosity of the meanings and demands of the external environment. The research led in this tesis highlights reputation under interpretations and essences extracted from organizations managing subjects, their representative classes and those interacting in a collaborative virtual environment network speeches, compared to the standard and the global discourse of the Reputation Institute. The understanding was based on the perspective of Communication and the Capital Management individuals. Also sought to understand how the term is manifested (expressed) in contemporary times currently, based on the researches produced in Brazil and in which fields they are produced more , available in the research environment google. Regarding to organizational subjects this reseach considered the Management of Corporate Communications , Brand and Corporate Communications Management and Management Itaú Unibanco Investors Relationship; Manager of Marketing /Communications and Business of Lecom - Comunicação Digital; Corporate Communication of SAP Brazil; representatives of Abracom - Associação Brasileira das Agências de Comunicação; CONRERP / South East / Southern -Conselho Regional de Relações Públicas and IBRI - Instituto Brasileiro de Relações com Investidores. Reputation is manifested in the research as a norma. It presents elements for a noteworthy reputation management, based on the essences of the participating subjects. As a norm, reputation is seen as a path to ensure control of behaviors in order to align practices, discourses and attitudes to assure confidence and trust of shareholders, investors , stakeholders and society . The study demonstrated that is possible to design an integrating reputation management model supported by human variables and subjects integration, leading to the evolution of all subjects based on the values and standards instilled in each group and from which can generate confidence and may place the organization as a reference leader for new values and integrated normative standards

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