The Effect of Communicated Emotion and Crisis Response Strategies on Consumers’ Intention to Forgive and Emotional Forgiveness

Year 2023, , 94 - 116, 30.12.2023

Dilek Meriç , Mesude Canan Ozturk

https://doi.org/10.31123/akil.1369353

Abstract

In crisis communication, besides what is said, how it is said has gained importance in getting positive reactions from the stakeholders. In addition, the phenomenon of forgiveness, which forms the basis for institutions to maintain their long-term relationships with their stakeholders and which may affect the institution’s post-crisis financial performance and reputation, has also been researched in crisis communication for the past decade. The purpose of this study is to research the effect of the communicated emotion and crisis response strategies on consumers’ intention to forgive and emotional forgiveness. In this context, 2x2 between-subjects factorial design (crisis response strategy: apology vs. justification, emotion: sadness vs. no emotion) was conducted via online survey tools (n=140). As a result of the experiment, corporate crisis in which crisis responsibility is attributed to the institution, there is a significant difference between crisis response strategies on harmed consumers’ intention to forgive. Participants exposed to apology strategy have a higher prosocial intention, which is one of the indicators of their intention to forgive, than those exposed to justification strategy. Another important finding of the research is that whether to communicate emotion, “sadness”, in crisis messages has no effect on consumers’ intention to forgive and emotional forgiveness. The expression of sadness does not affect the negative emotions of consumers such as anger, does not cause an increase in their positive emotions towards the institution, does not make a difference in their feelings of revenge, does not lead to a prosocial behavioral intention to improve the relational harm between them.

Keywords

Crisis Communication, Apology, Justification, Sadness, Consumers’ Intention to Forgive

Kriz Mesaj Stratejileri ile İletilen Duygunun Tüketicilerin Affetme Niyeti ve Duygusal Affı Üzerindeki Etkisi

Abstract

Kriz iletişiminde paydaşların olumlu tepkilerini almada ne söylendiğinin yanı sıra nasıl söylendiği de önem kazanmıştır. Bununla birlikte kurumlara paydaşlarıyla uzun dönemli ilişkilerini sürdürmede temel oluşturan, kurumun kriz sonrası finansal performansını ve itibarını etkileyebilecek bir tepki olan affetme olgusu da son on yıldır kriz iletişimi alanında araştırılmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı kriz tepki stratejileri ile iletilen duygunun tüketicilerin affetme niyeti ve duygusal affı üzerindeki etkisini araştırmaktır. Bu kapsamda özür ve gerekçelendirme kriz tepki stratejilerinin üzüntü duygusunu ilettiği ve iletmediği bir deney tasarlanmıştır. Araştırma gruplar-arası faktöryel desen benimsenerek yürütülmüştür. Araştırmaya ilişkin veriler çevrim içi anket aracılığıyla toplanmıştır (n=140). Araştırma sonucuna göre kriz sorumluluğunun kuruma atfedildiği krizlerde kriz tepki stratejisine göre zarar gören tüketicilerin affetme niyetinde anlamlı bir fark vardır. Özür mesajı alanların gerekçelendirme mesajı alanlara göre affetme niyetinin göstergelerinden biri olan toplum yanlısı niyeti daha fazladır. Araştırmanın diğer önemli bulgusu kriz mesajlarında “üzüntü” duygusunu iletip iletmemenin affetme niyeti ve duygusal affetme üzerinde etkisinin bulunmamasıdır. İletilen üzüntü duygusu kızgınlık gibi olumsuz duyguları etkilememekte, kuruma yönelik olumlu duygularında artışa neden olmamakta, intikam duygularında fark yaratmamakta, aralarındaki ilişkisel zararı iyileştirmek için toplum yanlısı bir davranışsal niyete yol açmamaktadır.

Keywords

Kriz İletişimi, Özür, Gerekçelendirme, Üzüntü, Tüketicilerin Affetme Niyeti

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