Analysis of Volkswagen Emission Crisis in the Context of Crisis Response Strategies and Newspapers Framing
Öz
Frequently experienced crises have adverse effects on the corporations although the reasons for their occurrence and their characteristics are variable. As the corporations develop certain response strategies in connection with such crises, these incidents also affect their stakeholders in addition to them, media publicly carries the news about crises. The purpose of this research which has been carried out by taking as a starting element the point where crisis, corporations and media intersect, is to analyse the press releases of Volkswagen as part of the crisis over exhaust emission on the basis of the strategies of responses to crisis and demonstrate how the crisis is publicly covered by media in the context of crisis framing and tone. To this end, 116 crisis related news stories in five largest circulating newspapers in Turkey as well as 29 press releases as posted on both international and Turkey websites of the company were analysed. According to the results of the research, the news on the corporation was mostly presented negatively on the basis of the sub-framework of “solutions to the problem” contained in the framework of “responsibility.” In the crisis response strategies, the crisis and responsibility admitted by the corporation and that the sub-framework of “internalizing” contained in the strategy of “providing information” was used. As the “global dimensions” of the crisis was highlighted in the themes of the news; the press releases focused on the “restructuring of the company.”
Anahtar Kelimeler
Crisis, Crisis Response Strategies, Framing, Tone, Corporate Crises and Media, Volkswagen.
Kaynakça
- An, S. K., Gower, K. K. and Ho Cho, S. (2011). Level of crisis responsibility and crisis response strategies of the media. Journal of Communication Management, 15(1), 70-83.
- Benoit, W. L. (1997). Image repair discourse and crisis communication. Public Relations Review, 23(2), 177-186.
- Bilgin, N. (2006). Sosyal bilimlerde içerik analizi: Teknikler ve örnek çalışmalar, Ankara: Siyasal Kitabevi.
- Binek araç haberler. (2015). Retrieved September 20, 2015, from http://binekarac.vw.com.tr/haberler.aspx
- Bowen, S. A. and Zheng, Y. (2015). Auto recall crisis, framing, and ethical response: Toyota’s missteps. Public Relations Review, 41(1), 40-49.
- Caldiero, C. T., Taylor, M. and Ungureanu, L. (2009). Image repair tactics and information subsidies during fraud crises. Journal of Public Relations Research, 21(2), 218-228.
- Choi, J. (2012). A content analysis of BP’s press releases dealing with crisis. Public Relations Review, 38(3), 422-429.
- Chong, J. K. (2004). Six steps to better crisis management. Journal of Business Strategy, 25(2), 43-46.
- Coman, C. and Cmeciu, C. (2014). Framing Chevron protests in national and international press. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 149, 228-232.
- Coombs, W. T. (2004). Impact of past crises on current crisis communication insights from Situational Crisis Communication Theory. Journal of Business Communication, 41(3), 265-289.