University of Twente Student Theses

Help! we did not provoke this!? : The effects of crisis fit and crisis response motives in crisis response messages on consumer attitudes towards affiliated organizations embroiled in unprovoked organizational crises Dion

Lintelo, D.E. te (2022) Help! we did not provoke this!? : The effects of crisis fit and crisis response motives in crisis response messages on consumer attitudes towards affiliated organizations embroiled in unprovoked organizational crises Dion.

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Abstract:	In recent years, incidents of (sexual) harassment within organizations have been a frequent topic in the media. Although these incidents are usually carried out by one person, they can have a major impact on all organizations involved in the crisis event. Even affiliated organizations that could not have prevented or done anything about the incident. Indeed, previous research indicates that even when an organization is indirectly related to the crisis event, some responsibility is still attributed by stakeholders to an organization when there is an association with the offender charged. Consequently, these organizations are obliged to respond to the crisis incident in order to maintain or improve their relationships with stakeholders. To find out how affiliated organizations can best respond to an unprovoked crisis event to improve stakeholder attitudes, this study examines the possible effects of two independent variables that can be relevant in crisis communication: crisis fit (low versus high) and crisis response motive (value-driven versus strategic-driven). Thereby, the purpose of this study is to gain more insight into the effects of the crisis fit and crisis response motives in crisis response messages on consumers’ attitudes such as trust, credibility, attitude and perceived reputation towards an affiliated organization that is embroiled in an organizational crisis situation. Furthermore, personal levels of empathy are considered as a possible moderator for the effect of crisis response motives on consumer attitudes. Value-driven motives exhibit affections of empathy through which personal levels of empathy can reinforce consumer attitudes. For the data collection, a quantitative research method was chosen in which data were gathered by means of an online questionnaire. In order to measure the effects, a 2 (crisis fit: high versus low) by 2 (crisis response motive: value driven versus strategic driven) experimental, randomized between-subjects design was used. Results of the data analysis show that there are no significant effects between crisis fit, crisis response motives, personal empathy levels and consumer attitudes. Regarding practical implications, this study contributes to the crisis communication domain by introducing a new concept in crisis communication called ‘crisis fit’. Participants in the study recognized the difference between a high crisis fit and a low crisis fit, therefore the concept of crisis fit could be considered for inclusion in the crisis communication process. However, for efficient application of the concept, more practical future research is needed.
Item Type:	Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:	BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:	05 communication studies
Programme:	Communication Studies BSc (56615)
Link to this item:	https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/92501
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