Public Relations and Public Risk and Crisis Communication BledCom 2021 28th International Public Relations Research Symposium July 2-3, 2021 Book of Abstracts of the 28th International Public Relations Research Symposium BledCom EDITORS: Dejan Verčič, Ana Tkalac Verčič and Krishnamurthy Sriramesh Organized by: University of Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences Public Relations and Public Risk and Crisis Communication Book of Abstracts of the 28th International Public Relations Research Symposium BledCom July 2-3, 2021 EDITORS: Dejan Verčič Ana Tkalac Verčič Krishnamurthy Sriramesh PUBLISHED BY: University of Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences Kardeljeva ploščad 5 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia COPYRIGHT: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences AVAILABLE AT: https://www.bledcom.com/... Ljubljana, 2021 Kataložni zapis o publikaciji (CIP) pripravili v Narodni in univerzitetni knjižnici v Ljubljani COBISS.SI-ID 68796419 ISBN 978-961-235-984-3 (PDF) CONTENTS 3 1. Introduction 13 2. Editors 14 3. Authors 15 4. Paper Abstracts 42 PAPER ABSTRACTS 42 Defining Novels as Public Relations Tools: An Analysis of Ahmet Mithat Efendi’s Felâtun Bey ile Rakım Efendi Akçay, Ebru, Ondokuz Mayıs University (Turkey) 44 Managing internal communication during the COVID -19 epidemic: a study on private organisations in Saudi Arabia Almahraj, Yazeed, Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (Saudi Arabia) 46 The virus and its images - Metaphorical genealogy of the risk society Almeida Luz, Luis Flávio, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain) 48 The Communicative Constitution of Organization and Internal Communication in the Coronavirus Pandemic Ašanin Gole, Pedja, DOBA Faculty of Applied Business and Social Studies (Slovenia) Okay Aydemir, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University (Turkey) Okay, Ayla, Istanbul University (Turkey) 51 Online comments versus news media framing of a crisis: The case of the “Corona Cruise Ship” Avidar, Ruth, Yezreel Valley College (Israel) Sassoni-Bar Lev, Oshrat, Yezreel Valley College (Israel) CONTENTS 4 53 Desperately seeking respect: public relations education during the pandemic crisis Barlik, Jacek, University of Warsaw (Poland) Przybysz, Łukasz, University of Warsaw (Poland) 55 An Island of Reliability in a Sea of Misinformation? Understanding PR-journalists relations in times of epistemic crisis. Barnoy, Aviv, University of Haifa (Israel) 57 Enriching Self-Reflection in Public Relations Education to deal with Pandemic Challenges Berger, Bruce K., University of Alabama (USA) Erzikova, Elina, Central Michigan University (USA) 59 Engaging Employees through Corporate Social Responsibility Programs: Aligning Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Engagement Bernardino, Paula, Credibility Institute (Canada) 62 Responsible CSR communications: Avoid “washing” your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports and messages Bernardino, Paula, Credibility Institute (Canada) 65 Entrepreneurial leadership in crisis situations. Communicative implications Bielenia, Małgorzata, University of Gdańsk (Poland) 67 Gossiping as a tool of functional and dysfunctional leadership: negative and positive sides of an organizational grapevine in crisis situations Bielenia-Grajewska, Magda, University of Gdansk (Poland) 70 Importance of closer collaboration between emergency risk and crisis communication professionals to prepare for the “next one” Borremans, Philippe, International Public Relations Association (Estonia) CONTENTS 5 72 Crisis Response with Ethical Advantages: Flexibility, Adaptation, & Resilience Bowen, Shannon, University of South Carolina (USA) Coombs, William Timothy, Texas A & M University (USA) 74 Reversible or irreversible user engagement behavior changes during COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of a top restaurant brand in Taiwan Chan, Chun-Hsiang, National Taiwan University (Taiwan) Wu, Shih Chia, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) 76 Relationship Cultivation, Social Capital, and Breaking Through Barriers: Exploring the Use of Social Media by Female Transnational Entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley Chen, Zifei Fay, University of San Francisco (USA) Lee, June Y., University of San Francisco (USA) 78 Boris vs. Corbz #GetBrexitDone: An analysis of Labour and Conservative tweets on the 2019 General Election campaign Clayton, Teela, Leeds Beckett University (UK) 80 Silent dialogue: Problematizing open dialogue as a precursor to relationship building in conflict contexts in the Middle East Dhanesh, Ganga S, Zayed University (U.A.E.) Avidar, Ruth, Max Stern Yezreel Valley College (Israel) 82 Role of internal communication in enhancing employee engagement during remote work in times of crisis - Remote internal crisis communication (RICC) framework Dhanesh, Ganga S, Zayed University (USA) Duthler, Gaelle, Zayed University (USA) 85 Social interaction and the customer service Duarte, Cynthia, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio (Brasil) CONTENTS 6 87 The mediating role of crisis history on the relationship between crisis response strategies and organisational reputation among South-Soutth Nigeria Universities during Covid-19 Egede, Dominion Dominic, Universiti Putra (Malaysia) 89 An exploratory perspective on mental readiness as a requirement for crisis leadership Eynon, Tracy-Lee, University of Pretoria (South Africa) Miles, Emma, University of Pretoria (South Africa) Leonard, Anné, University of Pretoria (South Africa) 92 Strategic Role of Public Relations in Crisis Management in Ethiopia: The case of Burayu City Displacement Crisis Feyisa Kuyu, Leta, Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia) 93 A research on the effectiveness and factors in Government refuting rumors on social media - examining the rumor refutal texts on Sina Weibo in the early stage of COVID-19 in China Gao, Hao, Nanjing Normal University (China) Guo, Difan, Nanjing Normal University (China) Yin, Huimin, Nanjing Normal University (China) Li, Lina, Shanghai Normal University (China) Wu, Jing, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) 96 Crisis Strategy in the CEO Statements: An Analysis in Three Industries, Aviation, E- Commerce and Food Görpe, Tevhide Serra, University of Sharjah (U.A.E.) Öksuz Burcu, Izmir Kâtip Çelebi University (Turkey) 98 Presentation of current research / social media guidelines for risk and crisis management Guhl, Anna, Macromedia Hochschule (Germany) Spiller, Ralf, Macromedia Hochschule (Germany) Inderhees, Marco, Macromedia Hochschule (Germany) CONTENTS 7 102 The Role of Employer Branding in Stimulating Employer Attractiveness Hein, Antonia, Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) Elving, Wim J.L., Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) Edzes, Arjen, University of Groningen (The Netherlands) Koster, Sierdjan, University of Groningen (The Netherlands) 104 From „Best in Covid“ to „Worst in Covid“: Underestimating the role of Public Relations in Government Communication during Covid-19 Crisis in the Czech Republic Hejlová, Denisa, Charles University (Czech Republic) 106 Citizens and politicians in Spain: How strategic communication could build confidence or distrust in the covid-19 pandemic? Herranz de la Casa, José María, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) Gómez-Iniesta, Pablo, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) 108 Rejecting communication. When facts are “manipulated” and “manufactured” Hewson, Sinead, TU Dublin City Campus (Ireland) 110 Remote working during the COVID-19 crisis: The impact of communication and support on employees’ perception of social isolation, their perceived productivity and their work satisfaction Holosová, Karin, University of Vienna (Austria) Hong, Stacey, University of Vienna (Austria) Ruppel, Christopher, University of Vienna (Austria) Einwiller, Sabine, University of Vienna (Austria) 112 40 Years of Public Relations with MLB’s Chicago White Sox – 1981-2021 Isaacson, Tom, Northern Michigan University (USA) 114 Antecedents and Consequences of Dialogic Communication on Social Media. Findings from a Survey among Communication Professionals Johann, Michael, University of Augsburg (Germany) 117 The Science Of Risk Mitigation For Strategic Integrated Communications Johnson, Lyndon, Think Different(ly) (Canada) CONTENTS 8 119 Robinhood on Reddit: A Case Study of Triangular. Dynamics of Internal and External Publics Kaufman, Ygal, University of Oklahoma (USA) Kim, Jeong-Nam, University of Oklahoma (USA) 122 When the HOD becomes the trusted Public Relations face in a pandemic: Case of Malaysian Director-General of Health during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic Kaur, Kiranjit, Universiti Teknologi MARA (Malaysia) 124 Symmetry, Inclusion, and Workplace Conflicts: Conflict Management Effects of Two Managerial Strategies on Employee Advocacy and Departure Lee, Hyelim, University of Oklahoma (USA) Lee, Sihyeok, the Q (South Korea) Zhang, Xiaochen Angela, University of Oklahoma (USA) Sung, Yoon Hi, University of Oklahoma (USA) 126 ‘Super-wicked’ challenges and political communication in crisis Lilleker, Darren, Bournemouth University (UK) Stoeckle, Thomas, Bournemouth University (UK) 128 Pandemic risk and crisis communication from an IGO: A case study of NATO’s Public Diplomacy Maronkova, Barbora, NATO Public Diplomacy Division (Belgium) Sriramesh, Krishnamurthy, University of Colorado (USA) 130 The role of internal communication during the Covid-19 pandemic and its intertwining with public risk communication. A study on Italian companies Mazzei, Alessandra, Università IULM (Italy) Quaratino, Luca, Università IULM (Italy) Ravazzani, Silvia, Università IULM (Italy) Butera, Alfonsa, Università IULM (Italy) Fisichella, Chiara, Università IULM (Italy) 132 #adidasgate and Crisis Award Winners: Excellence within Corporate Communication during the Covid-19 Crisis Messner Florian, Macromedia University of Applied Sciences (Germany) Sievert, Holger, Macromedia University of Applied Sciences (Germany) CONTENTS 9 134 Communication leadership in extraordinary times : exploring the role and work of female communications leaders during the coronavirus pandemic Moran, Wendy, Metropolitan University (UK) Moss, Danny, University of Chester (UK) 137 Crisis Communication in Public Relations Courses: What has been changing with the pandemic COVID-19? Mourão, Rita, Escola Superior de Comunicação Social – Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (Portugal) Miranda, Sandra, Escola Superior de Comunicação Social – Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (Portugal) 139 Personality Traits and Value of Corporate Apology: An Experimental Study in the Aviation Industry Öksüz, Burcu, Izmir Katip Celebi University (Turkey) Bulduklu, Yasin, Izmir Katip Celebi University (Turkey) Görpe, T. Serra, University of Sharjah (U.A.E.) 141 Media Portrayal of Corona Pandemic Press Briefings by Public Health Officials: A Public Relations Approach Opiyo, Baruck, Eastern Mediterranean University (Cyprus) Kutoğlu Kuruç, Ülfet, Eastern Mediterranean University (Cyprus) 143 Public Relations in risk communication: a critical asset Pereira, Sandra, ESCS-ICML (Portugal) Nunes, Mariana, ISCTE-CIES & ESCS (Portugal) 145 Algorithmic Profiteering and Corporate Social Activism of Video Platforms: The Effect on Social Change Persad, Vishala J., University of Oklahoma (USA) 147 Confessions from a Cliff Over the Abyss: Developing a Workshop in Public Relations Entrepreneurship During a Pandemic Pompper, Donnalyn, University of Oregon (USA) 149 The challenges of ‘neo-intermediation Rotolo, Francesco, Storyfly (Italy) CONTENTS 10 151 A female communication trailblazer by any standard: South Africa’s Prof. Ronèl Rensburg le Roux, Tanya, Bournemouth University (UK) Du Plessis, Neeltje, University of Pretoria (South Africa) 153 Communicating reliable Covid-19 information: WhatsApp lessons to be learned le Roux, Tanya, Bournemouth University (UK) Van Niekerk, Dewald, North-West University (South Africa) 155 Character Assassination as Crisis Producer: The Cocreational Perspective Samoilenko, Sergei A., George Mason University (USA) 157 Covid-19 vaccine effectiveness: regional differences in online reporting of media outlets from vaccine-manufacturing countries Selaković, Marko, S P Jain School of Global Management (U.A.E.) Ljepava, Nikolina, American University in the Emirates (U.A.E.) Gallant, Monica, S P Jain School of Global Management (U.A.E.) 159 Social Media Guidelines in the Workplace: Stimulating or Restricting Employee Social Media Use? Soens, Ellen, Ghent University (Belgium) Claeys, An-Sofie, Ghent University (Belgium) 161 Social Media as a Gift and Curse in Crisis Communication: A Study on Turkish Public Relations Practitioners Sohodol, Çisil, Bahçeşehir University (Turkey) Suher, İdil Karademirlidağ, Bahçeşehir University (Turkey) Geysi, Nilüfer, Bahçeşehir University (Turkey) 163 Public Health Crises: Communicating Risk and Lessons Learned from the Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic Tachkova, Elina R., College Station (USA) Brannon, Grace Ellen, University of Texas Arlington (USA) CONTENTS 11 165 How crises affect internal communication channel preference Tkalac Verčič, Ana, University of Zagreb (Croatia) Verčič, Dejan, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) Špoljarić, Anja, University of Zagreb (Croatia) 167 Office Culture and the Communications Industry in England: The Role of Social Interactions and Banter on Carrer Progression for Women in Public Relations, Advertising and Journalism Topić, Martina, Leeds Beckett University (UK) 170 Frames, Rationalities, and Image Repair Responses of Public Officials in the 2018 wildfire disaster of Mati in Greece Triantafillidou, Amalia, University of Western Macedonia (Greece) Yannas, Prodromos, University of West Attica (Greece) 172 COVID-19 Internal Crisis Communication: Perspectives from Internal Communicators Verghese, Aniisu K, Alliance University (India) 174 The Ides of March: Agenda Setting Effects of Coronavirus Task Force Briefings Vielledent, Marc C., University of Florida (USA) 176 The Hiccup Paradox of Corporate Communication in the Pandemic Westermann, Arne, International School of Management (Germany) Homann, Reimund, IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research (Germany) Krämer, Alexandra, International School of Management (Germany) Forthmann, Jörg, IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research (Germany) 178 Debating the Importance of Professional Communication and Working Media Experience as a Prerequisite for Public Relations Faculty Positions in the US and Canada Wright, Don, Boston University (USA) CONTENTS 12 180 Serving whom? Examining the motives and types of corporate social responsibility actions “during” a public health crises Wu, Shih-Chia, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) Cai, Qinxian, City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) Mo, Yunting, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) 183 What drives perceived internal reputation? Empirical evidence from Chile Yue, Cen April, University of Florida (USA) Thelen, Patrick, San Diego State University (USA) 185 Leadership Going Social: How U.S. Nonprofit Executives Engage Publics on Twitter Yue, Cen April, University of Florida (USA) Qin, Yufan Sunny, University of Florida (USA) Vielledent, Marc, University of Florida (USA) Men, Linjuan Rita, University of Florida (USA) Zhou, Alvin, University of Pennsylvania (USA) 187 Communicating Corporate LGBTQ Advocacy: A Computational Comparison of the Global CSR Discourse Zhou, Alvin, University of Pennsylvania (USA) 1 INTRODUCTION 13 Dear Friends and Colleagues, Welcome! Dobrodošli! Swagatam! The fact that we are engaging in 28th edition of the International Public Relations Research Symposium (BledCom 2021) virtual y (again) rather than congregating in beautiful Bled as we had done until 2019 is proof enough of the impact of a pandemic on every aspect of our lives. Perhaps now more than ever, risk and crisis communication have been thrust into the limelight. That prompted us to choose as this year’s theme: The role of public relations in risk and crisis communication. Over the past 15 months, individuals, organizations, and nations have all become the sources as well as recipients of information intended to alter their behavior to combat the highly infectious Covid-19 and its debilitating impact on everyday life global y. Some nations have been lauded for their ability to manage the spread of the virus through effective communication whereas others have been targeted for performing poorly. National performance has certainly hinged on the ability of the leaders of these nations to communicate effectively about the pandemic. In the past couple of month, second waves of the pandemic in some regions of the world have also shone light on the need for consistent risk and crisis communication. We welcome you to BledCom 2021, which has attracted papers on a range of topics from various parts of the world. We have managed to develop a program that will facilitate live presentations and discussions spread over both days of the conference. We hope this, more interactive, format will be interesting and informative to all participants. Looking ahead, nothing can substitute for meeting in person in beautiful Bled. We hope over the next year we will have a handle on the pandemic and look forward to welcoming you in person for the 29th International Public Relations Symposium (BledCom 2022), scheduled for July 1 – 2, 2022! Thank you! Lep pozdrav! Namaste! 2 EDITORS 14 Dejan Verčič University of Ljubljana and Herman & partners (Slovenia) Dejan Verčič is Professor, Head of Department of Communication and Head of Centre for Marketing and Public Relations at the University of Ljubljana, and Partner in strategic consulting and communication company Herman & partners Ltd. Slovenia. He received his PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. A Fulbright scholar, recipient of the Pathfinder Award, the highest academic honour bestowed by the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) in New York, and named a Distinguished Public Relations Scholar by the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA). In 1991 he was the founding director of Slovenian national news agency (STA). Organizing the annual International Public Relations Research Symposium – BledCom since 1994. Ana Tkalac Verčič University of Zagreb (Croatia) Ana Tkalac Verčič, Ph.D., is a Full Professor of Marketing communications and Public Relations at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, Croatia. She is a former Fulbright scholar and a recipient of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations diploma. Ana Tkalac Verčič has authored, co-authored and edited numerous books including Public Relations Metrics: Research and Evaluation (with B. van Ruler and D. Verčič) and is the author of the first Croatian public relations textbook. She has published more than a 100 papers in various academic journals and serves in various editorial boards such as International Journal of Strategic Communication, Journal of Public Relations Research and Public Relations Review. Throughout her career professor Tkalac Verčič has received numerous awards, most recently, GrandPRx, the award for the development of public relations as a profession. She is a former president of the Croatian Public Relations Association. Krishnamurthy Sriramesh University of Colorado (USA) Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, is Professor of Public Relations at the University of Colorado, USA. He is recognized for his scholarship on topics such as global public relations, culture and public relations, corporate social responsibility, and public relations for development. Over 30 years he has advocated the need to reduce ethnocentricity in the public relations body of knowledge and practice in 8 books, over 110 articles and book chapters, and over 120 conference presentations around the world. His rich teaching experience includes teaching at 10 universities on four continents while also delivering seminars/talks in over 40 countries. He has won several awards for teaching and research at different universities including the 2004 Pathfinder Award from the Institute for Public Relations (USA) for “original scholarly research contributing to the public relations body of knowledge” and the PRIDE Award from the National Communication Association (USA). 3 AUTHORS 15 Adi, Ana Quadriga University of Applied Sciences (Germany) • She (www.anaadi. net) is a Professor of Public Relations and Corporate Communications at Quadriga University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, Chair of the Digital Communication Awards, and part of the core research team of the Asia-Pacific Communication Monitor. She is also part of the organising committee of MediAsia. She is the editor of the upcoming Protest Public Relations: Communicating dissent and activism (Taylor & Francis) and the co-editor of #rezist – Romania’s 2017 anti-corruption protests: causes, development and implications (www.romanianprotests.info with Darren G. Lilleker) and Corporate Social Responsibility in the Digital Age (2015, Emerald with Georgiana G. Grigore and Alin Stancu). Originally from Romania, Dr. Adi obtained her PhD from the University of the West of Scotland. Prior to her studies in the UK, Dr. Adi has graduated from institutions in Romania and the United States, the latter as a Fulbright Scholar. Her research, teaching and consultancy focus on issues related to CSR and PR, looking in particular at storytelling and measurement. Akçay, Ebru Ondokuz Mayıs University (Turkey) • She is a research assistant in the Department of Public Relations and Publicity at Ondokuz Mayıs University, Turkey. In 2013, she graduated from the Department of American Culture and Literature at Hacettepe University. She received her master’s degree in Public Relations and Publicity from Ankara University in 2015. In 2020, she received her PhD degree in Public Relations and Publicity from Ankara University. Almahraj, Yazeed Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (Saudi Arabia) • Dr Yazeed Almahraj is a Head of Public Relations department and a Public Relations Assistant Professor at Imam University in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). In December 2014 he was a Guest Lecturer for Public Relations at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh (UK). He received his PhD in Public Relations at Queen Margaret University (UK). Almeida Luz, Luis Flávio Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain) Ašanin Gole, Pedja Doba (Slovenia) • Pedja Ašanin Gole is a Senior Lecturer of public relations at DOBA Business School Maribor, and Guest Lecturer at Institute of Communication Studies Skopje. He is an experienced professional in public relations practice in public sector with more than 25 years of experience. Among other things, he was the Director of Communication at the largest Slovene investment infrastructure project–accelerated motorway construction. He is a past president of Public Relations Society of Slovenia and IABC Slovenia, member of the EUPRERA and an honorary member of the Serbian Public Relations Association. His research interests include new institutional approach in public relations. 3 AUTHORS 16 Avidar, Ruth Yezreel Valley College (Israel) • Ruth Avidar (PhD) is the head of the marketing communications track in the Department of Communication at the Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Israel. She is also a faculty member in the Department of Health Systems Management. Avidar earned her PhD at the University of Haifa and Master of Arts degree in communication and journalism at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Avidar is a former public relations practitioner, and her research has focused on online public relations, social media, customer and patient experience, dialogue and new technologies. Avidar is a member of the Center for Internet Research, University of Haifa. Badham, Mark Jyväskylä University (Finland) • Mark Badham, Ph.D., is Post-doctoral Researcher in Corporate Communication at Jyväskylä University School of Business & Economics (JSBE), Finland. His research is focused on news media roles in mass communication processes, news media engagement with audiences through social media, crisis communication in digital arenas, organization-stakeholder relationship management, and organizational legitimation strategies. Barlik, Jacek University of Warsaw (Poland) • He is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Journalism, Information and Book Studies, the University of Warsaw, Poland (full-time since 2014, previously straddled business career and part-time teaching). He is also a seasoned public relations practitioner, with vast experience as an advisor to major Polish and international corporations, public institutions and NGOs. He has authored articles, chapters and a book on public relations, communication strategies, awareness campaigns, crisis communication, social media, PR theory, sales and persuasion (in Polish and English), and was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Maryland, College Park (USA). Barnoy, Aviv University of Haifa (Israel) • Aviv Barnoy studies the spread of news through journalism and social media. He brings together social communication theories, and epistemic philosophy, to explore how misinformation disseminates throughout society. Barnoy employs a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods including survey-experiments, reconstructions case-studies, big data analysis etc. In his current study, under a joint affiliation of Zefat Academic College and The University of Haifa, he explores normative measures to reduce the spread of “epistemically toxic content” online. Based on his professional experience before joining academia, Barnoy also teaches courses in PR, crises management and social marketing and more. Bebić, Domagoj University of Zagreb (Croatia) • Domagoj Bebić is associate professor at the Department of journalism and public relations at the Faculty of political science, University of Zagreb. Bebić lectures several courses in the field of new media: Cyber Politics, Online journalism, Social media and Methods and techniques in new media, Viral communication. His scientific interests are social media, e-democracy and online reputation and he is the author of several scientific papers and book chapters related to new media. Bebić is organizer of international scientific conference Information technology and journalism (ITJ) that is held in Dubrovnik for 25 years and that is 3 AUTHORS 17 supported by IPSA RC10 and RC22. With the goal to continue collaboration and meetings between different IPSA’s research committees: to encourage interdisciplinary views, approaches and papers; to encourage common scientific conferences and meetings and to provide new scientific connections within IPSA’s research committees, Bebić has been IPSA RC Liaison Representative since 2018. Berger, Bruce K. University of Alabama (USA) • Bruce K. Berger, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus, Advertising & Public Relations, University of Alabama (UA), and founding director of the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. Berger has received many teaching and research awards, including PRSA’s Educator of the Year Award (2006) and IPR’s Pathfinder Award (2012). He’s authored or edited five books and produced more than 120 scholarly and professional articles. Previously Berger was a PR practitioner for 20 years and worked on projects in more than 30 countries. He was the chief communication officer at Whirlpool Corporation, and prior to that he was director of worldwide human health PR programs at The Upjohn Company (1975-1989). Bernardino, Paula Credibility Institute (Italy) • Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP) with more than 15 years of experience working for large global corporations and not-for-profit organizations, Paula Bernardino is now a strategic consultant in communications and corporate social responsibility while also guest speaking at conferences and panels on sustainability, corporate social responsibility and strategic communications. She also collaborates with the Credibility Institute in Canada as their CSR Expert - Senior Strategist and Associate Research. She is also a course lecturer at McGill University in the Public Relations program and an instructor in the Professional Development Institute at the University of Ottawa. Her study “Engaging Employees through Corporate Social Responsibility Programs” won the “Best Paper – Practitioner” award at 2020 CCI Milan Conference on Corporate Communication on September 17, 2020. Bielenia, Małgorzata University of Gdańsk (Poland) • Małgorzata Bielenia is a graduate from the Gdansk University of Technology. She completed studies in the field of Environmental Protection and Management at the Gdansk University of Technology. Moreover, she is also an MA in Economics since she finished the second studies at the Faculty of Management and Economics of Gdansk University of Technology in the field of Management, majoring in Small Business Economics and Management. What is more, she is also an MA in Law. In her diploma thesis in this field she discussed the problem of abuse of a dominant position by an entrepreneur. Being a PhD student she received a grant from the National Science Center. She finished doctoral studies at the Faculty of Management and Economics of Gdansk University of Technology where she received a PhD in economics. Currently she works at University of Gdansk, Division of Maritime Economy Department of Maritime Transport and Seaborn Trade. Her scientific interests include maritime industry, entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, globalization, transformation, economic crisis, social and cultural issues in organizations. Bielenia-Grajewska, Magda University of Gdansk (Poland) 3 AUTHORS 18 Borremans, Philippe International Public Relations Association (Portugal) • Philippe Borremans is an independent Public Relations consultant specialising in Emergency Risk & Crisis Communication and President of the International Public Relations Association (2021). He works on strategic communication projects for epidemic and pandemic preparedness with organisations like the World Health Organization, the European Union, and the West African Union. Before emigrating to Morocco, and later to Portugal, he was Chief Social Media Officer and CSR coordinator at Van Marcke Trading Group. For ten years he held several communications positions at IBM, including Corporate and Online Communications on national and European level. Philippe started his Public Relations career at Porter Novelli International in Brussels. He is a regular guest lecturer at universities and business schools across Europe and North Africa. As President of the International Public Relations Association (wwwipra.org) I will also see if we can endorse the conference and promote it to our members. Bowen, Shannon University of South Carolina (USA) • Shannon A. Bowen (Ph.D. Univ. of Maryland) is a full Professor at the University of South Carolina. Her research focuses on ethical decision making and issues management, as well as c-suite inclusion and contributions by public relations. Dr Bowen teaches and researches ethics across corporations, pharmaceutical firms, governmental entities, and the public relations industry. Her most recent book uses grant-based research to explicate “Excellence in Internal Communication Management” (2017; Business Expert Press) with Rita L. Men. Dr Bowen is one of three joint-editors for the journal Ethical Space: The International Journal of Communication Ethics. She sits on the Board of Trustees of the Arthur W. Page Society and has won numerous awards for her research. Brannon, Grace Ellen University of Texas Arlington (USA) • Grace Ellen Brannon is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas, having earned her Ph.D. in Communication from Texas A&M University in 2019. Dr. Brannon’s research focuses on how and in what ways communication variables (e.g., patient experience, provider communication) predict health outcomes using mixed methods approaches in preparation for designing public health intervention. Her work is published in prestigious journals such as Health Communication and Patient Education and Counseling. Bulduklu, Yasin Izmir Katip Celebi University (Turkey) Butera, Alfonsa Università IULM (Italy) • Alfonsa Butera is Adjunct Professor of Corporate Communication and Head of Coordination and Senior Researcher of the Centre for Employee Relations and Communication at Università IULM. She is a freelance consultant in the field of corporate communication, dealing with the strategic planning and operational management of the communication activities of B2B and B2C customers operating in various industrial sectors. Her main research interests are internal communication and media relations. 3 AUTHORS 19 Cai, Qinxian City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) • Cai, Qinxian is currently the Research Assistant in the Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong. Mr. Cai has been admitted to the PhD program of the Department of Media and Communication (CityU) in 2021. He possesses a master’s degree in Corporate Communication from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) and a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Sun Yat-sun University (the Chinese Mainland). Mr. Cai has immense curiosity in public relations, crisis management, risk communication, and health. Claeys, An-Sofie Ghent University (Belgium) • An-Sofie Claeys is assistant professor in corporate communication at Ghent University, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication. She obtained a joint PhD in Communication Sciences (Ghent University) and Social and Military Sciences (Royal Military Academy). She conducts research on organizational crisis communication focused on, among others, stealing thunder, emotional crisis communication and non-verbal crisis communication. Her research has been published in journals such as Journal of Communication, Communication Theory, Public Relations Review and Journal of Public Relations Research. Chan, Chun-Hsiang National Taiwan University (Taiwan) • Chun-Hsiang Chan is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Geography, National Taiwan University. His recent research on the human dynamics (human-to-human and human-to-environment interactions) during the geographical process provides policy insights to industry stakeholders and government. He has experienced Data Analysis with a demonstrated history of working in the academic and information industry. He has skilled in complex network analysis, social media engagement, spatial statistics, and the air transporta-tion market. Strong spatial and social network professional with a Ph.D. focus on the Integrated Market Analysis of Aviation Market and COVID-19 impact on public health and social media engagement. Chen, Zifei Fay University of San Francisco (USA) • Zifei Fay Chen, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of public relations in the Communication Studies Department at the University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Her research interests include corporate social responsibility, social media strategies, startup and entrepreneurial public relations, and crisis communication and management. Choi, Sung-In University of Georgia (USA) • Sung In Choi (Sung-in) is a doctoral student of Grady college of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia, USA. Her research focuses on environmental risk and health risk communication. Her central vein of research examines the public’s emotional and cognitive responses to risk-related media messages. Other research interests include the use of media and communication technology to promote positive health and social outcomes. 3 AUTHORS 20 Clayton, Teela Leeds Beckett University (UK) • Teela Clayton is a CIPR Accredited PR practitioner specialising in healthcare comms at Intent Health. After an 11-year teaching career, Teela obtained a PGCert in International Journalism and a master’s degree in PR and Strategic Communication. Her academic paper through EUPRERA, Women in Public Relations, released in March and she recently joined a PRCA team investigating misinformation in the climate crisis. In June 2021, she will begin PhD research on the impact of media and Government pandemic communication on BAME communities at Leeds Beckett University, UK. Teela is a committee member of CIPR Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, PRCA Diversity Network and a founding member of A Leader Like Me. Colleoni, Elanor University of Georgia (USA) • Elanor Colleoni, Ph.D. is currently Assistant Professor of Corporate Reputation at University IULM in Milan. Her work lies at the intersection of corporate reputation, organizational legitimacy, corporate social responsibility, and business ethics, with a particular focus on the impact of new communication technologies on corporate reputation and business ethics. Her research has been published in leading management and communication journals, such as Academy of Management Review, Busines & Society, Journal of Communication, among others. Coombs, William Timothy Texas A & M University (USA) • Timothy Coombs (PhD from Purdue University in Public Affairs and Issues Management) is a full professor in Department of Communication at Texas A&M University. He has received the 2002 recipient of Jackson, Jackson & Wagner Behavioral Science Prize from the Public Relations Society of America, the 2013 Pathfinder Award from the Institute of Public Relations in recognition of his research contributions to the field and to the practice, and was the 2014 winner of the Dean’s Distinguished Researcher Award in the College of Sciences at UCF. Dr. Coombs has won multiple PRIDE awards from the Public Relations Division of the National Communication Association for both books and research articles. He is also a member of the Arthur W. Page Society. Dr. Coombs was a Fulbright Scholar in Estonia in the Spring of 2013. De Battisti, Simone Hokuto (Italy) Dhanesh, Ganga S. Zayed University (U.A.E.) • Ganga S Dhanesh (PhD, National University of Singapore), Associate Professor and Associate Dean at the College of Communication and Media Sciences, Zayed University has built on her experience in corporate and non-profit organizations to develop research interests in corporate social responsibility, internal relations and strategic communication. She has published in books and journals such as Business Horizons, Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of International Management, Journal of Public Relations Research, and Public Relations Review. Dhanesh serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Communication Management. A recipient of several awards for her research, Dhanesh has provided communication consulting for various organizations and is one of the lead researchers for the Global Capabilities Framework project in the UAE. 3 AUTHORS 21 Duarte, Cynthia Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio (Brasil) • Cynthia Duarte has over 10 years of experience in corporate communication and holds a PhD in Social Communication from PUC-Rio, having developed the thesis “Communication and ethnomethodology at São Cristóvão Fair: social interaction and commerce at the China Store”, and a Master’s in Social Communication from UERJ, having developed the dissertation “The magic of Disney on Facebook: communication and business strategies of the conglomerate in the social network”, nominated to compete for the Capes Award for Theses and Dissertations. She is a specialist in Media, Technology and Education from PUC-Rio and has a degree in Public Relations and Journalism from UERJ. Duthler, Gaelle Zayed University (U.A.E.) • She currently serves as the Associate Dean of the College of Communication and Media Sciences at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. Her academic expertise focuses on public relations, strategic communication, internal communication, CSR, organizational diversity, and global virtual teams. Her works appear in Public Relations Review, Journal of Middle East Media, Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication, and Public Relations Journal. She serves on the board of the GlobCom Institute and is an active member of the Middle East Public Relations Association. Edzes, Arjen University of Groningen (The Netherlands) • Arjen Edzes is an associate professor at the department of Economic Geography of the University of Groningen. Het is a sociologist by training and has a long research focus on the development of regional labor markets. He is currently working on the linkages between regional labor markets and regional economy, future occupations and necessary skills and competences, lifelong development, career paths and labor market dynamics, and the effectiveness and efficiency of public administration. Dominic, Egede Dominion Universiti Putra (Malaysia) Du Plessis, Neeltje University of Pretoria (South Africa) Einwiller, Sabine University of Vienna (Austria) • Sabine Einwiller is the Professor of Public Relations Research at the Department of Communication, University of Vienna, Austria, where she heads the Corporate Communication Research Group. Since 2018 she is Head of the Austrian PR-Ethics-Council and serves as the Austrian representative of the European Communication Monitor. Since 2019 she is also Head of EUPRERA’s Scientific Committee. Sabine Einwiller has published more than 40 articles in international peer-reviewed journals and is co-editor of the Handbook of Employee Communication (Springer Gabler, in German). In her research, she is mainly interested in effects of corporate communication on stakeholders and in strategic communication management. 3 AUTHORS 22 Elving, Wim J.L. Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) • Sustainable Communication at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (HUAS), Groningen, the Netherlands. He is part of EnTranCe, Centre of Expertise: Energy of the HUAS, that focuses on the energy transition and the Sustainable Society. Elving’s current research is involved with communicative and behavioural interventions to create this sustainable future. He has contributed to more than 150 articles, book chapters, books, editorials, blogs. His research expertise is besides sustainable communications, corporate communication, internal and change communication, CSR communication and branding. He is a member of the A.W. Page Society, and Euprera. Erzikova, Elina Central Michigan University • Elina Erzikova, Ph. D. – Professor of Public Relations at Central Michigan University, U.S. She is a Fellow of the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations at the University of Alabama. Her primary areas of interest include journalism & politics and public relations & leadership. She has published in Political Communication, Mass Communication and Society, Journalism Studies, Journalism Practice, Public Relations Review, International Journal of Strategic Communication and International Communication Gazette. She co-authored a book, Russian Regional Journalism: Struggle and Survival in the Heartland, published by Peter Lang Publishing in 2020. Eynon, Tracy-Lee University of Pretoria (South Africa) Feyisa Kuyu, Leta Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia) • Leta Feyisa was born in Ethiopia, Oromia region. He is a junior Lecturer at Addis Ababa University. He completed his BA degree three years ago from Addis Ababa University. At that time he was one of the outstanding students of the year. Also, he completed his MA degree in Journalism and communication (specialization in Public relations and strategic communication) from the same University (AAU). At this moment he is serving his university in all manners he can. Lastly, in future work he wants to focus on Public relations, Reconciliations and nation building in Africa context. Fisichella, Chiara Università IULM (Italy) • Chiara Fisichella, PhD, is Adjunct Professor in Corporate Communication and Researcher of the Centre for Employee Relations and Communication at Università IULM. She is Adjunct Professor in Digital Corporate Communication and Marketing at Università Internazionale Uninettuno. She is a member of the board of directors of a company operating in the welfare system. She is a freelance consultant in the field of social research. Her main research topic concerns internal communication. Forthmann, Jörg Faktenkontor GmbH (Germany) • Dipl.-Ing. Ing oec. Jörg Forthmann, born 1968 in Heerlen (Netherlands) is managing partner of the IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research in Hamburg. At IMWF, he is responsible for big data analysis based on social listening, which is carried out with the help of artificial intelligence. Forthmann worked in the press and public relations of the Bundeswehr, worked as a journalist for Axel Springer Verlag and learned the PR craft at Nestlé Germany. He later worked as a press spokesman for a management 3 AUTHORS 23 consultancy and founded the communication consultancy Faktenkontor. Frandsen, Finn Aarhus University (Denmark) Gao, Hao Nanjing Normal University (China) • He is Associate professor at School of Journalism and Communication, Nanjing Normal University. He holds the Ph.D. in Mass Communication, Communication University of China. From 2013 to 2014 he was a visiting scholar at Waseda University. Current research areas: Disaster communication, Social media and Japanese media. Research Grants: Disaster Communication and social responsibility of Media (Principal Investigator). The National Social Science Fund of China, The Functional Transformation of Media in Disasters of Japan (Principal Investigator. The Japan Foundation. More than 10 articles about media research have been published in CSSCI journals. Gallant, Monica S P Jain School of Global Management (U.A.E.) Geysi, Nilüfer Bahçeşehir University (Turkey) • Nilüfer Geysi has been working as a research assistant for 5 years in Faculty of Communication at Bahçeşehir University. She is a Ph.D. candidate in Advertising and Public Relations program of the same university. She has completed her undergraduate degree on Public Relations and Advertising, and master’s degree on Marketing Communication and Public Relations at Izmir University of Economics. Geysi’s academic interests include corporate culture, digital media, and sustainability. Gómez-Iniesta, Pablo Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) Gorpe, T. Serra University of Sharjah (U.A.E.) • Tevhide Serra Gorpe is a professor at University of Sharjah, College of Communication. (United Arab Emirates). She holds a BA in Psychology, an MA in Social Psychology (Bosphorus University, Istanbul) an MSc in Public Relations (Boston University) and a PhD in Public Relations and Advertising (Istanbul University). Her current research interests include: public relations education, crisis/risk management and CSR. Grbeša, Marijana University of Zagreb (Croatia) • Marijana Grbeša is an associate professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb where she teaches courses in media, political marketing, and strategic communication in politics. She was a visiting professor at Penn State University, Lehigh Valley. She was the Head of the School of Journalism at the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb, a Vice-Dean for International Relations, a member of the negotiating team for Croatia’s Accession to the EU for Chapter 25, Science and Research, and a representative of Croatia in the European Science Foundation. She regularly presents at the biggest international conferences in political science, media, and communications. She has published with Routledge and Palgrave, among others. She regularly publishes in peer-reviewed journals She is the editor- in-chief of the Media Studies journal. She is a recipient of several academic and professional grants and awards. 3 AUTHORS 24 Guhl, Anna Macromedia Hochschule (Germany) • In the end of 2020 Anna Guhl obtaining her Masters in Media and Communication Management with the specialization Brand Management. Her field of interest relates to marketing and branding particulary in the food sector. Especially the development in this area in terms of digitalization and the associated challenges with regard to brand communication and brand presence in the digital environment. In 2019 Anna Guhl started her career in the field e-commerce marketing for a well-known German grocer. She looks forward to sharing her research on the current use and unused potential of Social Media Guidelines in corporate communication at her first BledCom this summer. Guo, Difan Nanjing Normal University (China) Hein, Antonia Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) • Antonia Hein is a PhD researcher at the professorship Communication and the Sustainable Society at Hanze University of Applied Sciences (HUAS) and the faculty of Economic Geography, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Her research focuses on regional economic strategies and the extent to which employer branding contributes to the attractiveness of regional companies. For the past 14 years Antonia has been working as a senior lecturer and researcher at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, responsible for the curriculum design of the International Communication bachelor and master programs. Antonia’s specialties include international branding, corporate branding, entry modes, intercultural communication, regional images. Hejlová, Denisa Charles University (Czech Republic) • Denisa Hejlova, Ph.D. is a leading Czech scholar and communication consultant. She focuses on research, education and practice in public relations, public affairs, trust management or fashion marketing. Since 2011, Denisa Hejlova is heading the department of Marketing Communication and PR at the Charles University in Prague, one of the most-wanted study programs in the Czech Republic. Before she has served as a Vice-dean for PR or as a PR manager at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Denisa was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Columbia University in New York. In 2015, Denisa published a comprehensive book about Public Relations for the Czech audience. Herranz de la Casa, Jose Maria Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) • José María Herranz de la Casa. University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), he is senior professor in the School of Communication where he teaches Sport Journalism, Specialized Journalism and Corporate and Organizational Communication. He has different papers, articles and research about: communication and transparency in social organizations and NGO; Business and organizational communication; social responsibility and SDG; innovation and sport journalism; virtual reality and immersive journalism (http://bit.ly/JMHerranz). Hewson, Sinéad School of Media & Communications, TU Dublin • Sinéad Hewson recently completed her PhD in TU Dublin, Ireland researching decisionmaking when communication is at the heart of an organisations’ strategy development. Her background is in health, business and communication 3 AUTHORS 25 specialising in co-opetition, group dynamics and gender equity. Based in the Netherlands, Hewson is a former Board Member of the European Institute of Women’s Health, former Chair of Education for the Public Relations Institute of Ireland. She sits on the advisory board of Women’s Business Initiative International. Sinead speaks internationally and lectures in Webster University Leiden, is a guest lecturer in TU Dublin and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Holosová, Karin University of Vienna (Austria) • Karin Holosová is a graduate student in the master’s program Communication Science at the University of Vienna, Austria. Her research focuses on influencer marketing, solutions journalism, internal communications and digital feminist practices. Homann, Reimund IMWF Institut für Management- und Wirtschaftsforschung (Germany) • Reimund Homann, Dr., born in 1980 in Hamburg/Germany, is a Business Analyst at the IMWF Institut für Management- und Wirtschaftsforschung in Hamburg and a former Business Analyst at the Hamburg-based management-consultancy faktenkontor. At the IMWF he specializes in the quantitative analysis of digital communication. He is the author of several books dealing with mathematics and economical analysis of law and edited several books on various managerial and economical topics. He also has a vast experience as a lecturer in statistics and managerial sciences. Holladay, Sherry J. Texas A&M University (USA) Hong, Stacey Corporate Communication (CCom) Research Group (Austria) • Stacey Hong is a graduate student in the master’s program Communication Science at the University of Vienna, Austria. Her research focuses on influencer marketing, solutions journalism, internal communications and native advertising. Hsu, Mei-Ling National Chengchi University (Taiwan) Hung-Baesecke, Chun-Ju Flora University of Technology Sydney (Australia) • Flora Hung-Baesecke teaches at University of Technology Sydney in Australia. She is the Chair of the Public Relations Division in International Communication Association and on the editorial boards of Journal of Public Relations Research, International Journal of Strategic Communication, Public Relations Journal, and Communication Research Reports. Flora is the 2015 – 2018 Arthur W. Page Legacy Scholar and publishes in international refereed journals. She is Secretary General for Overseas Affairs in Public Relations Society of China and is on the advisory board of International Public Relations Research Conference. Her research interests include CSR, OPRs, social media, strategic communication, and crisis management. Inderhees, Marco Macromedia Hochschule (Germany) 3 AUTHORS 26 Isaacson, Tom Northern Michigan University (USA) • Tom Isaacson (Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2012) is an Associate Professor of PR/Managerial Communication at Northern Michigan University’s College of Business (United States). His academic speciality areas include Sports PR and International Study Abroad. For 12 years, Tom brought students on a summer program to the American University of Rome and Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Past industry experience includes work in professional baseball with the Chicago White Sox and Greensboro Bats, and technology PR agency work. He continues active consulting with a robotics engineering company. His primary research interest is Sports Public Relations. He is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and has been a reviewer for the International History of PR Conference. Jin, Yan University of Georgia (USA) • Yan Jin, Ph.D., is the Georgia Athletic Association Professor and a professor of public relations at Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia (UGA), USA. She is also associate director of the Center for Health & Risk Communication and co-founder of the Crisis Communication Think Tank at UGA. Dr. Jin has authored more than 90 journal articles and over 20 book chapters, as well as edited three scholarly books and two journal special issues. Her work serves as a framework for crisis management and risk communication in a rapidly evolving media landscape and amidst emotionally charged conflict situations. Johann, Michael University of Augsburg (Germany) • Dr. Michael Johann is Senior Researcher and Teaching Associate at the Department of Media, Knowledge, and Communication at the University of Augsburg, Germany. His research is concerned with digital communication, strategic communication, and political communication. He received his PhD in communication from the University of Passau. In his dissertation, he examined the relevance of dialogic communication for organization-public relationships on social media. Michael Johann was also project manager for media analysis and social media monitoring at PRIME research international. Johansen, Winni Aarhus University (Denmark) Johnson, Lyndon Think Different(ly) (Canada) • Lyndon Johnson is the founder of THINK DIFFERENT[LY] Communications and is the General Manager of COMMS.BAR. He started his professional career as a radio broadcast journalist before becoming a strategic communications specialist working for PR agencies in London. Over the last decade, Lyndon has been focused on the research and design of a unifying communications theory and system to help answer many of the unresolved challenges facing the PR industry. He is the inventor of The Lean Agile Communications Methodology and a strategic communications intelligence engine and contextual ecosystem, known as SCIENCE, which applies scientific methods to communications practice. Lyndon has a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Kaufman, Ygal University of Oklahoma (USA) 3 AUTHORS 27 Kaur, Kiranjit Universiti Teknologi MARA (Malaysia) • Kiranjit Kaur is a Professor in Public Relations at the Faculty of Communication & Media Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia. She has authored a number of journal articles and book chapters in her research interest areas of public relations management, media studies, media ethics, and women and media. She has 35 years of experience in public relations education, research and consultancy. Kiranjit is a certified People Coach, ICF-ASTH. She is also a Fellow and an Accredited Public Relations member of the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM) as well as an ASEAN PR Network Fellow. She serves on the IPRM Council and chairs the IPRM Education Chapter. Kiranjit graduated with a PhD in Mass Communication (Public Relations) from the University of Maryland, USA. Kim, Jeong-Nam University of Oklahoma (USA) • Jeong-Nam Kim is the Gaylord Family Endowed Chair of Strategic Communication at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, at the University of Oklahoma.I study communicative action and informatics among lay problem solvers (cf. expert/scientific problem solvers). I constructed the situational theory of problem solving (STOPS) and a model of cognitive arrest and epistemic inertia among lay problem solvers. My lab, DaLI (Debiasing and Lay Informatics), seeks solutions for information problems such as pseudo-information, public biases, and failing information markets. Kim, Sungsu Kookmin University (Korea) • Dr. Sungsu Kim is Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public Relations in the School of Communication at Kookmin University, Seoul, South Korea. His research areas include public relations, crisis communication, strategic health communication, campaign message effects, and social media interaction. He recently focuses on exploring the role of crisis distance in determining how publics perceive and react to crisis in different contexts ranging from organizational crisis to health crisis and disasters. His communication research has appeared in various referred journals such as Health Communication, International Journal of Communication, American Journal of Health Behavior, Journal of Communication Management, and Communication Studies. Kim, Sora The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) • Kim is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She earned her Ph.D. degree from the University of Tennes-see. Her research interests include corporate social responsibility communication, and crisis communication management. Her work has been published at Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Public Relations Research, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business Ethics, Public Relations Review, and other international communication related journals. 3 AUTHORS 28 Kleut, Jelena University of Novi Sad (Serbia) • Jelena Kleut, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the Department of Media Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad (Serbia). She obtained her PhD in Communication Studies at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade. Her scholarly work has been published in high ranked journals such as New Media and Society, Discourse and Society, and International Journal of Communication. Her research interests include audiences and journalism in new media contexts. Koster, Sierdjan University of Groningen (The Netherlands) • Sierdjen Koster is an associate professor in Economic Geography at the University of Groningen. His research revolves around understanding regional differences in economic prosperity and development. Specifically, he is very interested in how increasingly flexible labour markets pose challenges and opportunities for regional development and policy. In another research line, he assesses to what extent regional images, identities and brands shape the economic behaviour of firms and people. Krämer, Alexandra International School of Management (Germany) • Alexandra Krämer, M.Sc, born 1990 in Leverkusen/Germany, is a research associate at the Brand & Retail Management Institute @ ISM, a university’s own institute at the International School of Management (ISM) in Dortmund. She is responsible for the conception and conduction of quantitative and qualitative studies, in particular in the areas of retail, e-commerce and consumer behavior. Before her time at ISM, she worked as a junior marketing manager in a medium-sized management consultancy in Solingen. She completed her studies in economics with a focus on marketing and management at Bergische Universität Wuppertal with a Master of Science degree in 2017. Kuruç, Ülfet Kutoğlu Eastern Mediterranean University (Cyprus) • Ülfet Kutoğ- lu Kuruç received her Ph.D. in Communication Sciences from Marmara University in Istanbul Turkey, and MA in English Language and Visual Arts Education from Sussex University in Brighton, England. Her BA in English Language and Literature is from Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus. She is currently teaching as an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Relations and Advertising, Faculty of Communication & Media Studies at Eastern Mediterranean University. Her research and teaching focus on issues related to mass communication and society, public relations, crisis communication and media education. She has attended and presented at several national and international conferences with a number of conference proceedings, journal articles and book chapters to her credit. She is a member of (EUPRERA). Lee, Hyelim Seoul National University (South Korea) • Hyelim Lee is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Seoul National University. Her primary research interests are studies in public from the PR theory perspective. She has a tremendous interest in the public members’ relationships with the organizations. She recently published an article about the underground information market dynamics in the Dong-A Business Review (DBR). She conducted extensive survey research on employee communication of the major Korean companies such as KT and SK. 3 AUTHORS 29 Lee, June Y. University of San Francisco (USA) • June Y. Lee, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of entrepreneurship, innovation, strategy, and international business at the University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. Her research interests include international entrepreneurship, transnational and cross-border entrepreneurship, and female entrepreneurship. Lee, Sihyeok the Q (South Korea) Leonard, Anné University of Pretoria (South Africa) • Dr Anné Leonard is a lecturer in Communication Management in the Department of Business Management at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She has published in South African and international journals and presented papers at several international conferences, including PRSA and EUPRERA. Her research focus centres on the convergence of crisis management, social media and corporate reputation. Amongst other things, she teaches communication strategy and works closely with real project clients like the South African Innovation Summit. Li, Lina Shanghai Normal University (China) Lilleker, Darren Bournemouth University (UK) Ljepava, Nikolina American University in the Emirates (U.A.E.) • She is MBA Program Director and Assistant Professor of Marketing at the American University in the Emirates, Dubai. She has more than ten years of international industry and consulting experience in North America, Europe and Asia, in the areas of marketing research, evaluation and online communications. She holds PhD from the University of Belgrade, two Master’s degrees: in E-business from the University of Belgrade, and Social Data Analysis, from the University of Windsor, and degree in Psychology from the University of Windsor. Dr. Nikolinàs research interests are related to the behavioral studies, cy-ber-psychology, digital marketing and research methods. Lukacovic, Marta N. Furman University (USA) • Marta N. Lukacovic (PhD, Wayne State University, Detroit-Michigan) is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Furman University, South Carolina, USA. Her research has been primarily centered on trends in communication through digital media platforms; specifically, on how user-generated online content interacts with the matters of security and crisis. Her work has appeared in journals such as PACO, Frontiers in Communication, and International Communication Research Journal. She currently serves as the president of Communication Association of Eurasian Researchers (CAER). She is a co-editor of the book Media and public relations research in post-socialist societies (2021, Lexington Books – Row-man & Littlefield). 3 AUTHORS 30 Maronkova, Barbora NATO (Belgium) • Ms. Maronkova joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Public Diplomacy Division in Brussels, Belgium in 2006 as program coordinator where she designed, planned and implemented public diplomacy campaigns in a number of NATO member states. As of September 2010 she advised several candidate countries on their national public awareness campaigns on NATO membership. From January to December 2016, she worked for the office of NATO’s Spokesperson. As of 1st March 2017, she holds the position of Director of NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2003, she established and head-ed a Slovak based NGO Centre for European and North Atlantic Affairs to contribute to public and academic debate on Slovakia’s membership to the EU and NATO. Her work included public relations and media appearances, public speaking, donors and stakeholders relations as well as the management of the NGO. Mazzei, Alessandra Università IULM (Italy) • Alessandra Mazzei is Associate Professor of Corporate Communication at Università IULM, where she is Director of the Centre for Employee Relations and Communication, Vice Director of the Department of Business Law Economics and Consumer Behavior; the Coordinator of the Bachelor Program in Corporate Communication and Public Relations; and the Director of the Master program in Intercultural Communication. She has been Visiting Researcher at Baruch College/CUNY and Visiting Professor at Aarhus University, Vilnius University and Lund University. She was awarded with several scientific prizes and published several journal articles and books. Her primary research interests are internal communication and corporate communication. Men, Linjuan Rita University of Florida (USA) • She (Ph.D., APR) is an associate professor in the Department of Public Relations at the University of Florida. Her research interests include employee communication, leadership communication, measurement and evaluation, reputation management, startup public relations, and emerging technologies. Men has published over 40 articles in refereed journals and led-authored the book, Excellence in Internal Communication Management published by Business Expert Press. Men serves as the chief research editor of the Institute for Public Relations’ Organizational Communication Research Center. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Miami in 2012. Meng, Juan University of Georgia (USA) Messner Florian Macromedia University of Applied Sciences (Germany) Miles, Emma University of Pretoria (South Africa) 3 AUTHORS 31 Miranda, Sandra Escola Superior de Comunicação Social – Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (Portugal) • Sandra Miranda has PhD in Social Communication, Master degree in Human Resource Management, and Bachelor degree in Sociology. Associate Dean and Lecturer in School of Comunication and Media Studies (Lisbon) Portugal. Research field: Organizational Behavior and Consumer Behavior. Mo, Yunting BCW Global (Hong Kong) • Mo, Yunting held a mater degree in Corporate Communication from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a bachelor degree of Public Relations in Sun Yat-sen University. She is currently a PR practitioner in an international integrated communication agency, BCW Global (Hong Kong). Her industry experience covers B2B / tech company’s global communication, finance marketing, etc. Her research interests include corporate social responsibility, corporation communication strategy, online influencer, etc. Moran, Wendy Metropolitan University (UK) • Wendy Moran is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for Public Relations and Marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University. An accredited PR practitioner, Wendy has chaired a national committee for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and is a co-author of ‘PR and Communications in Local Government and Public Services, part of the CIPR PR in practice series published by Kogan Page in July 2013. In 2015, Wendy led a national research project culminating in the report ‘Influence for Impact’ which was launched at CIPR HQ. In 2017, Wendy was nominated and awarded Fellowship of the CIPR. In 2018 Wendy was named as one of 70 Outstanding PR practitioners by the CIPR as part of its 70th anniversary celebrations. Moss, Danny University of Chester (UK) • He (PhD) is Professor of Corporate & Public Affairs at the University of Chester Business School where he is Programme Leader for the Chester Business Master’s and Co-Director of the International Centre for Corporate & Public Affairs Research. He has played a leading role in establishing Master’s level education in public relations in the UK at the University of Stirling and then at Manchester Metropolitan University. He was one of the co-founders of the Bled Symposium and co-founder and co-editor of the Journal of Public Affairs, and has authored and edited over 80 books, journal articles and conference papers. Mourão, Rita Escola Superior de Comunicação Social – Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (Portugal) • PhD student in the area of Communication Sciences, PhD in Communication Studies: Technology, Culture and Society, in Portugal. Lecturer in School of Comunication and Media Studies-Bachelor degree of “Publicity and Marketing” and “Public Relations and Organizational Communication”, having taught curricular units of “Consumer Behavior” and “Organizational Theories”, in Lisbon, Portugal. She was a lecturer at ISCTE between 2012 and 2015, having taught curricular units like: »Communication Techniques«; »Teamwork«; »Problem Solving and Decision Making« and »Conflict Management«. 3 AUTHORS 32 Muzi Falconi, Toni Methodos (Italy) Nunes, Mariana ISCTE-CIES & ESCS (Portugal) Okay, Ayla Istanbul University (Turkey) • Ayla Okay (Prof. Dr.) formerly head of public relations department at Faculty of Communication, Istanbul University. She has a large number of academic researches and publications on public relations, corporate identity and health communications. She is one of the referees of the Journal of Strategic Communications, Public Relations Review, and also a member of scientific committee of the EUPRERA. She was one of the partners of the EU-sponsored ECOPSI project. She is also representative of the European Communication Monitor for Turkey. She still works as a full professor at Faculty of Communication in Istanbul University. Okay, Aydemir Istanbul University (Turkey) • Aydemir Okay (Prof. Dr.) is full professor of department of public relations at Faculty of Communication, Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University. He has published seven books and edited several international books, and numerous papers in national and international academic journals. He has taught, as an invited professor, in several renowned universities. His areas of interest are public relations, public relations theory, corporate communication, corporate advertising, crisis communication, and sponsorship. Oksuz, Burcu Katip Celebi University (Turkey) • Burcu Oksuz is an associate professor in Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University. She earned a BA degree from Ege University, an MA degree from Dokuz Eylül University, and a PhD degree in public relations from Ege University. Her research interests are reputation management, CSR, employer brand and corporate communication. Opiyo, Baruck Eastern Mediterranean University (Cyprus) • Baruck Opiyo received Ph.D. in Mass Communication and MA in Journalism from the University of Iowa. He has practiced news agency and print media journalism in four countries and currently teaches Public Relations & Advertising courses in the Faculty of Communication & Media Studies at Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus. Baruck was a Scientific Committee member of MEDCOM2018 &2019 and belongs to three professional associations; has written and published several conference and journal articles, and regularly writes commentaries for media organizations on topical issues. His research interests include comparative communication, Journalistic practice in the new information age, and Corporate Communication. Oppi, Biaggio Ferpi (Italy) Pang, Augustine Singapore Management University (Singapore) Panico, Giancarlo CNEL (Italy) 3 AUTHORS 33 Pereira, Sandra ESCS-ICML (Portugal) • She holds a PhD in Communication Sociology, namely in Organizational Communication. She has been a lecturer in Public Relations for 25 years at School of Communication and Media Studies (ESCS) in Lisbon’s Polytechnic (IPL). At ESCS she is the coordinator of the Public Relations Strategic Management master degree and a member of the School’ Scientific-Technical Council. She is also one of the founding members of the Portuguese Association for Communication Sciences (SOPCOM) and of EUPRERA. She is presently involved in several research projects in Public Relations. Piermattei, Livia Ferpi (Italy) Persad, Vishala J. University of Oklahoma (USA) • Vishala J. Persad is a PhD student at The University of Oklahoma in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Her past work experience includes a background in international business, accounting, and finance, working as a financial consultant for Deloitte & Touche across the United States and as a financial analyst and policy researcher in the energy industry. Her research interests are in strategic communications and public relations, with specific interest in the intersection of financial stakeholder publics, corporate activism, and big data analytics. Pompper, Donnalyn University of Oregon (USA) • Donnalyn Pompper (Ph.D., Media & Communication, Temple University), APR, is Professor and Endowed Chair in Public Relations, School of Journalism & Communication, University of Oregon. She teaches courses in and researches PR, corporate social responsibility, and social identity. She is an internationally recognized award-winning teacher and scholar. Academic publishing and mentoring are career drivers. Pompper has edited journal special issues and serves on 10 academic journal editorial boards. She has published several books, journal articles, and conference papers, and edits book series for Routledge and Emerald. She mentors colleagues at various career stages. Prior to joining the academy, Pompper worked as a PR manager and journalist who brings 25 years’ practical experience to teaching and research. Przybysz, Łukasz University of Warsaw (Poland) Ravazzani, Silvia Università IULM (Italy) • Silvia Ravazzani, PhD, is Associate Professor in Management at Università IULM, Italy. Her research focuses on crisis communication, employee communication, digital communication, diversity management and business ethics. She is Senior Project Leader for the Centre for Employee Relations and Communication at Università IULM, and vice-chair for the Crisis Communication Section at the European Communication Research and Education Association. Awards for her research include the 2018 Outstanding Paper Award for “Strategic Organizational Discourse and Framing in Hypermodal Spaces” and the 2017 Highly Commended Paper Award for “Exploring internal crisis communication in multicultural environments” at the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence. 3 AUTHORS 34 Romenti, Stefania Università IULM (Italy) • Stefania Romenti, Ph.D, is Associate Professor in Strategic Communication and PR at IULM University (Italy) and Chair of the Master of Science in Strategic Communication. She is Delegate of the Rector for Sustainability. She is Director of the Executive Master in Corporate Public Relations (IULM University) and Adjunct Professor at IE Business School (Madrid). She is Founder and Director of the Research Center in Strategic Communication (CECOMS) and President Elect of the European Association of Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA). Dr. Romenti centers her research on strategic communication, corporate reputation, stakeholder management and engagement, dialogue, social media, measurement and evaluation. Rotolo, Francesco Storyfly (Italy) • Communication expert, practitioner, and independent researcher, he works as an executive consultant for many international organizations, including multinational companies and corporations from the public sector. With a Degree with Honours in Ancient Literatures and a Sanskrit Literature thesis, he leverages linguistics, semiotics, and cultures’ history to shape an original approach to professional communication. His fields of specialization are corporate and brand storytelling, brand design, digital storytelling, collective identity. Formerly professional actor and jazz piano performer, he believes that the key to achieving the best communication results is an elusive balance between analytical thinking and creativity. le Roux, Tanya Bournemouth University (UK) • Before stepping into academia, Tanya worked as a communication professional in South Africa and the UK. She lectured strategic communication management for 13 years in South Africa before joining Bournemouth University, UK. Tanya strongly believes in combining academic work and practical experience, locally and internationally, in order to benefit both academia and professional practice. She shares her knowledge through international journal articles, book chapters, and conference presentations. Tanya serves on the global evaluators’ panel for the IABC Gold Quill Awards. Her research is focused on strategic corporate communication management, and the application thereof within disaster risk reduction. Ruppel, Christopher University of Vienna (Austria) • Christopher Ruppel (PhD, 2019, University of Vienna) is a post‐doctoral researcher with the Corporate Communication Research Group in the Department of Communication at the University of Vienna, Austria. His research focuses on consumer relation(ship)s with corporations, crisis communication and corporate social responsibility. His research was published in journals such as the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Public Relations Review, and Corporate Communications: An International Journal. Qin, Yufan Sunny University of Florida (USA) 3 AUTHORS 35 Quaratino, Luca Università IULM (Italy) • Luca Quaratino is Assistant Professor in Organization Theory and HRM at Università IULM in Milan, where he teaches “Theory of complex organization” and “Critical Issues in Hospitality Human Resources”. After a degree in Law, he completed his studies at ILR, the Industrial and Labour Relations Department of Cornell University (USA). His research focuses on organizational culture, generation mix management and adult learning processes. He also works as a trainer and consultant for private companies, public institutions and no-profit organizations. Samoilenko, Sergei A. George Mason University (USA) • Sergei A. Samoilenko is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at George Mason University. Sergei’s research focuses on issues in reputation management, crisis communication, political communication, and post-socialist research. Samoilenko is a founding member of CARP, the Research Lab for Character Assassination and Reputation Politics. He is the co-editor of Routledge Handbook of Character Assassination and Reputation Management, Handbook of Deception, Fake News, and Misinformation Online and other books and edited volumes. Sassoni-Bar Lev, Oshrat Yezreel Valley College • Oshrat Sassoni-Bar Lev (PhD) is an adjunct teacher and lecturer in the department of Health Systems Management at the Max Stern Emek Yezreel Valley College, Israel, and at the Open University, Israel. Sassoni- Bar Lev earned her PhD and MA in the department of Communication, University of Haifa, Israel. Her research incorporates the fields of health communication and collective memory, as she studies the representation of pandemics and diseases in popular culture and news coverage. Selaković, Marko S P Jain School of Global Management (U.A.E.) • He (MSc, M.A.) is strategic management and communications professional with more than 15 years of experience in Europe and Gulf countries. Marko is specialized in international communications, stakeholder relations, knowledge management and crisis communications. Presently, he serves as Senior Manager – Institutional Development at SP Jain School of Global Management Dubai, Sydney, Singapore, Mumbai. He is also Vice-president of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) GCC Chapter and member of the 2018 IABC World Communications Conference Program Advisory Committee. Marko is author or co-author of more than 10 papers published at international journals and conferences. Sellnow-Richmond, Deborah D. Southern Illinois U. Edwardsville (USA) • Deborah D. Sellnow-Richmond (PhD, Wayne State University, Detroit-Michigan) is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Illinois, USA. Her research focuses on the efficacy and/or unforeseen effects of public relations messages in health/organizational crisis contexts. Most recently, her research examines these effects in the context of megacrises. Her work has been published in such journals as the Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, Journal of Applied Communication Research, and Journal of Risk Research. 3 AUTHORS 36 Sievert, Holger Macromedia University of Applied Sciences (Germany) • Prof. Dr. Holger Sievert is full professor for Communication Management at Macromedia University of Applied Sciences. He also heads the Cologne Media Faculty as well as the national Research Committee of his institution. In addition to teaching, he has always been active in communication management functions including Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, the Bertelsmann Foundation and the large German communication agency komm.passion. In research, he focuses on interactive, international and internal communication. His recent studies at the Macromedia University were conducted for partners such as the German Foreign Office, The Federal Press Office, the Council of Europe, Payback, TUI or Vodafone. Soens, Ellen Ghent University (Belgium) • Ellen Soens is a PhD candidate at Ghent University, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and a Master’s degree in Business Communication (KU Leuven). After graduating, she worked at KU Leuven as program coordinator for the master in Business Communication for one year. Since September 2020, she is conducting research on employees’ work-related social media use at the Research Centre for Multilingual Practices and Language Learning in Society (MULTIPLES) of Ghent University. Her research interests include strategic communication, crisis communication and employee social media use. Sohodol, Çisil Bahçeşehir University (Turkey) • Çisil Sohodol has been working as a Professor in Public Relations and Publicity Department in the Faculty of Communication at Bahcesehir University. She received her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees on Public Relations at Ege University. Her researches and courses focus on media relations and crisis communication. Spiller, Ralf Macromedia Hochschule (Germany) • Ralf Spiller, PhD, is professor for media and communication management at Macromedia University of Applied Sciences, Cologne. He currently serves as the leader for the M.A.-program in media and communication management. Before joining academia he has worked as a journalist for Handelsblatt, Germany biggest financial newspaper. He also gained experience as a business development manager and as a consultant for the media and telecommunication indudstry while working for the international consultancy Capgemini. His research interests are communication campaigns, digital journalism, communication theories and social scientific methods. Sriramesh, Krishnamurthy University of Colorado (USA) • Krishnamurthy Sriramesh is Professor of Public Relations at the University of Colorado, USA. He is recognized for his scholarship on topics such as global public relations, culture and public relations, corporate social responsibility, and public relations for development. Over 30 years he has advocated the need to reduce ethnocentricity in the public relations body of knowledge and practice in 8 books, over 110 articles and book chapters, and over 120 conference presentations around the world. His rich teaching experience 3 AUTHORS 37 includes teaching at 10 universities on four continents while also delivering seminars/talks in over 40 countries. He has won several awards for teaching and research at different universities including the 2004 Pathfinder Award from the Institute for Public Relations (USA) for “original scholarly research contributing to the public relations body of knowledge” and the PRIDE Award from the National Communication Association (USA). Stoeckle, Thomas Bournemouth University (UK) • He works at the Bournemouth University. Previously he led strategic business development at LexisNexis Business Insight Solutions (BIS). Prior to joining LexisNexis, he was group director and global analytics lead at W2O Group, and managing director at Report International (now CARMA). Originally from Germany, Thomas has been living and working in London since 2000, and enjoys traveling and learning about the world, both for business, and pleasure. Forever a digital Neanderthal among digital natives, he is keenly aware that adequate solutions to business communication problems demand fluency in the three languages of humans, machines, and business. Thomas hosts the SmallDataForum podcast, together with Neville Hobson and Sam Knowles. He is also the co-chair of the Institute for Public Relations Measurement Commission, editorial advisory board member of the Public Relations Journal, and a jury member of the Digital Communication Awards, hosted by Quadriga University Berlin. Suher, İdil Karademirlidağ Bahçeşehir University (Turkey) • İdil Karademı̇rlı̇dağ Suher is a Professor and Head of Public Relations Department at Bahçeşehir University since 2006. She received her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees on public relations and communication from Anadolu University. Suher teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses on public relations management and strategy. Her research interests include issues management and source credibility. She gives seminars about persuasive communication. Besides her academic studies, she has contributed to the field by being involved in several sectoral research projects. Sung, Yoon Hi University of Oklahoma (USA) Špoljarić, Anja University of Zagreb (Croatia) • Anja Špoljarić is a Research Assistant at the Department of Marketing at the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb. She is working on a project funded by Croatian Science Foundation titled “The role of internal communication in an organization: position, channels, measurement and relationship with related concepts” and has recently enrolled a PhD at the Faculty of Economics and Business. Šovanec, Stefani University of Novi Sad (Serbia) • Stefani Šovanec, MA, is a Research Assistant at the Department of Media Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad (Serbia). Her masters’ theses involved the research of media representations of success in television series, which she defended at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad (Serbia). She is a Ph.D. candidate and her thesis is focused on communication strategies and political propaganda. Her research interests revolve around the audience, public relations, and political discourses. 3 AUTHORS 38 Tachkova, Elina R. College Station (USA) • Elina R. Tachkova worked on her PhD in the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University, USA. Her research examines how organizational crisis response strategies affect stakeholder perceptions and reputation following a crisis. Elina’s dissertation examined the relationship between scandals and crises and the communicative implications it poses for crisis communication research and practice. Her work has appeared in several edited volumes and international peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Communication Management and Corporate Communication: An International Journal. Elina will be joining the faculty in the Department of Communication Studies at Honk Kong Baptist University in the fall of 2021. Treu, Tiziano CNEL (Italy) Tkalac Verčič, Ana University of Zagreb (Croatia) • Ana Tkalac Verčič, Ph.D., is a Full Professor of Marketing communications and Public Relations at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, Croatia. She is a former Fulbright scholar and a recipient of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations diploma. Ana Tkalac Verčič has authored, co-authored and edited numerous books including Public Relations Metrics: Research and Evaluation (with B. van Ruler and D. Verčič) and is the author of the first Croatian public relations textbook. She has published more than a 100 papers in various academic journals and serves in various editorial boards such as International Journal of Strategic Communication, Journal of Public Relations Research and Public Relations Review. Throughout her career professor Tkalac Verčič has received numerous awards, most recently, GrandPRx, the award for the development of public relations as a profession. She is a former president of the Croatian Public Relations Association. Topić, Martina Leeds Beckett University (UK) • Dr Martina Topić is a Senior Lecturer in Public Relations at Leeds Business School. She was project lead for the British Academy project on Women in UK’s Advertising Industry, HEFCE project on Women in British Journalism and HEFCE projects on Women in PR and Marketing and research-based teaching. She currently leads the EUPRERA project on women in public relations and she is a research lead for the #WECAN project (Women Empowered through Coaching and Networking). She is an editor of the section ‘Culture, Media and Film’ of Cogent Arts and Humanities Open Access journal (Taylor and Francis), editor-in-chief of Corporate Communication: An International Journal (Emerald) and editor-in-chief of the book series ‘Women, Economy and the Labour Relations’ (Emerald). Triantafillidou, Amalia University of Western Macedonia (Greece) • Amalia Triantafillidou is an Assistant Professor of Communication and Public Relations at the Department of Communication and Digital Media at the University of Western Macedonia, Greece. She holds a Ph D in Marketing from Athens University of Economics and Business. Her research interests focus on public relations, crisis communication, e-campaigning, e-government, and consumer experience. She has published in referred journals such as Computers in Human Behavior, Public Relations Review, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, etc. She teaches courses related to Public 3 AUTHORS 39 Relations, Corporate Communications, Crisis Communication, Corporate Branding and Consumer Behaviour. Valentini, Chiara Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics (Finland) • Chiara Valentini, Ph.D., is Professor of Corporate Communication, at Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics (JSBE), Finland. Dr. Valentini is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and books in strategic public relations, government communication, and crisis communication in the digital environment. Former Chair of the Public Relations Division at the International Communication Association (ICA), she serves as reviewer and editorial board member of several international journals and is active with several professional organizations. Van Niekerk, Dewald North-West University (South Africa) Verčič, Dejan University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Herman & partners (Slovenia) • Dejan Verčič is Professor, Head of Department of Communication and Head of Centre for Marketing and Public Relations at the University of Ljubljana, and Partner in strategic consulting and communication company Herman & partners Ltd. Slovenia. He received his PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. A Fulbright scholar, recipient of the Pathfinder Award, the highest academic honour bestowed by the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) in New York, and named a Distinguished Public Relations Scholar by the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA). In 1991 he was the founding director of Slovenian national news agency (STA). Organizing the annual International Public Relations Research Symposium – BledCom since 1994. Verghese, Aniisu K Alliance University (India) • Aniisu K Verghese Ph.D., is an award-winning internal communications leader, author, speaker, researcher and blogger with over 22 years of experience. A Public Relations Council of India’s Hall of Fame winner (2015), he is the author of Internal Communications – Insights, Practices and Models and is passionate about engaging communicators, academia and students through workshops, speaking engagements, teaching assignments and blogging. Aniisu regularly writes on internal communications (www.aniisu.com) and is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators. He holds a PhD in organizational communications and contributes to research journals and book chapters. More details are on his website: www.intraskope.com Vielledent, Marc C. University of Florida (USA) • Marc Vielledent is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in Mass Communication at the University of Florida. He holds a bachelor’s degree in American legal studies from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree in strategic public relations from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. As the first U.S. Army Good-paster Scholar to focus on strategic communication, he was most recently assigned as a speechwriter and strategic advisor to senior leadership. His research interests span leadership communication, social media, strategic planning and policy, and risk articulation. 3 AUTHORS 40 Westermann, Arne University of Applied Sciences (Germany) • He, Ph.D., born in 1972 in Bochum/Germany, is Professor for Communications and Marketing at the International School of Management (ISM) in Dortmund. He is the Program Director for the Master Program Strategic Marketing Management and Head of the Brand & Retail Management Institute @ ISM. Additionally, he is in charge of Marketing in the ISM’s educational division. He is author of several books, studies and essays dealing with corporate communications as well as online communications and social media. In addition to his academic career he draws on vast experience as a practitioner and consultant in corporate and brand communications. Wright, Donald K. Boston University (USA) • Donald K. Wright, Ph.D., is the Harold Burson Professor in Public Relations and Chair of the Department of Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations at Boston University’s College of Communication, the world’s first degree-granting institution in public relations. He is one of the most published public relations scholars in the areas of ethics, employee communication and social media, and is an internationally known professor, author, speaker, researcher, advisor, and corporate communications consultant. In addition to teaching, conducting scholarly and applied research, and lecturing in more than 30 countries on five continents, Professor Wright has worked full-time in corporate, agency and university public relations, and has been a communications consultant for more than three decades. Wu, Jing University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) • She holds Master of Marketing Communications from University of Melbourne, Australia. Research Orientation: Integrated Marketing Communications, Public Relations, Advertising Strategies. Research grant: Associate investigator,‘ A research on audience behaviorofscience communication in new media era’, China Research Institute for Science Popular-ization. Wu, Shih Chia The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China) • Dr. Wu Shih-Chia, Deputy Director of M.S.Sc. in Corporate Communication from the School of Journalism and Communication, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Her recent research on social media usage behavior and influence in Greater China has received attention from academia, industry and media. She also accelerates the learning of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication studies in Taiwan and Hong Kong’s universities. Her latest new book, “Style Marketing” in Chinese, has been published. Prior to CUHK, as an accredited communicator with rich industry experience, Dr. Wu is specialized in global brand management, corporate & crisis communication, and strategic planning. She used to work at Chanel, P&G, and DaimlerChrysler as executive management team member and served as the corporate spokesperson. 3 AUTHORS 41 Yannas, Prodromos University of West Attica (Greece) • Prodromos Yannas is Professor of International Relations and Communication-Publicity in the Department of Business Administration at the University of West Attica. He holds a BA in Economics from the College of Wooster (1981), an MA in Political Science from Miami University (1982) and a PhD in International Relations from the American University (1989). He has taught in the United States at the American University and Mount Vernon College (1989–1991) and in Greece at the Athens University of Economics and Business (1992–1995), the Hellenic Naval War College (1993–1998), the Technological Education Institute (TEI) of Western Macedonia (1998–2013), the Piraeus University of Applied Sciences (2013–2018) and the University of West Attica (2018–present). The research interests of Professor Yannas span three areas: International Relations, Public Relations and Communication. His publications have appeared in refereed journals, books chapters and international conference proceedings. He is member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Electronic Government Research. Yeo, Su Lin Singapore Management University (Singapore) • Su Lin YEO is Assistant Professor of Corporate Communication (Practice) in Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University (SMU). She is also Director for the Institute of Public Relations USA - SMU (Southeast Asia Alliance). She teaches a range of full credit communication modules from undergraduate to postgraduate and executive seminar programmes. Her primary research interests include Strategic and Crisis Communication. She manages multiple research grants, publishes in highly cited communication journals and has won top paper awards which includes the prestigious Robert Heath Award Top Faculty Paper for Public Relations at the International Communication Association in 2017. Yin, Huimin Nanjing Normal University (China) Yue, Cen April University of Florida (USA) • She is a doctoral student in public relations at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications and a research editor of the Organizational Communication Research Center at the Institute for Public Relations. Her research interest focuses on corporate internal communication and corporate social responsibility. Zhang, Xiaochen Angela University of Oklahoma (USA) Zhou, Alvin University of Pennsylvania (USA) 4 ABSTRACTS 42 Defining Novels as Public Relations Tools: An Analysis of Ahmet Mithat Efendi’s Felâtun Bey ile Rakım Efendi Akçay, Ebru, Ondokuz Mayıs University (Turkey) Introduction and literature review The Purpose of the study Apart from its being managerial practice, public In this framework, this study aims to conceptu- relations has always been an ideological practice alize Tanzimat novels, through which Tanzimat through which a specific worldview is indoctri- writers and intellectuals convey their ideas about nated and public opinion is shaped. Extant liter- westernization and disseminate the ideology of ature of public relations claims that public rela- the Tanzimat Era, as public relations tools. In tions uses tools of mass communication such as line with the aim of the study, the study also television, newspaper, and radio to disseminate a seeks to conceptualize public relations as an specific worldview. However, the list does not in- ideological practice. In this respect, the research clude novel which is one of the oldest communi-questions of the study are as follows: cation tools. In other words, public relations lit- erature has been blind to see that novels are used RQ1: Can novel be regarded as one of the com- as public relations tools to propagate political, munication tools public relations use? cultural and religious ideas. In the same vein, in Turkey, public relations literature does not RQ2: Can Tanzimat novels be described as pub-regard novels as public relations tools and the lic relations tool for Tanzimat Era? beginning of public relations practice is said to RQ3: If so, how do the novels serve such a func- date back to the 1960s when public sector used tion? public relations in a planned and professional way. However, there are also studies challenging Methodology the hegemonic historiography of public relati- ons in Turkey claiming that public relations in In order to achieve that aim, the study analy- Turkey dated back to the Ottoman Empire. Alt- zes Ahmet Mithat Efendi’s novel titled Felâtun hough these studies set forth that in Tanzimat Bey ile Rakım Efendi (1875). Written during the Era (westernization era of the Ottoman Empire) Tanzimat Era, Felâtun Bey ile Rakım Efendi is one newspapers were used to disseminate Tanzimat of the Tanzimat novels whose characters were ideology, those studies do not consider Tanzimat created to present the writer’s worldview. The novels as public relations tools, per se. novel is analyzed through textual analysis. Tex- tual analysis is chosen as a research methodology because of its potential to reveal the text’s main themes and characteristics. 4 ABSTRACTS 43 Results and conclusions The study concludes that Felâtun Bey ile Rakım Efendi can be positioned as a public relations tool used in the Tanzimat Era because the writer not only publicizes the ideology of the Tanzimat Era through the novel but also he disseminates his views about how the public should become westernized through the characters. Although the scope of the study is limited to only one Tanzimat novel, Felâtun Bey ile Rakım Efendi, the results can be applied to other Tanzimat novels whose aims were to promote the writer’s ideol- ogy about westernation of the Ottoman Empire. In this respect, such position can offer an insight into future studies which include the practices ignored by corporate-centric views of public re- lations. Keywords: public relations, public relations history, ideology, Tanzimat Era, Tanzimat novels 4 ABSTRACTS 44 Managing internal communication during the COVID -19 epidemic: a study on private organisations in Saudi Arabia Almahraj, Yazeed, Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (Saudi Arabia) Introduction and purpose of the study community and loyalty within the organisation while making employees aware of their organi- The Covid19 pandemic has caused economic and sations’ decisions to their work environment. social disruptions and has forced companies and people across the world to rely on technology in In order to maintain an efficient internal com- order to communicate. This has happened due munication, there is a need for transparency in to the fact that companies have had to introduce communication. Research on transparency re- new ways of working such as remote working. veals that clear organisational transparency must This change in communication has made com- contain positive and negative information that panies rethink their internal communication needs to be accurate, complete and relevant to strategies as communication has become vital decisions that organisations have made ( Men, not only in transmitting information, but also 2014, Stirton and Lodge, 2011). In addition, in maintaining an efficient work environment organisations have to be actively open for their by keeping employees updated and connected employees to search and ask for information within the business. This study investigates how (Cotterrell, 2000, Rawlins, 2009), an act that private organisations in Saudi Arabia have com-will determine trust and credibility in the or- municated internally with their publics during ganisation. Studies show that overall transparent the COVID 19 pandemic by examining the level communication leads to a more active workforce, of information transparency and effectiveness in increased employee satisfaction and improved communication. relationships between the organisation and its employees ( Rawlins, 2009, Men and Stacks, Literature review 2014, Lee et al, 2018, Walden et al 2017). The research uses the internal communication Methodology theory framework and stakeholder approach developed by Jackson and Welch (2007) that The study has used a quantitative methodolog- was designed with the purpose of improving the ical approach because this has been viewed as a internal communication within organisations by suitable method of collecting data from a larg- focusing on employee engagement and examin- er population and because quantitative research ing the receiver’s point of view rather than the is considered a good foundation for producing sender of the information. The goal of an internal generalizability. The data was collected from 111 communication strategy is to develop a sense of respondents through an online survey from em- 4 ABSTRACTS 45 ployees working in different positions at sever- Practical and social implications al Saudi private companies. The questions were structured in two themes in order to find out if The practical and social implications of the re- the public relations departments at Saudi private sults are that by providing transparency, a high companies communicated in a transparent way level of trust is established between the stake- and if the public relations departments at Saudi holders, the general public and the organisation. companies communicate effectively with their This contributes to employee loyalty, higher lev- employees during the pandemic. els of productivity, higher employee engagement, and a positive public image. However, a weak Results and conclusions communication strategy might affect the organ- isation’s overall effectiveness and future produc- The results reveal that in terms of transparency tivity. in communication, the mean score is high which means the PR departments at Saudi private com- A limitation of this study is that it has only fo- panies were transparent when communicating cused on employees of private companies and it with the internal public. In regards to the ef-has only investigated the receivers’ point of view. fectiveness in communication, the results have The study suggests that future research should revealed that the mean score is average which also examine employees in governmental institu- means that the PR departments did not succeed tions and to also investigate the public relations in communicating internally in an effective way ‘views on this subject. probably due to a weak communication strategy or lack of professionalism. Keywords: transparency, effectiveness, COVID-19, internal communication 4 ABSTRACTS 46 The virus and its images - Metaphorical genealogy of the risk society Almeida Luz, Luis Flávio, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain) Introduction and purpose of the study in the processes of collective construction of the subject’s forms. One of our hypotheses is that the The challenge of this study is to create a ge-image of the virus and the resounding speeches nealogy of images that represent the Covid-19 in the imagination optimize the visibility of the virus as a risk. From that goal, we ask. How can multiplicity of correlations of forces, solidarity, the possible relationships between the concept resistance, interests, intolerances, afflictions and of risk and the studies of the imaginary provide weaknesses of each system. Power, that is, risk is an instrumental support for the growing field of everywhere, as Foucault (2001) says, and the vi- risk communication? rus and its images are the extremes of power re- Literature review lations that support discourses that also produce reactions contrary to the discourses themselves. The notion of risk will be observed from auThe images analyzed are selections of significant thors like Ulrich Beck (2010), Anthony Gid- visual metaphors for each stage of the pandemic dens (1996) and Mary Douglas (1996), among and which in a way represent the spirit of the others, and the studies of the imaginary, from time of each moment lived broadcast on social the perspective of authors like Gilbert Durand networks or in the mass media from January (1997). 2020 until the moment of the announcement of the first vaccine in the end of the same year. We Methodology will look for images broadcast in the press, ve- hicles for scientific dissemination, governments In our study, we will take a tour of images made and social networks (broadcast by a lay public) to represent the invisible. The images will be de- to reflect on the construction of perceptions. scribed and analyzed using metaphors identified in their content for the construction of truths. Results and conclusions The virus is visible only with the help of me- diating devices between the eye and the con- From them, we will make descriptions, interpre- science. It is interesting to analyze here not only tations and inferences of the images to produce the image that the virus produces in the body, a kind of tension with the proposed theory and its terminal object, but also what it produces in also with matrix narratives from the past that the spaces for creating subject forms. Thinking we can find in the representations of virus imag- of subjectivity as a historical construction, the es that still concern and challenge communities methodology, from a theoretical point of view, such as HIV, Sars, H1N1 and Ebola. refers us to the Foucaultian genealogical view that considers the senses as mutants and dependent on the power relations for their formation 4 ABSTRACTS 47 Practical and social implications References: Our hypothesis is that the power relations that Beck, Ulrich – Sociedade de risco: rumo a uma influenced the production of images can be de- outra modernidade. São Paulo: Ed. 34, 2010. scribed from the study of these moments of risk Douglas, Mary. Risk Acceptability According to perception. In this process, we will verify how it the Social Sciences. Russel Sage Foudation. is possible to analyze the relationship between 1996. the imaginary and the risk to increase strate- gies, health prevention policies, practices and Durand, Gilbert. As estruturas antropológicas providing elements to think theories, methods do imaginário: introdução à arqueologia geral. and specific techniques for the research in risk São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 1997. communication. Foucault, Michel - Microfísica do Poder. Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro: Edições Graal, 2001. Keywords: Imaginary, risk, subjectivity, visibility, health Las Consecuencias perversas de la modernidad; Modernidad, contingencia y riesgo / comp. Josetxo Beriain. artículos de A. Giddens, Z. Bauman, N. Luhmann, U. Beck; traducción de Celso Sánchez Capdequí. - Barcelona: Antro- pos, 1996. 4 ABSTRACTS 48 The Communicative Constitution of Organization and Internal Communication in the Coronavirus Pandemic Ašanin Gole, Pedja, DOBA Faculty of Applied Business and Social Studies (Slovenia) Okay Aydemir, Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University (Turkey) Okay, Ayla, Istanbul University (Turkey) Introduction and purpose 20 million deaths (Sellnow & Seeger, 2013, str. 2). Other pandemics, such as HIV / AIDS, SARS, The aim of this paper is to analyze and explain or even N1H1, did not have the dispersion ca- internal communication in pandemic times, used by the coronavirus in early 2020 virtually based on the theory of the communicative con- worldwide. In order to slow down the spread stitution of organization (CCO). We haven’t had of the coronavirus, the governments of virtual- a pandemic like the coronavirus in over a centu- ly all countries have taken various more or less ry - ever since the Spanish flu, and therefore no severe measures to protect the population in or- experience of internal communication in such der to reduce the physical social distance betwe- times. During the pandemic physical distance, en people. Such government measures meant, many organizations were forced to organize among other things, the cessation of public life, remote work, others were forced to send some the cessation of production and the provision of employees “on hold”, and still others, otherwise services. rare, tried to reorganize work differently, adapt production and employment to the situation. The The literature in the field of public relations purpose of this study is to examine the impact of is rich in examples, advice and theories of cri- the coronavirus pandemic on the communicative sis communication of organizations, but in the constitution of organizations, especially in terms vast majority, if not all researched organizati-of internal communication with employees and ons, the organizations were either the cause of how organizations connect employees between the crisis or the victim of a (more or less) di- different forms of “remote work” even in the rect attack, mostly individually. The coronavirus conditions of this pandemic physical distance. crisis, however, is not one that would “attack” individual organizations, nor did individual or- Literature review ganizations cause this pandemic crisis. Thus, the Historically, the worst crises have been earthqu- coronavirus pandemic has caused a whole new akes and infectious disease pandemics. The situation in virtually all organizations around 1918–1919 infuenza, or Spanish flu, pandemic the world: how should organizations that exist is estimated to have infected 500 million people only through and through communication re- worldwide and may have resulted in more than spond to it? 4 ABSTRACTS 49 People use social interaction to understand the as a part of an international network. As part things we experience and by communicating as of the focus group, semi-structured interviews a fundamental tool of social interaction we give were conducted, with twelve respondents an- meaning to things and the world around us. For swering each question in turn. this reason alone, the term “social distance” is by no means appropriate. The greatest punishment Results and conclusions for man as a social being is namely social (and communication) isolation. Communication, as In general, respondents agreed with the find- a fundamental expression of social interaction, ings of research by Edelman (Edelman, 2020a, is the way in which we establish and maintain 2020b) and the Institute of Public Relations the existence of the organization itself, because (Institute for Public Relations & Peppercom, people organize themselves through communi-2020a, 2020b) regarding internal communica- cation and only through communication do we tion during a coronavirus pandemic. Of course, act collectively. Organizations also make up the there are differences in the use of communi- processes of interaction between its members, cation channels and communication tools, de- and communication establishes, maintains, de- pending on whether it is a production or service velops and, unfortunately, also buries organiza- organization and whether their employees con- tions. Namely, organizations are not just static tinued to work on the premises of organizations objects, but fluid communication activities, they (salespeople, airport staff, etc.), or worked “from are a ‘social fact’ that is actively and constantly home” or they were “on hold”. constituted through communication processes. Practical and social implications Communication thus constitutes organizations thus keeping organizations in a constant, endless Internal communicators and top managers met process of interactions. Without communication for the first time in more than a hundred years there are no organizations, they cannot exist (cf. with a pandemic that forced people into phys- Heath idr., 2018; Putnam & Nicotera, 2010; ical distance. Most used crisis communication Sandhu, 2017; Schoeneborn idr., 2018; Wenzel approaches and good internal communication & Will, 2019) practices. That is why examples of good practice collected within the focus group of twelfe organ- Internal communication is a systematic way of izations are welcome to understand the current influencing the behavior, knowledge and atti- coronavirus pandemic situation. tudes of employees, and its basic purpose is to give instructions for work and obtain feedback Research limitations/implications on the course of work (cf. Karanges idr., 2015; Sinčić Ćorić idr., 2020; Thornton, 2019; Tkalac The survey was conducted on the model of Verčič & Špoljarić, 2020) twelve organizations from four countries with a total of more than 50,000 employees, their Methodology examples of good practice are welcome, but the results of this survey cannot be generalized to This article will present a qualitative research the entire population. conducted within the focus group of internal communicators of twelve large companies from Keywords: CCO, internal communication, pan-four countries - Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and demic, crisis communication Turkey. These organizations have a total of more than 50,000 employees, all operate regionally or 4 ABSTRACTS 50 References Blaschke & D. Schoeneborn (Eds.), Organiza- tion as Communication: Perspectives in Dialogue Edelman. (2020a). Edelman Trust Barometer (str. 79–102). Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2020: Special Report Trust and the Coronavi- Group. rus. https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aa-tuss191/files/2020-03/2020EdelmanTrustBa- Schoeneborn, D., Kuhn, T. ., & Kärreman, D. rometerCoronavirus SpecialReport_0.pdf (2018). The Communicative Constitution of Organization, Organizing, and Organization- Edelman. (2020b). How to guide: Employee & ality. Organization Studies, 40(4), 475–496. internal communications during the coronavi- https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840618782284 rus pandemic. Edelman. https://www.edelman. co.uk/insights/how-guide-employee-inter- Sellnow, T.L., & Seeger, M.W. (2013). Theorizing nal-communications-during-coronavirus-pan-Crisis Communication. Wiley-Blackwell. https:// demic doi.org/10.1007/s13398-014-0173-7.2 Heath, R. L., Johansen, W., Vásquez, C., & Sinčić Ćorić, D., Pološki Vokić, N., & Tkalac Schoeneborn, D. (2018). Communication as Verčič, A. (2020). Does good internal com- Constitutive of Organization (CCO). V The munication enhance life satisfaction? Journal of International Encyclopedia of Strategic Com-Communication Management, 24(4), 363–376. munication (pp. 1–12). Wiley. https://doi. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-11-2019- org/10.1002/9781119010722.iesc0024 0146 Institute for Public Relations & Peppercom. Thornton, G.S. (2019). Internal Communica- (2020a). COVID-19: How Businesses are Han- tions Flourishes at the Grassroots: The Grow- dling the Crisis. https://instituteforpr.org/ ing Importance of Managers in Employee wp-content/uploads/PC_IPR_Coronavirus_v Engagement. In G. S. Thornton, V. R. Man- Final.pdf si, B. Carramenha, & T. Cappellano (Eds.), Strategic Employee Communication: Building a Institute for Public Relations & Peppercom. Culture of Engagement (str. 107–120). Pal- (2020b). Special Report: How Companies Are grave Macmillan. https://doi.org/https://doi. Engaging Employees During COVID-19. https:// org/10.1007/978-3-319-97894-9_9 instituteforpr.org/coronavirus-covid-19-com- ms-report/ Tkalac Verčič, A., & Špoljarić, A. (2020). Managing internal communication: How the choice of Karanges, E., Johnston, K., Beatson, A., & Lings, channels affects internal communication satis-I. (2015). The influence of internal communi- faction. Public Relations Review, 46(3). https:// cation on employee engagement: A pilot study. doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101926 Public Relations Review, 41(1), 129–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.12.003 Wenzel, M., & Will, M.G. (2019). The communicative constitution of academic fields Putnam, L.L., & Nicotera, A.M. (2010). Commu- in the digital age: The case of CSR. Techno-nicative constitution of organization is a ques- logical Forecasting and Social Change, 146(C), tion: Critical issues for addressing it. Management 517–533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tech- Communication Quarterly, 24(1), 158–165. fore.2019.05.006 https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318909351581 Sandhu, S. (2017). Organization as Commu- nication and Institutional Theory: Opportu- nities for Communicative Convergence? In S. 4 ABSTRACTS 51 Online comments versus news media framing of a crisis: The case of the “Corona Cruise Ship” Avidar, Ruth, Yezreel Valley College (Israel) Sassoni-Bar Lev, Oshrat, Yezreel Valley College (Israel) Introduction, purpose and literature review among the Israeli public arose and thus began an online media controversy regarding the story’s Framing theory holds that the media report on framing between two opposing groups. On the a particular topic through frames of reference, one hand, the passengers’ families advocated the shaping public issues for the audience and in- return home of their relatives and for the Israeli fluencing the way they understand the topic government to take responsibility. On the other covered and formulate their opinions about it hand, various Israeli individuals urged the Israeli (Entman, 1993). News frames shape audience government to leave the passengers aboard the reactions to news messages through online com- ship and avoid “importing” the virus into Israel. ments, sometimes resulting in alternative fram- This study explores how Israeli individuals used ing or counter-framing of the topic discussed online comments to news articles to suggest an (Liu & McLeod, 2019). Framing a topic is es- alternative frame of the “Corona Cruise Ship” pecially important in times of crisis when the crisis. parties involved in the crisis use crisis communi- cation to shape “dialogue between the organiza- Method tion and its public prior to, during and after the negative occurrence” (Fearn-Banks, 2011, p. 2). The study was conducted using two qualitative The present study explores how Israeli individ- content analyses. The first content analysis in- uals used online comments during the “Corona cluded all (N=47) the news articles published Cruise Ship” crisis to counteract the dominant regarding the “Corona Cruise Ship” on the two media framing of the crisis, influence public most popular Israeli news sites: The News 12 opinion and the government’s actions. Company Website (N = 24) and the YNET News website (N = 23). All articles were col- In February 2020, The Diamond Princess, a lected from the first day of coverage until its cruise ship was isolated by the Japanese authori-completion upon the return of passengers to Is- ties in a Japanese harbor, after finding that sever-rael (5 Feb.2020 - 5.March 2020). The second al passengers were infected with the COVID-19 qualitative content analysis included 342 ran- disease. It was soon discovered that fifteen Israe- domly sampled, individual comments from the lis were also on the ship, initiating a daily Israeli comments section of the news articles published media update of their experiences on the iso-in the News12 Company Website (n=112), and lated ship, later known as “The Corona Cruise Ynet News (N=230). Both articles and the com- Ship”. During the coverage, contradictory voices ments were analyzed qualitatively using a the- 4 ABSTRACTS 52 matic inductive analysis, exploring main themes, violent discourse prevailing on social media and subjects, expressions, and characters (Braun & online comments in recent years (Sheleg, 2014) Clarke, 2006). was also present with rough language and harsh accusations towards the passengers, their fami- Findings and conclusions lies and politicians. Online news articles embraced the families’ per- To summarize, this case study demonstrates how spective, framing the crisis as a “life-or-death” individuals can use online comments in times of situation that calls for immediate action by the crisis as a ‘backchannel’ to reject mainstream me- Israeli government to return the passengers back dia frames while suggesting alternative frames. home. The news articles described the daily life That strategy directly addresses the public and of the Israeli passengers aboard the cruise ship decision makers with harsh language that cannot and their difficulties during isolation, emphasiz- be used in the news-articles themselves. ing their fear of COVID-19 contagion. Some of the news articles referred to the passengers as Keywords: Solidarity; Comments; Framing theory “besieged” and to the “Corona Cruise Ship” as a virus spreading “hatchery”. References Furthermore, the findings reveal that the domi- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic nant frame used by the passengers’ families and analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in the Israeli media was “Social Solidarity” -- a fun-Psychology, 3(2), 77-101 damental Israeli ethos calling for ‘brotherhood’ Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarifi- and mutual support. Here the Israeli public was cation of a fractured paradigm. Journal of called upon to support the safe return of the pas- sengers. Communication, 43(4), 51- 58. Fearn-Banks, K. (2011). Crisis Communications: Alternative voices appeared on the comment sec-A Casebook Approach. Routledge. tion of the news article. These comments served as a “backchannel” to present other perspectives Liu, J., & McLeod, D. M. (2019). Counter-fram- and frames. Interestingly, these individuals also ing effects of user comments. International Jour-used the Israeli ethos of “solidarity”, but instead nal of Communication 13(2019), 2484–2503. of referring to Social Solidarity and advocat-Sheleg, Y. (2014). Dude, you are a Nazi: The ing the passengers’ safe return, they referred paradox of violent rhetoric in Israeli political to Health Solidarity, asking the passengers to discourse. In Y. C. Stern and B. Porat (Eds.), stay on the ship and demonstrate their solidarity Journey to the Brotherhood ( pp. 318-335). The with the Israeli public by not “importing” the Israel Democracy Institute [Hebrew]. virus into Israel. In other words, this frame turned “solidarity” upside down; instead of asking many to save the lives of a few, the few were asked to save the lives of many. Some comments referred to the passengers as “pleasure hunters” (Ynet News, Feb- ruary 5, 2020) arguing that “this is the price that hedonists have to pay for their pursuit of pleasure” (Ynet News, February 5, 2020). In addition, the 4 ABSTRACTS 53 Desperately seeking respect: public relations education during the pandemic crisis Barlik, Jacek, University of Warsaw (Poland) Przybysz, Łukasz, University of Warsaw (Poland) Introduction and purpose of the study RQ1 – How do PR students perceive the PR in- dustry, and what do they expect from their ca- Public relations studies are still in high demand reers when beginning their education? among young people who look for promising ca- reers and decent salaries upon graduation. Since RQ2 – Are the PR industry’s reputational prob- spring 2020, a vast majority of PR students in lems addressed in the PR schools’ curricula at all developed countries have shifted to online class- (and how, if yes)? es. Some PR scholars, consultants, and industry leaders have already expressed doubts about the RQ3 – What are the specific challenges that PR effectiveness of the fully online PR studies (as students and education face during the pandem- opposed to in-person instruction), since now it ic, mostly related to the online instruction meth- has got even harder to show ethical and profes- ods? sional standards, set role models for aspiring PR specialists, and help them cope with reputational Literature review issues that PR profession has been experiencing The PR function’s recent visibility has not inval- since its inception. idated many critical opinions concerning the in- On the other hand, PR students can now experi- dustry and its often-questionable practices. Stay- ence how communication is applied to curb the ing in the limelight during the pandemic offers pandemic, influence behaviors, and educate about the PR industry an opportunity to show its key the vaccines. These factors should strengthen the role in modern societies and PR contribution PR industry’s reputation and convince students to open, democratic, and factual debates and to that it is still worthwhile to study PR. the promotion of responsible, empathetic, and healthy behaviors. Research questions This situation makes it easier for scholars, prac- Therefore, it is worth asking how PR students titioners, and professional associations to pres- are prepared to work in the PR industry, espe- ent the PR function’s positive input to cope with cially during the pandemic, and whether their the pandemic and bridge the gaps between per-careers are affected by the PR field’s public per- ceptions of the industry among the general pub- ception. Based on these assumptions, the follow- lic, opinion leaders, and students. They especial- ing research questions can be posed: ly deserve the solid curricula and commitment 4 ABSTRACTS 54 from their teachers and instructors, whom they by the instruction received mostly online during now meet online, and the industry’s strong sup- the pandemic. It will also show whether PR port to get ready for their careers. schools and industry have made sufficient effort to teach effectively using online methods. It requires an ongoing dialogue among the in- dustry, practitioners, and educators to develop a Practical and social implications PR curriculum relevant to clients’ contemporary challenges and needs, also in times of the pan- The research will shed light on how to prepare demic. Many academic and professional experts PR students (mostly online) for their careers, have repeatedly called for PR studies’ updat-explain PR roles to different publics, clear mis- ed programs in scholarly literature and indus- conceptions about the PR industry, and show the try reports. Their recommendations addressed PR contribution to informing and educating the many aspects of PR education, including a list of publics during the pandemic. courses, a required mix of theory and practice, teachers’ skills and competencies, and organiza- Keywords: crisis, pandemic, PR education, PR stu-tional, technological, social, or international is- dents, reputation, trust in PR sues related to communication. Literature However, they do not show how PR students CPRE (Commission on Public Relations Edu- should prepare for their prospective occupation, cation) (2018). Fast Forward: Foundations and especially during the pandemic. Therefore, PR Future State. Educators and Practitioners [http:// students’ opinions on their future careers need www.commissionpred.org/commission- to be examined further and juxtaposed with the reports/fast-forward-foundations-future-state- previous research on the subject. educators-practitioners] Methodology McKeever, B. W. (2019). Different Formats, Equal Outcomes? Comparing In-Person and Online Ed-To better understand how PR students perceive ucation in Public Relations. “Journal of Public their field and foresee their career prospects Relations Education”, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 1-40. during the pandemic, we plan to conduct an on- line survey among undergraduate and graduate Aristovnik, A., Keržič, D., Ravšelj, D., Tomaževič, students. Respondents will be recruited by their N., & Umek, L. (2020). Impacts of the instructors at several universities teaching PR. COVID-19 Pandemic on Life of Higher Education Students: A Global Perspective. “Sustainability”, The questionnaire will be internet-based, self-ad-12 (20), 8438, doi:10.3390/su12208438. ministered, and possibly short. Before the quan- titative research, we will conduct interviews with PR students and educators to determine specific reputational industry issues to be measured, es- pecially during the COVID-19 crisis. Results and conclusions The research will determine how PR students perceive their future occupation and their level of preparedness to work in the field, especially 4 ABSTRACTS 55 An Island of Reliability in a Sea of Misinformation? Understanding PR- journalists relations in times of epistemic crisis. Barnoy, Aviv, University of Haifa (Israel) Introduction and purpose of the study knowledge professionals one of journalists’ prime objectives is establishing knowledge about With technologies making sources more accessi- the stories they report. Epistemic challenges ble than ever before, Journalists’ prime concern started mounting with the introduction of new is no longer obtaining data, rather sorting infor- technologies, which allow easier forgeries and mation out – potentially undermining the tradi-digital manipulations and scholars’ concerns tional role of information subsidies. The purpose regarding the quality of journalists’ knowledge of this paper is to explore the unique epistemic recently peaked with the spread of Fake-news characteristics of journalists-PR relations, and and post-truth politics, accumulating to an “epis-test whether they can explain the relationship’s temic crisis”. paradoxical nature in our current age. Four spe- cific objectives were set: to provide up-to-date At the same time a traditional challenge that empirical evidence that will either support or journalists used to face, obtaining data, seemed disprove previous studies’ findings about the to almost dissipate in the age of information paradoxical relation (journalists’ heavy reliance overload. Instead, they struggle to sort the re- on PR, who are evaluated by them as non-cred- liable, credible newsworthy information from ible); to juxtapose journalists’ interactions with the rest. Information subsidies may no longer PR and non-PR sources, exploring the epistem-explain by themselves the paradoxical relations ic characteristics of these interactions; To test between journalists and PR, manifested in jour-which factors can predict reliance on PR; and to nalists’ willingness to rely on PR, though they explore journalists’ own explanations for their evaluate them as inferior, non-credible source. decisions regarding reliance on PR. Methodology Literature review To overcome popular methods’ shortcomings Amongst the numerous studies investigating the this study relies on a mix of quantitative and relationship between Public Relation and jour-qualitative reconstructions, a method uniquely nalists, none seemed to have focused the epis- designed to study newsmaking and sourcing. temic nature of their interactions, although as The study includes interviews with a represen- 4 ABSTRACTS 56 tative sample of news reporters (N=70) from whether trust is the correct term to use, and not national news organizations, who were asked to reliability. It reopens a normative debate about recreate the newsmaking process behind specific the implication of reliance on PR, as the paper sample of items they published in the days pre- shows that such reliance reduces the chances of ceding the interviews (N=480) – accounting for false publications, but does not defend journalists all their sources – PR and non-PR (N=1,147). from misleading messages, and can potentially The second stage included qualitative follow-up strengthen elite sources’ dominance, according interviews: 25 of the interviewees that under- to epistemic injustice theory. went the quantitative reconstructions were cho- sen to reconstruct another 50 items, this time Limitations and suggestions for future re- with open-end questionnaire. search Since this is not an exploratory study, the quan- The study main shortcoming is that it relies titative analysis takes the lead, with comparable on self-testimonies. Reconstructions do reduc- data that can support or refute findings from es self-reporting biases dramatically, yet they previous studies. Correlations between reliance are not fully neutralized. This is especially true on PR and different factors were tested with when we consider that reliance on PR is often Pearson’s 2-tailed analysis, and logistical regres- perceived as shameful. Future studies could val- sions model were built, including all the factors idate reporters’ accounts with either a content that the previous analysis found significant. analysis of the published items, or interviews with professionals. Results and conclusions Practical and social implications Findings show that: (1) journalists continue to rely very often on PR sources, which they evalu- Rather than suggesting each side use these find- ate as less credible than other sources – confirm- ings to better their position in the power strug- ing that the PR paradox remains; (2) correlations gle between journalists and PR, we encourage a show that messages delivered from PR sources different symbiotic path. A dialogue between the are communicated in reliable and accountable professionals, in which they openly discuss their manner, more than from non-PR sources – so epistemic challenges and needs on the one hand, journalists can rely on them with very little risk and tools of the other, could eventually lead to a of publishing false information; and (3) a bi-more justifiably trusting relations. nary regression models demonstrates that it is the characteristic of the interactions with source, Keywords: Journalism; epistemology; mix methods and not the type of story, that predicts reliance on PR. Finding shed light on the PR paradox, suggest- ing the relationship is based on reliability rather than trust. Rather than deciding whether information is indeed true, journalists result to ex- amining whether they can defend their decision to rely on it. These findings contextualize the common claim that trustworthiness a prime predictor of source selection, and calls to questions 4 ABSTRACTS 57 Enriching Self-Reflection in Public Relations Education to deal with Pandemic Challenges Berger, Bruce K., University of Alabama (USA) Erzikova, Elina, Central Michigan University (USA) Introduction and purpose of the study approaches and exercises to advance the devel- opment of SR in the classroom. Numerous studies have documented the benefits and positive power of self-reflection (SR) for Methodology, Results and Conclusions professional and leadership development. Draw- ing from interviews with PR leaders and teach- This paper draws heavily from the researchers’ ers and a review of some online educational re- SR study previously presented at a conference sources, this paper argues for the need to enrich and recently published in a leading PR journal. SR among PR teachers and students as a way to That study explored SR in depth in interviews deal with the COVID-19 pandemic challenges. with 30 PR leaders in two countries to learn about the role, process, practice, and benefits in By focusing on the primary pipeline for the pro- the workplace. It included a brief section regard- fession (PR students and teachers), this paper ing approaches that might be used to enrich SR argues for the need to enrich SR among them in education, specifically during the pandemic. to better deal with the pandemic challenges, among others. SR is a primary way we exam- With this research foundation, and new insights ine ourselves and how others see us to increase gained through informal conversations with PR self-awareness. Greek philosophers believed teachers and a review of online educational re- self-knowledge was the highest form of knowl- sources, the researchers developed a model con- edge, and John Dewey, American thinker and sisting of 10 building blocks and more than 50 educational reformer, claimed SR was the only practical exercises to enrich student and teach- form of thinking that leads to learning. Stud-er SR. For example, take 10 minutes at the end ies in communication, psychology and educa- of a/an (online) class to have students evaluate tion confirm these and other benefits of SR, e.g., their performance in class, or their biggest learn- richer relationships and emotional IQ, enhanced ing. Then, prepare a tweet to describe it. leadership skills, and more engaged work teams. Overall, both teachers and students will benefit The researchers suggest building SR moments from developing and applying reflective skills to into most sessions, rather than a single class top- cope with pandemic challenges. Yet, as Mules ic. This paper is rich in practical suggestions and (2018) found, SR is largely absent in PR re-tactics grounded in published research and seri- search, textbooks, and the classroom. This paper ous researcher reflection. addresses that deficiency and identifies specific 4 ABSTRACTS 58 Practical and social implications Numerous studies have documented the benefits and positive power of SR. Building this capaDuring the current pandemic, the importance bility in students, our future professionals and of SR multiplies. This paper offers a model that leaders, will enrich the profession and infuse it serves as practical guidance to develop and/or with power, especially during these trying times. enrich self-reflection. PR students and teachers The sooner one begins meaningful SR, the better can mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on teach- for them and their organizations. ing and learning through self-reflection. For example, instructors can reflect on the ways to Keywords: Self-reflection, the COVID-19 pan-prioritize students’ mental and emotional health demic, public relations and help the students do same. Teachers can also encourage learners to reflect on changes in class References modalities (moving online partially or complete- Mules, P. (2018). Reflections on the absence of ly) and study routines such as maintaining mo- formal reflection in public relations education tivation, dealing with distractions, and replacing and practice. Public Relations Review, 44, 174-normal activities like face-to-face participation 179. in student organizations and intramural sports. 4 ABSTRACTS 59 Engaging Employees through Corporate Social Responsibility Programs: Aligning Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Engagement Bernardino, Paula, Credibility Institute (Canada) Introduction “Employees and candidates want to work for a company that they feel is giving back to society. The message is clear: people want to work for In fact, they expect their employer to not only organizations where they feel they are engaged be socially responsible, but to also provide them and learning. Recently, the organization Ben- with tools to engage with the causes they care evity in Canada stated that “Today’s employees about,” (Troup & Simon, 2018). This research are expecting a greater sense of purpose in the study aimed to explore if this was true with em- workplace. In fact, 83% of Millennials say they ployees in Canada and to answer the following would be more loyal to their employer when three questions: they feel they can make a difference on social and environmental issues at work,” (Benevity, (1) Why should Corporate Social Responsibility 2018). Companies that engage in social and en- programs take into account and include an em- vironmental stewardship also benefit from em- ployee engagement component? ployees who are more aware and involved. (2) What are some examples of good Corporate Purpose Social Responsibility programs that include em- ployee engagement? There is a strong case for corporate sustainabil- ity and better employee engagement. Knowing (3) What are some of the measures used to de- this, communication teams need to keep it in termine Corporate Social Responsibility pro-mind when creating and implementing their grams are engaging employees? communications plans for corporate social re- sponsibility programs to ensure appealing to Literature Review employees with the right messages while also showing alignment to the business. Why engage employees through corporate social responsibility? Research Problem and Questions According to an article from Dr. Hua Jiang, asso- Studies have showed that corporate social re- ciate professor in S.I. Newhouse School of Pub- sponsibility has become an essential tool in lic Communications at Syracuse University and captivating, recruiting and retaining top talent. published by the Institute for Public Relations (2020), “employee engagement through CSR 4 ABSTRACTS 60 contributes to employees’ perception of their Conclusions organizations’ reputation of ‘doing good’,” (Ali, Rehman, Ali, Yousaf, & Zia, 2010). Furthermore, 3 key learning points “employees can voluntarily share CSR informa- tion on social media, which will eventually help (1) Why should corporate responsibility pro- enhance their employer’s reputation in the mar- grams take into account and include an employ- ket place,” (Kim & Rhee, 2011). ee engagement component? Methodology • Increased motivation An online survey was conducted between July 2 • Creation of ambassadors/champions inter- and July 24, 2020. Anyone in Canada working nally & externally for a company, either in the private, public or • Opportunity to develop skills (i.e. coordina- non-profit sectors, and whether part time or full tion, leadership) and/or educate (i.e. envi- time, was asked to complete the short 10-ques- ronmental issues) tion 5-minute survey on the platform Survey Monkey. The investigator approached friends (2) Examples of good corporate social respon- and acquaintances through social media to com- sibility programs that include employee engage- plete the online survey and encouraged them ment: to share it with their friends and acquaintanc- es creating a snowball sampling. A recruitment • Let employees choose causes to support. message was also posted on the investigator’s following social media accounts: Twitter, Face- • Make it easy by giving them time to get in- book and LinkedIn. A total of 100 responses volved (i.e. volunteer days). were collected. • Get leaders buy in (i.e. turning CSR actions Results into team building activities). Online survey • Partner with non-profits for excitement and credibility. Question 4, Think back to when you applied to your current position; did you search the organization’s (3) Measures to determine Corporate Social Re-corporate social responsibility strategy? showed 2/3 sponsibility programs are engaging employees: of responded answered yes. Respondents offered many interesting comments to justify their an- • Participation rate swer. “It was important to me to align myself with • Increased participation rate an organization that had strong values and a history of CSR,” indicated one respondent. • Repeated participation It is interesting to note the discrepancy for 30% • Post event comments and testimonials of respondents at their current organization for more than 9 years which indicated not having Limitations thought about searching for information about CSR. Years ago, CSR was not part of an appli- The generalization of this study is also limited cant’s mindset. as it involved only 100 respondents and no re- sponses from Atlantic Canada. 4 ABSTRACTS 61 Further Research Repeat the online survey but with a larger sam- ple size and target equally representation from every geographical region. Another angle to consider is to survey employees at companies seen as leaders in CSR programs and initiatives and compare with companies not benefitting from such visibility, awareness and/ or opinion. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, CSR, employee engagement, corporate reputation, purpose 4 ABSTRACTS 62 Responsible CSR communications: Avoid “washing” your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports and messages Bernardino, Paula, Credibility Institute (Canada) Introduction Research Problem and Questions With the rise of Corporate Social Reporting 1. What is “washing” is the CSR space? (CSR) reporting, questions have emerged re- garding its true utility; CSR reports may more 2. How can you be a responsible CSR commu- closely resemble marketing materials than finan- nicator? cial statements as much of the data companies provide can be cherry picked. For example in 3. What are examples of best practices? 2011, only 20% of S&P 500 companies pub- Literature Review lished CSR reports vs 85% in 2017 and 90% in 2019 (Governance & Accountability Institute, Opportunity for communication practitioners Inc., 2020). These reports are also sometimes titled as corporate responsibility, citizenship, Are communication professionals ready and or ESG reports (Environmental, Social, Gov- equipped to communicate CSR and sustainability ernance), adding to the existing confusion and content in a responsible way? A recent article in lack of coherence. the Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM) Mag- azine (Rolfe, February 2020) had an insightful Purpose title: “Has sustainability reporting become unsustainable? ”. “Environmental, social and corporate Why is this relevant for communicators? Because governance rating is a burgeoning industry, and the responsibility of producing and promoting not without its growing pains,” states the arti- CSR reports very often falls under the respon- cle. The pain point is all the different acronyms sibility of the corporate communications team. and standards involved in CSR and sustainabili- How to avoid “CSR- washing” and all the other ty reporting: ESG, GRI principles, SASB, TCFD, “washing” incidents – green-washing, blue-wash- SDGs... and these are not only related to the ing, rainbow-washing, vegan-washing,...? How to mining industry but to any industry and organi- focus on portraying the organization as a truly zation producing CSR or sustainability reports. and authentic dedicated corporate citizen? Methodology To further the reflection on “what is responsi- 4 ABSTRACTS 63 ble CSR communications” and if communica- Conclusions tion practitioners are grasping what it means, 15 in-depth 30-minute interviews with senior Answers to the three research questions helped communication practitioners in Canada with at determine what is “responsible communica- least 15 years of experience in the field were tions” and how communications practitioners conducted between July 3 and 24 2020 via tele- can avoid the trap of “washing” their CSR re- phone or videoconference with Zoom. ports and/or messages: Results (RQ1) What is “washing” is the CSR space? In-depth interviews Interviews with senior communication practi- tioners helped identify how to avoid the trap if Answers to Question 6 When you communicate “washing” CSR reports and/or messages: facts, and promote your organization’s CSR and sustain-transparency and authenticity. Breaking it down, ability efforts, do you worry about “washing” any as-this means: use and include facts, be transparent pect and are you concerned of being accused of “gre-by not only communicating the positive actions enwashing” or any other type of “washing”? How but also discussing risks and misses, and show do you avoid it? demonstrated communication authenticity by showing the alignment with the practitioners understand the meaning of “wash-business mission and values. ing” CSR communications and clearly expressed how to avoid it. Answered included “be attentive (RQ2) How can you be a responsible CSR com-to authenticity and justifiable messages. Show hu-municator? mility and be humble,” and “what is important is to be transparent instead of putting a marketing spin Same as for RQ1: show authenticity, transparen-to it; not be afraid to mention the issues,” as well as cy and facts. “a balance between acknowledging current aspects vs (RQ3) What are examples of best practices? sounding authentic,” and “use data that is accurate and comparable to previous years or other bench-What makes good CSR communications for re- marks”. Hence, they key answers to Question 6 ports: show authenticity, discuss progression, were: facts, transparency and authenticity. demonstrate transparency, don’t omit relevant information and don’t lie. Participants were then asked Question 7 When thinking about your CSR and sustainability com- What makes good CSR communications for munications, what does a “responsible communica-messages: show alignment & coherence with the tion” mean to you? and again main answers heard business mission, show transparency & humble-were: authenticity, transparency and facts. ness and show authenticity with “walk the talk”. Overall, the responses demonstrate communica- Limitations tion practitioners grasping the crucial role the communication function can play in delivering The generalization of this study is limited as it “responsible CSR communications” and how to involved only 15 communication practitioners. do it, and understanding there are many differ- ent stakeholders interested by a company’s CSR and sustainability initiatives and programs. 4 ABSTRACTS 64 Further Research Explore more from private sector, non-profit and education and healthcare to draw stron- ger patterns. And look separately at industries whose DNA is a social purpose and how it af- fects their mindset when thinking about their organization’s corporate social responsibility. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, CSR, greenwashing, authenticity, credibility 4 ABSTRACTS 65 Entrepreneurial leadership in crisis situations. Communicative implications Bielenia, Małgorzata, University of Gdańsk (Poland) Introduction and purpose of the study cal approach and behavioral approach that en- hance communication. As my research involves At the beginning of the work I will define the the leadership aspect, I will show also the most term entrepreneurial leadership in order to bring important approaches to leadership that relates clarity to the investigated phenomena (Naha- to communicative implications such as: trait vandi, Malekzadeh, 1998). However, would like approach, behavior approach, contingency ap- to stress that integration of entrepreneurship proaches, the continuum of leadership behavior, and leadership is not an easy task and requires leadership alternatives, strategic leadership etc from the owner of the enterprise a huge dose of In addition, I created the entrepreneurial leader cleverness especially in crisis situations (Bolton, orientation to characterize precisely the constit-Thompson, 2004). What is more, I will pres- uents of entrepreneurial leader orientation for ent the various issues of entrepreneurship such crisis situations. The five components of ELO as trait approach, social-psychological approach includes: focus, time focus, ego, courage and and behavioral approach that enhance commu-team. nication. As my research involves the leadership aspect, I will show also the most important ap- Methodology proaches to leadership that relates to commu- nicative implications such as: trait approach, The main aim of empirical part of my work is behavior approach, contingency approaches, the to show the researches related to the topic of continuum of leadership behavior, leadership al-entrepreneurial leadership in small and medium ternatives, strategic leadership etc. sized enterprise. In order to narrow the scope of the investigated phenomena, I have chosen Literature review one survey carried out on the regional scale and the second one conducted on the national level. In the literature different perspective to the study Moreover, I have chosen the Asian region due of leadership were presented Flippo (1980), to the fact that I wanted to stress the similari- Dawson, Garvin-Kester, Vollmuth and Waglund ty with Polish enterprises and to prove that the (2001), Luthaus, Adrien, Anderson and Carden small and medium sized enterprise in Taiwan (1999). There is no doubt that entrepreneurial can also benefit from introducing the strategic leader in order to achieve firm’s objective needs leadership into practice. to motivate virtual team members- achievement motivation theory was discussed by Winter Results and conclusions (2004) and Koestner (2007). What is more, I will present the various issues of entrepreneur- The entrepreneur is able to build successful or- ship such as trait approach, social-psychologi-ganization thanks to leading by example (D.A. 4 ABSTRACTS 66 Kirby 2003, p. 177). The significance of entre- Keywords: entrepreneurial, leader, crisis, commu-preneurial orientation among franchisees was nication studied in the literature (P.A. Maritz, G.H. Nie- man 2006, p.1-17). Moreover there exists life References themes ascribed to entrepreneur and the set of life themes associated with the phenomena of Arain. F, Tipu. S, Determing The Leadership successful leader (B. Bolton, J. Thompson 2004, Styles Using The Leadership Grid, Journal of p. 289). According to Arain and Tipu (2008), Global Management Research , 2008, 4(2). there is an interdependence between leadership Bolton. B, Thompson. J, Entrepreneurs’ Tal- style and the size of the business. ent, Temperament, Technique, Oxfor, Butter- worth-Heinemann, 2004. The main research question was to indicate if entrepreneurial leadership positively influences Dawson. M, Garvin-Kester. B, Vollmuth. J, Wa-firm’s growth, conducts successful business and glund. M, Organisation for Economic Co-op- achieves firm’s goal and performance. In relation eration and Development [in:] F. Melbo, T. to that I wanted to prove if presented variable Semb and L. Guillermo Ibarra, Public Sector measurements attributed to leadership influ- Leadership for the 21st Century, France, OECD ence achieving the success. Moreover, I wanted Publishing 2001. to identify the most influencing team leader’s Flippo. E.B, Personnel Management, New York, competencies. My target group consisted of the McGraw-Hill Series in Management, 1980. owners of small and medium sized enterprises. Kirby. D.A, Entrepreneurship, Maidenhead UK, The target respondents were involved in differ- McGraw-Hill Education, 2003. ent sectors. Koestner. R, Encyclopedia of Psychological As- To sum up, according to my own research frame- sessment, Sage Publications, 2007. work and results and results of three former Lowden. J.S, Management Developmnt for En-studies I identified the most influencing leader’s trepreneurs, Management Research News competencies for crisis situation. Journal, 1985, 8(3). Practical and social implications Luthaus. Ch, Adrien. M.H, Anderson. G, Carden. F, Enhancing Organizational Performance: A For the purpose of communicative implications Tollbox for Self-Assessment, Ottawa Canada, and from a praxeological perspective, the func- International Development Research Centre, tioning of an organization depends on the ef- 1999. fective operation of the leader. Especially very important at the development phase of a firm Maritz. P.A, Nieman. G.H, Entrepreneurial Ori-are leading and controlling features (Lowden entation in a Franchise System, South African 1998, p. 7). Through my work, I would like to Journal of Economic and Management Scienc- show that entrepreneurial leadership is of great es, 2006, 9(1). importance in gaining competitive advantage, Winter. D.G, Achievement Motivation, Encyclo- success and prosperity of organizations in glo- pedia of Leadership, Sage Publications, 2004. balized team management. I will begin my re- flection on the issue of leadership by presenting the profile of the effective leader. 4 ABSTRACTS 67 Gossiping as a tool of functional and dysfunctional leadership: negative and positive sides of an organizational grapevine in crisis situations Bielenia-Grajewska, Magda, University of Gdansk (Poland) Introduction and purpose of the study As far as the diversity of internal and external factors is concerned, companies have to adapt Taking the postmodern perspective into consid-to new and dynamic conditions on a daily basis. eration, the companies of our times are not fixed entities since they exist in a fluid environment Thus, the leader of the twenty-first century who (Bauman, 2003) and their performance is shaped performs in a changeable environment should by media images, techno-images, finance-images pay attention simultaneously to hard issues, such and idea-images (Appadurai, 2005). Dynamics as structure, system and technology, as well as belongs to the key issues studied in management to soft notions, such as people and culture (e.g., (Czakon, 2010). Moreover, since organizations Kets de Vries, 2011b; Kożmiński, Jemielniak & are an important part of complex reality (Mruk, Latusek-Jurczak, 2014). However, not always 2004) they must continuously react to changes, are both hard and soft elements treated in the creating new behaviors and attitudes (Nogal- proper way. Consequently, potential dysfunc- ski, 2008), being places of contradictions and tional behaviors may concern both the misuse of paradoxes themselves (Pocztowski, 2007). The structural, systemic or technological systems as above-mentioned multidimensionality and di- well as the improper management of people and versity of stimuli the organizations are exposed culture. However, it is difficult to highlight some to have both advantages and disadvantages. As sets of features representative of dysfunctional far as the positive sides are concerned, the mul- behaviors. The reasons for such a state are as tifactoral aspect of modern entrepreneurship follows. First of all, there are no strict criteria allows diversified workers and stakeholders to determining a pathological organization since benefit from various resources, products and the boundaries between abnormal and normal services that are available in the corporate re- states are subjective (Gabriel, 2008). Secondly, ality. However, the multidimensional nature of the types of dysfunctional behaviors are varied, modern organization makes it simultaneously depending on remarkable individual and group more prone to potential difficulties and dangers. features. Thirdly, there are diversified terms de- Taking the issue of stakeholders into account, noting this type of organizational behavior that an organization of our times is a theatre of in- differ in terms of semantic fields and cognitive terest conflicts (Ferrari, 2003), an entity often impact. For example, apart from the term dys- torn between contradictory rights and demands. functional leadership, there are other names to 4 ABSTRACTS 68 denote the negative side of leadership, such as Methodology destructive, exploitive, abusive, tyrannical, bullying or toxic leadership (Pelletier, 2010; Walton, As far as methodology is concerned, one way of 2008). Although they all focus on the darker looking at the darker side of leadership is by conside of managing organizations, the scope and centrating on either a personal or a group level. types of unacceptable behaviors differ. Starting from the individual dimension, personal destructiveness is related to all the negative ac- Literature review tions that leaders do to themselves, such as repri- mands, criminal records or bad reputations. Or- Both gossip and rumors belong to the most pop- ganizational destructiveness, on the other hand, ular channels of informal communication (Sias, is related to the situation in which leaders cause 2009), to the oldest forms of human interac- misfortune among their workers and stakehold- tions (Livolsi and Volli, 2005). ers (Padilla, Hogan and Kaiser, 2007). As far as Moreover, since an important part of commu- other organizational phenomena are concerned, nication, including the organizational one, is organizational toxicity can be observed at dif-related to the diffusion of information among ferent levels, taking into account toxic leaders, individuals, especially the data related to their toxic managers, toxic culture and toxic organi-reputation (Ferrari, 2003), attention will be zation (Appelbaum and Roy-Girard, 2007). In concentrated on gossip. other words, toxic leaders can be described as the ones who, by performing destructive actions Taking into account the definition of gossiping, and possessing dysfunctional personalities, exert gossip can be understood as “idle talk to dissem- a negative effect on their subordinates and the inate information” (Coskun, Ok and Ozdenizci, professional environment (Goldman, 2006; Lip- 2012, p. 141), of a factual or fabricated type man-Blumen, 2005). Since people are not like- (Tebbutt and Marchington, 1997). Moreover, ly to admit that they gossip, the methodology gossiping involves some verbal exchange about mainly focuses on desktop studies. To exemplify other people (Kimmel, 2004), with the ones the phenomenon, different examples of grape- being gossiped about not knowing actually how vine in crisis situations are presented. many individuals take part in gossiping (Grote and McGeeney, 1997). It should be stressed, Results and conclusions however, that most definitions of gossip stress The discussion on gossip in organizations has fo- its negative aspect, defining gossip as “a particu- cused on the concepts of relations and commu- lar kind of communicative activity that typically nication. It has been shown that various factors involves the sharing of unfortunate, savory, or underlying organizational relations and com- unflattering information about the private affairs munications determine whether gossiping has a of others not present” (Robinson, 2007, p. 252). functional or dysfunctional character. Thus, such In the latter part of this paper, this perspective organizational facets as trust, attitude to different is enriched with a discussion on the functional communication channels, type of information, dimension of gossiping. information sharing, community cohesion and Moreover, attention is paid to the relation be- hierarchy issues determine relations and com- tween crisis and gossip, stressing how the latter munication that consequently influence gossip- shapes communication and relation when diffi- ing. The mentioned factors can be grouped into cult situations take place. information—related factors (e.g. channel, type of information) and community-related factors 4 ABSTRACTS 69 (e.g. trust, community characteristics, hierarchy Offer the potential implications both for practice notions) and they influence both relations and and society communication in organizations. It should be stated, however, that the relation between all the Apart from the organizational dimension, the mentioned concepts is dynamic and the possi- characteristic features of gossip are also import- bility of feedback appears. Thus, gossiping is not ant for the society as such. Such papers facilitate only shaped by the already mentioned organiza-understanding about the way gossip determines tional factors and the notions of relations and communication and relation in different types of communication but its dysfunctional or func- settings. tional character influences the notions that have shaped its character. Keywords: leadership crisis gossip Practical and social implications The paper highlights the role of gossip in orga- nizations. It stresses how organizational grape- vine functions in different types of social group- ings and stresses how it shapes organizational communication and relation especially in crisis situations. 4 ABSTRACTS 70 Importance of closer collaboration between emergency risk and crisis communication professionals to prepare for the “next one” Borremans, Philippe, International Public Relations Association (Estonia) We all understand that the present COVID-19 The social and cultural aspects of managing com- pandemic demands for effective crisis manage- munication should be considered by the private ment to decrease the spread of disease, reducing sector too, showing a willingness to improvise fatality rates. We need sustainable behavioural crisis strategies, like reaching out to communi-changes to mitigate the impact of the virus ties via their respected leaders. This step helps through three simple rules; good hand hygiene to pass the right message to a clearly defined methods, physical distancing and wearing a face audience with a high impact during a pandemic. mask. The lack of emergency risk communication However, a phenomenon which came up parallel and crisis communication specialists working with this pandemic is that emergency risk com- together was, and is, a missed opportunity to munication and crisis communication did not deliver comprehensible strategies and tactics happen collaboratively. in safeguarding the multitude of audiences and stakeholders. Crisis communication, which is activated by the private sector to handle a crisis in which they Aim: The aim of this study is to show how pro-are an active player, did not show competency in fessionals from emergency risk communication emergency risk communication on a health topic and crisis communication management could with widespread public interest. collaborate in order to optimise the control of a pandemic situation. The research question stud- Emergency risk communication which is real ied is “How risk communication professionals time exchange of available information was and crisis communication professionals can re- rolled out by public authorities with a lack of duce COVID-19 positive cases during the pan- coordination among themselves and new com- demic by optimising strategies while working in plex stakeholder environments. collaboration”. To achieve a high success rate in curbing a pan- Method: During desk research, I qualitative-demic, it is important that both emergency risk ly analysed the content available globally from communicators and crisis communication pro- journals, web content and newspapers on how fessionals collaborate, learn from each other, and different communities have responded to the integrate best practices. 4 ABSTRACTS 71 pandemic based on emergency risk communica- Communicating risk in public health emergen- tion and crisis communication strategies. cies: a WHO guideline for emergency risk communication (ERC) policy and practice. The study - informed by on the ground expe- Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017. Li- riences as an Emergency Risk Communication cence: CCBY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. professional fighting this COVID-19 in West Africa and Asia and, as an ex-corporate crisis Lundgren, R. & McMakin, A. (2008). Risk com-communications manager, shows how collabo- munication: A handbook for communicating ration between emergency risk communication environmental, safety, and health risks. Co- professionals and crisis communication profes- lumbus, OH: Battelle Press. sionals can increase the long-term effectiveness Lena H. Sun and Joel Achenbach. CDC’s credi- of communication during an emergency and cri- bility is eroded by internal blunders and exter- sis. Although the roles of these two professions nal attacks as coronavirus vaccine campaigns vary, there is much similarity, and it is important loom. Posted on the Washington Post website, to pool knowledge, experiences and methods to- September 28, 2020. gether. McKinsey & Company. 2020. A leader’s guide: Expected Results: COVID-19 has shown how Communicating with teams, stakeholders, shortcomings in communication can lead to and communities during COVID-19. [onli- higher positive cases and even deaths. What ne] Available at: [Accessed 28 January 2021]. munication specialists work hand in hand. As there is a gap in current research on the pro- fessions of emergency risk and crisis communi- cators, I hope to organise a public platform to bring these two diverse yet similar professions together with the aim to share information, le- arn from each other and create sustainable col- laboration and capacity building. Keywords: Emergency Risk Communication, Cri- sis Communication, Similarities, Differences, Collaboration References Youngblood, S. (2010). Ongoing Crisis Com- munication: Planning, Managing, and Respon- ding, (Coombs, WT) and Handbook of Risk and Crisis Communication. (Heath, RL and O’Hair, HD, Eds.)[Book reviews]. IEEE Tran- sactions on Professional Communication, 53 (2), 174-178. 4 ABSTRACTS 72 Crisis Response with Ethical Advantages: Flexibility, Adaptation, & Resilience Bowen, Shannon, University of South Carolina (USA) Coombs, William Timothy, Texas A & M University (USA) Introduction/Purpose ure to explore a priori theory in applying moral philosophy to crisis management. Much of crisis The public relations function should perform an management is case study based and a posteri- ethical role in organizations, and can provide ori, based on experience, rather than based on a competitive advantage through ethical crisis predictive problem solving (Coombs, 2020). management. Yet, very little research to date has Therefore, we apply deontological ethics for a framed the ethical role of crisis management or sound a prioristic, analytic, moral-philosophical the moral responsibilities during crisis, especially perspective; as an added benefit, this will offer in axiology, or academic terms based on theory a strong lexicon with which to understand the and empirical research (e.g., Jin, Pang & Smith, ethics of crises. 2018). The global pandemic offers an unprece- dented look into how organizations responded Our literature to support a conceptualization to the crisis, how they managed employee rela- of ethics in crisis communication is based on tions and external stakeholder relationships, as public relations theory, situational crisis com-well as the role ethics played in pandemic re- munication theory (SCCT), ethics and moral sponse. philosophy, attribution theory, excellence theory, research in public relations ethics, and deonto- Literature logical ethics. What has been published is anecdotal or largely Method/Rationale pragmatic rather than based on moral philoso- phy. This study seeks to offer a framework to fill Our research is based on two qualitative meth- a lacuna in the body of knowledge for guiding ods: virtual focus groups with public relations ethical crisis planning, response, management, industry leaders who had the title of Chief Com- and communication, even on a global level. An munication Officer (or equivalent) and were ethical framework is needed for crises because members of the Arthur W. Page Society (indus- the moral nature of the commonly-discussed try-leading, billion-US dollar-plus organizations crisis response strategies resides in how they generally understood as “Fortune® 1000” compa-are implemented, and the duty and intention of nies). One focus group has been conducted and their use, rather than in the implicit nature of others are planned. A second approach is to con- the SCCT crisis response strategies themselves duct a Delphi study with public relations indus- (e.g., Coombs, 2007). try leaders to ask them about the findings from the focus groups (flexibility, adaptation, and Another lacuna in the literature exists in the fail-resilience) and hone in on ethical beliefs, crisis 4 ABSTRACTS 73 strategies during the pandemic, and other issues References related to enhancing ethical crisis response. Bowen, S. A. & Prescott, P. (2015). Kant’s con- Results/Discussion/Conclusions tribution to the ethics of communication. Ethi- cal Space: The International Journal of Communi-We discuss ways to enhance organizational effec- cation Ethics, 12(2), 38-44. tiveness in crisis response through using ethical theory emphasizing moral approaches to flexi- Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organiza- bility, adaptation, and resilience in the face of tion reputations during a crisis: The devel-crisis. Deontology and the SCCT are used in un- opment and application of situational crisis derstanding crisis situations, the strain of a glob-communication theory. Corporate reputation al pandemic and workplace changes, stakeholder review, 10(3), 163-176. relationship stresses, and the ethics of adaptive Coombs, W.T. (2020). Familiar avenues and response. We make normative recommendations paths less traveled: Reimagining organization- for ethical planning and response for future cri- al crisis communication. In M Filimowicz & ses of a large-scale magnitude, and we offer sug- V. Tzankova (eds.), Reimaging Communication: gestions for practical implementation. Action (pp. 286-302). New York: Routledge. Keywords: crisis; ethics; risk Van Ruler, B. (2015). Agile working. Future Proof. Access date: 1/24/21. Available: Agile working — FuturePRoof (futureproofingcom-ms.co.uk). Jin, Y., Pang, A., & Smith, J. (2018). Crisis communication and ethics: the role of public rela- tions. Journal of Business Strategy. 4 ABSTRACTS 74 Reversible or irreversible user engagement behavior changes during COVID-19 pandemic: a case study of a top restaurant brand in Taiwan Chan, Chun-Hsiang, National Taiwan University (Taiwan) Wu, Shih Chia, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) Introduction and purpose of the study Literature review During the COVID-19 pandemic, people tend to spend more time on social media than normal Engagement behavior is composited of four cat- time due to work from home and lockdown pol- egories (the number of views, likes, comments, icy (Kaya, 2020). Given the situation, Donthu and shares a post) with equal weight (Face- and Gustafsson (2020) argued user engagement book, 2019); however, the amount of views and behavior on social media would be changed. likes is usually larger than the number of shares To verify these observations, this study aims to and comments (He, Zha, & Li, 2013). Ángeles quantitatively examine user engagement behav- Oviedo-García (2014) indicated different en- ior on social media platforms during the pan- gagement categories are supposed to have differ- demic and track media usage change. ent efforts; it implies that the pandemic impact on the four categories is different. Considering Since the outbreak of Covid-19, Taiwan has the data limitation, the engagement category in maintained less than 1,000 positive cases in this study focuses on posts and comments to Year 2020 and no local cases from late April to quantify the user engagement behavior changes Dec 2020. Hence, using Taiwan as an example to in the different stages of the pandemic. investigate the pre-, during, and post-pandemic impacts on user social media behavior change Methodology would be appropriate. The social media pene-tration rate in Taiwan is 88%, while Facebook is Web crawler was utilized. We reviewed all en- one of the major social media platforms used. A gagement categories of Facebook fan pages from top premium restaurant chain brand in Taiwan the premium restaurant chain, including the was selected as the case study. posts and comments from Jan 1, 2019 to Dec 31, 2020, in order to observe the engagement variation before, during and post the pandem- ic. The engagement includes posts (numbers of 4 ABSTRACTS 75 likes, comments, and shares within a post) and Our study focused on the Facebook posts and comments (numbers of likes, replies within a comments and excluded other types of engage- comment, and the daily number of comments) ment, such as like and share, that can be ex-respectively. plored in the future. Border control (Feb 6, 2020) and no local pos- Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, user engagement itive Covid-19 case (April 13, 2020) are the behavior, Facebook two key dates to differentiate pre, during and post pandemic period. Wilcoxon rank-sum test References was used to calculate the engagement changes between the Year 2019 and Year 2020. A total of Ángeles Oviedo-García, M. (2014). Metric 168 posts and 17,950 comments were collected. proposal for customer engagement in Facebook. Journal of Research in Interactive Results and Conclusion Marketing, 8(4), 327-344. doi:10.1108/JRIM- 05-2014-0028 Before the pandemic period, the engagement lev- Donthu, N., & Gustafsson, A. (2020). Effects of el of posts and comments in the Year 2020 were COVID-19 on business and research. Journal similar to the Year 2019. During the pandemic of Business Research, 117, 284-289. doi:https:// period, the results indicated that the engagement doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.008 to comments significantly declined, but notably Facebook. (2019). About Engagement Rate increased after the pandemic. In the post pan- Ranking. Facebook Buiness. Retrieved from demic period, the overall comment engagement https://www.facebook.com/business/help/235 (numbers of likes, replies within a comment, 1270371824148?id=561906377587030 and the daily number of comments) went back to the similar status as the pre-pandemic peri- He, W., Zha, S., & Li, L. (2013). Social me-od. As a result, we found that the engagement dia competitive analysis and text mining: A of comment is much more sensitive in terms of case study in the pizza industry. Internation- user behavior changes. al Journal of Information Management, 33(3), 464-472. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfo-Practical implications mgt.2013.01.001 Kaya, T. (2020). The changes in the ef- According to our finding, the engagement be- fects of social media use of Cypriots due to havior changes mainly occurred from the COVID-19 pandemic. Technology in Society, 63, Restaurant’s Facebook fan page, particular in 101380. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tech- the comment level. It shows “comment” plays soc.2020.101380 an important role in social media conversation and sustains the engagement behavior. Hence, the Restaurants may consider creating posts (i.e. food delivery service, food tips, longer incentive, etc.) that can stimulate more comments during and after the pandemic periods. Another critical point is that the engagement behavior is revers- ible after the pandemic but the engagement level is not reached back to the pre-pandemic period. 4 ABSTRACTS 76 Relationship Cultivation, Social Capital, and Breaking Through Barriers: Exploring the Use of Social Media by Female Transnational Entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley Chen, Zifei Fay, University of San Francisco (USA) Lee, June Y., University of San Francisco (USA) Introduction and Purpose of Study agement literature regarding startup and en- trepreneurial communication. First, although This study explores how female transnational public relations research in recent years have entrepreneurs (FTEs) use social media to cul- given more attention to the instrumental role tivate relationships with their publics, build and of social media for startups and small-to-me- strengthen social capital, and consequently break dium-sized enterprises (SMEs), most focused through barriers to grow their businesses. Draw- on message-based strategies, rather than rela- ing on interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks tionship-based public relations strategies (e.g., including relationship management in public re-Chen et al., 2017). Second, while research on lations, social capital in social psychology, and startup and entrepreneurship have been grow- transnational entrepreneurship in business, this ing in public relations research, most focused study proposes the following research questions: on the high-tech and high-growth sectors and (1) Who are the key publics for self-employed largely ignored self-employed entrepreneurship FTEs? (1) How do self-employed FTEs use so- for SMEs. Given the large scale of SMEs and cial media to cultivate relationships with their the limited resource they have, it is even more key publics? (2) What social media strategies do critical for them to develop effective public re- FTEs use to build and strengthen social capital? lations practices. Third, historically, female im- And (3) How does the use of social media help migrant entrepreneurs possess neither networks FTEs break through barriers? This study defined nor resources and face challenges and barriers FTEs as female-identified transnational immi- to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities (Wang, grant entrepreneurs whose public identities are 2019). As such, they must find creative ways to associated with more than one country (Lee & integrate their multiple social and cultural iden- Lee, 2020). tities in their entrepreneurship. Literature Review This study fills several prominent research gaps in the extant public relations and business man- 4 ABSTRACTS 77 Methodology social capital and transnationalism. At the socie- tal level, this study illuminates the roles of public We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with Ko-relations and relationship cultivation not only as rean FTEs in the San Francisco Bay Area and means to make organizations’ communication Silicon Valley in the United States, one of the management more effective, but also as tools most well-recognized entrepreneurship eco-sys- to empower a traditionally overlooked popula- tems in the world. The participants are SME tion in our field—self-employed FTEs who own owners and regard social media as the basis of a small-to-medium sized businesses. Such unique business model to create and deliver values for context is especially important to the globalized their businesses. society where businesses and communication Results and Conclusion activities are practiced transnationally. Data from the in-depth interviews have revealed Keywords: Entrepreneurial public relations, rela-some major themes. First, FTEs identify their tionship cultivation, social capital, female transna-key publics based on the strengths of network tional entrepreneurs, social media ties they have with them (e.g., customers and References prospects in the Korean community and Asian American immigrants in the region, other re- Chen, Z. F., Ji, Y. G., & Men, L. R. (2017). Stralated businesses/vendors, investors). Second, tegic use of social media for stakeholder en- FTEs largely use personal relationships, authen- gagement in startup companies in China. In- tic communication, and networking strategies to ternational Journal of Strategic Communication, cultivate their relationships with the key publics, 11(3), 244-267. and such strategies are also intertwined with Lee, J. Y., & Lee, J. Y. (2020). Female Trans-their strategies to build and enhance social cap- national Entrepreneurs (FTEs): A Case Study ital. Third, FTEs not only use social media to of Korean American Female Entrepreneurs in enhance bonding social capital with their prima- Silicon Valley. Journal of Entrepreneurship and ry publics such as customers and prospects via Innovation in Emerging Economies, 6(1), 67-83. posting and direct communication, but also use them to create bridging social capital by engag- Wang, Q. (2019). Gender, race/ethnicity, and ing potential strategic partners via tagging and entrepreneurship: Women entrepreneurs in a outreach. Importantly, our findings also revealed US south city. International Journal of Entre-that FTEs’ unique, multi-dimensioned identity preneurial Behavior & Research, 25(8), 1766-played a key role in influencing their social me- 1785. dia use, which in turn lowered their barriers to entry and helped them overcome cultural and social biases. Practical and Social Implications Practically, by exploring the use of social media from the perspective of relationship-based public relations efforts, this study casts insights on the use of social media for FTEs and SMEs not only from a messaging perspective, but also relation- ship cultivation perspective through the lens of 4 ABSTRACTS 78 Boris vs. Corbz #GetBrexitDone: An analysis of Labour and Conservative tweets on the 2019 General Election campaign Clayton, Teela, Leeds Beckett University (UK) Introduction and purpose of the study A goal of any campaign is to strengthen relationships with target publics. This is not pos- Today’s hyperconnected societies with ubiq- sible if political public relations do not operate uitous digital media have altered the political in a completely ethical and open environment; landscape so that campaigning encompasses the communication that does not appear organic or use of social media, which in turn contributes engaging will not yield results (Strömbäck and to how we view and share information about Kiousis, 2011). Reputation is critical as a strate- political ideologies. gic objective of a company (Cornelissen, 2014) This study explores the intersect of UK politics, and how a political candidate is presented can democracy, and social media: specifically Twit- affect this. ter. Methodology Literature Review This paper analyses how the Conservatives and Politicians themselves have become like celeb- Labour Party used Twitter in the campaign rities (Davis, 2010) therefore, their elevation period prior to the General Election of 2019. to power through votes depends on their ability Using inductive methods to explore qualitative to promote a positive brand on social media, or data and thematic and discourse analyses across perhaps damage the credibility of their opposi- a corpus of 4402 tweets and four accounts (@ tion. The nature of social media has amplified BorisJohnson, @JeremyCorbyn, @Conservatives, the move of the focus from the political party to @UKLabour), it reviews the political brand and the politician as an individual, opening a wider ideology embedded within lexis. It considers arena for debate and personalised campaigning the political brand communicated by each party (Gunn and Skogerbø, 2013). Thus, a politician’s as well as the personal brand of leaders Boris autonomous and dialogical use of social media Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn and posits that us- may controvert the strategy of the political par- ing party promotion, negative portrayal of the ty, yet the need to communicate a personal – opposition, grassroots movements and calendar and perhaps approachable, or not least voteable events, Johnson was able to secure a win by en- – image as a politician pervades. gaging and persuading key publics. 4 ABSTRACTS 79 Results and Conclusions ed the inequalities in society experienced by peo- ple of colour (Khunti et al., 2020). This raises With just over 2000 tweets from the @UKLa- the question: How was right-wing populism used bour and @JeremyCorbyn accounts, and slightly in campaigning and has the narrative damaged more from @Conservatives and @BorisJohnson race relations in the UK? over the 41 days of campaigning, at an average of 48 tweets a day, clearly it is a channel that is Keywords: political communication; Twitter poli-seen to have value in British politics. tics; political brand; political social media; UK politics The Conservatives simple, often triplicated phrases in their tweets, were easy to turn into a References hashtag and therefore shareable, allowing virali- ty. Their views capitalised on the anti-immigrant Dahlgren, P. (2009) Media and political engage- sentiment - borne of years of austerity for which ment: citizens, communication and democracy. they are responsible – by promoting a United Cambridge University Press. Kingdom that invokes an ‘us and them’ narrative. Davis, A. (2010) Political communication and Jeremy Corbyn was represented as the impalpa- social theory. Routledge (Communication and ble outsider and enemy with an intangible so- society). cialist manifesto that will destroy society. Whilst the Conservatives perpetuate a divisive rhetoric, Gunn S. E. and Skogerbø, E. (2013) Personalized with financial growth at its heart, Labour cele- Campaigns in Party-Centred Politics, Informa- brates diversity and roots its manifesto in the tion, Communication & Society, 16:5, 757-growth of society and human rights. Labour’s 774, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2013.782330 focus on empathy and caring was not enough to [ONLINE] Available at: https://www. compete with the personal brand of Boris John- tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13691 son - as humorous and affable – and the political 18X.2013.782330 [Accessed 28 October brand of the Conservatives, who were the party 2020] to #GetBrexitDone. Khunti, K., Platt L., Routen, A., Abbasi, K. (2020) Covid-19 and ethnic minorities: an Practical and Social Implications urgent agenda for overdue action BMJ 2020; [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.bmj.com/ Discourse does not exist in a vacuum, with anal- content/369/bmj.m2503.short [Accessed 12 ysis designed to reveal the intersections of lan- December 2020] guage, power and ideology (Waring, 2018) and as such, to appreciate a full overview of commu- Strömbäck, J. and Kiousis, S. (2011) Political nication via social media, an analysis of exter-public relations: principles and applications. nal factors, such as contexts and other channels, Routledge (Communication series) would have been pertinent. Waring, H. Z. (2018) Discourse analysis. [elec- tronic resource]: the questions discourse an- An opportunity does arise however, to analyse alysts ask and how they answer them. Rout- the communication between the government/ ledge. Available at: http://search.ebscohost. the Conservatives and their stakeholders, mit- com.ezproxy.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/login.aspx?di- igated by the threats of both Covid and their rect=true&db=cat00621a&AN=leeds.839172 chances of re-election. &site=eds-live&scope=site (Accessed: 2 Janu-Additionally a number of reports have highlight- ary 2021). 4 ABSTRACTS 80 Silent dialogue: Problematizing open dialogue as a precursor to relationship building in conflict contexts in the Middle East Dhanesh, Ganga S, Zayed University (U.A.E.) Avidar, Ruth, Max Stern Yezreel Valley College (Israel) Introduction tures in conflict situations in the Middle East. Most theorizing and empirical work in public Literature Review relations scholarship has been centered in Eu- ro-American worldviews and elides the nuances The review of literature will (1) review research of various concepts in public relations such as on public relations in the Middle East using the dialogue that can take on varied hues depending global public relations framework (Sriramesh & on cultural, political, economic and social con- Vercic, 2019) (2) highlight the influence of cul- texts of practice. One such divergent context is ture and diversity in the Middle East on public offered by the Middle East wherein assorted cul- relations practice (e.g., Magen & Avidar, 2019), tural, political and social milieus challenge tra-and (3) discuss mainstream understandings of ditional notions of dialogic relationship building dialogue as a precursor to relationship build- between organizations and their publics. Sig- ing and highlight its major tenets and critiques nificant political, economic, social, and cultural (Chen et al., 2020; Kent & Taylor, 2002). similarities and differences among countries in the region imply the need to examine specific Main proposition contextual factors that could impact the practice This paper argues that due to various cultural, of public relations in the region. Situated with- political and social factors, amongst them a lack in the global public relations framework (Sri-of formal diplomatic relations between various ramesh & Vercic, 2019), this conceptual paper countries in conflict, dialogue may not be equat- discusses the dialectic influence of local cultures ed with the classical idea of dialogue wherein as well as strategic interests on public relations interactants engage in open and transparent theorizing, particularly on the dialogic approach give-and-take discussions that are integrative or to relationship building (Kent & Taylor, 2002). represent dual concern strategies of building re- It problematizes the broadly accepted idea of lationships through collaborative advocacy. In-open, transparent dialogue that engenders rela- stead of foregrounding antecedents of OPR such tionships between organizations and their pub- as openness, access and networking, we argue lics and proposes the notion of silent dialogue, that organizations caught in conflict situations particularly reflecting the influence of local cul- engage in silent dialogue, leveraging existing per- 4 ABSTRACTS 81 sonal networks of wasta and social connections Keywords: Dialogue, Organization-public-re-encapsulated in the personal influence model lationships, Middle East, Global Public Relations (Sriramesh et al., 1997), and promote informal Framework, Culture dialogue and interaction out of strategic and/or economic motives. These silent dialogues help References to maintain transparent traces of relationships in the absence of formalized relationships. Silent Chen, Y. R., Hung-Baesecke, C. F., & Chen, X. dialogue is essential to formalizing relationships. (2020). Moving forward the dialogic the- Silent dialogue is used mostly in situations of ory of public relations: Concepts, methods conflict/change. The paper will offer specific ex- and applications of organization-public dia- amples of contexts where silent dialogue might logue. Public Relations Review, 46(1), 101878. occur. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101878 Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2002). Toward a dia- Theoretically, this paper enhances public relalogic theory of public relations. Public Relations tions scholarship by exploring the role of culture Review, 28, 21–37. in shaping the critical public relations practice of building relationships through varied hues of Magen, C., & Avidar, R. (2019). Introducing the dialogue. It problematizes mainstream under-Strata approach to dialogue analysis (SADA): standings of open and transparent communi- The case of political NGOs in Israel. Journal of cation as a precursor to building relationships Public Relations Research 31(3-4), 97-117. and offers the concept of silent dialogue to build Sriramesh, K., Kim, Y., & Takasaki, M. (1999). OPRs in contexts of conflict. Public relations in three Asian cultures: An analysis. Journal of Public Relations Research, Practical and social implications 11(4), 271–292. doi:10.1207/s1532754x- jprr1104_01 Offering the concept of silent dialogue broadens practitioners’ understanding of dialogue, partic- Sriramesh, K., & Vercic, D. (2019). The global ularly for those working in situations of conflict. public relations handbook: Theory, research It offers them a conceptual tool to produce trac- and practice (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Rout- es of relationships when more formalized rela- ledge. tionships cannot be established due to conflict. 4 ABSTRACTS 82 Role of internal communication in enhancing employee engagement during remote work in times of crisis - Remote internal crisis communication (RICC) framework Dhanesh, Ganga S, Zayed University (USA) Duthler, Gaelle, Zayed University (USA) Introduction Literature Review When the pandemic disrupted face-to-face work This study conducted an extensive and thorough in 2020, companies such as Facebook and Goo- review of literature on (1) drivers of employee gle announced work-from-home programmes. engagement from applied psychology, organiza- Although research has examined drivers of vir- tional behavior, human resource management tual/tele/digital employee engagement, and inter- and public relations (Ruck et al., 2017; Vercic nal crisis communication, little is known about & Vokic, 2017) (2) drivers of remote work en- keeping employees engaged when organizations gagement from business and human resources face a global crisis and employees are abruptly management literatures (Larson et al., 2020; ter thrown into remote work. Public relations re- Hoeven & van Zoonen, 2020), and (3) inter- search with its focus on internal relations can nal crisis communication (Frandsen & Johansen, contribute much to this issue. Connecting litera- 2011; Mazzei & Ravazzani, 2015). The substan- tures on employee engagement, remote employ- tial research on these topics exist in silos with ee engagement, and internal crisis communica- limited work on the interplay of variables, which tion, this study created a conceptual framework, could enhance understanding of the role of in- the Remote Internal ternal communication in engaging employees working remotely during a crisis. Accordingly, Crisis Communication (RICC) framework, and connecting these literatures, we proposed the conducted an empirical study to examine how Remote Internal Crisis Communication (RICC) twoway symmetrical communication, internal framework (See Figure 1). Further, as a starting crisis communication (ICC), and new ways of point to test the framework we empirically test- working (NWW) predicted three dimensions of ed the effects of two way symmetrical commu- employee engagement and how social connec- nication, ICC content and objectives and NWW tion mediated the relationship between NWW on three dimensions of employee engagement, as and employee engagement. Findings have strong per the following hypotheses and RQ: theoretical and practical implications. 4 ABSTRACTS 83 H1: Two-way symmetrical communication will symmetrical communication, NWW, and ICC predict employee engagement when working re- - contributes the most to remote employee en- motely during a crisis gagement during a crisis? H2: NWW, particularly control over (a) time Methodology and content of work and (b) use of communi- cation media will predict employee engagement We conducted a quantitative online survey be- when working remotely during a crisis cause a survey can generate large amounts of quantifiable data that can be analyzed for pat-H3: Social connection will mediate the relation-terns of association. The target population were ship between NWW and employee engagement fulltime employees, over the age of 18, working when working remotely during a crisis remotely due to the pandemic. An internation- al market research company YouGov recruited H4: ICC content (informative, identification, the sample (N=304) from its research panel of factual) will be positively related to employee employees from the United Arab Emirates. The engagement while working remotely during a survey was offered in English and Arabic. Simple crisis and hierarchical linear regression analyses were H5: ICC objectives (security, belonging, ac-conducted to examine relationships and Baron tivating behavior) will be positively related to and Kenny’s (1986) steps for mediation were employee engagement while working remotely followed to test mediation. during a crisis RQ: Which among these factors -- two-way 4 ABSTRACTS 84 Results and Conclusions Practical and Social Implications The three dimensions of employee engagement Practitioners could provide opportunities for (cognitive, affective, social) showed significant two-way symmetrical communication that will and positive relationships with the independent allow employees to share their concerns, partic- variables (two-way symmetrical communication, ularly when they are away from their physical NWW, ICC content and objectives) and social workplaces during crises. Practitioners should connection mediated the relationship between also ensure that communication media include NWW and employee engagement. However, af-technological affordances that can bolster social ter controlling for demographic variables, two- connection and provide opportunities for em- way symmetrical communication was the only ployees to connect with each other remotely. statistically significant predictor of employee en- Most importantly, practitioners can use these gagement, when considered in conjunction with findings not just during the coronavirus pan- the other factors. demic but can apply these findings in similar situations, such as when organizations have to Theoretically, the paper has added to literature move into remote work during say, a natural di- on employee engagement by proposing a con- saster. ceptual framework for remote ICC, and by of- fering empirical evidence for the role of com- Keywords: Employee engagement, internal communication in engendering remote engagement munication, remote work, crisis, internal crisis com-during a crisis. A limitation of the study was that munication we tested only a few variables in the conceptual framework, to ensure a parsimonious survey in- strument. Future research could test other vari- ables such as horizontal vs. vertical communi- cation or moderators such as open-mindedness, and cultural background. 4 ABSTRACTS 85 Social interaction and the customer service Duarte, Cynthia, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio (Brasil) Introduction and purpose of the study ket full of similar offers, emphasizing that the way services are provided will be decisive for the The Public Relations literature on the impor- organization’s success. Roberto Corrêa (2006), tance of knowing the customer in order to who suggests that the professionals involved in adapt the communication to him and offer an the service have a global view of the organiza- excellent service is vast. However, the analysis tion and good knowledge of marketing to be of interactions seems to be being neglected by successful in satisfying the customer and boost- organizations. This research seeks to show how ing the company. Finally, Margarida Kunsch and interactions with the customer can teach about her contributions about the relational aspect of their needs and the best way to approach them communication, which results in a variety of in- to make sales. To this end, it uses data from a terferences and conditionings within a complex- doctoral research carried out at a popular fair in ity difficult to diagnose, given to the volume and the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which focused the different types of existing communications, on the analysis of interactions with customers which operate in different social contexts. established by a merchant who has worked on the site for over 30 years and developed a se- Methodology ries of strategies to keep his business alive and healthy. The data were obtained through site visits, par- ticipant observation, conversations in different Literature review environments and with different interlocutors, analysis of digital environments, photograph- The work has as theoretical references the con- ic records, notes in a field diary and audio and tributions of Waldyr Fortes (2003), who high- video recordings, these analyzed according to lights that the service is a process of relationship the Conversation Analysis, proposed by Harvey with the public, making the diagnosis of audi- Sacks (1972). The study was guided by eth- ences essential for the elaboration of specific and nomethodology, a perspective that defends the efficient actions in the approximation between knowledge of social configurations through the public and organization. Fábio França (2008), understandings expressed by the members them- who explains that the communication planned selves, which was developed by Harold Garfin-and developed by public relations profession- kel, 1967. als will only be efficient if it is directed to their specific audiences, meeting their demands and needs. Nanci Pilares (1989), who defends con- quest and loyalty as ways of dealing with a mar- 4 ABSTRACTS 86 Results and conclusions Practical and social implications The analysis of the interactions established by The study highlights the importance of analyz-the merchant shows the appropriateness of the ing interactions with customers to obtain better approach to the customer, defined in a matter results by organizations and, on a broader scale, of seconds, which includes the use of common highlights the relevance of accessing the knowl- sense knowledge; the valorisation of products; edge developed by people on a daily basis to deal storytelling to make the sale; the justification with everyday situations. regarding less favourable aspects. In short, they show the importance of interactions for making Keywords: Public Relations; popular commerce; so-a correct diagnosis and the consequent adequacy cial interaction; ethnomethodology of communication with the clients. 4 ABSTRACTS 87 The mediating role of crisis history on the relationship between crisis response strategies and organisational reputation among South-Soutth Nigeria Universities during Covid-19 Egede, Dominion Dominic, Universiti Putra (Malaysia) Introduction and purpose of the study. ing to Coombs, (2007), Coombs and Holladay (2010), the crisis response strategies employed Crisis cuts across all organizations and no or- by an organization in a present challenging crisis ganization is immune to crisis situation. The situation has the potential of creating a sense outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 of reflection on organizational crisis history (COVID-19), imposed several detrimental po- “whether positive or negative” thereby influ- tential and or significant immediate and long encing organizational reputation. Based on this term impact on organizational reputation glob- established evidence, this study will look into ally This study is aimed to investigate the cri-the mediating role of crisis history on the rela- sis response strategy and the mediating effect of tionship between crisis response strategies and crisis history in restoring and maintain organi- organizational reputation among south-south zational reputations in the face of covid19 crisis Nigeria universities during and after COVID-19. situation in the Nigeria context. Methodology Literature review This study will adopt the quantitative design de- According to Coombs, (2007), Situational Cri- ductively. Online survey and random sampling sis Communication Theory provides a mecha- will be employed. The population of the study nism for matching crisis response strategies and is derived from four selected universities in the anticipating how stakeholders will react to a south-south Nigeria, with the population of crisis considering its crisis history, in terms of 141,999. The targeted samples size will be 384 reputational threat posed by the crisis situation. respondents. The calculation was based on 5 To protect organizational reputation during a confidence interval or margin of error, 95% con-challenging crisis, four crisis response strate-fidence level. This study, before the actual data gies should be examined: denial, diminish, re-collection and analysis will be made, the mea- build and bolstering. Hence, Coombs, (2007 & suring instrument (questionnaire) will be tested 2013) found that organizational crisis history in a pilot study targeting at least 30 respondents has indirect effect on organizational reputation (Hair & Anderson, 2010; Rodrigues, Hair, Neiva, during and after a severe crisis. Thus, accord-Teixeira, Cid, & Monteiro, 2019; Drost, 2011). 4 ABSTRACTS 88 The main objective is to ensure the reliability COVID-19 crises periods and other related or-and validity of the instrument, its application to ganizational crisis. the targeted population and response rate to the online survey. Exploratory factor analysis will It would also help other corporate organizations be used for the pilot study while confirmatory by applying the findings of this study towards data analysis will be used for the actual data. The enhancing their reputations and sustain their ex-confirmatory factor analysis will be used to es- isting clients during crisis periods tablish the goodness of fit of the hypothesis. This study will only retain items loaded on the vari-Keywords: crisis response strategies, crisis history, ables at 0.5 cut-off criterion (Hair et al, 2010). organizational reputation. However, in checking reliability, the Cronbach’s References (1951) coefficient alpha value of the variables should be above the acceptable threshold of 0.70 Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organization to be considered reliable (Nunnally & Bernstein, reputations during a crisis: The development 1994). Composite reliability value (the degree and application of situational crisis commu- to which the variable indicators indicate the la- nication theory. Corporate reputation review, tent variable) should be above the recommended 10(3), 163-176. level of 0.7 Hair, Anderson, & Tatham, 1998). Data will be analyzed using Structural Equation Coombs, W. T. (2013). Situational theory of Modeling (SEM) and other statistical methods. crisis: Situational crisis communication the- Five hypothesis will be tested in understanding ory and corporate reputation. The handbook the impact of crisis response strategy: deny, di- of communication and corporate reputation, minishing, rebuilding, bolstering and the medi- 262-278. ating role of organization’s crisis history, its out-Coombs, W. T., Frandsen, F., Holladay, S. J., & come on organizational reputation. Johansen, W. (2010). Why a concern for ap- ologia and crisis communication?. Corporate Finding and conclusion Communications: An International Journal. The finding shows that rebuilding crisis response Park, H. (2017). Exploring effective crisis re-strategy and positive crisis history redeem and sponse strategies. Public Relations Review, protect organizational reputation in times of 43(1), 190-192. sticky crises. Helm, S., & Tolsdorf, J. (2013). How does cor- porate reputation affect customer loyalty in a Theoretical and social implications corporate crisis?. Journal of Contingencies and This research will add to the body of existing Crisis Management, 21(3), 144-152. literature and further strengthen Situational Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). De-Crisis Communication Theory in examining the termining sample size for research activities. impact of crisis response strategy and the medi- Educational and psychological measurement, ating role of crisis history in protecting organi- 30(3), 607-610. zational reputation during crisis. Findings from this study will also be used to support the SCCT, that making references to crisis response strat- egies, and crisis histories would enable organi- zations to firmly retain their reputations during 4 ABSTRACTS 89 An exploratory perspective on mental readiness as a requirement for crisis leadership Eynon, Tracy-Lee, University of Pretoria (South Africa) Miles, Emma, University of Pretoria (South Africa) Leonard, Anné, University of Pretoria (South Africa) Introduction and purpose of the study as conditions deteriorate and as panic begins to strike all around the leader”. Each of the three Coombs, Frandsen, Holladay and Johansen elements of mental readiness stand alone, but all (2010:343) acknowledge that there are pro- three are needed simultaneously in order to har- found gaps in the knowledge and any type of ness mental readiness effectively. further investigation will not only add to the body of knowledge, but also allow for different The first element is deep knowledge, which re- perspectives to be examined. fers to “having a significant understanding of the patterns that drive effective and ineffective crisis Garcia (2017a:23) proposes that the mental response” (Garcia, 2017a:31). readiness of crisis leaders is an essential requirement for effective crisis communication. The The second element is emotional discipline, purpose of this paper is to report the findings which has four main characteristics (Garcia, of an exploratory investigation into the mental 2017a:27-31). This encompasses being forth- readiness of crisis leaders in the South African right, calm, assertive and bold. A leader should context. acknowledge the realities of a crisis and name it correctly to enhance the organisation’s ability Literature review to manage the crisis. Remaining calm is critical Communication goes a long way in crisis leader- for clear thinking and sound decision-making. ship as often the communication from the leader Assertiveness allows a leader to act quickly rath- eliminates fear and worry which are often felt er than shutting down during a crisis. Boldness during a crisis. Fener and Cevikb (2015:698) improved a leader’s ability to make the best de- explain that a leader is not merely a manager cisions based on what is most productive rather which often focuses on a continuation of the than what is most appealing (Garcia, 2017a:27-present, whereas a leader is focused on the har- 31). mony and creativity of an organisation. The final element is intellectual rigor, which Garcia (2017b) defines mental readiness as “the is associated with “strictness in judgement or persistent ability to remain calm, to think clearly conduct” (Collins Dictionaries, 2020). Garcia and to understand other people’s concerns even (2017a:41) argues that it “begins with clarity of thinking”. Leaders should not suddenly throw 4 ABSTRACTS 90 rigor out the window once a crisis occurs. sation can least afford it. Greater self-awareness is required of crisis leaders to employ forthright- Methodology ness, fierceness, boldness and humility appropri- A generic qualitative research design, as de- ately. scribed by (Plano, Clark & Creswell, 2015:4), Crisis leaders must face crises head-on and guided this exploratory study. Semi-structured avoid focusing on superficial symptoms and interviews were used for data collection. Pur-they should act in a manner which instils trust poseful sampling was used to select the thirteen between them and other role players. Clear interviewees in a variety of South African organ- thinking and honesty are key requirements for isations. The sample size was limited both due guiding organisations prior to, during and after to the exploratory nature of the study and the crises. Intellectual rigor further enables helps or-struggle to recruit participants amidst the na- ganisations foresee and avoid crises. tional lockdown. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how or- The discussion guide encompassed five topics, ganisations can improve communication and including Garcia’s (2017a) three elements of adapt operations to changing circumstances. mental readiness and key questions pertaining Crisis leaders should have the ability to help or- to the Covid-19 pandemic. ganisations respond effectively to both of these Data analysis was accomplished through the use key areas. of Atlas.ti 8 software for thematic analysis. Guba The most important conclusion of the study is and Lincoln’s (1985:289-331) four criteria for that both formal and informal education /train- trustworthiness of qualitative research governed ing should focus even more explicitly on devel- the study. This study was approved by the Uni- oping the mental readiness of crisis leaders. Gar- versity of Pretoria and all stipulations regarding cia’s (2017a) framework can be the basis for informed consent were observed. such programmes. Results and conclusions The limitations of the study include the small Industry knowledge was confirmed to be a crit-sample size and that qualitative research cannot ical requirement for crisis leaders. Without it, be generalised. Further research should include a crisis leader will be overwhelmed. Experience a larger sample and other research designs like was regarded as the best source of professional focus groups and surveys in order to investigate learning. Real-world situations teach crisis lead- dimensions of mental readiness in crisis leader- ers to anticipate and respond to situations. This ship in greater depth. experience affects organisational culture, organi- Keywords: Crises leadership, crisis communication, sational learning and the use of good judgement mental readiness, Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa during crises. Crisis leaders cannot afford to let their emotions trigger secondary crises. Logial thinking and planning are needed to ensure a profesisonal or- ganisational reaction. Destructive emotional be- haviour during a crisis often cause rifts between leaders and followers at a time when an organi- 4 ABSTRACTS 91 References Collins Dictionaries. 2020. Rigour. [Online]. Available from: https://www.collinsdictionary. com/dictionary/english/rigour. [Accessed: 2020-03-02]. Coombs, W.T., Frandsen, F., Holladay, S.J. & Johansen, W. 2010. Why a concern for apologia and crisis communication? Corporate Commu- nications: An International Journal, 15(4):337-349. Fener, T. & Cevikb, T. 2015. Leadership in cri- sis management: separation of leadership and executive concepts. Procedia Economics and Fi- nance, 26:695-701. Garcia, H.F. 2017a. The agony of decision: mental readiness and leadership in crisis. New York, NY: Logos Institute for Crisis Management and Executive Leadership. Garcia, H.F. 2017b. Mental readiness and leadership in crisis. [Online] Available from: https:// apps.prsa.org/Intelligence/TheStrategist/Ar- ticles/view/12086/1149/Mental_Readiness_ and_Leadership_in_Crisis#.Xuynq2gzaUk. [Accessed 2020-06-10]. Lincoln, Y.S & Guba, E.G. 1985. Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills: Sage. Plano Clark, V.L & Cresswell, J.W. 2015. Understanding research: a consumer’s guide. New Jer-sey: Pearson. 4 ABSTRACTS 92 Strategic Role of Public Relations in Crisis Management in Ethiopia: The case of Burayu City Displacement Crisis Feyisa Kuyu, Leta, Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia) In recent times, Ethiopia has experienced differ- (Government) and publics. But, the findings of ent crisis situations. But, it seems that little at-the study show that there was poor understand- tempts have been made by different stakeholders ing on public relations profession and a huge including the government in using scientific and gap in using strategic public relations to manage strategic crisis communication efforts to avert such crisis. In short, Crisis is often a result of crisis and work on reputation and good relation- poor communication between organizations and ship with publics. The study aims at exploring a its publics, and consequently more focus should crisis scenario occurred at Burayu town partic- be put on the pre-crisis phase and on building ularly, in the displacement crisis in September and maintaining long-lasting relationships 2018. The main objective of this study was to examine the relevance of crisis public relations Keywords: crisis, crisis management, public rela-practices at all phases of crisis. In this study, the tions, crisis communication. crisis event was assessed through scientific ap- proach and best practices on crisis communica- Reference tion. Qualitative research approach was employed to collect and analyze data generated through Coombs W. Timothy and Sherry J. Holladay. in-depth interview with key informants selected (Ed, 2010). The Handbook of Crisis Commu- through purposive and snow ball sampling tech- nication niques. Relevant data collected through qualita- Davis, A. (2004). Mastering Public Rela- tive contents analysis method and FGDs were tions. New York: Palgrave Macmillan DOI: analyzed accordingly. The study describes in de- 10.1080/1553118X.2017.1363758 tail about the concepts of Public relations, Crisis Falkheimer, J., & Heide, M. (2010). Crisis com-management to demonstrate the strategic role of municators in change: From plans to impro- public relations in crisis management. According visations. In W. T. Coombs & S. J. Holladay to the research finding, people were displaced (Eds.). The handbook of crisis communica-for three reasons from Burayu City in Septem- tion (pp. 511–526). Chichester, U.K.; Malden, ber 2018. The first one was the clash between MA: Wiley-Blackwell youth of different ethnic groups; the second one Internal displacement in 2018 12 September was due to the disseminating wrong informa- 2018 Mid-year figures, Retrieved from, http:// tion; and the third one was the prevalence of www.internal-displacement.org fear. Consequently, Public relations practitioners Ralph Tench and Liz Yeomans .(2009). Ex- should be work to manage such kind of crisis ploring public relation. Second edition. Navaro, to protect the relationship between organization Spain 4 ABSTRACTS 93 A research on the effectiveness and factors in Government refuting rumors on social media - examining the rumor refutal texts on Sina Weibo in the early stage of COVID-19 in China Gao, Hao, Nanjing Normal University (China) Guo, Difan, Nanjing Normal University (China) Yin, Huimin, Nanjing Normal University (China) Li, Lina, Shanghai Normal University (China) Wu, Jing, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) Introduction and purpose dispel rumors. Sina Weibo finally became the dominant platform where local governments and With the superiorities in fast transmission speed, public health administration (e.g. Chinese CDC) extensive transmission scope and high user cov- refuting rumors due to the wide use, timeliness erage, social media play a key role in public and interactivity of Weibo as well as the authori-health emergencies. Many medical institutions tativeness of these official accounts. Government and public health administrations have recog- administrations actively debunk rumors through nized the importance of social media that they their official Weibo accounts with the formation actively use social media to release information, of matrix propagation and harmonic resonance monitor disease trends and communicate with to some extent. From the perspective of the dis- the public when emergencies occurred. After the semination effect, whether the matrix propaga- outbreak of COVID-19, the Chinese govern- tion contributed by local governments produce ment and public health administration like Chi- positive results and what factors influence the nese Center for Disease Control and Prevention final dissemination effectiveness will be the main released information through diverse social me- topics of this study. dia platforms when the whole country is locked down. Social media allow them to respond to the Research question and hypotheses public concerns in time and save the communi- cation cost. We proposed one research question and three hypotheses in this study: However, rumors are easily triggered and dis- tributed online, so that social media have be-RQ What was the effect of government refuting come one of the most important tools for the rumors on Sina Weibo during the outbreak of government and the public administration to COVID-19 in China? 4 ABSTRACTS 94 • H1: Fact-checking included in the govern- ing rumors by conducting attitude evaluation on ment rumor refutal posts has positive asso- the comments of these posts, and examined the ciations with the effect of refuting rumors. associations with the effect of refuting rumors from three factors: content elements, narrative • H2: The narrative mode of the government mode and presentation form. rumor refutal posts has positive associations with the effect of refuting rumors. Results and conclusions • H3: The presentation form of the govern- From the perspective of the attitude evaluation ment rumor refutal posts has positive asso- towards the rumor refutal Weibo posts, peo- ciations with the effect of refuting rumors. ple who shared neutral and negative attitudes account more, which indicates that the posts Literature review against rumors released by governments have Different from other disasters, the epidemic di- not been accepted by Weibo users from the emo- saster is directly related to people’s life safety, tional dimension and have not played a positive and the demand for the related information has effect during the early time. also explored correspondingly. Social media has Form the texts of comments, users’ negative ex- become a gathering place for rumors world- pressions are not only about the information wide after the outbreak of the COVID-19 (Ali, generated by these government accounts, but 2020). It is reported that social media accounts also about the one who generated these infor- verified by government entities in emergencies mation— the government administrations and have 34 times advantages than other sources of their staff. information in refuting rumors (Guo & Zhang, 2020). Rumor refutal from governments and In terms of disproving strategies, it shows that other authorities have positive impact on chang- information related to fact-checking directly af- ing people’s cognition of the event, transferring fect the results of rumor retutal posts. negative emotions (Zeng and Zhu, 2019). Research limitations As to rumors circulating on social media plat- forms during the outbreak of COVID-19, schol- This research focused only on the early outbreak ars from overseas focus more on the source of of COVID-19 in China, new data deserves to be disease transmission, the means of prevention examined over the development of the epidemic. and treatment of disease, disease awareness, and Other dimension of evaluation except the user the means of specific management in response to attitudes evaluation can be applied and some the epidemic (Islam, et al, 2020). other factors would be dig in related research. Methodology Practical and social implications This research positions 80 government accounts Suggestions for the government and public ad- on Sina Weibo as the research object, examining ministration effectively refute rumors during 501 effective rumor refutal posts of these ac-public emergencies. counts via data mining which posted during the first stage of the outbreak of the COVID-19 in Keywords: rumors, social media, COVID-19, gov-China (from 18th Jan. 2020 to 29th Feb. 2020). ernment, China This research investigated the effect of disprov- 4 ABSTRACTS 95 References Ali, I. (2020). The COVID-19 Pandemic: Mak- ing Sense of Rumor and Fear: Op-Ed. Medical Anthropology, 1-4. Guo, L., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Information Flow Within and Across Online Media Platforms: An Agenda-setting Analysis of Rumor Diffu- sion on News Websites, Weibo, and WeChat in China. Journalism Studies, 21(15), 2176- 2195. Islam, M. S., Sarkar, T., Khan, S. H., Kamal, A. H. M., Hasan, S. M., Kabir, A., ... & Seale, H. (2020). COVID-19–related infodemic and its impact on public health: A global social me- dia analysis. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 103(4), 1621. Zeng, R., & Zhu, D. (2019). A model and sim- ulation of the emotional contagion of netizens in the process of rumor refutation. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-15. 4 ABSTRACTS 96 Crisis Strategy in the CEO Statements: An Analysis in Three Industries, Aviation, E- Commerce and Food Görpe, Tevhide Serra, University of Sharjah (U.A.E.) Öksuz Burcu, Izmir Kâtip Çelebi University (Turkey) Introduction and purpose of the study differ from sector to sector and with different types of crises. Although crises are considered as normal in the lives of organizations, they can pose a significant Literature review risk to the profitability and even to the survival of organizations (Barkley, 2020, p. 244). Un- Crisis is a decisive moment for an organization: doubtedly, CEOs play a critical role in managing it is a turning point where the institutions need crises in an effective way, establishing good rela- to take important steps to protect their good im- tions with the publics, and overcoming the cri- age and reputation in the eyes of their public sis with little damage to the organization. CEOs (Murray and Shohen, 1992). Crisis manage- are in front of the media during the crisis and ment professionals often focus on techniques every word spoken by the CEO, every act they to minimize the damage and help management make, every message they share are paid atten- overcome the crisis as quickly as possible (Turk tion to by all the public groups. What they say et al. 2012, p. 574). Leadership communication, are spread rapidly, determining the public’s trust establishing and maintaining crisis networks of in the organization, or making them act against rescue operations and officials who coordinate the organization. The stress and the uncertain- and communicate information to protect the ty environment created by the crisis make the publics are important during crises (Johansson overall communication process more difficult to and Bäck, 2017, p. 324). A crisis provides an handle as well as how the CEO communicates. opportunity to assess the role of the communi- Therefore, it is a necessity for the entire organi- cation and reputation management both during zation to be prepared for the crisis, and this also and after the crisis (Turk et al. 2012, p. 575). includes the preparedness of the CEO: the CEO should be a good crisis communicator. Methodology The purpose of this study is to analyze quanti- In this study, a content analysis will be made tatively and qualitatively CEO statements made on CEO statements of Turkish companies that during the crisis. The analysis of the statements had been hit by a crisis. The content analysis will be done by looking at the use of language will be done both by qualitatively and quanti- of CEOs, the crisis strategies mentioned and the tatively. Three industries are selected to study. tone of the messages. At the same time, the study These are aviation, e-commerce and food indus- will investigate whether the statements of CEOs tries. All these industries have recent crises that 4 ABSTRACTS 97 they faced with and will be easily studied. In the Keywords: CEO statements, crisis communication, analysis; type of the crisis, the response strategy, content analysis, crisis response strategies words, length, and the tone of the statements will be done. The study will be important in the References sense that it will highlight the role and leader- ship of CEO in crisis management literature as Barkley, K. (2020). The Impact of CEO Ethnic- well. ity and Language Choice on Crisis Communi- cation in Japan. International Journal of Business Results and conclusions Communication, 57(2), 244-259. Johansson, C., & Bäck, E. (2017). Strategic lead-A detailed analysis will be made regarding the ership communication for crisis network coor- crisis statements of Turkish CEOs. The data ob- dination. International Journal of Strategic Com-tained will be useful in understanding the cur- munication, 11(4), 324-343. rent situation and also will be helpful to furt- her understand the role of CEO in dealing with Murray, E., & Shohen, S. (1992). Lessons from crises. The study has some limitations of which the Tylenol tragedy on surviving a corporate one is that it takes into consideration a specific crisis. Medical Marketing and Media, 27(2), 14-time frame, and secondly it examines the CEO 19. statements in three sectors only. Turk, J. V., Jin, Y., Stewart, S., Kim, J., & Hipple, J. R. (2012). Examining the interplay of an Practical and social implications organization’s prior reputation, CEO’s visibil- As stated earlier, the CEO statements made in ity, and immediate response to a crisis. Public crisis situations affect the entire society. There-Relations Review, 38(4), 574-583. fore, CEOs should carefully work on every word they choose and the sentences they make in their statements and these texts should be prepared with great care. Statements should be prepared more carefully in crisis situations where human beings lost their lives or there is a big risk. The data obtained from the study will present a picture regarding the subject matter and help us to come up with recommendations. 4 ABSTRACTS 98 Presentation of current research / social media guidelines for risk and crisis management Guhl, Anna, Macromedia Hochschule (Germany) Spiller, Ralf, Macromedia Hochschule (Germany) Inderhees, Marco, Macromedia Hochschule (Germany) Introduction and purpose of the study used by organizations as a strategic instru- ment for reputation management? The new, countless possibilities on the social web create numerous advantages for companies Literature review and organizations of all kinds, but also some disadvantages. One of the biggest risk factors is There are only a few scientific studies that deal the behavior of employees. If they express them- in depth with the topic of social media gover- selves in social media in the context of their nance and social media guidelines. Important own company, they inevitably become company works are the survey studies by Zerfaß et al., spokespersons and representatives. In order to 2012 and Linke & Zerfaß, 2013 as well as Raus- protect the company’s reputation from damage chnabel, Mrkwicka, Koch & Ivens (2013). More from within and to train employees, social me- recent work comes from Mellinghoff (2019) dia guidelines are created by companies as part and Kruse & Kordyaka (2020). of social media governance. In addition to pro- tection, an important aspect of reputation man- However, no study has yet explicitly addressed agement is reputation enhancement. Although the link between social media guidelines and social media guidelines are among the important reputation management, although reputation is success factors in the context of reputation man- considered the intangible asset of a company agement, reputation expansion is rarely associat- most worthy of protection according to Ivens ed with them in scientific literature. (2018) and Schaarschmidt et al. (2019). This is the point at which this paper starts and Theoretical approach deals with the question of the extent to which Social media guidelines can be considered as one social media guidelines are used by companies as of three components of the social media gover- a reputation management tool. Specifically, the nance model (Babka, 2016, p.20). In addition, two research questions are: they are one of the four most important success 1. What differences and similarities can be factors in higher-level online reputation man- identified in social media guidelines? agement (Kinter & Ott, 2014, p.20). 2. To what extent are social media guidelines Methodology 4 ABSTRACTS 99 Figure 1: Overview of the functional areas of social media guidelines (Own representation, 2020, based on Babka, 2016, p.20). In order to examine whether organizations use eight different industries. The commonalities social media guidelines exclusively as a preven- predominate in terms of a formal approach to tive, regulatory tool or also for reputation build- employees, a low level of communicated com- ing, a specific three-part research framework was mitment and a length of over 800 words. developed based on Kraus & Kordyaka (2020) (see Table 1) The results clearly show that the social media guidelines are primarily preventive in nature. Quantitative content analysis was used to collect Not only in practice, but also in the literature, the data. Only social media guidelines published social media guidelines are almost exclusively as of 2017 or confirmed as still current in 2020 assigned this role, although it would be obvi-in the event of an earlier publication date were ous to use such a document for an additional analyzed. Only social media guidelines from purpose, reputation building. In public relations, organizations operating in Germany that were employees are an important means of conveying available in text form were considered. A total of credible information about the company to the 208 companies (30 DAX, 50 MDAX, relevant stakeholders. People place more trust in others at eye level than in the organization itself. 50 SDAX and 78 family-owned companies) Employee testimonials can thus make an import- were asked by mail to send their social media ant contribution to building a positive reputation guidelines. Others were researched online. As a among stakeholders. This added value could be result, 63 social media guidelines were exam- generated without much extra effort by adding ined. In addition to six formal criteria, the code- to the already existing social media guidelines. book contained 41 content-related criteria for recording significant text elements (see Table 1). Figure 2: Frequency distribution of the elements Strategy & Goals, Reputation Protection and Results and conclusions Reputation Enhancement of the coded social The various organizations could be assigned to media guidelines (SPSS analysis, 2020). 4 ABSTRACTS 100 Table 1: Categories of the reputation framework (Own representation, 2020). 4 ABSTRACTS 101 Practical and social implications Suggestions for future research The social media guidelines should not stand Expert interviews could be used to find out alone, but should be integrated into the gover-whether controllable, visible changes in corpo- nance structures of the respective company. It is rate communications can be observed as a result recommended that employees be given specific of the strategic alignment of social media guide- activities that can lead to an expansion of the lines. company’s reputation. In this way, the employee knows exactly what actions he or she can take to A survey could also be used to investigate how support the employer. employees perceive social media guidelines. It would be relevant, for example, whether employ- Limitations of the study ees adhere to the recommendations of the social media guidelines and whether these motivate With a size of n=63, the sample is not very large. them to become active as brand ambassadors. However, since social media guidelines are most- ly internal documents, the public availability of Keywords: corporate communication, reputation these documents was severely limited. management, social media, social media guidelines, content analysis, brand ambassador 4 ABSTRACTS 102 The Role of Employer Branding in Stimulating Employer Attractiveness Hein, Antonia, Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) Elving, Wim J.L., Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) Edzes, Arjen, University of Groningen (The Netherlands) Koster, Sierdjan, University of Groningen (The Netherlands) Introduction and purpose Literature review Public relation practitioners seem to agree that The body of literature shows that EB increases various stakeholders make decisions with the affinity with an employer because it has a pos-reputation of the organization in mind (Maden itive effect on the corporate brand associations et al., 2012; Verčič, and Ćorić, 2018). Employer and therefore on perception of the employer Branding (EB) plays an important role in un- brand (Backhaus and Tikoo, 2004; Ewing et derstanding employees as a key stakeholder for al., 2019). In this work the concept of employ- organizations (Chhabra and Sharma, 2014). er attractiveness is defined as the intention to work for an employer. It is dependent on the The focus in EB literature lies on the process employee perceptions of the organization, which of building an identifiable and unique identity is defined as envisioned picture of benefits of (Backhaus and Tikoo, 2004) and the develop-corporate image that an employee sees in work- ment of organization’s unique and attractive im- ing for a specific organization. Using corporate age and reputation as an employer (Silvertzen et brand communication, organizations communi- al., 2013). cate their corporate identity and image (Corne- We explore the relationship between employer lissen, 2008). branding and employer attractiveness as reflect- Several studies have suggested that informa- ed in employee perceptions of organizational tion provided by the organization on core val- characteristics. We focus on the regional com- ues, CSR and organizational characteristics will panies in the North of the Netherlands. Recruit- directly affect individual employee perceptions ment communication will reveal the image com-and affect employer attractiveness (Berthon et panies want to portray to potential employees in al., 2005; Elving et al., 2013). We propose a di- order to influence their perception of the orga- rect effect of information support (message) in nizational characteristics. We address the follow- recruitment on individual components of em- ing research question: ployee perceptions, while we expect employee’s To what extent does employer branding contribute to use of information during employer branding to employer attractiveness of the regional companies in influence employer attractiveness via their en-the North of the Netherlands? hanced employee perceptions. See figure 1 for our conceptual model. 4 ABSTRACTS 103 Figure 1: Conceptual model Methodology Results and conclusions All three concepts are investigated among last Given this research is still in progress, the results year students at Hanze University of Applied are still to be determined. However, some lim- Sciences, and University of Groningen, the itations do exist. A clear limitation is the sample Netherlands. Since the purpose of the research which represents students studying in the North is to explore the extent to which EB contributes of the Netherlands. This can skew the replica- to the attractiveness of regional companies, we bility results. Another limitation is the fact that use an online survey and an experiment. Stu-data is collected via an online platform, which dents are randomly assigned to one branded and means that there is no way to be sure that the one non-branded (regular) version of a vacan- respondents are honest in their answers. cy. We measure employer attractiveness on a 7-point Likert scale developed by Highhouse el Practical and social implications al. (2003) and for employee perceptions of an organization as an employer, we use a 25-items The practical and social implications of this measurement of Berthon et al. (2005). The es-study give a direction for communication practi- timate of P-O fit is developed using work-value tioners and society. The results have potential in items by Cable and Edwards (2004). changing the practice of EB as a tool to influence employer attractiveness. The practical intent is to provide managers with a guide on how to in- fluence employer attractiveness through EB. Keywords: employer branding, employer attractiveness, corporate image, employer image. 4 ABSTRACTS 104 From „Best in Covid“ to „Worst in Covid“: Underestimating the role of Public Relations in Government Communication during Covid-19 Crisis in the Czech Republic Hejlová, Denisa, Charles University (Czech Republic) Introduction and Purpose of the Study communication strategy to better explain to the public how much was at stake and secure their On 31 August 2020, the Prime Minister of the cooperation (Radio Prague International, Octo- Czech Republic Andrej Babiš attended a dis- ber 13, 2020). cussion on the 15th Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia. During his speech, he stated that the This article will focus on the analysis of gov-Czech Republic is „best in Covid“, because of his ernment steps to fulfil the goal of change in profession as a businessman and crisis manager communication strategy during the height of the (Bled Strategic Forum, 2020). This narrative, “second wave crisis” since October 2020 in the representing an example of “technocratic pop- Czech Republic. Government communication ulism”, was shared among more politicians in in the Czech Republic has undergone a major other Central and Eastern European countries, transition from the post-communist propaganda such as Slovakia and Hungary (Buštíková and system (Soukeník, 2018b). Despite the aim of a Baboš, 2020). new stakeholder model of government commu- nication (Soukeník, 2018a), the strategies and However, the situation has changed rath- processes still reflect the formal structure of com-er quickly after such proclamations with the munication departments embedded in ministries rise of Covid-19 cases during the early au- and government offices, which was developed tumn months (also called “second wave”). The under the Communist propaganda communi- Czech government was hesitating to employ cation model. Theoretically, this structure rep- more strict governmental measures in the fight resents the public information model proposed against Covid-19, because: “the public demand- by James Grunig and Todd Hunt (1984). This ed that we loosen up” (Echo24.cz, September article aims to answer the following questions: 13, 2020). On October 13th, 2020, the Minister 1) Which strategies and tools did the Czech of Health has stated that the Czech government government implement during the Second wave will employ three strategic pillars in fighting the of the Covid-19 crisis? 2) Were these strategies pandemic: 1) extending the capacity of hospi- and tools effective (did they reach audiences, in- tals to deal with an influx of patients, 2) blanket creased information or change behaviours? 3) testing of the population, and 3) a change of 4 ABSTRACTS 105 Which external factors influenced negatively agerial implications will serve for future imple- the aim of the communication to secure the co- mentation of strategic communication in crises operation of the citizens, such as following the on the government level. government measures, trust towards the govern- ment officials etc.? Keywords: public relations; government communication; Covid-19; crisis communication; strategic Methodology communication We will use the systems theory framework to Selected references analyse the principles of government communi- cation (von Bertalanffy, 2010) and the institu- Buštíková, L., & Baboš, P. (2020). Best in Covid: tional theory of communication (Fredriksson, Populists in the Time of Pandemic. Politics Pallas and Wehnmeier, 2013). For the analysis and Governance, 8(4), 496–508. https://doi. of effectiveness, we will use the WHO strategic org/10.17645/pag.v8i4.3424 communication framework, which defines six Grunig, J. E. & Hunt, T. (1984). Managing pub- principles of effective communications, based on lic relations. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Win- Scott Cutlip’s pioneer work Effective Public Re- ston lations (1962). Holtzhausen, D., & Zerfass, A. (2014). The The analysis of government communication, the Routledge Handbook of Strategic Communi- role of communication strategies, and stakehold- cation. Routledge. er management is crucial for understanding the Kim, D. K. D., & Kreps, G. L. (2020). An Analysis role of public communication. Due to different of Government Communication in the Unit- cultural background, media and political system, ed States During the COVID-19 Pandemic: which affect the nature and credibility of polit- Recommendations for Effective Government ical public relations, we believe it’s necessary to Health Risk Communication. World Medical build case studies, which represent the country & Health Policy, 12(4), 398–412. https://doi. specifics (van Dyke and Verčič, 2009; Sriramesh org/10.1002/wmh3.363 and Verčič, 2012). Soukeník, Š. (2018a). Towards a stakeholder Results and conclusions model of government communication: A case study of the Czech republic. Communication Contrary to the optimist prime minister’s speech Today, 9(1), 20–37. in August 2020, the Czech Republic has been Sriramesh, K., & Verčič, D. (2012). Culture ranked among the worst in world for Covid-19 and Public Relations: Links and Implications. response (Bloomberg, November 16, 2020). Routledge. The role of government communication in crises, such as the pandemic, is crucial for re- Von Bertalanffy, Ludwig. 2010. “General Sys- sponding in a timely and effective manner and tems Theory.” In The Science of Synthesis: Ex- for building the resilience of citizens. The results ploring the Social Implications of General Sys-of this analysis will detect potential crisis nodes, tems Theory, ed. Debora Hammond. Boulder: internal and external factors, which influenced The University Press of Colorado, 103–42. the government communication on the example of the Czech Republic. The results can serve as a basis for further international comparative per- spective, especially in CEE countries. The man- 4 ABSTRACTS 106 Citizens and politicians in Spain: How strategic communication could build confidence or distrust in the covid-19 pandemic? Herranz de la Casa, José María, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) Gómez-Iniesta, Pablo, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) Introduction and purpose of the study three waves of contagion, each one more serious and lethal. On 14th March 2020, Spain decreed its first state of alarm, which substantially paralysed all Literature review economic and social activity, leading to the con- finement of all people, with some exceptions. In order to carry out the paper we started from After three waves of contagion, with an ever-in- different studies on social trust and strategic creasing incidence, citizens seem to prioritise communication. On the one hand, during the social and personal contacts, the source of trans- COVID-19 pandemic, regions with higher con- mission, over prudence in the face of the risk of fidence in the health care system are more likely infection. to reduce mobility once the government man- dates that its citizens are not to leave home ex- The increasing number of infections and deaths cept for essential trips, compared to those with over the three waves raises questions about the lower health care system confidence (Chan et reasons why messages have not been sufficiently al., 2020). And also, regions characterized by a persuasive; when communication ceased to be low social trust witnessed a higher excess mor- strategic and may have led to pandemic fatigue tality during the first wave and mass polarization (WHO, 2020) and increased distrust of govern- also played a significant role (Charro, Lapuente ments, the virus and vaccination. & Rodríguez-Pose, 2020). On the other hand, covid-19 crisis has elements in common with The causes may be varied, but in this paper, we risk communication (Glik, 2007) and cri- will focus on the possible lack of political and sis communication in organizations (Millar & communicative leadership of both national and Heath, 2004), but many aspects bring it closer regional governments; on the quality and effec- to public relations and strategic communication tiveness of the messages sent to the population. management where messages and audiences are And we will focus on finding out whether there key to success. is a correlation between the communication strategy of political leaders, with unclear and contradictory messages, the behavior and growing distrust of citizens and the consequences of 4 ABSTRACTS 107 Methodology Keywords: Covid-19, risk communication, social trust, crisis communication This research analyses the key messages pro- nounced by the national government, the References spokesperson of the ministry and the autono- mous governments for one year taking the 14th Chan H. F.; Brumpton, M.; Macintyre, A.; Ara- March 2020 as first benchmark. It will also be poc, J.; Savage, D.A.; Skali, A, et al. (2020) How analyzed the evolution of Spanish public opinion confidence in health care systems affects mobility during this time on the perception of the pan-and compliance during the COVID-19 pandem- demic, vaccination and the behaviour that has ic. PLoS ONE 15(10): e0240644. https://doi. led to three waves of contagion. Special empha- org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240644 sis will be placed on the analysis in those terri- Charro, N.; Lapuente, V. & Rodríguez-Pose, A. tories where infections have been diametrically (2020). Uncooperative Society, Uncooperative opposed to each other to see whether communi- Politics or Both? How Trust, Polarization and Pop-cation has been a consequence of the increase or ulism Explain Excess Mortality for COVID-19 containment of the virus. across European regions. QoG Working Paper Series 2020:12 Results and Conclusions Millar, D. P. & Heath, R.L. (2004). Respond-The expected results and conclusions will allow ing to crisis. A rhetorical approach to crisis us to reaffirm some of the theories that highlight communication. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum communication strategy as a key aspect in deal- Associates. ing with a situation of risk or prolonged crisis, Glik D.C. (2007). Risk communication for pub- such as the covid-19 pandemic. lic health emergencies. Annual Review of Pub- Practical and Social Implications lic Health, 28, 33–54. https://doi.org/10.1146/ annurev.publhealth.28.021406.144123 It is hoped to discover how proper use of com- WHO (2020). Pandemic fatigue – reinvigorating munication with citizens can be a key tool for the public to prevent COVID-19. Policy frame- saving lives and using resources efficiently. work for supporting pandemic prevention and management. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Of- fice for Europe. 4 ABSTRACTS 108 Rejecting communication. When facts are “manipulated” and “manufactured” Hewson, Sinead, TU Dublin City Campus (Ireland) In recent times, the reputation of the communi-al or not) casts doubt on the motivation and cations sector has come under the spotlight as credibility of those involved in the design and a consequence of Brexit, global politics and the dissemination of information because commu- pandemic. Trust in the sector has been compro- nication which contradicts and lacks clarity cre- mised as a result of the actions and inaction of ates confusion (Blake, 2018). Fake news hiding major institutions who, in theory, should know under a veneer of authenticity is commonplace better. Society has experienced first-hand the (Tandoc, Lim and Ling, 2018, pp. 137–153) consequences of leadership, decisionmaking, and the blurred lines between trust, fact, ev-communication and ethical standards in organ- idence and fallacy has been experienced by at isations. Some experiences have been positive, global and grass-roots level in political dialogue others negative – and for communicators, neg- and during the pandemic. The resulting confu- ative incidents are remembered by peers and sion undermines trust in the communications stakeholders. profession and the integrity of information cir- culated. Communication, some say, boils down to “get- ting people to do what you want them to do” When communication works well, it is invisi- (Tolley, 1988, p. 4) and involves the creation ble and often taken for granted by internal and of arguments based on “the interpretation and external stakeholders. However, on occasions communication of scientific evidence in rela- when things to go wrong, the problem is often tion to concepts of the truth” (L’Etang, 2001, p. fault-based and framed as inept or clumsy com- 158). Arguments can be strong or weak. Strong munication, a job ‘anyone’ can do. arguments are logical, truth-based and robust, in other words flawed reasoning is absent. Weak So what happens when organisations commu- arguments on the other hand use logical fallacies nicate messages which contradict and confuse and flawed logic to appear stronger than they stakeholders and what needs to be in place to actually are. (Sesonske, 1968, p. 217 to 231). move all parties along the path of change. De- Critics point out that logical fallacy based com- mocratisation of media and technology plat- munication fractured US politics, influenced the forms and citizen as communicator has created a outcome of the UK’s Brexit referendum and has paradigm where information sharing takes place enabled the rise of conspiracy movements for in real time and not necessarily authenticated. decades demonstrating that the selective use of What is said, is not necessarily true creating a information divides and polarises stakeholder situation where citizens do not know what to groups (Rose, 2017, p. 556). believe and abusers of information leverage in- formation gaps to manipulate beliefs. The normalisation of logical fallacies (intention- 4 ABSTRACTS 109 This paper shares examples of communication best practise and questionable with vulnerable groups and proposes a path forward to thwart the normalisation of logical fallacies in the sector and builds on calls for communicators to be positioned intermediaries managing mistrust and the balance of power (Bourne, 2013, p. 72) be- cause communication is “anything but harmoni- ous” (Hoffmann, 2019, p. 301). Although com- municators are well placed to address this issue, trust is compromised because some high profile communicators have been identified as enablers of disinformation. It asks the sector to work to- gether and take on board President Biden’s call to “reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured”(Biden, 2021, p. 2) Keywords: trust, mistrust, communication, public relations, power dynamics 4 ABSTRACTS 110 Remote working during the COVID-19 crisis: The impact of communication and support on employees’ perception of social isolation, their perceived productivity and their work satisfaction Holosová, Karin, University of Vienna (Austria) Hong, Stacey, University of Vienna (Austria) Ruppel, Christopher, University of Vienna (Austria) Einwiller, Sabine, University of Vienna (Austria) Introduction RQ: What effects do communication and support by co-workers and supervisors have on employ- The COVID-19 pandemic and consequential re- ees’ perception of social isolation, their remote strictions to social and economic life brought a working productivity and their work satisfaction sharp rise in the number of employees working during the COVID-19 pandemic? from home in 2020/21. Remote working has been steadily gaining popularity in the past de- Literature review cades, but was delimited to a certain group of employees (teleworkers), who at least to some Prior research defined workplace social isolation degree had deliberately chosen this working as “a psychological construct that describes em-mode. Remote working brings about various ad- ployees’ perceptions of isolation from the orga- vantages such as increased autonomy and flex- nization and from co-workers” (Marshall, Mi- ibility, but can also result in a feeling of social chaels, & Mulki, 2007: 198) and demonstrated isolation for some workers. The risk of social its negative effects on job performance and satis-isolation should become more severe, when em- faction (e.g., Orhan, Rijsman, & van Dijk, 2016). ployees are forced into remote working, as it was Workplace relations and exchanges are regularly and still is the case during the COVID-19 pan- examined within the framework of social ex- demic. Toscana and Zappalá (2020) give first change theory. High-quality social exchanges evidence for feelings of isolation and negative have been shown to generate various positive work-related outcomes among Italian employ- outcomes (e.g., higher productivity, commit- ees working from home during the lockdown in ment, work satisfaction) in the organizational spring 2020. In the light of these downsides of context. Such succeeding interactions stem from remote working, this study is interested in pos- reciprocal exchanges of resources (Cropanzano sible remedies by answering the following re- & Mitchell, 2005). While providing employees search question: with economic resources is generally important, 4 ABSTRACTS 111 for employees working from home symbolic re- -.23, p <.001) and work satisfaction ( β = -.24, sources that are typically mediated through ver-p <.001). Concerning possible remedies, two bal or paralinguistic behaviors should be specif-significant effects emerged: Co-worker commu- ically meaningful. In this study, we consider two nication quality reduced the perception of isola- categories of symbolic resources that an employ- tion ( β = -.35, p <.01), thereby indirectly affect-ee can receive in interactions with supervisors ing the outcome variables positively. Supervisor and co-workers: (1) communication quality, support had a direct positive effect on employ- which is reflected in a well-flowing exchange of ees’ satisfaction ( β = .23, p <.001). relevant information, both formal and informal, and (2) support, which comprises aspects like Based on the data, it was high-quality communi- care, appreciation and encouragement. It is hy- cation from co-workers and not the more emo- pothesized that the provision of these resources tional resource support that could prevent an reduces the perception of social isolation and its employee from feeling isolated. An explanation negative effects on work-related outcomes. Fur- could be that keeping track helps employees to thermore, positive direct effects on productivity continue feeling integrated in the organization and satisfaction are expected. and to sustain productivity and satisfaction. Sup- port from supervisors, however, could directly Methodology enhance satisfaction during remote working. To test the assumed relationships, data were col- Implications lected from employees in the United Kingdom (UK) through an online survey. Respondents Remote working can result in employees’ per- (N=304) were recruited via Clickworker be- ceptions of isolation from an organization and tween November 12 and 15, 2020, one week colleagues. Maintaining physical offices, where after a second nation-wide lockdown was im-employees can routinely and, even more im- posed. The sample was nearly gender-balanced, portant, spontaneously interact and exchange and respondents came from various sectors and relevant resources, is not to underestimate. Any different-sized organizations. post-pandemic changes towards more remote working need to establish measures and plat- Results & Conclusion forms that compensate for spatial and tempo- ral distance and ensure well-flowing horizontal Data were analyzed with a structural equation communication. Experiences from the pandemic modeling approach. As control variables, we need to be thoroughly evaluated with that con- included age, gender, household size, work- cern. ing hours, pre-existing experience with remote working, and organizational tenure. Both, the The cross-sectional design of the study is a measurement model (CFI = .954; RMSEA = limitation, as it does not allow to account for .053; SRMR = .054) and the structural model longitudinal effects due to learning or adaption (CFI = .959; RMSEA = .042; SRMR = .044) during remote working. reached a good fit to the data. Keywords: Remote working, social isolation, com-First of all, the results indicate that remote munication quality, support working increased employees’ perception of social isolation ( β = .20, p <.01). In line with previous research, this perception of isolation negatively affected perceived productivity ( β = 4 ABSTRACTS 112 40 Years of Public Relations with MLB’s Chicago White Sox – 1981-2021 Isaacson, Tom, Northern Michigan University (USA) Introduction (Hart, 2018). Jerry Reinsdorf took over as owner of Major What role has the senior PR staff played in sup- League Baseball’s Chicago White Sox in 1981 porting and advising the Chicago White Sox and he has endured to become the longest ten- during this 40-year period? Scott Reifert, the ured owner in the league. With an acute under-team’s current senior VP of communications, standing of the value of public relations, Reins- has been with the Sox since the early-1990s dorf’s time with the White Sox has been marked and is credited with reorganizing and expanding by success on and off the field. Starting from staff capacities, developing a direct link between modern times and working backwards, the team PR and top management, and, most recent- is emerging from a tear-down rebuild – one that ly, developing communication strategy during received significant support from White Sox Covid-19. In the late 1980s, Paul Jensen helped communications and PR (Isaacson, 2018) – to support communication efforts surrounding the become a World Series contender heading into new Comiskey Park vote. Chuck Shriver, who the 2021 season in the midst of the Covid-19 began his PR work with the Chicago Cubs in pandemic. The team’s rebuilding period, which the 1960s and worked for legendary White Sox took place between 2016-2019, followed an owner Bill Veeck, managed the initial PR efforts 8-year period when the team had the most fa- when Reinsdorf’s ownership group took over. mous fan in the country, then President Barack Obama (Berkow, 2010). In 2005, the team won Methodology its first World Series title since 1917. Since MLB started a “final man vote” that allowed fans to This case analysis will combine a review of exist- determine the final member of the All-Star team ing media coverage and team publications (e.g., in each league, the White Sox have won the con- media guides) with six already completed depth test four times, more than any other team. Each interviews among current and former PR staff. voting opportunity has been supported by a flash The six interviews cover 40 years of PR work promotional campaign, and the team’s 2005 by the team. The case method and supporting work was profiled by PR Week (Frank, 2005). In interviews permit a thorough review of primary 1988 the team was deeply involved in a political source material that is typically hard to access. controversy when it threatened to move to Tam- The primary goal of the project is to explore the pa/St. Petersburg, Fla., unless it was supported strategic and tactical changes to PR efforts across with public financing to replace aging Comiskey a broad time period. Due to the profound im- Park. The PR and political campaign was suc- pacts of the Covid-19 pandemic during the last cessful when a last second vote in the Illinois year – the team played without fans in 2020 and legislature secured the team’s future in Chicago negotiations are currently underway concerning 4 ABSTRACTS 113 procedures for 2021 – a particular focus will be Practical Implications on communication with key stakeholders during that timeframe. Professional sport organizations are understud- ied in the field of public relations. Oftentimes, Results/Conclusions academic researchers struggle to gain access to the organizations, and the professional PR/com- Initial results of the research indicate a team that munication staff members rarely participate in has been progressive with its PR efforts during industry trade or academic associations. A case the past 15-20 years. It has reacted to social me- method with proper access provides insights dia opportunities and the declining influence of into the PR efforts of a professional sport or- traditional media and print journalism by de- ganization that would otherwise be difficult to veloping its own in-house media team. While obtain, and an understanding of how a popular navigating the recent team re-build, the PR staff organization reacts to trends in the PR field has took a proactive approach with a focus on trans- value inside and outside of the classroom. parency that positively influenced the media and fan narrative. Many of the team’s most success- Keywords: Sports Public Relations ful creative efforts were a result of careful plan- ning to maximize media exposure. Additional research will be completed related to team reac- tions to Covid-19 heading into the 2021 season. 4 ABSTRACTS 114 Antecedents and Consequences of Dialogic Communication on Social Media. Findings from a Survey among Communication Professionals Johann, Michael, University of Augsburg (Germany) Introduction and Purpose in internal communication research, effects on external communication and external relation- Platforms such as Facebook or Instagram have ships are under-examined. enriched the ways how companies manage rela- tionships with relevant publics. Hence, corporate As the idea of mutual support is anchored in relationship management is facing a new dynam-both supportive organizational culture and di- ic on social media, which is based on the daily alogic communication, it is aimed to bridge the dialogic communication between users and in- gap between internal and external communica- dividual PR professionals on behalf of the com- tion research. Specifically, this study examines pany. Such direct forms of interaction require “a positive effects of internal supportive organiza- bottom-up and top-down capacity in order to tional culture on companies’ symmetrical (H1) cultivate a dialogic culture” (Ihlen & Levenshus, and dialogic communication (H2) as well as on 2017, p. 227). For this reason, this study aims the state of company-public relationships on so- to explore the antecedents and consequences of cial media (H3). Additionally, effects of dialogic company-public dialogic communication on so- communication on company-public relationships cial media with special regard to often neglected (H4) and effects of symmetrical communication aspects of organizational culture. on dialogic communication (H5) are tested. Literature Review and Hypotheses Method Numerous studies on external communication To test the hypotheses, we conducted an online have found that dialogic communication is an survey among corporate social media communi- precondition for sustainable organization-pub- cation professionals in Germany (October 2020 lic relationships. However, this research—which – February 2021; n = 151). The items for mea-is mainly based on content analyses—often ne- suring supportive organizational culture (Sarros glects antecedents of dialogic communication. In et al., 2005), symmetrical communication (Kang contrast, research from internal communication & Park, 2017), dialogic communication (Yang emphasizes the relevance of supportive organi- et al., 2015), and company-public relationships zational culture for the quality of employee re- (Jo, 2006) were derived from the literature and lationships and symmetrical employee commu- adapted for the context of this study. nication. Although surveys are more established 4 ABSTRACTS 115 Results and Conclusions professionals when it is aimed to foster sustain- able relationships on social media. Structural equation modeling is used to exam- ine the hypothesized effects. The model supports Although the study contributes to close the gap all five hypotheses (χ2(1, n = 151) = .054, p between internal and external communication = .816, CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = .000, SRMR research, the results are mainly limited by the = .004) (see Figure 1). Moreover, the analy- self-report character of this study. Hence, future sis reveals emphasizes the mediating role of di- research should validate these findings by trian- alogic company-public communication between gulation approaches combining content-analyti- supportive organizational culture and the state cal and survey-based data. of company-public relationships. Based on these results, the importance of an internal and ex-Keywords: Dialogic Communication, Compa- ternal culture of mutual support must be high- ny-Public Relationships, Organizational Culture, lighted. Its direct and indirect significance for Symmetrical Communication, Social Media the relationships between companies and their external publics on social media indicates that an References internal culture of support is reflected external- Ihlen, Ø., & Levenshus, A. (2017). Panacea, pla-ly, which has strategic potential for a successful cebo or prudence: Perspectives and constraints relationship management. for corporate dialogue. Public Relations Inquiry, Practical Implications 6(3), 219–232. Jo, S. (2006). Measurement of organization– This study points out the need for a more inte- public relationships: Validation of measure- grative perspective when studying dialogic com- ment using a manufacturer-retailer relation- munication on social media. From a practical ship. Journal of Public Relations Research, 18(3), point of view, it is recommended that compa-225–248. nies carefully recruit and train their social media Figure 1. Path model for the antecedents and consequences of dialogic communication 4 ABSTRACTS 116 Kang, M., & Park, Y. E. (2017). Exploring trust and distrust as conceptually and empirically distinct constructs: Association with sym- metrical communication and public engage- ment across four pairings of trust and distrust. Journal of Public Relations Research, 29(2–3), 114–135. Sarros, J. C., Gray, J., Densten, I. L., & Cooper, B. (2005). The organizational culture profile revisited and revised: An Australian perspec- tive. Australian Journal of Management, 30(1), 159–182. Yang, S.-U., Kang, M., & Cha, H. (2015). A study on dialogic communication, trust, and distrust: Testing a scale for measuring or- ganization-public dialogic communication (OPDC). Journal of Public Relations Research, 27(2), 175–192. 4 ABSTRACTS 117 The Science Of Risk Mitigation For Strategic Integrated Communications Johnson, Lyndon, Think Different(ly) (Canada) Introduction and Purpose Methodology This proposal is to present a years-long research The research was conducted via a combination project that answers critical outstanding ques-of desk research, studying existing academic re- tions that are existential threats to the continued search, combined with conducting hundreds of prosperity of the industry. It seeks to challenge scientifically-designed experiments to test hy- existing assumptions and test academic theory potheses and learn from their outcomes. and operationalized practice across the full spec- trum of communications disciplines to research As part of the research discipline models were whether there is a way to mitigate and remove created along with a series of visual tools for the risks associated with a communications enabling data to be collected, collated and ap-strategy. plied in a scientific way. It was also considered whether the development of a new communi- The research project sought to investigate cations ontology that organized key data points whether it was possible to create a systemati-in a strategic hierarchy could help reduce the cally organized body of knowledge for forming risks of strategic communications failing to de- testable hypotheses and strategic predictions, liver specific goals and outcomes and whether it that would allow both seasoned practitioners would be possible to create repeatable patterns and entrepreneurs to improve the effectiveness in order to reduce unnecessary risks. of public relations and marketing strategies. It also sought to explore how closer cooperation Results and Conclusions between communications disciplines could de- liver mutual benefit. The research concluded that the primary caus- es of risk for strategic communications effec-In addition, it sought to address key barriers to tiveness are unvalidated strategic assumptions, adoption: primarily affordability and accessi-a singular focus on disciplines (rather than on bility and sought to make the work that public as part of an integrated approach) and the fact relations and marketing practitioners undertake that communications is often disconnected from more transparent. It was the purpose of the re- other business functions and, as a result, is not search to investigate current metrics and seek seen as a strategic management function by a measurement system that enable communica-non-practitioners. tions strategies to be measured both in terms of progress towards the desired outcome as well as This presentation will showcase how practi- business impact. tioners can reduce strategic risk from integrated communications by addressing these three risks, and present a new scientific methodology that 4 ABSTRACTS 118 allows assumptions to be identified, tested in or- The presentation will also present a new fully-in- der that they can be mitigated or removed as an tegrated risk mitigation toolkit that can be used integral part of strategy development and imple- to implement new risk mitigation strategies, in- mentation. cluding risk-mitigation matrices that allow key data points to be collected, organized and tested. It will explain the risks associated with each dis- At the heart of each decision matrix is the 'build, cipline and the compound risks that result from measure, learn' process first applied to product un-mitigated risks in interrelated disciplines - development as part of Lean Startup® Method-and a system for identifying risky strategic as- ology that enables practitioners to validate or sumptions and mitigating these risks, present disprove each of the strategic communications a new scientific approach and a new strategic assumptions in order that risk can be minimized communications ontology. and the chances of building an effective strategy for achieving a defined business outcome to be increased. A summary of the research can be found at thinkdif-ferently.ca/thescienceofcomms 4 ABSTRACTS 119 Robinhood on Reddit: A Case Study of Triangular. Dynamics of Internal and External Publics Kaufman, Ygal, University of Oklahoma (USA) Kim, Jeong-Nam, University of Oklahoma (USA) Introduction & Purpose of Study previous research to be the preferred evolution- ary state of public relations practice (Dozier, Historically, an organization’s relationships Grunig & Grunig, 2013). The triangular model with its external publics have been described (Kaufman & Kim, 2020) used in this research and understood as two-way interactions be-separates the organization, previously viewed tween it and its customers or its activist publics. somewhat monolithically, into its constituent In networked digital media platforms, such as management and internal publics and then as-Facebook, Twitter and Reddit, which has been sesses communicative actions between the three recently featured in the media, employees or in- nodes of the triangle (including external pub- vestors (internal publics) have for some time lics) across different time periods, as opposed to now had the ability, to simultaneously engage viewing those actions as occurring strictly be-in communicative interactions directly with ex- tween organization and external publics directly. ternal stakeholders and with their own organi- zation. This study explores the disposition of Methodology three-way communicative actions unfolding on networked digital platforms and their affect on Recent events have offered an organization— the practice of public relations. The purpose of Robinhood—and crisis unfolding on the social this study is to further develop burgeoning the- media app Reddit, on which to apply and test ory in the exploration of three-way symmetric our model. Robinhood, is a stock trading mobile communication as a public relations concept. application used to quickly trade stocks, securi- Literature Review ties and cryptocurrencies from mobile phones. The crisis we study began on January 28, 2021, Employees of companies with which they have when Robinhood suspended its users’ access to poor relationships may express their discon- buying stock in GameStop, a company that is ex- tent online. They may blow whistles, leak in-periencing a bizarre tug-of-war between hedge formation, exaggerate problems or the severity fund investors and an organized group of activist of their consequences, or otherwise collabo- traders who have gathered on the Reddit Wall- rate with external publics against their compa- StreetBets thread. Robinhood’s move was widely nies’ management. This phenomenon has been seen externally as a kind of underhanded, and described in previous research as megaphon- perhaps even illegal, method of propping up the ing (Kim & Rhee, 2011). Two-way symmetric hedge funds who experienced sizable losses due communications have been identified through 4 ABSTRACTS 120 to the artificial inflation of the stocks they have develop into a prescriptive one that public rela-shorted. This prompted a new thread on Reddit, tions professionals might use to navigate com- populated by self-declared Robinhood employ- plex multi-actor scenarios, which appear to be ees. They spoke out about what they agreed was the future of networked communications. a decision by their organization to unfairly tip the scales against its own customers. Keywords: communicative action, , megaphoning, relationships, triangular model, symmetric commu-We document this case and investigate Robin- nications, ambassadorial, adversarial hood’s internal publics through a narrative of their adversarial communicative actions on Red-References dit. The reaction to those megaphone actions will be assessed through a survey of Robinhood Dozier, D. M., Grunig, L. A., & Grunig, J. E. customers. We will use Amazon MTurk to ob- (2013). Manager’s guide to excellence in public tain a sample of 300 customers. Their relation-relations and communication management. Rout-ship to, and opinion of, the organization will be ledge. measured at the outset. We will then expose the Kim, J.-N., & Rhee, Y. (2011). Strategic think- subjects to some actual megaphoning examples ing about employee communication behavior from the Robinhood employees, and then we will (ECB) in public relations: Testing the models measure again the quality of their relationship to of megaphoning and scouting effects in Ko- Robinhood, to gauge the megaphoning effects in rea. Journal of Public Relations Research, 23(3), the eyes of external publics, as well as how they 243-268. see the response from the organization. A Triangular Model Illustration for Multi-Actor Results and Conclusions Relational Dynamics: Spillover Effects of Em- ployee Relationship on Organization-External This research is ongoing, and will be completed Public Relations via Megaphoning. Corporate in the spring. We expect our research questions Communication International, Milan, Italy. to yield important confirmational data on the [Top Academic Research Paper] existence and use of triangular models to describe the relationships and implications that exist between organizations, their internal and external publics. Practical and Social Implications Using the lens of the triangular model presented in this study, we test the theoretical concept of three-way symmetric communication, as well as its moderating effect on the crisis and on the issues unfolding in a networked digital platform. In addition to ongoing research to investigate the potential of the triangular models, this case study will provide valuable foundational knowl- edge that will help to expand the theory of three-way symmetrical communications. This descriptive theory will through future research 4 ABSTRACTS 121 Organization T-1 T0 Past Present T+2 Triangular Model for Multi-Actor Dynamics Employees T+1 External Publics Future ADVERSARIAL COMMUNICATIVE ACTIONS By ANTAGONISTIC INTERNAL PUBLICS 4 ABSTRACTS 122 When the HOD becomes the trusted Public Relations face in a pandemic: Case of Malaysian Director-General of Health during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic Kaur, Kiranjit, Universiti Teknologi MARA (Malaysia) Malaysians depended heavily on the Director a turn for the worse. Hisham was now forced General (DG) of Health to not only manage the to address the situation within the context of coronavirus pandemic, but also as the trusted the rising national economic and political chal-source to provide credible information on the lenges. How does a popular figure sustain his extent of the pandemic and all health related is-influence as the able and trusted spokesperson to sues surrounding it, including where were the communicate and manage the risks posed by the danger zones, what was being done to contain virus and the crises arising from it in the face of the spread, how individuals could protect them-growing socio-economic and political crises in selves, and where to go for medical assistance the nation? were among the myriad demands of a society affected by a pandemic. In the early stages of the This paper will address the positive contribu- pandemic in Malaysia in 2020, the world saw tions of the director-general’s and the nation-Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the Health DG, as al health department’s public relations as well a “hero” who had contained the crisis by tak-as the gaps in their communications strategies ing all the correct steps while local audiences since the beginning of the pandemic. Concepts of were mesmerized by his daily TV appearance risk and crisis communication (Coombs, 2020; and “open” communication about the situation Zhang, Li, & Chen, 2020), and health communi- and the strategies taken to curb the spread. Likes cation (Dutta, 2008; Elers, et al, 2021; Mheid- and shares of his personal facebook posts on the ly & Fares, 2020; Servaes & Malikhao, 2010) situation spiked by the thousands while his FB within the body of knowledge of public relations followers avidly looking for trustworthy infor- will guide the discussion on the communication mation amidst the trending plethora of misinfor- experiences during this pandemic to evaluate mation reached over a million in a short space the contributions, gaps and impact on the trust of time. He was the local star of the Covid 19 held by the masses. The case study will employ show who effectively managed the communica- a mixed method of qualitative interviews with tion about the situation, not unlike Fauci as the the heads of public relations in the Ministry of global face. Unfortunately, in the fourth quarter Health as well as the Department of Health; and of the year the local coronavirus situation took a qualitative content analysis of organizational 4 ABSTRACTS 123 media releases, news reports and the Facebook References postings of the Director General to provide a comprehensive understanding of the efficacy of Coombs, T. (2020). Public Sector Crises: Real- the communication strategies employed in the izations from Covid-19 for Crisis Communi- face of the pandemic. The results will provide cation, a cultural perspective of the impact of trusted Partecipazione e conflitto, 13(2) 2020: 990-1001, individuals in a health crisis and the implications DOI: 10.1285/i20356609v13i2p990 of communication strategies employed to sustain the trust of the head of the health department. Dutta, M. J. (2008). Communicating health: A The limitation of this study for risk and crisis culture-centered approach. Cambridge, UK: Polity communication theory is that as a single case Press. study the findings will only provide the experi- Elers, C., Pooja, J., Elers, P., & Dutta, M. J. (2021). ences in a specific context. However, it will add Negotiating Health Amidst COVID-19 Lock- to the body of knowledge by providing an ex- down in Low-income Communities in Aotearoa ample of a cultural perspective to how commu- New Zealand, Health Communication, 36:1, 109- nication was leveraged during a global pandemic 115, DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2020.1848082 health crisis, which can offer potential implica- Mheidly, N. & Fares, J. (2020). Leveraging me- tions for practice. dia and health communication strategies to Keywords: Health crisis communication, pandemic, overcome the COVID-19 infodemic. Journal Malaysian Director General of Health of public health policy. Servaes, J. & Malikhao, P. (2010). Advocacy strategies for health communication. Public Relations Review 36 (2010) 42–49 Zhang, L.; Li, H.; Chen, K. (2020). Effective Risk Communication for Public Health Emergency: Reflection on the COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Outbreak in Wuhan, China. Healthcare, 8, 64. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8010064 4 ABSTRACTS 124 Symmetry, Inclusion, and Workplace Conflicts: Conflict Management Effects of Two Managerial Strategies on Employee Advocacy and Departure Lee, Hyelim, University of Oklahoma (USA) Lee, Sihyeok, the Q (South Korea) Zhang, Xiaochen Angela, University of Oklahoma (USA) Sung, Yoon Hi, University of Oklahoma (USA) Introduction with their employees (J. E. Grunig, 1992, L. A. Grunig, J. E. Grunig, & Dozier, 2002). Workplace conflict bogs down in organizational processes. It increases divisive culture and psy- Inclusive management is a way of enacting shared chological distancing and dampens morale and value systems when an organization faces uncer- collaboration among employees. Organizations tainty in decisional situations. Inclusive manage- may fail in the absence of managerial strategies ment seeks to account for and be accountable for internal conflict. In the present study, we for all those affected by organizational choices identified two strategies for safeguarding and and actions. In employee relations, it is critical moderating risks in workplace conflict: commu- to creating an organizational culture and inter- nication strategy (symmetrical communication) nal procedures so that employee voices are heard and behavioral management strategy (inclusive and employee needs and wants are incorporated. management). We examined the effectiveness of The IABC Excellence study (L. A. Grunig et al., the strategies on two employee behaviors: job 2002) found that in the most effective of over turnover and employee advocacy. 300 organizations, CEOs and leaders create and embrace an organic structure and participative Literature Review culture that involve public relations in the deci- Symmetrical communication is one of the key sion-making process. components of internal employee communica- Research Questions and Method tion (Men, 2014). Organizations that implement symmetrical communication in employee com- Given a wide range of company size, we first munication programs are decentralized and give examined if workplace conflict is a general phe- employees autonomy within the organization. In nomenon across companies of all size. Therefore, addition, organizations with organic structures, the following hypothesis that investigates of a participative culture, and inclusivity are more universality of workplace conflict is put forth. If likely to practice symmetrical communication the hypothesis is not supported, it is necessary to 4 ABSTRACTS 125 investigate factors affecting organizational suc- Results cess in the face of workplace conflict. The results showed that workplace conflicts did • H1. Top companies and non-top companies not vary by company types (t-test): top compa- have a difference in terms of frequency or nies (M = 2.31, SD = .82) vs. non-top compa- likelihood of workplace conflicts. nies (M = 2.31, SD = .91; p > .05). Therefore, H1 was not supported. Results from a series of • We further established four hypotheses about multiple regression demonstrated that the high- how symmetry and inclusion affect employ- er level of the symmetrical communication (β = ees’ behaviors if the workplace conflict pre- -.14, p < .01) and the inclusive management (β vails at any company. = -.16, p < .01) in workplace led to employees’ • H2. The more symmetrical communication lower intention to leave their current jobs. In in the workplace, the less likely the employee addition, the symmetrical communication (β = job turnover intent. .23, p < .01) and the inclusive management (β = .13, p < .01) were found to strengthen em- • H3. The more symmetrical communication ployees’ positive advocacy toward the company. in the workplace, the more likely the em- Hence, all H2, H3, H4, and H5 were supported. ployee pro-organizational megaphoning. Conclusion • H4. The more inclusive management in the workplace, the less likely the employee job We explored management strategies based on turnover intent. symmetry and inclusion that could decrease or moderate unavoidable workplace conflict. The • H5. The more inclusive management in the findings are encouraging. Symmetrical commu- workplace, the more likely the employee nication and inclusive management had effects pro-organizational megaphoning. on lowering employee retention and increasing their voluntary advocacy when organizations ex- To examine the hypotheses, an online survey was perience trouble. Furthermore, these effects on conducted. Employees from the five largest cor- employees were shown salient regardless of the porations (Hyundai, LG, Lotte, Samsung, and SK level of workplace conflicts. Therefore, organi- – top companies) and other Korean companies zations are recommended to aim their commu- (non-top companies), respectively, were recruit- nication and decision cultures toward symmet- ed for the survey. A total of 600 responses were ricity and inclusivity when it comes to corporate collected: 300 participants from each company communication with employees. group (i.e., TOP5 corporations vs. others) using an online panel. Keywords: Conflict management, Employee, Inclusion, Symmetrical communication, Workplace con- flict 4 ABSTRACTS 126 ‘Super-wicked’ challenges and political communication in crisis Lilleker, Darren, Bournemouth University (UK) Stoeckle, Thomas, Bournemouth University (UK) Introduction, purpose and rationale (impli-Lit review cations for academy, practice and society) We discuss the field of risk and crisis communi- The global pandemic has put governmental and cation as it pertains to the present global crises. other leadership functions under unprecedented We find that established frameworks and mod- pressures. COVID-19 is a “complex problem in els are not fully equipped to deal with the new a complex system”, as a comment in the Brit- class of super wicked problems, not least because ish Medical Journal put it. In management and of a lack of understanding of ‘radical uncertain- leadership science, such problems (from global ty’. We argue that existing frameworks focus on warming to modern healthcare systems) have manageable (if complex) problems, whereas long been known as wicked, or even super wick- radically uncertain problems are fundamentally ed problems (Wexler and Oberlander 2020). In equivocal and indeterminate. the late 1980s, scholars at the US Army War College coined the term VUCA for the increased We discuss political communication and health volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambigu- communication as related public communication ity triggered by geopolitical disruptions. Some issues. In ‘normal’ times, public health agencies countries and leaders have dealt more effectively and their communication specialists operate in- than others with the manifold, interrelated and dependently of political communication, follow- largely unpredictable impacts of COVID-19. ing different norms and purposes. Increasingly, at least in the UK, political communication takes This paper explores the UK Government’s re- the form of permanent campaigning, prioritizing sponse to, and management of, the interconnect- image management over information provision ed crises (public health, social care, education, (Joathan and Lilleker 2020). economy, employment, to name a few) caused during the pandemic. It does so from the per- At a time when a severe global health crisis spective of risk and crisis communication, as requires expert-led governance and informa-well as political communication, on the basis tion-based public health communication aiming that the pandemic doesn’t just put leadership and to change behaviour on a large scale, the perma- leadership theory to the test, but also established nent campaigning principle of political commu-frameworks and theories of how to effectively nication is unfit for purpose. communicate in an evolving crisis. Methodology Based on our grounding in risk and crisis com- 4 ABSTRACTS 127 munication, as well as public health and po- Leaders and communication specialists alike in- litical communication, we review in depth the creasingly need ‘foxy’ skills to operate between, chronology of the UK Government’s reaction rather than within, core functions such as risk to the evolving crises. We look at public an- and crisis communication, public health com- nouncements, information campaigns and policy munication and political communication. decisions, and consider motivations and drivers of decision-making. Specifically, we look at the Keywords: crisis communication, leadership the-persona and role of the leader, Prime Minister ory, permanent campaigning, radical uncertainty, Boris Johnson. We posit that his public persona, wicked problems as well as the composition of his government, were suited and geared to ‘making Brexit hap- References pen’, but then struggled to adjust to the require- Grint, K., 2020. Leadership, Management and ments of a global pandemic. Command in the time of the Coronavirus. Where meaningfully possible, we compare the Leadership, 16, 1-6. UK’s response – decision-making and impact – Joathan, I. and Lilleker, D. G., 2020. Permanent to that of countries which appear to have dealt Campaigning: A Meta-Analysis and Frame- more successfully with COVID-19, such as Ger- work for Measurement. Journal of Political many and New Zealand. Marketing, 1-42. Results and conclusions Wexler, M. N. and Oberlander, J., 2020. Public leadership and the wicked problem continuum. Working from the analogy of close-minded International Journal of Public Leadership, 16 ideological hedgehogs and open-minded empiri- (4), 359-373. cal foxes, we conclude – with Philip Tetlock and Nate Silver, who both introduced the analogy in the context of data-based prediction – that a fox mindset and framework is better suited for the super wicked problems of our unpredictable VUCA world. This corresponds with an ability to adapt leadership and communication styles to problem styles along the tame – wicked – criti- cal continuum. (Grint 2020) In contrast, our analysis shows two sets of nar- row-minded hedgehogs – a government focused on protecting their brand and projecting cer- tainty working with advisors solely focused on the health crisis aspect of the pandemic. This ap- proach led to confusion as soon as the complexi- ties caused by the pandemic came into focus and the failure to meet targets became evident led to a sharp and persistent decline in support for and satisfaction with the UK’s official handling of the pandemic. 4 ABSTRACTS 128 Pandemic risk and crisis communication from an IGO: A case study of NATO’s Public Diplomacy Maronkova, Barbora, NATO Public Diplomacy Division (Belgium) Sriramesh, Krishnamurthy, University of Colorado (USA) Introduction NATO leadership quickly understood that NATO needs to be proactive and demonstrate It is no secret that The COVID 19 pandemic has both to its citizens but also adversaries that it affected every aspect of life including commu- continues to deliver on its primary role such as nication activities of the whole world. NATO, military operations, military exercises and other traditionally a military-oriented security alliance security related tasks in time of a pandemic. It is no exception. In March 2020, this Inter-Gov- should also assist its member and partners in ernmental Organization’s (IGO) vibrant public a time of crisis. As a military Alliance, NATO diplomacy programs, its press tours, and visitors’ owns important airlift capabilities, it has logis- programs all came to a sudden halt. The public tical and planning procedures and its members outreach travels of high ranking NATO officials have trained military medical staff and hospitals. to destinations around the globe, including to All of these tools were put in use immediately. Colombia and Japan, were either cancelled or postponed while new invitations were not en- Since time was of essence, it was important to tertained. timely communicate about all of NATO’s efforts in the fight against the pandemic. NATO has ad- Two immediate tasks rose up in front of NATO’s opted a dual track approach to NATO’s com- communicators – how to shift all of its programs munication posture during the pandemic – pro- to a digital online mode and how to negotiate active communication of what NATO does and its role and communication about NATO in the of understanding the information environment midst of a global pandemic. The first task was in which its communication is competing with done in a relatively fast manner. Just as many other narratives. Two strategies were adopted other organizations – be they national or inter- across all NATO’s bodies - Communications national, private or governmental, discovered Plan on NATO’s Response to COVID 19 and the online platforms, so did NATO’s Public Di- NATO’s Response to COVID19 disinformation. plomacy Division, NATO’s main communica- Both plans had clearly defined communication tion body. The second task was more pertinent objectives and audiences, communication tools and difficult – what is the role of North Atlantic and techniques and evaluation and assessment Treaty Organization (NATO), a collective de- to review its effectiveness at the end of the cam- fense organization whose objective is to provide paign. The final review is still in making but for security of its 30 members states, in face of partial assessment indicates relative success of a health crisis? 4 ABSTRACTS 129 NATO’s fast and proactive communication ap- egy into action. Third, the paper will address the proach in a time of an unprecedented crisis. challenges that NATO faced in implementing these strategies and techniques. For instance, it The purpose of this paper is to discuss NATO’s is well known that at least one member of the strategy and public diplomacy tactics during a alliance, the US, did not seem to walk the same pandemic and analyze these based on communi- path as most NATO nations with regard to the cation theories. science behind the pandemic. Finally, what les- Literature Review sons can we learn from the experiences of this IGO when confronted with such a global pan- Dhanesh and Sriramesh (2018) critiqued ex- demic with many risk and crisis communication isting approaches to crisis communication -- implications? particularly SCCT and the Benoit approaches – for not at all paying attention to the impact Practical Implications of culture on crisis communication (including This paper, while remaining conceptually risk communication). Defining culture broadly grounded, is very much oriented to practical ap- going beyond the concept studied by anthropol- plications given that the first author is immersed ogists to include political, economic, media, and in practice for NATO. The methodology section activist cukltures (Sriramesh & Vercic, 2020), has outlined four key areas that this paper will the authors critiqued the crisis that Nestle India address and each of these has enormous practi- faced with regard to a food contamination crisis cal applications not just for NATO but for any in India. This paper follows that approach and IGO. It is hoped that the analysis emanating seeks to explore how these five cultural variables from this paper will inform how NATO’s Public played a role in the way NATO conducted its Diplomacy Division and other IGOs can learn public diplomacy activities during this pandem- from its activities during 2020 as it pertains to ic. As an IGO, NATO is immensely influenced this pandemic. by the political, economic, and cultural environ- ments of member nations, which all play a role Keywords: NATO public diplomacy, Pandemic in how it can manage its relationship with mem-communication by IGO, Culture and Communica- ber nations and also the rest of the world. tion, Culture and Public Diplomacy Methodology This paper uses the case study approach. The first author is a key member of the public di- plomacy activities of NATO being stationed in Brussels. This paper will only use the unclassi- fied documents for the purpose of this paper. As needed, we may also use personal interviews for data going beyond the documents that will be reviewed. First, the paper will focus on the com- munication strategies that this IGO had to estab- lish at the outset of the pandemic that upset all its established communication program. Next, the focus will be on the techniques (tactics) that NATO devised to put this communication strat- 4 ABSTRACTS 130 The role of internal communication during the Covid-19 pandemic and its intertwining with public risk communication. A study on Italian companies Mazzei, Alessandra, Università IULM (Italy) Quaratino, Luca, Università IULM (Italy) Ravazzani, Silvia, Università IULM (Italy) Butera, Alfonsa, Università IULM (Italy) Fisichella, Chiara, Università IULM (Italy) Introduction and purpose of the study pure defensive strategies to pure accommoda- tive strategies, devoted to meeting varied stake- Internal communication plays a relevant role holders’ expectations (Coombs, 1998; Pang et during crises, since employees have a special al., 2010). A set of contingency factors can af-bond with the organization and their contribu- fect the adoption of these strategies (Pang et al., tion is pivotal to overcome the crisis itself. The 2010). Organizations should also consider that specific nature of the Covid-19 pandemic, en- employees have more intense emotional reac- forcing social distancing among employees and tions to a crisis compared to external stakehold- posing high risk to their health, has made the ers, due to the specific nature of the relationship role of internal communication even more im- (Frandsen & Johansen, 2011). Based on this as- portant. This study was aimed at outlining the sumption, the objectives of internal crisis com- role of internal communication strategies during munication can be targeted towards creating a the Covid-19 pandemic to sustain the relation- sense of security, sustaining a sense of belonging ship with employees. Moreover, it explored the and activating employees as allies of the orga- role of internal communication strategies in its nization (Mazzei & Ravazzani, 2015). Taking intertwining with public risk communication to all this into consideration, this study argues that support employees’ understanding of the health pure accommodative communication strategies risks associated with Covid-19 and to motivate are in principle the most desirable in internal them to adopt appropriate preventive behaviors. crisis communication. Literature review Methodology Crisis communication strategies adopted by or- This study was conducted among Italian orga- ganizations can vary along a continuum, from nizations and included: a preliminary qualitative 4 ABSTRACTS 131 phase through two focus groups and ten indi- communication can give to sustain employee vidual interviews with internal communication engagement, managers should always consider managers; and a quantitative phase through a an accommodative approach when managing in- survey on a sample of 116 internal communi- ternal crisis communication, especially when a cation managers recruited through a snow-ball relevant stake such as employee health and safety sampling technique. is at risk. At the societal level, it is worth con- sidering the role that organizations can play to Results and conclusions complement and reinforce public risk commu- Results show that Italian companies tended to nication: through their internal communication, adopt accommodative strategies of corrective organizations can contribute to make their em- action and cooperation aimed at creating a sense ployees more aware of public health risks and of security among employees, at sustaining their help them understand the importance of adopt- sense of belonging towards the organization, and ing preventive behaviors both at work and in at activating employees as allies of the organiza- their private sphere. tion. In particular, organizations took into con- Keywords: Internal Crisis Communication, Ac-sideration the high relevance of the stake of em- commodative Strategies, Covid-19 Pandemic ployee health and safety to make their decisions about internal communication strategies, and References this factor led organizations towards employing an accommodative approach. Specifically, creat- Coombs, W. T. (1998). An analytic framework ing a sense of security among employees implied for crisis situations: Better responses from a clarifying the measures undertaken by authori-better understanding of the situation. Journal ties to reduce Covid-19 infections and adapting of Public Relations Research, 10(3), 177-191. such measures to the organizational context, as Frandsen, F., & Johansen, W. (2011). The well as informing employees about preventive study of internal crisis communication: behaviors to adopt at work. In this way, while towards an integrative framework. Cor- internal communication managers had to face porate Communications: An Internation- the challenges of communicating in an uncer- al Journal, 16(4), 347-361. https://doi. tain information framework and of transferring org/10.1108/13563281111186977 complex and ever-changing content, internal communication helped employees deal with the Mazzei, A., & Ravazzani, S. (2015). Internal external infodemic and better understand how crisis communication strategies to protect to behave correctly to reduce health risks. The trust relationships: A study of Italian com- study has some limitations: it was based on a panies. International Journal of Business Com-non-probabilistic sample and collected data only munication, 52(3), 319-337. https://doi. in Italy. Future research could help overcome org/10.1177/2329488414525447 such limitations and reinforce these study find- Pang, A., Jin, Y., & Cameron, G. T. (2010). Contin-ings by employing probabilistic sampling and gency theory of strategic conflict management: replicating the study in different national con- Directions for the practice of crisis communi- texts. cation from a decade of theory development, discovery, and dialogue. In W. T. Coombs & S. Practical and social implications J. Holladay (Eds.), Handbook of crisis communi- Considering the particular relationship with cation (pp. 527-549). Wiley-Blackwell. https:// employees and the contribution that internal doi.org/10.1002/9781444314885.ch26 4 ABSTRACTS 132 #adidasgate and Crisis Award Winners: Excellence within Corporate Communication during the Covid-19 Crisis Messner Florian, Macromedia University of Applied Sciences (Germany) Sievert, Holger, Macromedia University of Applied Sciences (Germany) Introduction and purpose of the study (e.g. He & Harris, 2020). “These recent months have seen corporate To achieve a more differentiated understand- reputations made. And corporate reputations ing of an effective corporate communication wrecked,” says Francis Ingham, Director Gen- throughout the crisis, one first has to under-eral of the Public Relations and Communica- stand how an organization is affected. The pa- tions Association. It is without question that the per therefore draws from Situational Crisis ongoing Covid-19 pandemic poses significant Communication Theory (SCCT) to distinguish challenges for the corporate communication victim, accidental, and preventable crisis clus-sector. Depending on whether these challenges ters (Coombs, 2007, p. 168). Depending on the were met successfully, the pandemic crisis has cluster, communication professionals can choose strained or strengthened relations with stake- from a variety of response strategies that predict holders. However, more than one year into the the best possible outcome for the organization. crisis, there is still little data available on how affected companies communicated throughout the In combination with analyzing corporate crisis crisis. This paper therefore explores corporate response strategies, the paper will use excellence crisis communication strategies in the face of the theory in public relations and communication Covid-19 pandemic. It will also investigate the management (Grunig & Dozier, 2002) to un- role of excellence in Public Relations with regard derstand in how far empowerment of public to crisis outcomes. relations function, communicator roles, organi- zation of communication function and under- Literature review standing of PR models are relevant for successful communication management during a crisis. Companies across the globe have been affected by the pandemic economically and/or epidemio- Methodology logically, causing countless organizational crises as well. So far, one mostly relies on anecdotal ev- The study entails three steps: 1) selection of idence with regard to corporate crisis responses contrasting case studies based on some of the and their effect on reputation, often stressing the most prominently discussed positive and nega-importance of Corporate Social Responsibility tive examples of Corporate Crisis Communica- 4 ABSTRACTS 133 tion; for Germany, UK and the U.S., one positive Practical and social implications and one negative case will be defined (N= 6). 2) Qualitative content analysis of all related press The analysis show that 1) the main factors for releases and selected social media posts between a successful crisis communication are defined a March and December 2020 to reconstruct the long time ahead of the crisis and 2) the combi- narratives according to SCCT implemented by nation of SCCT and excellence theory provides affected companies. 3) Analysis of indicators a powerful tool to improve crisis preparedness based on excellence theory in press releases and/ and response. or additional publicly available sources. Keywords: crisis communication, pandemic, com-Results and conclusions munication management, excellence theory Preliminary findings from two German cases References show that different crisis response strategies in- deed led to different outcomes and were close- Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting Organization ly linked to excellence aspects. For instance, the Reputations During a Crisis: The Development first Covid-19 cases in Germany were detected and Application of Situational Crisis Commu- at the automotive supplier Webasto, resulting in nication Theory. Corporate Reputation Review, a victim crisis. Thanks to a strong empowerment 10(3), 163–176. of the PR function and a quick and transparent Grunig, J. E., & Dozier, D. M. (2002). Excellent communication, the company was able to pro-Public Relations and Effective Organizations: A tect and enhance its reputation – and even won Study of Communication Management in Three awards with this approach. Contrastingly, the Countries. New York, Abingdon: Routledge. sporting goods manufacturer Adidas created a He, H., & Harris, L. (2020). The impact of preventable crisis by deferring the rent for its Covid-19 pandemic on corporate social re- European stores, which was widely criticized. sponsibility and marketing philosophy. Journal Judging from the company’s communication of Business Research, 116, 176–182. history, it seems that initially a lower manage- ment level was involved in the communication and only in the end the CEO got involved and decided to continue the payment and issue an apology. To conclude, our analysis illustrates that for af- fected companies, the pandemic crisis can be both a chance to build and extend a positive rep- utation, but also poses a significant reputational threat. Limitations A limitation lies in the fact that the study focuses only on six case studies. In addition, all observations concerning the excellence perspective will be only external and will need to validated with internal interviews in the future. 4 ABSTRACTS 134 Communication leadership in extraordinary times : exploring the role and work of female communications leaders during the coronavirus pandemic Moran, Wendy, Metropolitan University (UK) Moss, Danny, University of Chester (UK) Introduction: a pandemic tale UK government [mirrored by similar measures in the USA and other countries] has introduced The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has a wide range of measures to address the sharp been a global phenomenon with at the time of economic decline and prop-up failing sectors writing over 100 million cases of coronavirus of business , ranging from a hugely expensive and over 2 million reported deaths worldwide furlough scheme, and loan guaranteed scheme [ WHO ]. `Here the USA heads the grim league to support large swathes of business at risk of table of coronavirus attributed deaths with over permanent closure. The total cost of these mea- 400,000 deaths, followed by Brazil [219,000], sures has been forecast to increase public debt to India [ 154000] , Mexico [152000] and then around £2.63 trillion by 2024 (Office for Bud- the UK [103 000] . The worry around the world get Reasponsibility, OBR) has been the arrival of a second wave of an even more contagious strain of coronavirus which has The lockdown and other restrictive measures threaten to overwhelm the health-care systems have had a profound effect on many business in many countries. The discovery and approval sectors notably, travel and tourism and hospitali- of a number of coronavirus vaccines has offered ty, leisure and professional services have suffered some’ light at the end of a very dark tunnel’ but devastating losses and closures, others such as production and distribution issues have left most online retailing and gaming have boomed. One countries playing ‘ catch up’ in a race to try to of the most profound changes enforced by the get ahead of and stem the growing tide of infec- pandemic has been in the way many businesses tions. have been forced to fundamentally change how they organise and manage their operations as While governments around the world have com- well as their interaction with their stakeholders mitted resources on an unprecedented scale in Remote working has become almost the norm, an attempt to combat the coronavirus and treat with virtual team meetings, online conferencing those infected; most governments have also rec- often supported by the extensive use of social ognised the huge economic damage and cost of media. these measures, which threaten to bring about one of the worst economic recessions across the world since the Seventeenth Century. The 4 ABSTRACTS 135 Research Purpose only seen as the preferred leadership style (Al- doory, 1998; Aldoory and Toth, 2004; Werder It is against the backdrop of this radically and Holtzhausen, 2009; Jin,2010; Wu,2010) but changed business environment that this study is also strongly associated with effective PR lead-seeks to examines the role of female communi- ership (Yang, 2012; Berger and Meng, 2014) cations leaders and how they have responded to the challenges and opportunities that they have Methodology faced during the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed one interesting question explored is whether This paper draws on the data collected from female leaders are inherently more effective at extended in-depth interviews with eight highly the type ambidextrous virtual team management experienced female Directors of Communication required during the pandemic than their male each of whom had more than ten years’ experi- counterparts. The study focuses on leadership ence in a senior role. This qualitative approach within communications / public relations teams which used thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke that often provided the vital ‘glue’ in the form of 2006, 2012; Miles and Huberman, 1994) to communication support for their organisation’s tease out the dominant patterns within the data management strategies during the pandemic enabled the researcher to probe the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of their lived experience as Directors of Literature review Communication exploring their response to and experience of leadership during the current One consequence of the impact of the pandemic coronavirus pandemic. on business has been a widescale move to remote working, which involves motivating and organ- Findings and Conclusions ising virtual teams, which arguably, demands specific leadership capabilities and skills- name- Because the sample of senior female communi- ly the ability to respond quickly and decisive- cations leaders were drawn from a quite diverse ly to change, while at the same time maintain- sectors it was not surprising that individual ing stability and continuity within the team. leader experienced exhibited marked differenc-This type of virtual team leadership demands es particularly in terms of the issues faced, the the ability work in a highly flexible, adaptive support provided and the freedom and scope of manner – what has been termed an ‘ambidex- the actions enacted . However there were also a trous approach’ to management and leadership number of common threads uncovered notably (e.g.Raisch & Birkinshaw,2008). Indeed, the no- the resilience, flexibility and sheer determination tion of ambidextrous management ( e.g. .Raisch exhibited by female leaders, as well as in virtual- & Birkinshaw,2008; Simsek , 2009) alongside ly all cases, the fierce loyalty the female leaders that of transformational leadership, which refer commanded from their teams. to approaches that it has been argued are well suited to turbulent environments (Bass, 1990; Keywords: Pandemic communications; ambidex-Bass 1985; 1997; Aldoory and Toth, 2004). The terity; female leadership capabilities latter, in particular, has been found to be more Key References closely associated with and delivered by female leaders as they have been found to display more Aldory, L and Toth E. (2004) Leadership and enabling behaviours (Powell et al, 2004; Al- Gender in Public Relations: Perceived Effec- doory and Toth, 2004; Brandt and Laiho, 2013). tiveness of Transformational and Transactional Moreover, the transformational approach is not Leadership Styles. Journal of Public Relations Re- 4 ABSTRACTS 136 search ,16(2) 157-183 Simsek, Z (2009) Organizational Ambidexteri- ty: Towards a Multilevel Understanding.Jounal of Management studies,46(4) Raisch, S &, Birkinshaw,J., (2008). Organization-al Ambidexterity: Antecedents, Outcomes, and Moderators. Journal of Management 34 Weder, K and Holtzhauzen, D.R. (2009) An Analysis of the Influence of Public Relations Department Leadership Style on Public Relations Strategy Use and Effectiveness. Journal of Public Relations Research ,21(4) 404-427 Selzner,J and Bass B.M (1990) Transformation- al Leadership: Beyond Initiation and Consid- eration Journal of Management, vol. 16, 4: pp. 693-703 4 ABSTRACTS 137 Crisis Communication in Public Relations Courses: What has been changing with the pandemic COVID-19? Mourão, Rita, Escola Superior de Comunicação Social – Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (Portugal) Miranda, Sandra, Escola Superior de Comunicação Social – Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (Portugal) Introduction and Purpose of the Study sion of information and knowledge, being as a form of social hegemony. It is known that, today, It is known that the public relations profession 90% of the population belonging to developed often involves a position of media relations. In countries is literate. This is because, as a rule, this context, this type of expert must obtain individuals develop their basic skills in reading, skills in the critical and active use of media. Af- writing and calculation since the primary school terwards it arises the need to understand what (Perez-Tornero and Varis, 2010). However, new kind of investment in crisis communication has skills have begun to be required, mainly regard- been done by Portuguese Public Universities. ing aspects related to media coverage of the im- In the past we analyzed the curricula of under- age and audiovisual language. It this context we graduate and public relations master of the 15 must acquire the understanding of what is cur- existing Portuguese public universities to un- rently considered to be referred to media litera- derstand in what sense there is an investment cy (Perez-Tornero and Varis, 2010). of media literacy in public relations courses in Portuguese public universities. Currently and There are some careers in which it is important considering the context we are living we want to have media literacy, particularly those that are to know what has changed and how public re-inserted in the area of communication scienc- lations courses were prepared for crisis commu- es. The public relations function is one of them, nication. This is because the coronavirus disease because these types of professionals must pur- 2019 (COVID-19) significantly changed every- chase a set of critical analysis skills related to day practices and this is the first pandemic to be the media. In this sense, there is an urgent need almost “livestreamed” on social media and digi- to make related decisions to choosing the right tal platforms. channel to reach the audience; understand how multiple channels (email, brochures) reinforce Literature Review the message (Wilcox and Cameron, 2009). The literacy has been seen as a dimension of Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the situa-the new civilization, after the industrial revo-tion of social alarm corresponded to a situation lution. In this context, this ability to work with of communication crisis for which the organi- words and images is relevant for the transmis- 4 ABSTRACTS 138 zations did not have response plans (Ortuño, riencing a pandemic context. However, there is Rincón & Ferreira, 2021). A study carried out a growing concern to take crisis communication recently in Portugal showed that in times of into account. these conclusions will be stronger pandemic, the individuals consumed informa- when the pandemic ends, in which we can verify tion from all available sources (television, social if there was indeed a reformulation of the study networks, digital newspapers and the Internet), plans at this level. but attributed greater credibility to convention- al media - television and newspapers (Ferreira, Practical and Social Implications 2021; Serrano, 2021). Social networks, although regularly consulted, were trusted by a minority. Considering the investment that is being made These data show the need to consider people by universities with regard to crisis communi-capable of disseminating information, especially cation, may be important to act more efficiently in times of crisis (Ferreira, 2021). Thereby, it and effectively in the future. Current public rela- becomes increasingly important to understand tions students are the professionals of the future. what is the investment that has been made, in In this sense, it is essential that they develop the academic terms, in the Public Relations Degrees, skills to know how to act in times of crisis. It is to realize, too, the long-term impact this has for known that many of the risk behaviors that have public relations professionals. been identified at this level are due to misinfor- mation by people. In this case, the public rela- Methodology tions professionals playing a fundamental role, because they may help policy makers to dissem- In the present research, a mixed methology inate more coherent and less confusing informa- was used. In this way, we conducted interviews tion to citizens. with university professors and questionnaires with public relations students. These interviews Keywords: Public Relations; Crisis Communica-and questionnaires were complementary to try tion; COVID-19; Universities to understand if there has been any change in the study plans of these courses, in the sense of a greater investment in crisis communication. This research had a total of 110 individuals: 10 university professors and 100 students. The in- terviews had a semi structured character and we conducted a content analysis, in order to divide the speech into different categories. The ques- tionnaires were analyzed using the SPSS statisti- cal program and with descriptive statistics. Results and Conclusions It was possible to perceive that the students and the professors report that there have been some changes in the sense of a greater concern in talking about issues related to crisis communication. Although there has not yet been a refor- mulation of the study plans, as we are still expe- 4 ABSTRACTS 139 Personality Traits and Value of Corporate Apology: An Experimental Study in the Aviation Industry Öksüz, Burcu, Izmir Katip Celebi University (Turkey) Bulduklu, Yasin, Izmir Katip Celebi University (Turkey) Görpe, T. Serra, University of Sharjah (U.A.E.) Introduction and purpose of the study to this, another purpose of the study is to under- stand if different personality types react differ- Crises are processes where everything that or- ently to the corporate apologies, in other words, ganizations say and do are carefully monitored is there a link between personality of the indi- by stakeholders and society. Therefore, this sit- vidual and their preferred corporate apology? uation requires organizations to act much more carefully and with care in their crisis commu- Literature Review nication processes. Explanations and statements that are misunderstood can cause further crises. Crises can be categorized as internal or exter- This can have further negative effects than the nal depending on whether the crisis is initiat- original crisis itself. The destructive effects of ed through inside or outside actions. They can crisis can be reduced by effective crisis man-be also classified as intentional or unintentional agement processes. The organizations should be (Marsen, 2020). Chung and Lee (2021) have prepared for crises and they should manage it studied how corporate apologies influence cog- by implementing the appropriate strategy, taking nitive and affective public responses during an into consideration the impact of different types aviation crisis, examining responsibility and of crises and public attribution. That is to say sympathy- oriented apologies with internal and that each crisis requires different management in external crisis situations. In our study, we will terms of its features and scope. In this context, replicate their study for aviation crisis in our which strategy will be more effective in which home country with slight modifications and in- crisis situation constitutes the problematic. In clude personality types and preferred corporate addition to this, the socio-cultural characteris-apology. tics of the country where the crisis takes place are also among the other determinants of the Methodology reactions to the crises. We can include personal- The research will be an experimental one where ity traits as another factor. The purpose of this we will be writing different scripts for different study is to understand the reactions of publics to crisis types. Coombs and Holladay (2009) stated different corporate apology strategies of the avi- that experimental method is being used increas- ation industry. Which type of corporate apology ingly to investigate crisis communication. In our works well with which type of crisis? In addition study, different crisis types will be matched with 4 ABSTRACTS 140 different corporate apology strategies. Through References the scenarios, and the survey conducted with participants, the aim is to understand the cog- Chung, S., & Lee, S. (2017). Crisis management nitive and affective responses of the publics to and corporate apology: The effects of causal these situations. The impacts of two types cor- attribution and apology type on publics’ cog- porate apology which are responsibility and nitive and affective responses. International sympathy will be tested with two types of causal Journal of Business Communication, 58(1) 125– attribution which are internal and external. In 144. the study of Chung and Lee (2020) for the in- Coombs, W. T., & Holladay, S. J. (2009). Fur- ternal /controllable crisis, an inexperienced pilot ther explorations of post-crisis communica-scenario has been created. In our study, for the tion: Effects of media and response strategies internal/controllable crisis, it will be a technical on perceptions and intentions. Public Relations malfunction. As external/uncontrollable crisis, it Review, 35(1), 1-6. was bad weather, and in our scenario, this will be bad weather as well. News articles will be John, O. P., Donahue, E. M., & Kentle, R. L. around these themes, and then the participants (1991). The big five inventory - versions 4a will read the corporate apology by the X Airlines. and 54, Berkeley, CA: University of California, The personality characteristics will be measured Berkeley, Institute of Personality and Social by the Big Five Inventory (BFI) developed by Research. John, Donahue and Kentle (1991). The dimen- Marsen, S. (2020). Navigating crisis: The role sions of (BFI) are extraversion, agreeableness, of communication in organizational crisis. In-conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. ternational Journal of Business Communica- tion, 57(2), 163–175. Results and conclusions The results of the study cannot be generalized; this study may not apply to all crises contexts. The aviation industry is prone to crisis and the study will be useful for crisis communication and corporate managers. Also by examining the link between personality characteristics and the preferred corporate apology, new data will be generated on this aspect as well. Practical and social implications There are not many studies in our home coun- try that use experimental methodology to study different crisis situations and corporate apology. Keywords: personality traits, crisis communication, corporate apology, aviation industry 4 ABSTRACTS 141 Media Portrayal of Corona Pandemic Press Briefings by Public Health Officials: A Public Relations Approach Opiyo, Baruck, Eastern Mediterranean University (Cyprus) Kutoğlu Kuruç, Ülfet, Eastern Mediterranean University (Cyprus) Introduction and purpose of the study Literature Few corporate communication scholars would The simpler conceptual goal of this study is to dispute the widespread interest in crisis and cri- attempt a comparative investigation of how the sis-related communication in terms of the mas- media in two countries covered and portrayed sive public and media attention crises situations the same global crisis. Perhaps a more important generate. Arguing that covid-19 was the domi- goal is an attempt a response to one of the re- nant global crisis in 2020, this study investigates search concerns increasingly gaining occurrence how government health authorities in Kenya and - about crisis communication research’s seeming Turkey responded to the pandemic by analyzing over reliance on organization-centric model of media coverage and portrayal of press briefings inquiry; with some scholars increasingly arguing during the first and second waves of the pandem- that while this approach may be good it would ic early in 2020 and at the end of 2020 and ear- not sufficiently or adequately explain plurality ly 2021, respectively. The study is guided by the of voices that typically accompany many crises following research questions: (1) How did the situations (Coombs & Holladay, 2014; Luo- two countries’ health officials give information ma-aho & Vos, 2010; Luoma-aho, Tirkkonen, about the pandemic to the public with regard & Vos, 2013, Raupp, J., 2019). Rowley (1997) to; a). Specifics about the virus and risks posed developed the rather influential network theory to the public?; b). Factual information about the of stakeholders as a preferable way of holisti-status of spread of the virus in the country, and cally understanding organizational behavior in c). Safety precautions recommended to the pub- times of crisis. The stakeholder theory argues lic? (2) From what level of government were that crisis communication may be better under- officials who gave information on coronavirus stood if viewed as a stakeholders’ relationship drawn and how frequently was information giv-network – no longer focusing on one organiza- en to the public? (3) How were the coronavirus tion’s crisis response strategies but on “patterns briefings framed by Kenya’s Daily Nation and of interactions” (Frandsen & Johansen, 2017 p. Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News newspapers? (4) 148) of various voices. Main downside of the Were there significant differences in the way in- approach, however, is that not enough empir- formation on the pandemic was communicated ical studies have been done and data gathered to the public in Kenya and in Turkey? (Coombs, 2014; Frandsen & Johansen, 2010). It is to this small but growing body of literature 4 ABSTRACTS 142 that the present study is intended to contribute. Coombs, W.T. (2014). The value of communi- We also use two media conceptual traditions of cation during a crisis: Insights from strategic media framing and agenda setting on the one communication research, Business Horizons, hand, and excellence theory and rhetorical arena 58(2), 141-148. theory in public relations, on the other, to inves- Coombs, W.T., & Holladay, S.J. (2014). How tigate and analyze how the two leading newspa-publics react to crisis communication effects: pers in Kenya and Turkey covered and portrayed Comparing crisis response reaction across the dissemination of crisis information on coro- sub-arenas. Journal of Communication Manage- navirus by the two countries’ government health ment, 18, (1), 40-57. officials to their respective publics. Frandsen & Johansen (2010). Crisis communi- Method cation, complexity and cartoon affair: A case study In T.W. Coombs, & S.J. Holladay (Eds.). Content analysis of two leading English lan- The handbook of crisis communication (pp. 425-guage newspapers was chosen to collect data for 448)., Chichester, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell the research. Content of the 2 selected publica- tions would be analyzed during the 2 months Heath (2010) peaks of the first and second wave of the corona Frandsen, F. & Johansen, W. (2017). Organi-pandemic (March/April 2020) and (December zational crisis communication: A multivocal ap- 2020 /January 2021) to investigate the media proach. London, U.K: Sage discourse on the corona pandemic as well as un- Grunig, J.E. & Grunig, L.A. & Dozier, D.M. dertake a comparative analysis of how the se- (2006). The Excellence Theory1. In Botem, C. lected media organizations framed the pandemic & Hazleton, V. (Eds.). Public Relations Theory in terms of risk and seriousness of the disease, II. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, prevalence and threat(s) posed to the public and Inc. country and/or the world, and who the key gov- ernment actors and stakeholders involved were. Grunig J.E., Grunig L.A. (2008) Excellence A two-step sampling procedure would be used Theory in Public Relations: Past, Present, to both identify relevant news articles about the and Future. In: Zerfass A., van Ruler B., Sri- pandemic and analyze statements within the se- ramesh K. (eds) Public Relations Research. VS lected articles attributed to key actors. Unit of Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. https://doi. analysis would be the headline and intro of pan- org/10.1007/978-3-531-90918-9_22 demic-related stories attributed to health offi-Raupp, J. (2019). Crisis communication in the cials at press briefings. rhetorical arena. Public Relations Review, 45, 4. Keywords: Media framing and bias, crisis communication, excellence theory, public relations, coronavirus pandemic, rhetorical arena theory. References Austin, L.A., Liu, B.F., & Jin, Y (2014). Examining signs of recovery: How senior crisis com- municators define organizational crisis recov- ery. Public Relations Review, 40: 844-846 4 ABSTRACTS 143 Public Relations in risk communication: a critical asset Pereira, Sandra, ESCS-ICML (Portugal) Nunes, Mariana, ISCTE-CIES & ESCS (Portugal) Introduction and purpose Literature review The contours of the current VUCA global reality, It is known for a fact that the perception of risk with free circulation of individuals, information, does not generate consensus, either between the goods and services and where digital has revolu- scientific community in different fields, nor be- tionized interpersonal relationships and the no- tween technicians and decision makers, and even tion of distance, democratizing access to knowl- not forgetting the public in the matter. There edge and improved the quality of life, launched is an urgent need to share the notion of risk, society into a normal state of uncertainty, but bringing together the perceptions and contents also of emergency and catastrophe, jeopardizing of experts and normal people without knowl- its survival. As a result we today live in what is edge in this matter. This consensus between known by risk society. multiple levels of expertise through an informed understanding of risk and the quality in which In these paradoxes lies the pertinence of studying communication generates cooperation and social the risk communication mechanisms and strat- relationships is what it is called risk communica- egies carried out by a local authority to face the tion (Leiss, 1996; Kruk, 1999; Covello & Sand- possible risks that citizens may be subject to. The man, 2001; Bostrom, 2003). The practice of in-purpose of the study is then to observe the place tegrated risk communication, strategically aimed assigned to public relations professionals in the at audiences with different levels of awareness / institutional structure and evaluate the efforts information, constitutes an effective means for made in communicating risk by a local govern- population training in understanding, assessing mental institution. Thus the research question is: and acting on the risks to which it may, unfor- what contribution is reserved to public relations tunately, be subject. This communication is close in communicating risk to citizens in the context to the ideal of risk governance characterized by of local government? bilateral communication, as a channel for the Believing communication is a cornerstone able exchange of (info)training and opinions among to establish such favourable conditions for the stakeholders so that, in the end, they converge in relationship between institutions and their pub- decision making regarding the behaviours to be lic, it is noted that there are few investigations implemented. in the area of strategic risk communication, even Methodology less in local / municipal contexts. Hence the in- creased interest in studying a particular case of a A case study will be carried out using qualitative local government. research tools such as an audit of the commu- 4 ABSTRACTS 144 nication office; SWOT analysis; content analysis Practical and social implications to the municipality website and also its facebook; interviews with elements involved in de- As this is a reality that has been little studied cision-making, governance and risk communi- and unfortunately still little valued in the decation. cision-making and risk management processes, we hope to draw attention to the advantages and Results gains that public relations can bring to an inte- grated risk governance process. With the results In the case of the municipality studied the ar- and reflection on the role of public relations in rangement of responsibilities and competencies, risk communication in a local community, it is seems to safeguard a sharing of knowledge and also expected to contribute to the establishment communication skills that end up insuring and of a fluid strategic communication between the confirming the fundamental role that public re- City Council and the surrounding community, lations play not only alerting citizens about risks corroborating the great responsibility that jus-but, above all, educating and empowering them tifies the existence of a shared and empowering through a logic of openness to dialogue and joint communication, capable of acting not only in a participation in risk governance. preventive way in face of risks but also guaran- Limitations teeing the reduction of dangers and victims in situations of crisis and real danger. Some of the difficulties inherent to the present study include the restricted access to local Keywords: Public Relations; Risk Society; Risk government institutions; as well as the difficulty Communication; Local Government in obtaining the desired answers since the risk constitutes a controversial subject wrapped in a certain secrecy, or at least tends to provoke silences, which denote little opening to explore this matter in the local public sector. 4 ABSTRACTS 145 Algorithmic Profiteering and Corporate Social Activism of Video Platforms: The Effect on Social Change Persad, Vishala J., University of Oklahoma (USA) Introduction profiteering of the video platforms and the par- ticipation in social justice issues. By highlighting With the rise of civil rights protests, pandemic content that potentially facilitates controversial hysteria, and a tumultuous election year in the issue discussion, video platform companies may United States, there is a climate for corporate shift user perceptions on these issues. social activism. Organizations are increasing- ly choosing to engage in controversial issues, Recent studies observe the effects of selective diverging from the traditional business model exposure or selective information approach on that operates within the authority of institution- strongly held beliefs and attitudes (e.g., Kim & al stakeholders. Video platform companies are Grunig, 2021). Content of stories have the po- unique in that they participate in activism with tential to drive action, or to increase behavioral mixed motivation: providing a combination of effects, while attachment to characters can com- algorithmically curated content that works in pensate for the absence of real-life contact with tandem with corporate activism to spark user disadvantaged groups, reducing support for re-engagement. The impact on issue progression strictive policies (e.g., Rosenthal et al., 2020). and social change of such targeted content cura- However, persuasive communication can pose a tion are explored through the change in attitudes potential threat to perceived freedom, leading to and behavior of users on the controversial issues the strengthening of pre-existing attitudes (e.g., such as Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ rights. Grandpre, 2003). It is plausible that while CSA messages may be intended by companies to ush- Literature Review er in societal change, they can also be contribut- Scholars identify the unconscious relationships ing to a greater divide in issue resolution. corporations have with publics as part of an Research Questions and Methodology organizations’ corporate social range, or CSR3 (e.g., Vercic & Grunig, 2000). In this lens, corThe literature on the effects of CSA messaging porate social activism (CSA) is the outcome of on users in video platforms is limited, therefore, social reasoning by management and reflects two research questions are examined: 1) Do the values and ethics of the organization. Vid- corporate activist messages, delivered through eo platform companies engage in CSR3 with genre suggestions on video platforms, influence mixed motives, encouraging user engagement audience viewing choices on controversial soci- by tapping into current social issues and trends. etal issues? 2) Does exposure to algorithmic and Similar to strategic philanthropy, the focus is corporate activism promoted content shift audi- 4 ABSTRACTS 146 ence attitudes or cause behavioral outcomes on This investigation provides a novel perspective controversial societal issues? This study will use into the phenomenon of CSA messaging and its data from the top 3 video streaming platforms infusion into companies that use algorithms to in the United States. Two groups will be iden- stoke user engagement. tified such that current subscribers of the three platforms (N=250) as well as non-subscribers This study adds to the knowledge of the im- (N=250) from M-turk panel. To establish the pact of different forms of CSA companies can link of content consumed to activist messaging, engage in and the effects on the attitudes and user surveys will assess participant’s contents behaviors in society on controversial issues. use patterns on the streaming service, their issue stance on a variety of divisive social issues, (i.e., This paper identifies new research problems BLM/LGBTQ movements), and their opinion in CSA communications in management moti- extremity and communicative actions on those vations to participate in controversial issue mes- issues. Controlling demographics factors and saging, risks involved, and impact on the organi- subscription history, frequency, and content in- zation and society. clination will be examined for their correlations with issues-stance, close-mindedness, and com- municative actions on issues. Further, the two groups (subscribers with heavier selective exposure/approach to the issues versus non-subscrib- ers) will be compared for their opinion extrem- ity and motivated issues communicative actions. Conclusion The phenomenon of CSA messaging has been steadily increasing and occurs in many forms. Some would consider this type of CSA as stra- tegic corporation social reasoning (CSR3) of Vercic (1997) and Vercic and Grunig (2000), comparable to strategic philanthropy (e.g., dona- tion for charities). This study uses M-turk sam- ples to focus on the consequences of CSA and al- gorithmic content curations (CSR3) would have for users’ direction and motivation of participation to sociopolitical issues. Future research can investigate CSR3’s managerial dynamics and mixed-motives (i.e., profits by preferred content curations and user gratification). There a need for a sound framework to measure the amount and type of CSA a company engages in, and this study explores and further conceptualizes the different types and impacts that CSA can have on stakeholders. 4 ABSTRACTS 147 Confessions from a Cliff Over the Abyss: Developing a Workshop in Public Relations Entrepreneurship During a Pandemic Pompper, Donnalyn, University of Oregon (USA) This first-person essay advocates for opening students with as many options as possible while an aperture in the curtain surrounding public they fretted alone in quarantine about their fu-relations pedagogy as I reflect on developing a ture. The purpose of this essay is to explain how Workshop in Public Relations Entrepreneurship I responded to this context and developed a designed to prepare senior-level undergraduate Workshop in Public Relations Entrepreneurship students for pandemic workplace realities. Of- so that I may offer advice to faculty colleagues. fering young professionals options is consistent with Postmodern Theory values. Paired with • RQ1: How shall “public relations entrepre- practical application tools, this dynamic could go neurship” be defined? a long way in helping students to navigate risk associated with graduation with no job waiting. • RQ2: How does one develop a new course in Scans of the public relations literature suggest public relations entrepreneurship in unprec- very little formal research about how to teach edented times, amidst uncertainty and fear? entrepreneurship and support students transi- Literature review tioning from classroom to business ownership. In-depth interviews with professional public re- A cursory view of the public relations pedagogy lations consultants in the form of advice provid- body of knowledge offers little advice on how ed the foundation for creating content and tone to define or teach entrepreneurship. Henderson for a five-week (half-term) course. The essay (2001) hinted at the value consultants bring to concludes with advice for instructors who val- public relations work as ad hoc “on an as-need- ue opportunities to coach future entrepreneurs ed basis” support (p. 542) and Hindrichsen interested in launching their own consultancy (2001) contextualized consulting work in terms now, in the near-term future, as a side gig, later of senior executives “setting up shop after los- in their public relations career, or after retire- ing” corporate jobs (p. 455). ment from a full-time public relations job. The journalism pedagogy literature offers clues Introduction about the importance of teaching entrepreneur- ship to college students. For example, U.S.-based College faculty cannot ignore the socio-eco- universities have responded to recent decades’ nomic-political environment in which we teach. negative journalism industry trends by creating I pondered exactly how to support senior-level 4 ABSTRACTS 148 media entrepreneurship programs that respond ity for launching a small new business now, in a to a decline of traditional journalism models and few years, after starting a family, as a side gig, or in the process have operationalized media en-upon retirement far into the future. trepreneurship as “the creation and ownership of an enterprise whose activity adds an inde-Advice on how to structure course content, re- pendent voice to the media marketplace” (Hoag, duce anxiety, and solicit videos from practicing 2008, p. 74). In this context, Sindik and Gray- consultants is provided. beal (2017) advocated for collecting “interna- tional wisdom” by tapping global networks and Study limitations are offered, as well as sugges- pooling pedagogical tools to offer students the tions for future research with implications for best course content on entrepreneurship (p. practice and society. 163). Keywords: Pedagogy, Entrepreneurship, Consult-Method ing, Pandemic This exploratory study is rooted in qualitative References in-depth interviews conducted among a con- Henderson, J. K. (2001). Educational public re- venience sample of six female public relations lations. In R. L. Heath (Ed.), Handbook of public consultants who offered advice on “hot skills” in relations (pp. 535-542). Sage. demand during 2001 as organizations seek the best means for maintaining and establishing re- Hindrichsen, C. L. (2001). Best practices in the lationships with key stakeholder groups during public relations agency business. In R. L. Heath a pandemic. Given the scarcity of information (Ed.), Handbook of public relations (pp. 451-and direction available on the PRSA website 459). Sage. or among the public relations pedagogy litera- Hoag, A. (2008). Measuring media entrepreneur- ture, this method afforded a valuable quick take ship. International Journal on Media Management, steeped in research participants’ lived experienc-10, 74-80. doi:10.1080/14241270802000496 es as professional public relations consultants. Sindik, A., & Graybeal, G. M. (2017). Media en- Results and conclusions trepreneurship Programs: Emerging isomor- phic patterns. International Journal on Media In response to RQ1, public relations entrepreneur-Management, 19(1), 55-76. http://dx.doi.org/ ship is defined. 10.1080/14241277.2017.1279617 In response to RQ2, five themes emerged among research participants’ advice that was translat-ed into specific theme-topics used to develop content for five weeks (half-term) of an undergraduate Workshop in Public Relations Entre- preneurship. In addition, conversations with re- search participants yielded tips for setting a tone of optimism amidst so much uncertainty and high risk – which took the form of cheerleading, underscoring young professionals’ talents (espe- cially proficiency in use of social media chan- nels), and entrepreneurship’s maximum flexibil- 4 ABSTRACTS 149 The challenges of ‘neo-intermediation Rotolo, Francesco, Storyfly (Italy) Introduction and purpose of the study also to embody ethical behaviour. Where these elements are missing, an erosion of trust (and This essay focuses on the role of the “represen- reputation) is inevitable. tative bodies,” which have declined through what many defined as “disintermediation age.” As clearly shown by the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer, in the context of the Covid-19 cri- Covid-19 pandemic only accelerated the pace in sis, none of the four societal institutions mea- this “permanent crisis scenario.” Paradoxically, sured—government, business, NGOs, and me-despite the crucial role of public communica- dia—is trusted anymore. Some commenters such tion, it is less clear and in need of a rethink the as Nilsson or Naveen already noted that it would contribution of Public Relations to intermedia- be all too easy to shift the blame for this situa- tion as a whole. tion entirely on the shoulders of a “dumb citi- In September 2020, CNEL, the constitutional zenship” or the unstoppable impact of technolo- home of the country’s intermediate organisms, gy. We can therefore infer that the representative commissioned Storyfly to a signature Study on bodies themselves have also been responsible the current dynamics of corporate intermedi- for losing trust throughout disintermediation. ation: integrating its upcoming findings, this Covid-19, therefore, sped up change through an study will compare various benchmarks to de- already flawed scenario. fine a possible new model of “neo-intermedia- To address the functional differences of the pro- tion.” posed models, we will tap on a multidisciplinar- Literature review ian approach, also inspired by the Russian se- miotician Yuri Lotman’s fundamental distinction This investigation ideally started at the 2019 between textual and grammatical orientations, BledCom Symposium, within the Panel led by as taken up later on by Umberto Eco, who ap- Toni Muzi Falconi focused on the “Social Weav- plied this framework to cultures and societies as er.” Many scholars, such as Martino, Beck, Field, whole structures. underlined how the disintermediation process moved from being a transactional or a financial Methodology model to a whole-scale phenomenon, nowadays Research is based on a sample of approximately affecting every part of the ‘social body.’ 500+ organizations, ranging from Parties, Trade This process could even support Grunig’s Fourth Unions, Embassies, Associations, Confedera- Model. The key elements in this frame are com- tions, Chambers of Commerce, and other top petence and responsibility: representative orga- tier Italian organizations from the vast ‘interme- nizations should be able to “listen” and provide diation landscape.’ valuable information and communication, and 4 ABSTRACTS 150 First, an on-line Questionnaire with closed-re- A world in which Governments and in general sponses is going to be e-mailed to these organi- complex organizations reached an all-time low zations to report on various statistics concerning in terms of trust: instead of vainly trying to re- topics such as integrated reporting (before/after gain their lost status, the representative bodies Covid-19), communication tools, stakeholder should aim to achieve a new role, moving to- relationships systems, organizational concerns, wards an alternative ’horizontal/circular/gram- and policies. matical’ paradigm: that of neo-intermediation. Second, the Leaders of a selection from these or- The last part of the essay will investigate further ganizations will be interviewed in-person. They if and where the Public Relator is still perceived will also be asked about the challenges they had as the best candidate to support the “intermedi- to face before and during the pandemic; the ate organizations.” With their implied capability changes they had to introduce to structure, poli- to improve the quality of stakeholder relation- cies, organization, reporting, resource allocation; ships for private, public, and social organiza-how they managed adaptation to the new sce- tions, public relations can create measurable so- nario, and their forecasting regarding the future cial capital within-and-amongst them and their of intermediation as a whole. respective territories and stakeholders. This pro- cess is based mainly on listening, instead of add- Finally, the descriptive article will integrate and ing just more “propaganda” to an already over-re-analyse the research findings as qualitative exerted context. and quantitative benchmarks to build on a new hypothesis of “-mediation landscape” (see the As such, the Public Relator could lead the rep- Scheme below). resentative bodies through the difficult transition from being “dispensers of truth,” as they Results and conclusions pretended to be at the end of the “intermedi- In the light of the research results, whose first ation-era,” to “enablers of meaning,” as players findings will be available by June, the initial able to guide the citizenship in an over-complex hypothesis of this essay will be challenged and world effectively. In this scenario, authoritative- therefore updated to provide a ‘minimum viable ness will come from the capability to represent definition’ of a constructive concept of “neo-in- complexity and ambiguity, leading to a new termediation” as a vital factor for the proper “representativeness” model for the ‘neointerme- functioning of organizations into a disinterme- diated’ organization. diated world. Keywords: Neo-intermediation, Representative Bodies, Trust, Reputation, Relationship Governance Models. 4 ABSTRACTS 151 A female communication trailblazer by any standard: South Africa’s Prof. Ronèl Rensburg le Roux, Tanya, Bournemouth University (UK) Du Plessis, Neeltje, University of Pretoria (South Africa) INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE OF THE cal roles, Prof Ronèl Rensburg, stood out as STUDY an anomaly. This study aims to celebrate the achievements and investigate the factors that led Prof Ronèl Rensburg, former Head of the Divi- to Ronèl’s success as a corporate communication sion of Communication Management at the Uni- professional and academic. versity of Pretoria, had a profound impact on the development and recognition of communication LITERATURE REVIEW management as a discipline in South Africa. Her influence however, was also acknowledged glob- Being an academic requires a person to excel in ally. research, teaching and academic citizenship. Ac- ademic citizenship can be defined as: “the service Ronèl led research that informed the King Re- behaviors carried out within and outside orga- ports of Corporate Governance in South Africa nizational boundaries, are in fact cornerstones and that was taken up into corporate reporting of university functioning…” (Tagliaventi et al regulations. She was the 8th female president 2019:1057). of PRISA (Public Relations Institute of South- ern Africa), and received PRISA Fellowship in However, maintaining a balance between the tri- 2015 in acknowledgement of her work in public part sets of tasks, can be very challenging for relations and communication management ed-academics. Some academics orientate towards a ucation and practice regionally, nationally and specific aspect of these tasks, to the detriment of internationally. the other tasks. While others, try to “do it all”, without great achievements as seen from an in- Globally she also made an impact and was a ternational perspective (Tagliaventi et al 2019). Global Alliance for Public Relations and Com- munication Management (GA) board member, In addition, it is argued that female professors and regularly contributed as evaluator to the place more importance on the specific tasks of International Association for Business Commu-mentoring than their male counterparts, which nication’s (IABC) Blue Ribbon Gold Quill Eval- can be argued to hold back the careers of female uation Panels, amongst others. academics (Macfarlane & Burg, 2019). A cer- tain combination of the “right personality” traits In an academic world dominated by males and is also argued to determine the person’s success a profession that relegates females to techni- (Islam et al 2018). 4 ABSTRACTS 152 Furthermore, South Africa faced great social PRACTICAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS and political challenges in the time that Ronèl worked on establishing recognition for a profes- Overall, the lived experience of Ronèl seems to sion, typically relegated to secretaries as a tech- move closer to the placeful university concept nical function. discussed by Nørgård and Bengtsen (2016). Placefulness supports a university that engages Given all the above, the odds seemed stacked and collaborates with others through dialogue, against a South African female academic, trying openness, democracy, care and joint responsibil- to promote the communication discipline. ity, in essence where the academic, on behalf of the university, takes the lead in collaboration with RESEARCH AIM AND METHOD others. Thereby not only living by the outputs of The aim of this paper will be to (i) discuss research products (Dean & Forray, 2018), or Ronel’s scientific contribution to the public re-students being delivered, but becoming part of lations and communication management disci- the societal discussion and development. plines, (ii) her contribution to the profession The researchers propose that Ronèl’s personality through liaison with professional bodies, (iii) of determination, endless energy and a passion leadership roles she took in academia, and (iv) for the discipline, were crucial in propelling her her contribution to the wider communication impact to such a wide audience. However, in the community through education and mentorship. end, her drive to make a societal contribution, Furthermore, (v) the factors that led to her suc- set her apart. cess as professional and academic will be explored. Keywords: Ronèl Rensburg, academic citizenship, public relations, communication management, place-The data will be gathered through a fact and fulness, historiography event-oriented approach to historiography by analysing historical and academic archives, con- ducting interviews and through personal recol- lections (Raaz & Wehmeier, 2011:261). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The research aims to show how a dual focus on national and international commitment, provid- ed a pathway to superior academic citizenship for Ronèl, while considering the challenges she had to overcome in her career. We conclude that not all academics can hope to have such an im- pact and that a combination of the right person- ality in terms of having a proactive personality and conscientiousness (Islam et al 2018), pas- sion, available time, intellectual ability, and so forth, need to be harnessed to truly achieve the coveted successful tri-part sets of tasks outlined for academics. 4 ABSTRACTS 153 Communicating reliable Covid-19 information: WhatsApp lessons to be learned le Roux, Tanya, Bournemouth University (UK) Van Niekerk, Dewald, North-West University (South Africa) Introduction and purpose of the study 89% of the population in South Africa (Kemp 2020), and the usage is spread evenly across South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, all generations (Iqbal 2021). In the first 7 acted swiftly when the threat of Coronavirus weeks the app had reached 6.2 million users was identified. To manage the situation the (Preakelt.org, 2020c). Disaster Management Act of 2002 was ac- tivated, lockdown instituted from 27 March The success of this app was hailed in South 2020 and a National Command Council put Africa, and the WhatsApp application was in place to give guidance to government. At adopted by the World Health Organisation this point it was recognised that the South (WHO) (Kazeem 2020). The WHO applica-African economy was already struggling and tion of the WhatsApp application has reached would be crippled by the lockdown, and simi- 50 million people globally (Matiashe 2020). lar to other countries, that a lockdown would escalate political and social tensions. Although the need and usefulness of the app is agreed, only a small percentage (6.2 million) In reply to the recognition that misinforma- of the South African population of 60 million, tion would be the “other” pandemic to man- accessed the app. In addition, mistruths were age, as was also seen in other African coun- still circulating, and behaviour change was tries (Kazeem, 2020), South Africa’s National slow to adapted in some instances. Department of Health swiftly set up an auto- mated WhatsApp service, Covid-19 Connect, This raises the question as to what the impact where citizens could get up to date informa- of the WhatsApp app was, especially consider- tion on the pandemic. It was deemed import- ing the aim of risk communication is to influ- ant for the government to have a direct line to ence citizen behaviour to become less risky by the public to give accurate information quick- providing scientific information. This paper ly. The app gave the latest statistics on cases, aims to understand the success criteria for the but also guidelines for isolating, travel advice, app, as well as lessons learned from its imple- information on symptoms, and information to mentation as viewed by the app managers. dismiss myths and misconceptions. The app was used together with government briefings and advertisements on various channels. In addition, WhatsApp is accessible and used by 4 ABSTRACTS 154 Literature review African government in securing up to date and true information reaching their citizens. When reacting to a disaster, communities It provided a foundation for other integrated make use of the information available to them communication strategies to follow and build to guide their actions. Especially given the upon. availability of information, and the ease for people to create messages on electronic chan-It is expected that the respondents will report nels like WhatsApp, truth-management be- some challenges in the upkeep of information, comes challenging. Strategic communication and impact on citizen behaviour. It is also ex-management advocates an approach where pected that the pre-Covid trust relationship stakeholder-created communication is not between the government and citizens might limited or disregarded, but where a proactive have influenced the impact of the app on be- approach to guide the conversation is encour- havioural change. aged. The results from the first phase of the study The Sendai Framework for disaster Risk Re- are limited, as the view from those that devel- duction 2015-2030 (UNISDR, 2015) high- oped and implemented the app may be more lights a strong focus on pre-disaster coop- favourable towards its success. However, this eration between government and citizens, to information may also provide valuable insight enhance in-disaster collaboration. In addition, on the management aspects related to the app. by implication, the government stay respon- Adding the view from the citizens on the suc- sible for accurate communication during the cess of the app in phase two, would provide pandemic. Most importantly, communica- further insight into the use of an app during tion from governments should be deemed a pandemic. trustworthy in order to result in behavioural change. Practical and social implications Methodology Lessons learnt from this case could strengthen future applications of WhatsApp use for infor- This paper delivers information on the first mation sharing during times of crisis. phase of a larger project to understand the value and management implications of the Keywords: WhatsApp; Risk communication; WhatsApp app used during the pandemic in Covid-19; Pandemic South Africa. Semi-structured interviews with the main players managing the app are ongo- ing and will inform the findings of the first phase. Five key players from government and the app developing company, were identified for the interviews. The second phase of the research, reported at a later stage, will under- stand the view from the citizens on the app. Results and conclusions The creation of a WhatsApp information shar- ing channel was a quick win for the South 4 ABSTRACTS 155 Character Assassination as Crisis Producer: The Cocreational Perspective Samoilenko, Sergei A., George Mason University (USA) Introduction and purpose of the study derstanding the needs and wants of various publics rather than simply focusing on message This presentation will examine the causes and production (Botan, 2018). The importance of effects of character assassination campaigns as being publics‐centered is therefore fundamental main producers of reputational crises in the age to the cocreational model. This meta-theoretic of social media. Character assassination (CA) view of SC will be elaborated upon next. Under refers to the strategic effort to discredit an indithe cocreational model, a public is understood to vidual or group target via subversive communi- be an “interpretative community cation. Traditional research on CA sees subver- sive communication mainly from the functional engaged in an ongoing process of developing a perspective – as a means to an end, a tool in the shared understanding of its relationship with a hands of a group or organization that can differ substantial- ly from that of the organization” (Botan, 2018, powerful attacker. This presentation intruduces p. 59). the cocreational perspective of CA in the epoch of social media which highlights the key role of Strategic subversive campaigns appeal to in- various publics in the production of CA cam- vested and motivated stakeholders that have a paigns. It permits us to make sense of the re- legitimate interest in a particular public figure lational complexity of reputational crises that or organization. This is particularly evident in are jointly produced by interdependent publics. crisis situations when the targets of attacks are Importantly, it is a commonly accepted fact that surrounded by active investors who capitalize on social media have changed the perception of CA the collapse of the target’s reputation. These in- as a tool in the hands of power structures. How vested stakeholders (the media, bloggers, activ- do social media enable subversive actors cre- ists, competitors, etc.) also seek to develop CA ate reputational crises targeting government events that often cause strong public reactions. officials in authoritarian political systems? As noted by Coombs and Holladay (2020), This presentation discusses the use of kompromat, stakeholders can even push management to or compromising materials, against the Russian change problematic behavior by threatening to political establishment in subversive campaigns harm the corporate image of their company. produced by political activist Alexei Navalny. Social networking sites provide strategic actors Literature review with resources to realize subversive campaigns in both liberal democracies and authoritarian The cocreational perspective sees SC as planned societies. In authoritarian political systems, gov- campaigns that are based on studying and un- ernments no longer have a monopoly on CA.It 4 ABSTRACTS 156 is now available as a power resource to non-sys- Practical and social implications temic actors. This discussion of CA through the lens of cocre- Methodology ational theory illuminates multiple directions for further scholarly investigations of this surpris- This presentation utilizes the case study ap- ingly overlooked topic. More research is need- proach. The case of Russian political activist ed to explain whether the effects of subversive Alexei Navalny demonstrates the power of sub- campaigns by political activist Alexey Navalny versive campaigns in authoritarian societies with will persist in the face of ongoing state efforts to a developed internet ecosystem. shape and control the development of the public Results and conclusions sphere. These state activities include tightening censorship of internet media, suppressing incon- The participatory culture of internet media has venient narratives with pro-government propa- translated cocreational theory into practice. In- ganda, and normalizing peer pressure on dissent ternet technologies streamline the production through fake-grassroots campaigns. More emand implementation of cocreated subversive pirical research is required to measure the effects campaigns even in authoritarian contexts. Ac-of authoritarian manipulation of the internet by tivist and social movement campaigns represent countries like China and Russia popular forms of online subversion. Subversive campaigns that produce CA events now develop Keywords: character assassination, crisis commu-almost instantaneously and in an unpredictable nication, reputational crisis, political communica-manner due to high connectivity and a great- tion, reputation er number of individual and collective contrib- utors. This reality reduces the effectiveness of traditional crisis management strategies and prevents organizations from controlling for multi- ple risks. 4 ABSTRACTS 157 Covid-19 vaccine effectiveness: regional differences in online reporting of media outlets from vaccine-manufacturing countries Selaković, Marko, S P Jain School of Global Management (U.A.E.) Ljepava, Nikolina, American University in the Emirates (U.A.E.) Gallant, Monica, S P Jain School of Global Management (U.A.E.) Introduction and purpose of the study tries. Various sources describe the emergence of fake news during COVID-19 pandemic, in- The research aims to compare the reporting of cluding numerous misleading content articles web portals of mainstream media outlets on the related to COVID-19 vaccine. Given the fact effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines in the that COVID-19 vaccine is recognized by litera- four vaccine-manufacturing countries - USA, ture as diplomatic tool of health diplomacy, it is United Kingdom, Russian Federation, and China. critically important to understand if mainstream The present study intends to examine the pres- media outlets from different countries that pro- ence of false or misleading information in re- duce COVID-19 vaccine engage in creation and porting on vaccines produced in other countries distribution of false context, misleading content, compared to the vaccines produced at the origin manipulated content or fabricated content relat- of the media outlet. Furthermore, the study ex- ed to COVID-19 vaccines that originate from plores whether vaccine-related reporting is used the other countries. Following the findings that as supporting tool for health diplomacy beyond media can engage to support the diplomatic the borders of the countries of origin of the efforts, it is important to understand if main-mainstream media. stream media outlets from four countries that Literature review produce COVID-19 vaccines have engaged as supporters and advocates of health diplomacy of Sanders and Jones (2018) identified six cate- their countries. gories of fake news, including false connection, misleading content, false context, imposter con- Methodology tent, manipulated content and fabricated con- Comparative content analysis of the web portals tent. In any of the described forms, fake news of mainstream media outlets in English language is having significant agenda setting power, af-from the USA, UK, Russia, and China for the pe- fecting the audience across various mainstream riod November 2020 – January 2021 has been and online media outlets. Body of literature con- undertaken to identify the news published about tains description of the agenda-setting role of COVID-19 vaccines. In order to identify possi-fake news in four vaccine-manufacturing coun- 4 ABSTRACTS 158 ble discrepancies between media reporting and and support unfavorable reporting about vac- reality, content of the news has been compared cines produced in other countries. None of the with COVID-19 vaccine specification provided media outlets reported negatively about the vac- by producers (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, cines produced in their countries. Reporting of Sinopharm) and with the announcements pro- media outlets clearly demonstrates the existence vided on the government and governmental en- of two blocs of media engaged to support health tities` websites. diplomacy – one consisting of United States and United Kingdom, and another, consisting of Rus- Results and conclusions sian Federation and China. Limited number of The study confirmed engagement of mainstream mainstream media sources in English language media outlets from the USA, UK, Russia and from Russian Federation and China, and rela- China in creation of fake news and negative re- tively short time span for inclusion of the news ports about COVID-19 vaccines whose produc- published by the portals of mainstream media ers do not originate from the same country as outlets are the main limitations of this research. mainstream media outlet. In total, 23 examples Practical and social implications of false context and misleading content news re- lated to the vaccines of other producers, origi- The study provides insights to communication nating from mainstream media outlets, had been professionals and society about mechanisms of identified across all four countries. Majority of creation and spread of fake news in the context the identified examples can be classified as false of agenda-setting for favorable acceptance of the content fake news, with high level of facticity, vaccines originating from certain countries. high intention to deceive the audience and indi- rect motivation for sharing. Unfavorable report- Keywords: COVID-19, online communication, ing and spreading false content about Sinopharm fake news, media studies, health diplomacy vaccine has been especially noticeable from the end of US-based media outlets, while unfavor- References able reporting and spreading false content about Sanders, A. K., & Jones, R. L. (2018). Clicks at Pfizer vaccine has been especially noticeable Any Cost: Why Regulation Won’t Upend the from the end of Russia-based mainstream media Economics of Fake News. Business, Entrepre- outlets. Further, spillovers of negative articles neurship & Tax Law Review, 2(2), 339-358. about Sinopharm and Sputnik V vaccines have been noticed in the countries that have adopted Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccine, and vice versa. Spreading false information about Astra Zeneca vaccine has not been noticed in US-based media outlets, while spreading false information about Pfizer vaccine has not been noticed in UK-based media outlets. Chinese media outlets in English language are not reporting negatively or falsely about Sputnik V vaccine, while Russian media outlets do not report negatively about Sino- pharm vaccine. Mainstream media outlets an- alyzed within this research are using examples across the world to create false context news 4 ABSTRACTS 159 Social Media Guidelines in the Workplace: Stimulating or Restricting Employee Social Media Use? Soens, Ellen, Ghent University (Belgium) Claeys, An-Sofie, Ghent University (Belgium) Introduction and purpose of the study strictive formulation, focusing on avoiding risks and limiting work-related social media use. Two Employees are increasingly using social media at experimental studies examine the effectiveness work, for work and about work. Therefore, many of these types of guidelines in terms of employee organizations implement social media guide- branding behavior and guideline recall, as well lines to minimize the risks (e.g., the spread of as their impact on the organization-employee criticism) and maximize the opportunities as- relationship. sociated with employee social media use (e.g., ambassadorship). Prior research on social media Second, research indicates that most organiza- guidelines is predominantly descriptive and fo- tions write their social media guidelines in a cused on the organizational perspective. We thus conversational style as opposed to a more tra- have little or no idea about the actual impact of ditional, corporate style (Johnston, 2015). Such social media guidelines on employees. The pur- conversational style can help organizations to pose of this study is to investigate how these adopt a conversational human voice, which has guidelines affect employees’ social media-related already proven to generate benefits (e.g., posi- behaviors on the one hand and attitudes toward tive word-of-mouth) when communicating with their employer on the other hand. external publics. The first study, therefore, ex- amines guideline style as a potential moderator Literature review in the impact of guideline content. Third, some Although research has not examined the impact organizations demand employees to sign the so- of social media guidelines on employees, some cial media policy (O’Connor et al., 2016). This advice has been formulated on how these guide- is believed to enhance their guideline recall and lines can be drafted and communicated. First, understanding. As such, the second study inves-communication scholars generally recommend tigates the potential moderating effect of how to formulate social media guidelines in an in-the guidelines are imposed on employees. centive way, focusing on opportunities and stim- Lastly, the approach employers take regarding ulating employee social media use (e.g., Stohl et their social media policy can determine wheth- al., 2017). Legal scholars, by contrast, advise or- er employees feel as if their freedom has been ganizations to protect themselves by means of limited. According to reactance theory (Brehm unambiguous and strict guidelines (e.g., O’Con- & Brehm, 1981), people who feel that their nor et al., 2016). This aligns with a rather re-freedom is threatened, can experience reactance. 4 ABSTRACTS 160 This reactance can cause employees to resent search should examine the overall impact of hav-their employer and display the exact behavior ing a formal social media policy on reactance. that the policy aimed to prevent. As such, the To do so, a control condition can be included second study also explores the role of reactance in which participants receive no guideline at all. as a potential mediator. Practical and social implications Methodology An organization’s reputation is increasingly To examine the causal impact of social media shaped by what employees say and do on social guidelines on employees’ attitudes and behavior, media. Communication and public relations ex- two online experiments were conducted among ecutives are, therefore, in need of best practices Belgian men and women who worked for an or- on how to appropriately guide employees’ social ganization consisting of at least 20 ( N = 212; media behavior. Our findings can help execu-Study 1) or 50 employees ( N = 222; Study 2). tives to draft social media guidelines in a way Participants read a fictitious social media poli- that increases the opportunities (e.g., ambassa- cy that was manipulated in terms of focus (i.e. dorship) and reduces the risks (e.g., criticism) restrictive vs. incentive) and style (i.e. conver-associated with employee social media use, while sational vs. corporate; Study 1) or enforcement also safeguarding the organization-employee re- (signature requested vs. not requested; Study 2). lationship. Results and conclusions Keywords: Social Media, Guidelines, Employee Communication, Ambassadorship, Organiza- Results indicate that restrictive guidelines suc- tion-Employee Relationship ceed best at enhancing guideline recall. Incen- tive guidelines, by contrast, are most beneficial for stimulating employee branding behavior on social media, while safeguarding the organiza- tion-employee relationship at the same time. The guidelines’ style and manner of enforcement did not seem to matter. A key recommendation for employers that want to draft social media guidelines is, therefore, to do so in an incentive rather than a restrictive way. However, the find- ings also show that solid social media guidelines will not make up for an organization’s initial bad reputation among employees. The organization- al reputation among employees affected their social media behavior and relationship with the employer more strongly than the focus and for- mulation of social media guidelines. Finally, our research does not indicate that dis- tinct types of social media guidelines affect re- actance differently. However, results show that reactance can negatively influence employees’ attitudes and social media behavior. Future re- 4 ABSTRACTS 161 Social Media as a Gift and Curse in Crisis Communication: A Study on Turkish Public Relations Practitioners Sohodol, Çisil, Bahçeşehir University (Turkey) Suher, İdil Karademirlidağ, Bahçeşehir University (Turkey) Geysi, Nilüfer, Bahçeşehir University (Turkey) Introduction and Purpose The impact of social media on crisis communi- cation has been seriously debated all around the As social media has been causing a redefinition world. However, studies that include recommen- of communication function in general, its effects dations for use of social media in crisis com-on crisis communication are quite remarkable. munication are mostly disorganized (Lachlan, The ongoing change of social media has made Spence and Eith, 2014) and research on how PR the crisis environment much more complicated practitioners in Turkey approach social media (Lee, 2020) that has led to the evolution of cri- in terms of crisis communication is extremely sis communication practice and understanding. limited. This study aims to explore views of PR The purpose of this study was to examine how practitioners related to the role of social media Turkish public relations (PR) practitioners eval- in crisis communication in Turkey. uate social media in terms of its threats and Methodology opportunities for crisis communication, and its effects on crisis consulting process. It also aimed The present study followed an exploratory ap-to take recommendations to use social media proach and utilized qualitative semi-structured more effectively during crisis communication. in-depth interviewing method with 20 senior PR practitioners who work in agencies that are Literature Review members of Turkish Public Relations Associa- In crisis communication field, social media is tion (TUHID) and Communication Consultan-generally considered as both a gift and curse cies Association of Turkey (IDA). The partici- (Cheng, 2016) since it can trigger or inflame pants were chosen through purposive sampling crises (Pang et al., 2014) and can help organi- technique. All interviews were conducted online zations to prevent them, respond better or learn via between June and August 2020. After data from crises (Lin et al., 2016). In digital age, it collection process, interviews were subjected to plays a crucial role to know how social media a thematic analysis which indicated 14 themes should be used and managed before, during or based on the research questions. after a crisis. 4 ABSTRACTS 162 Results and Conclusions results are also insightful for highlighting dynamics of Turkish context. The findings showed that Turkish PR practi- tioners mostly regard social media as a curse Keywords: crisis management, Turkish PR indus-rather than a gift due to number of threats they try, crisis consulting, digital crisis communication asserted about social media. This study revealed two significant risks which are relatively less References mentioned in the crisis communication litera- ture. The first one was the inexperience of the Cheng, Y. (2016). How social media is chang- digital content agencies in sensing the risks that ing crisis communication strategies: Evidence may cause a crisis. Another serious risk was re- from the updated literature. Journal of Contin- lated to context of Turkey discussing opposing gencies and Crisis Management, 26(1), 58–68. parties on social media created by the polariza- Lachlan, K. A., Spence, P. R., & Eith, C. A. tion in Turkey which are likely to put organiza- (2014). Risk, crisis, and emergency commu- tions in a dangerous position any moment. nication in developing countries: identifying the needs of urban populations. In Strategic When it comes to crisis consulting practice, all Urban Health Communication (pp. 65-76). participants agreed upon the view that crisis New York: Springer. communication consultancy has risen to the top among the services most demanded from them. Lee, S. Y. (2020). Stealing thunder as a cri-In addition, it was a common view that it has sis communication strategy in the digital become very difficult to develop scenarios due age. Business Horizons, 63(6), 801-810. to the increasing difficulty of making predictions Lin, X., Spence, P. R., Sellnow, T. L., & Lachlan, in this new world. The majority of the partici-K. A. (2016). Crisis communication, learning pants recommended an emphasis on relationship and responding: Best practices in social me- building and two-way communication opportu- dia. Computers in Human Behavior, 65, 601- nities with key stakeholders on social media in 605. proactive crisis communication phase which is Pang, A., Hassan, N. B.B.A., & Chong, A. C. Y. underutilized due to workload in agencies. (2014). Negotiating crisis in the social media There were two main limitations in this study. environment: Evolution of crises online, gain- Firstly, only PR agencies that are members of ing credibility offline. Corporate Communica-TUHID and IDA were included in the study. tions: An International Journal, 19(1), 96–118. Future studies could include other PR agencies to widen the scope of the research. Secondly, it only discussed consulting services; further stud- ies could examine the organizational part of the crisis communication to compare both sides. Practical and Social Implications This paper presents a comprehensive and up- to-date crisis communications guide to com- munication professionals that includes practical recommendations and emphasizes risks and op- portunities that social media brings along. The 4 ABSTRACTS 163 Public Health Crises: Communicating Risk and Lessons Learned from the Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic Tachkova, Elina R., College Station (USA) Brannon, Grace Ellen, University of Texas Arlington (USA) Introduction mands are (1) anxiety, (2) empathy, (3) effi- cacy, and (4) fatigue, (5) reach and (6) threat. The COVID-19 pandemic created new and un- Additionally, the Health Belief Model (HBM) is precedented challenges for public sector risk a theoretical framework in health communica- communicators. The wildfire spread of the virus tion used to explain health behaviors (Becker, together with people’s perceived low suscepti-1974). Furthermore, it is often applied to guide bility to the risk of contracting the virus created health promotion and improve disease pre-new concerns for risk and crisis communication, vention programs. This study utilizes Coombs’ but in particular for public health officials. This propositions together with the HBM in order paper aims to investigate the communicative re- to examine how various public health organi- sponse to COVID-19 of various public sector zations across the United States communicated organizations in the U.S. Local public health or- about the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. ganizations are often overlooked as crisis com- municators, which in turn negatively affects the Methodology quality and efficacy of their risk communication efforts (Coombs, 2020). This pilot study employs a content analysis to examine various communication efforts of sev- Studying unique and challenging crisis cases like eral local health organizations across the United this one is a way of learning about crisis man- States, with the sample including the East Coast agement and communication while simultane- (i.e., New York), West Coast (i.e., California), ously providing information for designing health and Central (i.e., Texas) areas. These areas are interventions. chosen specifically because of their later infamy of being COVID-19 hotspots within the United Literature Review States. COVID-19 created specific communication de- Specifically, we will examine communication mands which also have implications for future disseminated via traditional and social media for risk and crisis communication efforts. Coombs the first two weeks of March 2020. This time (2020) proposes six major areas explored thor- frame is appropriate for the purposes of the ough the lens of the Extended Parallel Process study because this is the time when the spread of Model (EPPM) which could be applied to the virus was still in its infancy and federal, state COVID-19 communication efforts. These de-and local authorities were eager to slow it down. 4 ABSTRACTS 164 The second half of March 2020 was marked by ing threat of pandemics and sudden health crises nation-wide lockdowns and mandatory stay-at- is there. Public sector organizations must con- home orders which were guided by Centers for tinue to be ready to manage such outbreaks for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommenda- both this and future pandemics. More research tion. The most obvious limitation of the study is on the communicative aspect of health-related the fact that it is based in the U. S. context. How-messages for the public are needed to improve ever, since the United States has had the highest health and governmental organizations’ commu- reported death and infection rates in response to nication efforts in attempts to ultimately meet the pandemic, it is also important to understand the needs of the public. why the crisis response has failed, particularly from a communication standpoint. Keywords: risk communication, public health crises, crisis management Results This is a pilot exploratory study and thus general- izing the results would be challenging. However, this opens the door for future research. Specif- ically, examining Coombs’ (2020) extension of the EPPM applied for crisis communication on the COVID-19 pandemic along with the HBM (Becker, 1974) will allow for future experimen- tal research to determine the options that health and governmental organizations have regarding message content for future health crises. Practical Implications The purpose of this study is to identify how public health organizations across the United States approached the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemics are especially serious threats to public health or- ganizations and to society because of world trav- el and globalization (Morens & Fauci, 2013). It is therefore important to study and understand how risk messages are constructed. Examining the content of public health announcements will enable researchers to improve risk and crisis communication. This would be beneficial for both constituents who receive such information and agencies who are responsible for creating it. Moreover, the idea is to study this type of public health risk communication in order to be able to identify gaps and address possible issues hinder- ing the effectiveness of the messages. Although COVID-19 is unique in many ways, the underly- 4 ABSTRACTS 165 How crises affect internal communication channel preference Tkalac Verčič, Ana, University of Zagreb (Croatia) Verčič, Dejan, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) Špoljarić, Anja, University of Zagreb (Croatia) Introduction and purpose of the study used is media richness theory (Daft and Len- gel, 1986). The theory combines the richness In late 2019 we explored how the choice of in- of a medium and the equivocality of a task to ternal communication media influences internal determine the effectiveness of a communication communication satisfaction. In order to test this medium. In internal communication using rich relationship, we started with an analysis of the media, such as face-to-face communication, adds most commonly used internal communication to organizations’ effective and symmetrical com-channels in large companies. We completed em- munication since it allows feedback and internal pirical work in twelve large corporations and dialogues (Men, 2014). Technological devel-linked the results to employees’ satisfaction and opment is significantly changing the rules of all media choice. In March 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pan- communication, including internal communica- demic interfered and temporarily stopped our tion. Various social media, that range from blogs work in the field. In October 2020 we resumed to social networks, bring with them interactivity, our fieldwork and completed auditing twelve the possibility of two-way communication and more companies. This real-life experiment with employee engagement (Crescenzo, 2011). So- pre- and during/post-crisis condition enable us cial media can be a powerful dialogue creating to expanded the analysis by testing how the same channels that can have an indirect influence on relationship after the pandemic changed the im- traditional media (Berger, 2008; Lee, 2018). portance of individual internal communication New media channels could prove to be helpful in channels. fostering listening skills and high-quality face- Literature review to-face communication (Rhee, 2004). Organizational choice of communication chan- Methodology nels depends on a series of factors such as an In order to answer the research question, we organization’s size, profile, culture, environmen-applied three predesigned measurement instru- tal culture, as well as employees’ qualifications ments, as a part of a larger communication sur- or the level of technical development (Dévényi, vey, among 3037 employees from 24 large com- 2016). Each medium means a different kind of panies. The communication survey was a part of engagement and defines the scale and speed of a four-year Croatian national scientific project communication. When discussing effectiveness to map out internal communication. The choice of various channels for communicating with of organizations that were approached within employees one of the most common theories the project was based on the typical unit crite- 4 ABSTRACTS 166 ria. In selecting the organizations for the sample, Keywords: Internal communication, internal com-the project team reached a consensus on what is munication channels, crisis internal communication. considered typical and which criteria should be typical. Number of employees range from 30 up References to 10 000. Within each company, significant ef- fort was made to include representative samples Daft, R. L., & Lengel, R. H. (1986). Organiza- of employees. tional information requirements, media rich- ness and structural design. Management Science, Results and conclusion 32(5), 554–571. Dévényi, M. (2016). The role of integrative Results for the original twelve companies showed strategies and tactics in HR negotiations. Stra-that modality of communication is connected tegic Management, 21(2), 32–36. with communication satisfaction. We are in the process of data analysis of additional fourteen Men, L. R. (2014). Strategic internal communi-companies and the comparison between the two cation: Transformational leadership, commu- data sets. We will complete our research before nication channels, and employee satisfaction. July 2021. Management Communication Quarterly, 28(2), 264–284. Practical and social implications Organizational environment is turbulent and management has to prepare and plan for crises. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is an example of external crises that can affect internal dynamics of organizations. Knowing how satisfaction with different internal communication channels changes in crises can be a valuable input for cri- sis preparedness. 4 ABSTRACTS 167 Office Culture and the Communications Industry in England: The Role of Social Interactions and Banter on Carrer Progression for Women in Public Relations, Advertising and Journalism Topić, Martina, Leeds Beckett University (UK) Introduction and Purpose of the Study study. Whilst there are lots of papers analysing the position of women, papers usually do not The study explores the office culture in the com-analyse cultural masculinities and structural and munications industry in England (journalism, everyday barriers to career progression and ex- advertising, public relations) with a particular periences in the industry. The research using so-emphasis on the position of women and wom- ciological theory and approaches is even more en’s perceptions of the office culture, including scarce. an emphasis on social interactions and banter. The study is conceptually grounded in exploring Methodology and Framework cultural masculinities in the public relations in- dustry in England and its impact on life oppor- Through the study of early socialisation expe- tunities for women practitioners. riences and using works from organisational studies analysing cultural masculinities in or- Literature Review ganisations, I have conceptualised the concept of blokishness as encompassing communication Studies on women in journalism have been and behaviour that comes naturally to men rath-showing for a while that women have to merge er than women due to the socialisation process. to masculine newsrooms and become blokish to I am using Bourdieu’s (2007) habitus theory succeed (Mills, 2014; 2017; Topić, 2018). While and the Difference Approach in feminism (Tan- some women can embrace masculine identities nen, 1995; 1990; 1986; Yule, 2006) to argue and merge into man’s way of doing things, in- that organisations are masculine habitus where cluding engaging in masculine banter and doing women who want to succeed have to embrace things the way the men do, many women are characteristics usually ascribed to men such as unable to do this and thus fall off the ladder and directness, boldness, lack of empathy, compet- end up leaving the profession. While blokishness itiveness, toughness, etc. These characteristics is mentioned in papers on journalism, studies naturally come to men due to socialisation pro-do not usually conceptualise this term, which is cess (Bourdieu, 2007), however, my research what this paper tackles using journalism, adver- shows that there are women who succeed in the tising and public relations industries as a case masculine world due to having these character- 4 ABSTRACTS 168 istics, and the link between their behaviour and usually as successful as men), this is not always communication comes from early socialisation the case in public relations (where women are process where these women have been socialised called ‘comms girls’ and PR labelled as ‘fluffy’) with boys rather than girls, and thus they em- or advertising (where women face open sexism, braced masculine characteristics. sexual harassment and are often openly told they cannot do certain aspects of job because they To that end, I have conducted 41 interviews are not good enough as women), however, the with women from advertising, 24 interviews data indicates that even in these two industries with women from public relations and 20 inter- women who embrace masculinities fare and suc- views with women from journalism. Saturation ceed better and that communications industry in has been reached in all three samples, and sam- England functions as a masculine habitus (albeit ples also have a geographical diversity and thus with some differences across industries). women from both north and south of England have been interviewed. Thematic analysis has Practical and Social Implications been used for the analysis of data. Organisations should design policies on the of- While this paper derives from the programme fice culture to ensure equality and respectful of three different projects I have designed, led work environment for everyone. Conscious- and implemented since 2018, and the projects ness-raising is needed across industries because have analysed lived experiences, office culture many women do not recognise oppression in the and leadership, in this paper, I am focusing on form of social interactions and its effect on the the office culture and masculine habitus across position of women nor many women recognise three industries to show how women in three what constitutes sexism and masculine practice, industries negotiate and manage their feminine which prevents meaningful activism. identities and what structural barriers women in communications industries face. The research Keywords: women, public relations, advertising, particularly looks at the role of early socialisa-journalism, blokishness, cultural masculinities, Ention in being able to interact in offices and the gland impact of office culture on career progression. I am particularly focusing on social interactions References and banter in offices and its link with exclusions Bourdieu, P. (2007), Masculine Domination, and career barriers. Cambridge, Polity Press. Findings Mills, E. (2017), “How to Deal with Men”, Brit- ish Journalism Review, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 5–7. Findings show that across three industries wom- en face masculinities and the so-called ‘boys Mills, E. (2014), “Why Do the Best Jobs Go to clubs’, which result in exclusion from business Men?”, British Journalism Review, Vol. 25 No. 3, decisions and career barriers. This is in large pp. 17-23. part perpetuated with gendered social interac- Tannen, D. (1995), “The Power of Talk: Who tions, which often results in segregation in of- Gets Heard and Why”, Harvard Business Review, fices and banter. However, there are differences September-October (pp. 139-149). between industries. For example, whilst women Tannen, D. (1990), You Just Don’t Understand, have to merge and become blokish in journal-New York, Penguin Random House. ism to succeed (and if they succeed, they are 4 ABSTRACTS 169 Tannen, D. (1986), That’s Not What I Meant! New York, Penguin Random House. Topić, M. (2018), “Not Bloke-ified enough? Women Journalists, Supermarket Industry and the Debate on Sugar in the British Press (2010-2015)”, Newspaper Research Journal, Vol. 39 No. 4, pp. 433-44. Yule, G. (2006), The Study of Language, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. 4 ABSTRACTS 170 Frames, Rationalities, and Image Repair Responses of Public Officials in the 2018 wildfire disaster of Mati in Greece Triantafillidou, Amalia, University of Western Macedonia (Greece) Yannas, Prodromos, University of West Attica (Greece) Introduction and Purpose of Study lies on quantifiable information. The rationali- ty of caring is long term, appeals to tradition This paper attempts to investigate the Greek and political culture and underlines the care for government’s communication on the natural fire the welfare of the community. Because the two disaster of Mati, a seaside residential area in the rationalities are not mutually exclusive, we also Attica region in July 2018. The disaster killed include in-between positions along the spectrum 102 people, uprooted families, left psychological offering variable mixes of technical-instrumental scars on victim’s relatives and friends and de- and rationality of caring. Obviously, the ratio- stroyed many properties. These wildfires were nalities expounded produce different framings of the deadliest in Europe since 1900. A number of the disaster. regional and local politicians as well as fire and police officials were accused of mismanagement Methodology and faced charges for negligent manslaughter, arson and grievous bodily harm. We will explore whether technical rationality or rationality of caring or even a combined ratio- Literature Review nality permeates the communication patterns of politicians, administrative officials, experts and We will approach the natural disaster through the public. In addition, we posit the following a social constructivist lens (Schultz, and Raupp, research questions: What are the different frames 2010) concentrating on the framing and that various actors adopt? Do the frames adopt- sense-giving of the disaster by the major actors ed depend on to the position of the actors within and public authorities. The social constructiv- the state (central and local government, public ist perspective pays particular attention to the agencies) apparatus? Which attributions of re-socio-cultural context underscores the symbolic sponsibility are related to the micro-level, me- meaning of disaster communication. Vettern- so-level, and macro-level respectively? What are ranta (2015), drawing upon the Heidegger’s the image repair strategies used by main actors? existential phenomenology, applies the distinc- To address the questions, we will analyze ma- tion between technical-instrumental rationality terial produced by politicians, government offi-and rationality of caring to the ways Norwegian cials, local government authorities (press releas- government authorities responded in two crises es, social media posts, media interviews, press situations. Technical-instrumental rationality conferences), testimonies and/or comments of is short term, applies scientific norms and re-concerned citizens as well as expert technical re- 4 ABSTRACTS 171 ports. Then, the relevant material will be content Greek disaster case, we will offer a cross-cultural analyzed based on the types of frame, rationality, comparative focus. Examining other cases could response strategy, and blame attribution using help us better understand why some public offi-the typologies of Vetternranta (2015), Benoit cials communicate more effectively than others. (1997), and Schultz and Raupp (2010). The The study will provide fruitful insights on the results will be compared based on the position responses that public officials could employ or of the official and stage of the catastrophe. The avoid during and after the course of a natural effectiveness of disaster communication will be disaster. assessed based on the valence of media reports, articles, citizens’ comments as well as reactions Keywords: technical-instrumental rationality, ra-of users on social media. tionality of care, framing, qualitative methodology, image repair discourse Results and Conclusions References We expect that reports emanating from experts will follow a technical rationality logic, the texts Benoit, W. L. (1997). “Image repair discourse of the politicians will adopt a combined ratio- and crisis communication,” Public Relations Re- nality depending on the context and the audi- view, 23(2), 177-186. ence addressed, and the comments of the public Fischer, F (2000). Citizens, Experts and the Envi-will mainly ascribe to a rationality of caring. As ronment. The Politics of Local Knowledge. Durham time progresses and we are moving further away and London: Duke University Press. from the occurrence of the disaster, the technical rationality is expected to overshadow the ratio- Schultz, F. and Raupp, J. (2010). “The social nality of caring. construction of crises in governmental and corporate communications,” Public Relations We also expect all actors to engage in blame Review, 36(2), 112-119. avoidance public communication stances, trying Vettenranta, S. (2015). “Crisis Communication to evade responsibility. In this respect, politi-and the Norwegian Authorities,” Nordicom Re- cians and officials of public authorities will shift view 36, 51-64. attributions of responsibility to one another. Theoretical, Practical, and Social Implica- tions This study contributes to the literatures of disas- ter communication as well as image repair dis- course. To our knowledge only few studies have examined how public officials respond during natural disasters. Hence, this study is expected to increase our knowledge about the different frames, rationalities, and response strategies employed by the main actors as well as their flow and evolution from the initial stage of the cri- sis all the way through the post-crisis stage. By applying the framework that was initially used in the analysis of the Norwegian context to the 4 ABSTRACTS 172 COVID-19 Internal Crisis Communication: Perspectives from Internal Communicators Verghese, Aniisu K, Alliance University (India) Introduction and purpose of the study During crises, organizations rely on internal communications to engage and involve employ- The purpose of this paper is to understand how ees to receive and send messages (Frandsen and internal communicators adapted to the COVID19 Johansen 2011). Internal communications in- crisis and adopted strategies to engage and help fluences employee experience (Bersin, 2020a) organizations manage the evolving situation. although connecting and engaging employees Globally, black swan events are becoming the remotely is a challenge (Bersin, 2020b). Fatigue norm and unlike other crises, are unprecedented among staff, (Gandhi, 2020), increased online (Lagadec & Topper, 2012; Coombs, 2020). The meetings, (Spataro, 2020) and limited listening COVID-19 pandemic, one such crisis, has had abilities (Institute for Public Relations, 2020) profound impact on organizations and people. presented unique challenges for internal com- Due to the low chances of such crises occurring municators. and the inability to interpret how they unfold; organizations can get lulled into a false sense During crises, employees attribute the respon-of security resulting in catastrophic consequenc- sibility of the issue to the individual in the sit- es. Therefore, making sense of the situation uation or the situation itself. Attribution theory demands focused attention and engaging stake- argues that people try to explain what caused the holders early and meaningfully (Weick, 1988). event in ways that makes sense for themselves This study assesses the interventions made by (Coombs, 2007). How employees, a key constit-internal communicators and offers approaches uent of crisis communications, perceive respons- that practitioners can leverage for such crises. es, can impact their behaviors and actions. If in- volved, employees can pick up signals early and Literature Review help mitigate the crisis alongside organizational The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on organi- constituents (Heide and Simonsson, 2015). Giv- zational order and employee experience is pro- en this context and the call for evidence-based found. Reduction in force, cost saving measures research to further understanding practice and and uncertainty has led to anxiety, distractions theory, there is a need to understand the role and financial concerns come in the way of em- of internal communications in mitigating crises, ployees’ attention and productivity. Employee’ especially events like the pandemic. well-being is negatively impacted, and uncer- The role of internal communications in help- tainty prevails on the future of organizations ing manage crises and rebuilding order, al- (Gartner, 2020; Willis Tower Watson, 2020). though recognized in literature, is understudied. 4 ABSTRACTS 173 (Frandsen and Johansen, 2011). Employees pre- Results and conclusions fer a combination of sources for their informa- tion needs and internal communications enables This study aims to offer unique perspectives employee comprehension and rationale behind on how internal communicators supports sense company decisions (O’Neil, 2008). Prior re-making efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. search demonstrates that internal communica- Also, will provide valuable insights on the ability tors focus on online and media (intranet and of organizations and communicators to listen to web publishing) during crises although their im- staff and respond to their concerns and interests. pact is limited. Finally, the implications of involving employees in crisis communication and organizational de- Research Questions cision-making approaches that can contribute to mitigating crises. Therefore, to fill this research gap, the paper will explore how internal communicators commu-Practical and social implications nicated with employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the internal communications As a theoretical implication, the results of this approaches and strategies adopted to help em- study will broaden the understanding of internal ployees cope with the evolving crisis. Lastly, the crisis communication and contribute to situa- paper will review how internal communication tional crisis communication and sense making practitioners evaluated the effectiveness of their theories that highlight the strategic role of inter-response to the crisis and the measures used. nal communications in organizational produc- tivity and reputation. Methodology Keywords: Internal communication, sense making, The exploratory mixed method study will gauge COVID-19, black swan, internal crisis communi- these research questions by collecting data cation through an online survey among internal com- municators, a case study of an organization’s approach and document analysis of messages shared to triangulate the understanding of internal crisis communication during COVID-19 (Jick, 1979; Rosenberg and Yates, 2007). In addition, it will probe internal communication principles adopted, the role of internal com- municators, channels used, the involvement of internal communicators before and during the crisis. 4 ABSTRACTS 174 The Ides of March: Agenda Setting Effects of Coronavirus Task Force Briefings Vielledent, Marc C., University of Florida (USA) Introduction and Purpose still employed by communication and public relations scholars today. Despite rapid advance- With more Americans at home compared to any ments in communication through mass media other time in modern history, the coronavirus and technology, there is significant utility in the pandemic served as a significant contributing conceptual applicability of Lasswell’s construct – factor to a twenty percent rise in television news especially in how it remains “inherently flexible ratings from February to March 2020. As indi- enough to meet the theoretical needs of today… viduals sought information about the pandemic, (Sapienza et al., 2015, p. 617). Governing from network news viewership soared to record lev- “center stage”, or a central, highly prominent po- els. Upon declaration of a national emergency, sition, causes the public to consume messages the Coronavirus Task Force conducted twen-focused on select topics as determined by the ty-six separate press conferences in the subse-prominent official. There is substantial agenda quent thirty-one-day period, becoming one of setting research addressing the President as the the most watched programs in the United States ultimate agenda setter (McCombs, 2014) and over the same period. How did the repeated in- influencer for what the public thinks about (Co- terplay, on the national stage, between the U.S. hen, 1963). Yet, in the digital age amid a pan- president and the press play into follow-on me- demic, is that still the case? Is there a difference dia coverage? More specifically, who was setting in how the media covers specific issues based the agenda – the leader or the media? The pur-on pre-planned and reactive communication? pose of this paper is to examine the impact of Previous work linking press conferences and type (pre-planned vs. reactive), sentiment (pos- agenda setting highlights the importance of this itive, neutral, negative), topic (economy, public research. When a viewer receives information, health, behavior, trust in federal government), they consider whether to accept, deny, or remain and duration of messages delivered by the Coro- ambivalent about it (Zaller, 1992). navirus Task Force to assess any trends or cor- relations in subsequent media coverage for re- Methodology cord-breaking viewership. The primary method employed was a content Literature Review analysis of compiled transcripts and videos of every U.S. Coronavirus Task Force briefing that Lasswell (1948) reinforced his famous con- occurred over the selected timeframe of March struct, “Who, said what, in which channel, to 13, 2020 to April 13, 2020. In total, this sample whom, with what effect” as a conceptual tool consisted of twenty-six briefings, 1,046 pages of 4 ABSTRACTS 175 official transcripts, and 2,243 minutes of brief- tions for government communication (Acosta et ing content – all of which received qualitative al., April 24, 2020). Ultimately, these findings and quantitative analysis. The second portion of build on previous theoretical work which sug- the study compiled and analyzed coverage and gests that Bernard Cohen’s (1963) dictum of headlines of follow-on media reporting from the media telling the public what to think is as follow-on mainstream U.S. news programs and dependent on timing and tone, as it is in compe- prominent national newspapers during the same tence and credibility. timeframe. This method provides empirical find- ings to justify the its conclusions. Keywords: agenda setting, strategic communication, press conference, coronavirus Initial Results and Conclusions References: While the data is still being finalized, initial results show a disparity in sentiment between prepared Kiousis, Spiro & Strömbäck, Jesper. (2010). The and reactive communication with subsequent White House and public relations: Examining media coverage. Additionally, scripted commu- the linkages between presidential communica- nication is more likely to achieve desired effects tions and public opinion. Public Relations Re- with regard to agenda building; whereas un- view. 36. 7-14. scripted communication is less likely to achieve Lasswell, H. D. (1948). The structure and func- the inverse effect. tion of communication in society. Limitations McCombs, M. (2014). Setting the Agenda: Mass Media and Public Opinion (2nd ed.). Cam- Subsequent media coverage does not account bridge, UK: Polity Press. for any condition setting or confounds that may Wanta, W., & Foote, J. (1994). The Presi-have occurred prior to this timeframe, which dent-News Media Relationship: A Time Series could have impacted the trajectory of reporting. Analysis of Agenda-Setting. Journal of Broad- There is also a potential confound in govern-casting & Electronic Media, 38(4), 437–448. ment communication when the media is faced with contradicting information as they consider Task Force communication from the federal lev- el (President) versus the state-level (i.e. Gover- nor/Mayor, etc), Future studies would be well served to include the presence of misinforma- tion and disinformation as an additional factor to this current research. Implications Ten days upon closing this data set, the Task Force delivered prepared remarks on Friday, April 24, 2020 and for the first time since the press briefings began, they did not take any questions. Additionally, the administration subsequently recommended and took actions that directly support the findings and recommenda- 4 ABSTRACTS 176 The Hiccup Paradox of Corporate Communication in the Pandemic Westermann, Arne, International School of Management (Germany) Homann, Reimund, IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research (Germany) Krämer, Alexandra, International School of Management (Germany) Forthmann, Jörg, IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research (Germany) Introduction and purpose of the study exogenous factors can be a catalyst for already existing structural problems, but they can also Hiccups are a phenomenon that cannot be sup- have a disruptive character that harms previous- pressed – not life-threatening, but omnipresent. ly successful companies. Perceptions focus on getting rid of them, while other events fade into the background. This ap- Accordingly stakeholders seeing the threat to plies to corporate communication in the Corona their own interests usually start searching a crisis. It is not necessarily the decisive issue, but clearly identifiable scapegoat – there is often no it becomes the pivotal point in corporate com- room for a differentiated view with shades of munication. A study that examined crisis com-grey. Standing in the limelight, companies are munication for DAX 30 companies six months forced to engage in damage limitation for the before and after the first lockdown in Germany protection of their reputation and licence to op- shows that the attribution of causes for corpo- erate. At this moment, it is crucial to present rate crises has changed by the pandemic. the crisis to the outside world in the form of a credible story (Möhrle, 2016). Literature review From a theoretical point of view, this opens up Coombs defines corporate crises as a “percep- a triad consisting of attributing blame and im- tion of an unpredictable event that threatens age repair under the influence of classic and so-important expectations of stakeholders and can cial media (Cheng, 2018). In order to provide seriously impact an organization’s performance companies with a guideline for appropriate crisis and generate negative outcome (Coombs 2013, communication, Coombs (2007) developed the p. 19). The triggers are manifold: the causes Situative Crisis Communication Theory based can be attributed to human error or self-inflict- on Benoit’s (1995) Image Repair Theory under ed misconduct, but can also be based on exter- the assumption that stakeholders are looking for nal circumstances such as natural disasters (e.g. a responsible party (Cheng, 2018). Following Hurricane Irene in 2011) or threats to public Kelley’s covariation principle, it is possible to at-health (e.g. SARS 2003) (Cheng, 2018). An un- tribute crises to internal or external causes. ambiguous classification is often not possible – 4 ABSTRACTS 177 Methodology Practical and social implications To check whether the share of crises that were In the shadow of a global crisis, managers are considered exogenous increased during the able to avert attention from their own miscon-COVID-19 pandemic, using an automated con- duct or to communicate endogenous corporate tent analysis we first looked at the time series of decisions to the outside world in a credible way counts of text fragments of the 30 largest Ger- without risking any reputation damage. While man companies listed in the DAX30. For each the pandemic as the main protagonist covers ev- company, we defined any day that had a num- eryday life like a veil, reflection, critical ques-ber of fragments greater than the third quartile tioning and a differentiated view are among the plus 1.5 times the interquartile range as an out- main tasks and responsibilities of the media and lier. For each outlier, we looked for publications society. (news, social media posts, etc.) describing what was going on in that company on that particular Keywords: Crisis communication, social listening, day. In a next step, we collected data on how the attribution, Covid-19, SSCT companies dealt with the crisis of the respective outlier day by analyzing those publications. References Specifically, we examined whether the crisis was Cheng, Yang (2018): How Social Media Is communicated as an endogenous or exogenous Changing Crisis Communication Strategies: crisis. In a final step, we tested whether the Evidence from the Updated Literature. In: J proportion of crises that were classified as ex- Contingencies Crisis Man 26 (1), S. 58–68. ogenous differed significantly between the Pre- COVID-19-era and during the COVID-19-pan- Coombs, W. Timothy; Holladay, Sherry J. (Hg.) demic. We have done this for all crises as well (2012): The handbook of crisis communica- as for specific types of crises (e.g. staff layoffs). tion. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell (Handbooks in communication and media). Results and conclusions Möhrle, Hartwin (Hg.) (2016): Krisen-PR. The results show that the share of exogenous Risiken und Krisen souverän managen: das triggers in crisis communication increased sig- Handbuch der Kommunikationsprofis. 3., nificantly. While crises before the lockdown überarbeitete und aktualisierte Auflage. Frank- tended to be attributed to endogenous causes, furt am Main: Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch. afterwards there was almost only one answer for the eternal question of blame for any kind of problem: the Corona pandemic. The results of this study are limited to the DAX-30 companies and to corporate communication in the context of Covid-19. Further research looking at other crisis situations, cultural influences and the reaction of other stakeholders to this attribution of causes would be desirable 4 ABSTRACTS 178 Debating the Importance of Professional Communication and Working Media Experience as a Prerequisite for Public Relations Faculty Positions in the US and Canada Wright, Don, Boston University (USA) Introduction and Purpose of the Study current faculty hires focus much more on aca- demic credentials and scholarly potential than The debate about the importance of various cre- on professional working experience. This has led dentials for full-time public relations educators a number of universities to hire “professors of has a long history in North America dating back the practice” who teach and conduct service ac- to as far as the late 1940s when many universi- tivities without any research expectations. ties – in the US at least – saw an increased en- rollment interest in subjects such as journalism Brief Literature Review and public relations. An issue in many of pro- grams at that time involved the importance of Although the literature contains a number of academic vis-à-vis practical experience for those articles examining faculty composition, most of applying for full-time public relations faculty these focus on curriculum and other organiza-positions at universities. At that time the “ideal” tional issues. Few, explore the need for public full-time public relations faculty member pos- relations educators to have had recent working sessed a master’s degree plus five-to-ten years experience in the field. One exception to this full-time working experience in some aspect of is the work of Black, et al (1980) that makes journalism or public relations. recommendations on an international scale. Two extremely thorough reports (Stacks, et al, Even the emergence of public relations scholars 1999 & Distaso, et al, 2006) thoroughly exam- with Ph.D. degrees in the 1970s and 1980s didn’t ined the state of public relations education in diminish the importance of professional working the US, but dealt more with matters of curricu- experience. During those years the “ideal” pub- lum and teaching than with faculty credentials. lic relations faculty member possessed a Ph.D. The work of Kelleher (2001) plus Krishna, et al degree plus three-to-five years working experi- (2020) point out how public relations practice ence in the field. While there was a time when has changed over the years thus making it even it was nearly impossible to secure a public re- more necessary to make sure those who teach lations university-level teaching position, much and those who practice know what each other less receive tenure and/or promotion, without are doing. significant professional experience, most of the 4 ABSTRACTS 179 Methodology Keywords: Professional Experience, Public Relations Education, Professional Relevance This paper’s methodology consisted of a thor- ough literature review plus a variety of in-depth References interviews with senior-level public relations educators, some with academic credentials and Black, S.; Wright, D.K. & Hayes, R. (1980). IPRA others with professional working experience. Gold Paper on Education. London: International Public Relations Association. Conclusions Distaso, M.W.; Stacks, D.W.; Botan, C.H, & Although all interviews have not yet been com- (2001). State of public relations education in pleted, it appears the paper’s main finding will the United States: 2006 report on a national support what has become the “professor of the survey of executives and academics. Public Re- practice model” where a number of highly suc- lations Review 35(3): 254-269. cessful public relations executives can be found Kelleher, T. (2001). Public relations roles and teaching both undergraduate and graduate level media choice. Journal of Public Relations Re- public relations courses at various American and search 13(4): 286-293. Canadian Universities. This finding appears to Krishna, A.; Wright, D.K & Kotcher, R.L. (2020). be more prevalent in the US than it is in Canada. Curriculum rebuilding in public relations: Un- derstanding what early career, mid-career, and senior PR/Communications professionals ex- pect from PR graduates. Journal of Public Rela- tions Education. Stacks, D.W.; Botan, C.H., & Turk, J.V. (1999). Perceptions of public relations education. Pub- lic Relations Review 25(1): 9-28. 4 ABSTRACTS 180 Serving whom? Examining the motives and types of corporate social responsibility actions “during” a public health crises Wu, Shih-Chia, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) Cai, Qinxian, City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) Mo, Yunting, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong) Introduction and purpose of the study Literature review To fight against the Covid-19 public health cri- According to Halme and Laurila (2009), an sis and its debilitating impact, corporations took action-oriented framework for evaluating cor- various social responsible actions to contribute porate responsibility (CR) action type includes: to the society, community and vulnerable groups, philanthropy (i.e. charity, voluntary works), CR such as personal protective equipment or mone- Integration (based on existing core competence tary donation. Internet companies in China also with additional responsibilities), and CR Inno- made various donations in combating the pan- vation (creating new business models for tack- demic, i.e. Tencent (173 million U.S. dollars) ling external issues). and Alibaba (144.2 million U.S. dollars) (Statis- ta, 2020), and CSR related information was an- Publics may perceive the CSR actions as intrinsic nounced in the companies’ Weibo accounts. or extrinsic motives. Intrinsic motive emphasizes the CSR initiatives are society-motivated while Previous studies have shown the firm’s motiva- the extrinsic refers to those profit-driven CSR tion to undertake corporate social responsibili- activities (Kim & Choi, 2018). ty actions, including economic, legislative, eth- ical and philanthropic responsibilities (Carroll, CSR fit or congruence refers to “the perceived 1996). Under the pandemic condition, how do congruence between a social issue and company’s corporations decide what CSR actions to be business” (Du, Bhattacharya, & Sen, 2010, p. initiated during the emergency situation? What 12). Three types of CSR fit are identified based are the discernible differences in CSR actions on whether the CSR undertakings are related to among the corporations? This paper aims to the business practices, i.e. external consistency, fill out the lacunae of CSR motives and types internal consistency, and coherence (Yuan, Bao, “during a public crisis,” compared to a normal & Verbeke, 2011). situation. 4 ABSTRACTS 181 Methodology amid public crisis, internet firms can leverage their core advantages to tackle problems, as Content analysis has been utilized to examine the Technology is positively correlated to Innovation internet companies executed CSR-based activi- (r= 0.482, p<0.01). ties during the public health crisis period. Prior- and during-crisis CSR actions are examined to Practical and theoretical implications understand companies’ motives and CSR types. According to the top 100 Chinese Internet Com- From the results, philanthropy could be seen as panies in 2019 report from the Internet Society the basic and immediate CSR actions to respond of China and the Ministry of Industry and In- to the public crisis that echoes Carroll’s pyramid formation Technology, top three internet com- model of corporate social responsibility (Carroll, panies, Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, were chosen as 1991). When facing a sudden crisis, i.e. pan-examples. Total 422 Weibo posts were reviewed demic, internet companies have the tendency during the pandemic period, from Jan 1, 2020 to demonstrate their responsibilities in philan- (after first Covid-19 confirmed case on Dec 31, thropic type and connect to society-motivated 2019) to April 8, 2020 (Wuhan lifted lock- motives. down), and the same period in 2019. Internet companies have paid more attention to The CSR-related posts were collected and cod- the CR innovation type to address external is- ed from the official Weibo accounts of the three sues during the public health crisis. Hence, prob- companies based on the coding scheme, includ- lem-solving oriented CSR seems to be an im- ing variables from the literature. portant strategic approach that goes beyond the classical economic, legislative, ethical and phil- Results and conclusion anthropic responsibilities. (word count: 702) Internet companies displayed different CSR prac- Keywords: corporate social responsibility (CSR), tices during the pandemic crisis in year 2020 motive, public health crisis, internet company with that in the regular period in 2019. Com- panies were more out of Intrinsic motivation to References address public issues in pandemic (M=0.946, SD=0.227) than in normal times (M=0.755, Du, S., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2010). SD=0.431, p<0.01). Moreover, companies tend- Maximizing business returns to corporate ed to adopt CR Innovation approach more during social responsibility (CSR): The role of CSR the crisis (M=0.223, SD=0.417) than in the nor- communication. International Journal of Man- mal period (M=0.063, SD=0.244, p<0.01). And agement Review, 12, 8–19. less actions based on CR Integration were found Halme, M., & Laurila, J. (2009). Philanthropy, during crisis (M=0.375, SD=0.485) than during Integration or Innovation? Exploring the Fi- usual times (M=0.561, SD=0.497, p<0.01). In nancial and Societal Outcomes of Different terms of CSR Initiative Fit, companies empha-Types of Corporate Responsibility. Journal of sized less on Coherence when facing unexpected Business Ethics, 84(3), 325-339. crises (M=0.027, SD=0.163) than on usual days Kim, S., & Choi, S. M. (2018). Congruence ef- (M=0.114, SD=0.318, p<0.01). The result also fects in post-crisis CSR communication: The indicated that Philanthropy is positively related mediating role of attribution of corporate mo-to External Consistency in both 2020 (r=0.872, tives. Journal of Business Ethics, 153(2), 447-p<0.01) and 2019 (r=0.775, p<0.01). While 463. 4 ABSTRACTS 182 Yuan, W., Bao, Y., & Verbeke, A. (2011). Inte- grating CSR initiatives in business: An orga- nizing framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 101(1), 75-92. 4 ABSTRACTS 183 What drives perceived internal reputation? Empirical evidence from Chile Yue, Cen April, University of Florida (USA) Thelen, Patrick, San Diego State University (USA) Introduction and purpose of the study Literature Review Despite the debate surrounding whether rep- While leadership has been widely investigated utation can be managed directly, scholars have in public relations and communication manage- nonetheless regarded reputation management ment, its impact on perceived corporate repu-as a critical public relations function (Doorley tation, especially from the employees’ perspec- & Garcia, 2007). Organizational reputation re- tive, has not been extensively studied (Meng sides in the eyes of both internal and external & Berger, 2013).To partially fill this void and stakeholders (Fombrun et al., 2000). As a re-expand the application of leadership research sult of their distinct set of experiences, employ- in the context of public relations, we proposed ees may perceive their organizations’ reputation and tested a model that links servant leadership differently than external stakeholders. Hence, and perceived internal reputation through two employees’ intimate and direct experience with employee-centered mediators: employee psy- their organization, along with their ability to chological empowerment (i.e., an intrinsic task promote or sabotage their employers, impacts motivation reflecting employees’ sense of con- how external stakeholders perceive the organi- trol and an active orientation to their work) zation (White et al., 2010). Therefore, employ- (Spreitzer, 1995) and employee thriving (i.e., a ees are often the ultimate reputation makers or positive psychological state in which employees breakers of an organization. feel a sense of vitality and learning) (Spreitzer et al., 2005). The employee-centered, ‘inside-out’ approach to organizational reputation deserves as much in- Many modern organizations implement servant vestigation as the ‘outside-in,’ externally oriented leadership practices to foster employee thriving approach. Nevertheless, public relations research and well-being. Companies such as Southwest has rarely focused on perceived internal reputa- Airlines, Starbucks, Zappos, and Marriott, are tion and its organizational antecedents. Drawing all proponents of servant leadership. The need from literature in internal public relations, lead- to serve is the core ethos of servant leadership. ership, and reputation management, the purpose More than any other leadership theory, servant of the current study is to explore the driving leadership highlights leaders’ willingness to fos-factors of a positive internal reputation by em- ter their subordinates’ personal growth and suc- phasizing organizational- and individual-level cess (Van Dierendonck & Patterson, 2015). Ser-enablers. vant leaders order their priorities to ensure that followers come first, organizations second, and themselves last (Sendjaya, 2015). Considering 4 ABSTRACTS 184 the crucial role of leaders in projecting a de-would propel employees to form a positive eval- sired organizational image to employees (Scott uation of their organization. In addition to the & Lane, 2000), it is reasonable to argue that sequential mediation, we also found a direct and servant leaders’ favorable traits and behaviors, positive association between servant leadership particularly their people-centered behavioral ap- and perceived organizational reputation. proach, should elicit followers’ positive assess- ment of their organizations. Practical and social implications Employees’ cognitive assessment of their organi- This study provides strategic insights to organi- zations is derived mainly from their direct, per- zational leaders, public relations, and human re- sonal interactions with key organizational actors. sources professionals. First, organizations must Therefore, it is crucial to focus on employees’ implement training programs and provide re- internal psychological activities and experiences sources and tools to encourage the adoption of to illustrate how servant leadership leads to per- servant behaviors across different management ceived organizational reputation. We proposed levels. In addition, this study provides one of that the relationship between servant leadership the first pieces of empirical evidence on servant and perceived organizational reputation is se- leadership practice in Chile. Servant leadership rially mediated by psychological empowerment has been studied in many cultures, but evidence and employee thriving. from Latin America is mostly missing. The find- ing of this study lends itself particularly well to Methodology organizations and practitioners that operate in Chile. Finally, we suggest public relations pro- An online survey was conducted on Qualtrics in fessionals monitor and assess employees’ level of February 2020. A total of 357 working adults energy and learning at work and mobilize orga- from Chile across a wide range of organiza- nizational resources to maintain thriving within tions and business communities were recruited the organization. through Dynata, the world’s largest first-party data and insights platform. The questionnaire Keywords: servant leadership, internal reputation, was translated from English to Spanish by a bi-empowerment, employee thriving lingual member of the research team and later back-translated to English by two independent translators who are also bilingual. Structural equation modeling was utilized for data analysis. Results and conclusions We found that servant leadership’s pathway to reputation was serially mediated by psycholog- ical empowerment and employee thriving. To elaborate, servant leaders enhance their follow- ers’ sense of empowerment by involving them in decision making and meaning-making and pass- ing on knowledge and problem-solving skills. Empowered employees will, in turn, obtain a sense of vitality at work and engage in contin- uous learning. Ultimately, feelings of thriving 4 ABSTRACTS 185 Leadership Going Social: How U.S. Nonprofit Executives Engage Publics on Twitter Yue, Cen April, University of Florida (USA) Qin, Yufan Sunny, University of Florida (USA) Vielledent, Marc, University of Florida (USA) Men, Linjuan Rita, University of Florida (USA) Zhou, Alvin, University of Pennsylvania (USA) Introduction and purpose of the study cation typically functions as the human-side of organizational communication to authenticate or Nonprofit organizations play a significant role personalize the otherwise mundane, impersonal in the social and economic well-being of our so- organizational-level communication (e.g., Tsai ciety. The nonprofit sector in the United States & Men, 2017). Given the immense potential of continues to expand, contributing to 5.6 percent nonprofit executives as relationship builders and of the country’s GDP in 2016 (National Center the paucity of research examining their commu- for Charitable Statistics, 2016). With the denication styles and impacts, this study explored velopment of digital technology, the function of how nonprofit executives in the U.S. engage with public relations in nonprofit organizations has the online publics by applying various commu- evolved and extended beyond traditional printed nication strategies. media to encompass computer-mediated com- munication (Bortree & Seltzer, 2009; Saxton & Literature Review Waters, 2014). In the past few years, a sizable body of literature has begun to examine how Drawing literature from dialogic communica- various types of nonprofits utilize websites and tion, social presence, and the information-com- social media to communicate and build relation- munication-action (ICA) framework, we inves- ships with their stakeholders (Patel & McKeever, tigated the extent to which nonprofit executives 2014; Xu & Saxton, 2019). leveraged 1) digital dialogic principles, 2) social presence strategies, and 3) message tactics (i.e., Despite the burgeoning body of knowledge on message functions, message appeals, media viv- social media use by nonprofits, how leaders in idness). the nonprofit sector directly engage with publics via social media is rarely mentioned. Nonprofit Public relations scholars have adapted the five executives play a vital part in connecting orga-dialogic principles in a vast amount of studies nizations with external stakeholders (Carlson & across different organizational social media plat-Donohoe, 2010). Through personal branding forms (Sommerfeldt & Yang, 2018). However, and engagement potential, leadership communi- traditional operationalization of dialogic com- 4 ABSTRACTS 186 munication is mainly functional and not reflect- tercoder reliability was satisfactory. ing the interpersonal and relational nature of dialogue initiated by organizations. This study Results and conclusions explored dialogic communication from both a functional and relational perspective by incorpo- The results showed that nonprofit executives rating social presence into the operationalization employed all four dialogic principles to some of digital dialogic communication. Specifically, extent. Specifically, the most used principle was we examined nonprofit leaders’ employment of information of interest to stakeholders followed by three social presence strategies—affective, in-dialogic loop. Regarding the use of social pres-teractive, and cohesive strategies (Rourke et al., ence strategies, executives leveraged affective, 1999). interactive, and cohesive strategies. Notably, they embraced emotional expressions and often dis-Second, we applied Lovejoy and Saxton’s (2012) closed personal opinions. Furthermore, they ICA framework to provide unique insights into were most active in disseminating information the communication needs, interests, and focus of and creating an online community. Their mes- nonprofit leaders. We examined how nonprof- sages, however, were less concerned with pro- it executives leveraged informational messages motion, mobilization, or calling for action. We (i.e., serve to inform), community messages (i.e., revealed mixed findings on how dialogic com- serve to build and strengthen ties to the online munication and various message tactics affected community), and action messages (i.e., focus on public engagement. Findings of this study were promotion and mobilization) on Twitter. based on correlations rather than causality. Fu- ture researchers should test the proposed rela- To understand different message appeals used by tionships in experimental settings. nonprofit leaders, we applied the rational/emo- tional framework. We also explored message Practical and social implications vividness, given that a richer sensory perception yields more robust social media engagement and This study provided strategic value to execu- message persuasiveness (Ji et al., 2019). Final- tive leaders and their public relations teams in ly, we investigated how dialogic communication the nonprofit sector. In the age of digital com- and message tactics can contribute to public en- munication, the role of communication practi- gagement with nonprofit executives in terms of tioners entails aiding top leaders in building re- likes, retweets, comments. lationships and engagement with online publics. Knowing how to select relevant topics, design Methodology effective messages, and evaluate key outtakes and outcomes is essential for creating value for orga- This study adopted a content analysis approach. nizations. This study also suggests nonprofit ex- We identified 35 leaders from the renowned ecutives seize the opportunity to represent their Nonprofit Times 100 list published in 2019. In organization, engage with publics, and amplify total, 14,039 tweets published between Febru- the impact of the organization’s digital presence. ary 1, 2018 and February 1, 2020 as well as their top comments were collected through the Keywords: nonprofit communication, leadership Twitter Public API and our customized Python communication, social media, dialogic communica- script. We randomly drew 20 posts from each tion, social presence executive, resulting in 700 qualified posts and 195 comments attached to these posts. The in- 4 ABSTRACTS 187 Communicating Corporate LGBTQ Advocacy: A Computational Comparison of the Global CSR Discourse Zhou, Alvin, University of Pennsylvania (USA) Introduction and Purpose of the Study issues through CSR, and public relations schol- ars know very little about how they are getting Targeting the intersection of LGBTQ advocacy involved in the process, how they are construct- and CSR communication and filling the knowl- ing discourses around these contentious topics, edge gap in the nascent scholarship on corpo- and why they might communicate their CSR ef- rate activism, this study answers three research forts differently. questions: 1. How is the CSR discourse around LGBTQ issues constructed by major global cor- Methodology porations? 2. How does the global LGBTQ CSR discourse compare with non-profit LGBTQ Large-scale cross-national studies on CSR com- organizations’ guidelines? 3. How and why do munication are challenging to conduct, and these global organizations communicate their comparative studies in this domain are still rel-LGBTQ advocacy differently? atively rare (Sriramesh & Verčič, 2009). In this study, we take advantage of the huge potential Literature Review of computational methods for comparative com- munication research (e.g., van der Meer, 2016). Existing literature on LGBTQ communities in We collected and examined the annual CSR re- corporate and organizational settings heavily fo- ports of companies on the 2018 Fortune Global cuses on business marketing and activist strategic 500 list. These documents were then manual- communication (Ciszek, 2017; Mundy, 2013; ly searched for thirteen search terms concern- Tindall & Waters, 2013). In contrast, corporate ing LGBTQ issues: LGBT, gay, lesbian, bisexual, LGBTQ advocacy, where socially conscious com- transgender, queer, homosexual, sex, orientation, panies take active roles to advance internal and preference, gender, identity, and pride. We used external LGBTQ stakeholders’ interests through the textual data of the context in which these corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, terms were used. In most cases, the context was received way less scholarly attention, despite the the paragraphs under the same subheading. In prominence of corporate efforts in recent events. total, we collected 406 documents from these Although these companies’ actions are prone to sampled companies, among which 236 men- CSR skepticism and their motivations remain tioned at least one LGBTQ-related word in their suspicious to some, referred to as pinkwashing CSR reporting. Our corpus thus contains 236 by scholars, it remains a fact that corporations documents, 136,820 words, and 8,287 uni- are increasingly engaging in political and social grams. 4 ABSTRACTS 188 We consulted advocacy LGBTQ organizations to William Institute. construct the non-profit guideline for corporate LGBTQ advocacy. Consulted organizations in- Results and Conclusions clude Catalyst, Lambda Legal, GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign (HRC), International Lesbi- Results indicate 6 corporate topics and 9 an, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associa-non-profit topics on corporate LGBTQ advoca- tion (ILGA), National Center for Transgender cy. We explicate those topics with more details Equality (NCTE), National LGBT Health Ed- in the full paper by referencing organizations’ ucation Center, Pride At Work, The Stonewall, original writing. We further show that stake- The Trevor Project, The United Nation Human holder expectations and institutional factors Rights Council, and Workplace Pride. not only affect whether organizations report LGBTQ efforts, but also affect what topics these The combination of semantic network analy- companies highlight in their CSR communica- sis and structural topic modeling was used to tion. Companies in democratic countries with present and compare the global CSR discourse substantial stakeholder expectations emphasize on LGBTQ advocacy. Semantic network analy- areas that need high investment and exceed legal sis, by revealing relations among concepts, helps obligations. demonstrate the meaning creation in corpora- tions’ discourse on a certain issue. Structural Practical and Social Implications topic modeling (STM), an unsupervised ma- The results provide an overview of the global chine learning method, was used to investigate corporate discourse on LGBTQ advocacy for topical patterns in our corpus. We use the vari- practical inquiries, and extend the institutional ances in topic proportions in the STM model theory and the stakeholder theory. The study to test our hypotheses on why and how compa- also highlights corporations’ role in the contem- nies across the global might communicate their porary society as active change agents. LGBTQ efforts differently. Covariates that might affect how companies (N = 236) constructed their LGBTQ CSR dis- courses include: Industry, ranking, country, and continent of the Fortune 500 company; Each country’s democracy level; Each country’s civil liberty index; Each country’s level of legal pro- tection for LGBTQ individuals; Each country’s LGBTQ social acceptance. These metadata come from the Fortune website, the Standard Indus- trial Classification (SIC) and Industry Classifi- cation Benchmark (ICB), Polity Project’s Polity score, the annual Global State of Democracy In- dices by the International Institute for Democra- cy and Electoral Assistance, the state-sponsored homophobia report by the International Lesbi- an, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), and the Social Acceptance of LGBT People in 174 Countries report published by the WELCOME IN THE M NEIGHBOURHOOD Enter the website with your favourite contents, where you can cook with a Michelin Star Master Chef, discover the beauty of parenting, go into details of the celebrities’ lives and get back to shape with a real fitness coach and more. 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