Crisis communication, ethical beliefs, and consumer responses in the case of a product-harm crisis

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dc.contributor.advisorEhlers, Leneen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBotes, Janiceen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Business Management.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-03-10T06:41:42Z
dc.date.accessioned2022-04-29T09:30:44Z
dc.date.available2022-03-10T06:41:42Z
dc.date.available2022-04-29T09:30:44Z
dc.date.issued2022-04
dc.descriptionThesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH SUMMARY : Well-publicised product-harm crises, such as the 2018 listeriosis scandal, have proved to South African fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms that product-harm crises could have devastating consequences for a firm’s reputation as well as its financial stability. Owing to the highly publicised nature of a product-harm crisis, a firm’s crisis communication efforts in responding to the crisis may significantly affect its efforts to survive reputational damage. Hence, it is important for FMCG firms to understand how the South African public may respond in terms of perceived severity, attribution of blame, feelings of anger, word of mouth and purchase intention. The role of ethical beliefs, and more importantly, how to respond appropriately to the public in times of crisis is also important. The Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) is often used as a framework in crisis situations to assist firms in identifying the correct response strategy to use given their crisis responsibility. The purpose of this research is to contribute to existing knowledge on the use of SCCT, by investigating the influence of SCCT crisis clusters, crisis communication response strategies and ethical beliefs on attribution of blame, perceived severity, feelings of anger, word of mouth (WOM) and purchase intention in the case of a South African product-harm crisis. This was done by means of a 2 (SCCT crisis cluster) x 4 (SCCT response strategy) x 2 (ethical beliefs), between subject experimental design involving 392 respondents. A three-way ANOVA was employed testing the main effects as well as the three-way and two-way interaction effects. Possible mediating and moderating effects of the response variables and ethical beliefs in the relationship between the SCCT crisis communication response strategies (per crisis cluster) and purchase intention were also tested by means of a moderated serial multiple mediation model. Useful strategic insights were derived from the results. This study that will assist FMCG firms to better predict consumer cognitive, affective, and behavioural responses, the role consumers ethical beliefs will play, and which SCCT response strategy would be the most effective given the different crisis clusters. The results of this study confirmed that perceived severity, attribution of blame, feelings of anger, WOM, and purchase intent are all prominent and interconnected, negative consumer responses. It was evident that a few of the SCCT response strategies did somewhat positively influence the consumer-response variables and the relationships between them, however not to the extent that it would completely reverse the reputational damage caused. Ethical beliefs moderated a few relationships between the SCCT crisis clusters and strategies and consumer-response variables, however, future research is needed to further investigate these in the South African context.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Opspraakwekkende produkleed-krisisse, soos die 2018 listeriose-skandaal, het getoon dat dit verwoestende gevolge kan hê vir ’n firma se reputasie sowel as sy finansiële stabiliteit. Weens die wyd-gepubliseerde aard van ’n produkleed-krisis mag ’n onderneming se krisis-kommunikasiepogings in reaksie op die krisis sy pogings om die reputasieskade te oorleef, aansienlik beïnvloed. Gevolglik is dit belangrik dat SBVG (FMCG) firmas begryp hoe die Suid-Afrikaanse publiek mag reageer in terme van waargenome erns, toeskryf van blaam, gevoelens van woede, mond-tot-mond-kommunikasie en koopvoorneme. Die rol van etiese oortuigings, en hoe om geskik te reageer teenoor die publiek in tye van krisis is net so belangrik. Situasie-krisiskommunikasieteorie (SCCT) word dikwels gebruik as raamwerk in krisissituasies om ondernemings by te staan om die korrekte respons-strategie te identifiseer, gegewe hul verantwoordelikheid vir die krisis. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is om by te dra tot bestaande kennis oor die gebruik van SCCT deur die invloed van SCCT krisis-klusters, krisiskommunikasie-responsstrategieë en etiese oortuigings oor blaam-toeskrywing, waargenome erns, gevoelens van woede, mond-tot-mond-kommunikasie en koopvoorneme in die geval van ’n Suid-Afrikaanse produkleed-krisis te ondersoek. Dit is gedoen deur middel van ’n 2 SCCT krisiskluster x 4 SCCT reaksie-strategie x 2 etiese oortuigings tussensubjek- eksperimentele ontwerp wat 392 respondente betrek. ’n Drievoudige ANOVA is gebruik waar die drievoudige en tweevoudige interaksie-effekte sowel as die hoof-effekte ondersoek is. Moontlike mediasie en modererende effekte van die responsveranderlikes en etiese oortuigings in die verhouding tussen die SCCT krisiskommunikasie-responsstrategieë (per krisis-kluster) en die koopvoorneme is ook geïdentifiseer deur middel van ’n gemodereerde meervoudige reeksbemiddeling-model. ’n Paar nuttige strategiese insigte is verkry wat SBVG firmas sal bystaan om verbruikers se kognitiewe, affektiewe en gedragsresponse tydens produkleed-krisisse beter te voorspel, te bepaal watter rolle etiese oortuigings sal speel en watter SCCT responsstrategie die effektiefste sal wees, gegewe die verskillende krisis-klusters. Die resultate van die studie bevestig dat blaam-toeskrywing, waargenome erns, gevoelens van woede, mond-tot-mond-kommunikasie en koopvoorneme prominente en negatiwe verbruiker responsveranderlikes is tydens ‘n produkleed-krisis. Dit was duidelik dat ‘n paar SCCT reaksie- strategieë wel sekere responsveranderlikes, en hulle verhoudings, postief beinvloed het, maar egter nie genoeg om die reputasie skade te voorkom nie. Die verwantskap tussen verbruikers se etiese oortuigings, die SCCT krisiskluster en reaksie-strategie en die responsveranderlikes is wel gemodereer, maar meer navorsing in Suid Afrika word hieroor benodig.af_ZA
dc.description.versionMasters
dc.format.extent[xviii], 291 pages : illustrations, includes annexures
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124752
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch University
dc.subjectProducts liability -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectCommunication in crisis management -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectCrisis management -- Strategic planning -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectCorporations -- Public relations -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectPublic opinion -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectCustomer loyalty -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectConsumer goods -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectUCTD
dc.titleCrisis communication, ethical beliefs, and consumer responses in the case of a product-harm crisisen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
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