Crisis communication effectiveness in the context of the relational perspective of public relations and Benoit's image repair strategies

Public relations scholars are now defining public relations as relationship management. In doing so, scholars understand the vital importance of the maintenance and, in times of crisis, repair of relationships between organizations and their publics. This study investigates the effectiveness of crisis communication strategies, particularly in the context of organizational fraud. Crisis communication effectiveness is viewed in the context of the relationship history between an organization and one of its key publics---college-age consumers. This study adds to the growing body of scholarship in public relations as relationship management by placing the organization-public relationship at the center of efficient, effective, and ethical public relations. Respondents in this study were asked about their relationship history with two referent organizations---a credit card and a computer software company. Respondents were asked to consider whichever credit card company or software organization that they currently patronize. Relationship history was based largely on measures of key relational features identified by a number of scholars. Respondents were then classified as having negative or positive relationship histories with the organizations.; The second major part of the study involved an intervention and a post-test. The intervention entailed two organizations experiencing fraud crises (one in which a top-ranking executive has been indicted on fraud charges). Respondents were informed about the crisis and possible consequences of the fraudulent act. Next, respondents were informed that the organization had "responded" to the crisis. Respondents read 5 different news stories, each containing a different "image repair strategy," as proposed by Benoit. The post-test measured the same relational features in the context of the organizations' attempts to repair their image. Statistical analysis was completed to test for differences among a number of different variables and populations.; Some of the major findings suggest that those respondents with a positive relationship history perceived defensive strategies as more trustworthy and less damaging to organizational reputation. Respondents with a negative relationship history perceived defensive strategies as indicative of greater organizational responsibility for the crisis. Respondents with a positive relationship history reported a greater likelihood of discontinuing patronage regardless of the image repair strategy employed.