A Research on the Role of Crisis Response Strategies on Corporate Reputation within the Frame of Situational Crisis Communication Theory

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In this study, the role of crisis response strategy, which is among the basic assumptions of situational crisis communication theory, is analysed in terms of the level of responsibility attributed to the corporation and the perception of corporate reputation. The research was conducted through a scenario with 325 participating students. Firstly, the corporate reputation perception of the participating students regarding Uşak University was measured. After the crisis based on the scenario, it was assumed that Uşak University issued 2 separate press releases to the public. In the first press release, “acceptance, apology and compensation” strategies were used, while in the second, “blaming someone else, scapegoating, and not accepting responsibility” strategies were used. Students read the first release. They agreed on 12 statements of the scale which includes 13 statements in total. It was seen that average attendance level increased. In this context, it was determined that the university accepted the responsibility for the crisis. Its implementing various rebuild actions and apologizing contributed to the corporate reputation in a positive sense. It was found that the university’s blaming the food company, not accepting responsibility for the crisis, making the release late, not using any rebuild and compensatory elements caused the decline of reputation perception of the institution. Similarly, using statements containing elements of “compensating and rebuilding activities” in the first press release revealed the fact that the institution was noticed much more quickly in public than other components.