An exploratory research on the community impact of online crisis communication the case of Activision Blizzard King
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Kulcsszavak: | case studies communication corporate social responsibility economics public relations |
| Online Access: | http://dolgozattar.uni-bge.hu/43514 |
| Abstract: | Crisis communication is an evergreen field of public relations as organizational reputation is always facing the threat of natural disasters, accidents, errors and the unpredictable.The following paper aims to explore the effects of the corporate discrimination crisis and subsequent crisis communication of Activision Blizzard King, a leading corporation within the video game industry. While natural disasters challenge crisis managers via their unpredictability, the other end of the crisis clusters boasts the highest reputational threat; it can range from miscommunication to immoral actions of bodily harm and it is an ever present threat due to the very nature of society: human error.This thesis aims to analyze one such crisis of managerial misdeeds and discrimination in the rapidly growing industry that is the video game sector through a case study utilising the Situational Crisis Communication Theory and online survey results. While ABK has benefitted from the increased interest caused by the pandemic, the communities revolving around their titles were shaken up by an internal crisis brought to light by a lawsuit filed by the California Civil Rights Department (henceforth referred to as CRD), at the time referred to as the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (CDFEH or DFEH) (news.bloomberglaw.com, 2021; calcivilrights.ca.gov 2022).The lawsuit alleged rampant and ongoing workplace discrimination which has created a hostile “frat boy culture” at the company. Within its contents are accounts of workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation and a tragic case of an employee driven to suicide. As soon as the news broke out they spread rapidly and caused the customers of the brand to question their trust in the corporation.The case of Activision Blizzard King illustrates multiple mistakes crisis management and crisis communication: ignorance of crisis warning signals, loss of control over the crisis framing, late crisis reaction, the choice of a denial strategy in a high crisis responsibility case, uncredible spokespeople and solely prioritizing a legal perspective over crisis management strategies. The empowering nature social media has on stakeholder activism was also illustrated though the A Better ABK movements industry changing example. The negative perception of the case is prevalent, however the right course of action from the customer side has not been established and the majority of research participants still engage with the company’s services.The case shows the enduring relevance of Situational Crisis Communication Theory, while highlighting the weakness of strict adherence to the lifecycle model of crisis communication in the cases of complex crises. Moreover, it highlights the importance of the early moments of the crisis event. The notions of Scansis, social mediated crises and regenerative crisis may gain even more relevancy as more of the average adult population will become digital naturals, giving future crisis researchers and communicators new areas of research to look out for. |
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