Pub Date : 2023-10-18DOI: 10.1080/1553118x.2023.2235332
Soojin Kim, Lisa Tam, Maureen Taylor
ABSTRACTThis study investigates individuals’ conspiratorial beliefs about China’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic and their effects on their attitudes toward China. While many conspiracy theories about China had been propagated on both traditional and social media, little is known about how this affected individuals’ views on China’s responsibility in the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of such views. An online survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 521 Australian citizens in October 2021. The findings showed that individuals who believed in conspiracy theories regarding China’s role in causing the COVID-19 pandemic (a) attributed blame to China, (b) perceived China as an economic threat to Australia, and (c) exhibited stronger preferences for Australian products over Chinese products. This study will contribute to strategic communication scholarship and practice with key insights into how and why specific groups of individuals develop or adopt conspiratorial beliefs during a crisis. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Scholars use the term conspiratorial beliefs interchangeably with other terms, such as beliefs in conspiracy theories.
{"title":"Understanding Who is Blamed for COVID-19: Dynamics of Conspiratorial Beliefs, Blame Attribution, Perceived Economic Threat, and Consumer Ethnocentrism","authors":"Soojin Kim, Lisa Tam, Maureen Taylor","doi":"10.1080/1553118x.2023.2235332","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2023.2235332","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTThis study investigates individuals’ conspiratorial beliefs about China’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic and their effects on their attitudes toward China. While many conspiracy theories about China had been propagated on both traditional and social media, little is known about how this affected individuals’ views on China’s responsibility in the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of such views. An online survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 521 Australian citizens in October 2021. The findings showed that individuals who believed in conspiracy theories regarding China’s role in causing the COVID-19 pandemic (a) attributed blame to China, (b) perceived China as an economic threat to Australia, and (c) exhibited stronger preferences for Australian products over Chinese products. This study will contribute to strategic communication scholarship and practice with key insights into how and why specific groups of individuals develop or adopt conspiratorial beliefs during a crisis. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 Scholars use the term conspiratorial beliefs interchangeably with other terms, such as beliefs in conspiracy theories.","PeriodicalId":39017,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Strategic Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135883774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-11DOI: 10.1080/1553118x.2023.2231418
Nandini Bhalla, Yeonsoo Kim
ABSTRACTIn 2018, India scrapped Section 377 of the Penal Code to decriminalize homosexuality in the state. This study examines the impact of different levels of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)-supporting corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on individuals’ behavioral intentions to support a company and its CSR initiatives by conducting an online experiment with Indian citizens. It also examines the role of value-driven motivations and social acceptance. The findings show a direct impact and an interactive effect of social acceptance of the LGBTQ community on individuals’ CSR associations. Moreover, CSR-induced value-driven motives can strongly influence corporate ability (CA) associations. The dual-path model proposed in this study will serve as a foundation for future research in the strategic communication of CSR programs for sensitive topics such as LGBTQ issues due to polarized public opinion in developing countries. The practical and theoretical implications of this study are also discussed. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data will be shared upon request.
{"title":"LGBTQ-Supporting Diversity CSR in India: Impact of CSR Levels and Role of Value-Based Attributions and Social Acceptance on CSR Outcomes","authors":"Nandini Bhalla, Yeonsoo Kim","doi":"10.1080/1553118x.2023.2231418","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2023.2231418","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTIn 2018, India scrapped Section 377 of the Penal Code to decriminalize homosexuality in the state. This study examines the impact of different levels of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ)-supporting corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on individuals’ behavioral intentions to support a company and its CSR initiatives by conducting an online experiment with Indian citizens. It also examines the role of value-driven motivations and social acceptance. The findings show a direct impact and an interactive effect of social acceptance of the LGBTQ community on individuals’ CSR associations. Moreover, CSR-induced value-driven motives can strongly influence corporate ability (CA) associations. The dual-path model proposed in this study will serve as a foundation for future research in the strategic communication of CSR programs for sensitive topics such as LGBTQ issues due to polarized public opinion in developing countries. The practical and theoretical implications of this study are also discussed. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data will be shared upon request.","PeriodicalId":39017,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Strategic Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136210313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-11DOI: 10.1080/1553118x.2023.2231417
Hussein Bajouk, Carme Ferré-Pavia
ABSTRACTGovernment social media (GSM) accounts were increasingly used by governments worldwide to support strategic crisis communication efforts during the global COVID-19 pandemic, particularly to influence people’s perceptions and behaviors. However, little is known about the potential connections between users’ engagement on GSM platforms and their own health perceptions regarding COVID-19 and related preventive behaviors. Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective and drawing on the Health Belief Model (HBM), the present study employed a survey research method to collect data from 2,163 Facebook followers of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in Lebanon. The collected data was subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate Pearson’s correlation tests. The findings reveal a significant association between active information-seeking on the MoPH Facebook page and all HBM constructs (perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and barriers), while passive exposure was associated with three of these constructs. GSM participation, including liking, commenting, and sharing, was significantly associated with perceived severity and benefits. These novel insights represent an initial step towards a deeper understanding of the purposeful and influential use of GSM during health crises. Theoretical contributions and policy implications are discussed in detail. AcknowledgmentsThe authors extend their sincere gratitude to Mrs. Lina Abour Mrad, the Director of the National E-Health Program in the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, along with her team members, Mrs. Zeinab Krayem and Mrs. Farah Mousa, for their valuable feedback on the survey process and their invaluable support in facilitating the posting of the online survey.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
{"title":"Government Social Media Engagement and Health Perceptions During the COVID-19 Crisis: A Cross-Sectional Study","authors":"Hussein Bajouk, Carme Ferré-Pavia","doi":"10.1080/1553118x.2023.2231417","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2023.2231417","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTGovernment social media (GSM) accounts were increasingly used by governments worldwide to support strategic crisis communication efforts during the global COVID-19 pandemic, particularly to influence people’s perceptions and behaviors. However, little is known about the potential connections between users’ engagement on GSM platforms and their own health perceptions regarding COVID-19 and related preventive behaviors. Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective and drawing on the Health Belief Model (HBM), the present study employed a survey research method to collect data from 2,163 Facebook followers of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in Lebanon. The collected data was subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics and bivariate Pearson’s correlation tests. The findings reveal a significant association between active information-seeking on the MoPH Facebook page and all HBM constructs (perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and barriers), while passive exposure was associated with three of these constructs. GSM participation, including liking, commenting, and sharing, was significantly associated with perceived severity and benefits. These novel insights represent an initial step towards a deeper understanding of the purposeful and influential use of GSM during health crises. Theoretical contributions and policy implications are discussed in detail. AcknowledgmentsThe authors extend their sincere gratitude to Mrs. Lina Abour Mrad, the Director of the National E-Health Program in the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, along with her team members, Mrs. Zeinab Krayem and Mrs. Farah Mousa, for their valuable feedback on the survey process and their invaluable support in facilitating the posting of the online survey.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).","PeriodicalId":39017,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Strategic Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136097422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-27DOI: 10.1080/1553118x.2023.2236090
S. Sauter, Marc Jungblut
{"title":"It’s Good for Our Reputation (?!) – the Impact of Socio-Political CEO Communication on Corporate Reputation","authors":"S. Sauter, Marc Jungblut","doi":"10.1080/1553118x.2023.2236090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2023.2236090","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39017,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Strategic Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45908685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-16DOI: 10.1080/1553118x.2023.2234881
N. Thielemann, Martina Berrocal
{"title":"Framing the Energy Transition: The Case of Poland’s Turów Lignite Mine","authors":"N. Thielemann, Martina Berrocal","doi":"10.1080/1553118x.2023.2234881","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2023.2234881","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39017,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Strategic Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44825258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-07DOI: 10.1080/1553118x.2023.2231922
Sophia Egbert, C. Rudeloff
{"title":"Employees as Corporate Influencers: Exploring the Impacts of Parasocial Interactions on Brand Equity and Brand Outcomes","authors":"Sophia Egbert, C. Rudeloff","doi":"10.1080/1553118x.2023.2231922","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2023.2231922","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39017,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Strategic Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47706615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-06DOI: 10.1080/1553118x.2023.2228293
Baobao Song, Minhee Choi
{"title":"Testing Publics’ Perceptions of Corporate Social Advocacy Messaging: Linking Organizational and Social Outcomes","authors":"Baobao Song, Minhee Choi","doi":"10.1080/1553118x.2023.2228293","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2023.2228293","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":39017,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Strategic Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43990998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/1553118x.2023.2229304
Franzisca Weder
In this article, the evolutionary perspective is applied as a heuristic to explore strategic sustainability communication as communicative niche construction at the intersection of organizations and their environment over the past decades. Within the sustainability story and frames that organize the narratives, corporates as ‘species’ not only adapt to their constantly changing environment (communicative cultivation of new values within the organization) but also impact their environment, change cultural patterns, and co-construct their own socio-ecological niche (niche construction through communication). The evolution of the strategic sustainability story can be observed in the development of corporate non-financial reporting over the past three decades. This article utilizes a mixed-methodologically designed content analysis of a sample of (n =) 250 “Environment(al) Reports” from the 1990s, later entitled as “CSR Reports” (2000–2015), and today as “Sustainability Reports”. The sample has been taken from 15 internationally operating energy corporates within a time span of 30 years. After the theoretical conceptualization, the methodology and the findings of the study are presented along with a discussion of the limitations of the analysis. Finally, future potential of the evolutionary psychology approach to study and conceptualize strategic communication and of transposing the framework of biological niches to the corporate world, is discussed.
{"title":"The Evolution of the Sustainability Story: Strategic Sustainability Communication as Niche Construction","authors":"Franzisca Weder","doi":"10.1080/1553118x.2023.2229304","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2023.2229304","url":null,"abstract":"In this article, the evolutionary perspective is applied as a heuristic to explore strategic sustainability communication as communicative niche construction at the intersection of organizations and their environment over the past decades. Within the sustainability story and frames that organize the narratives, corporates as ‘species’ not only adapt to their constantly changing environment (communicative cultivation of new values within the organization) but also impact their environment, change cultural patterns, and co-construct their own socio-ecological niche (niche construction through communication). The evolution of the strategic sustainability story can be observed in the development of corporate non-financial reporting over the past three decades. This article utilizes a mixed-methodologically designed content analysis of a sample of (n =) 250 “Environment(al) Reports” from the 1990s, later entitled as “CSR Reports” (2000–2015), and today as “Sustainability Reports”. The sample has been taken from 15 internationally operating energy corporates within a time span of 30 years. After the theoretical conceptualization, the methodology and the findings of the study are presented along with a discussion of the limitations of the analysis. Finally, future potential of the evolutionary psychology approach to study and conceptualize strategic communication and of transposing the framework of biological niches to the corporate world, is discussed.","PeriodicalId":39017,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Strategic Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135897589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/1553118x.2023.2235575
Binod Sundararajan, Malavika Sundararajan
The gaps that strategic communication has to bridge have widened due to competing values driven by self-interest versus superordinate organizational goals. We propose a higher-order comprehensive model, grounded in a) the social behavioral aspects of evolutionary psychology and strategic communication; b) evolutionary game theory reciprocity; and c) the niche construction of leadership. We offer the concept of ‘leaderspeak’, which brings into effect the concepts of collaborative and mutually beneficial relations, altruism, spite, and selfishness. In this paper, we seek to parse the role of reciprocity, altruism, and how receivers are motivated to respond to leader communication (leaderspeak, i.e., leader communication that considers all the multi-modal affordances of language, including non-verbal communication, to outline the intent of the leader). This is an initial attempt to delve deeper into the evolving human need while ensuring reciprocity between the sender and receiver. Our aim is to understand and address the attitude, “I hear you, and get what you want me to do for you, so what’s in it for me?”
{"title":"Leaderspeak – An Evolutionary Psychology Approach to Reducing Gaps in Strategic Communication","authors":"Binod Sundararajan, Malavika Sundararajan","doi":"10.1080/1553118x.2023.2235575","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2023.2235575","url":null,"abstract":"The gaps that strategic communication has to bridge have widened due to competing values driven by self-interest versus superordinate organizational goals. We propose a higher-order comprehensive model, grounded in a) the social behavioral aspects of evolutionary psychology and strategic communication; b) evolutionary game theory reciprocity; and c) the niche construction of leadership. We offer the concept of ‘leaderspeak’, which brings into effect the concepts of collaborative and mutually beneficial relations, altruism, spite, and selfishness. In this paper, we seek to parse the role of reciprocity, altruism, and how receivers are motivated to respond to leader communication (leaderspeak, i.e., leader communication that considers all the multi-modal affordances of language, including non-verbal communication, to outline the intent of the leader). This is an initial attempt to delve deeper into the evolving human need while ensuring reciprocity between the sender and receiver. Our aim is to understand and address the attitude, “I hear you, and get what you want me to do for you, so what’s in it for me?”","PeriodicalId":39017,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Strategic Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135897590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/1553118x.2023.2230575
Christian Pieter Hoffmann
ABSTRACTThe investor relations (IR) function emerged from the need to limit information asymmetries between management and shareholders. As a result, the mandatory disclosure of material information is at the heart of the IR task. Over the years, however, investor relations has evolved into a strategic communication function, responsible for a wide array of voluntary disclosure activities, for relationship management, and executive advisory. Empirical studies document the positive impact of these IR efforts on share prices. Notably, these empirical insights point to tensions emanating from a strategic IR role: According to current regulatory frameworks, voluntary communication beyond mandatory disclosures should not be price-sensitive, and thus should not affect corporate value. To date, there is no authoritative theoretical account for the strategic role of investor relations. Some argue that IR shapes investor perceptions through sensegiving, by fostering social ties, or due to investors’ cognitive biases. This contribution proposes that evolutionary psychology allows for a more comprehensive theoretical account of the strategic role of investor relations. It reviews insights from evolutionary psychology and relates them to established concepts and empirical findings from IR research. It discusses avenues for future research and limitations to an evolutionary psychology perspective on strategic investor relations. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
{"title":"Investor Relations as Strategic Communication: Insights from Evolutionary Psychology","authors":"Christian Pieter Hoffmann","doi":"10.1080/1553118x.2023.2230575","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2023.2230575","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTThe investor relations (IR) function emerged from the need to limit information asymmetries between management and shareholders. As a result, the mandatory disclosure of material information is at the heart of the IR task. Over the years, however, investor relations has evolved into a strategic communication function, responsible for a wide array of voluntary disclosure activities, for relationship management, and executive advisory. Empirical studies document the positive impact of these IR efforts on share prices. Notably, these empirical insights point to tensions emanating from a strategic IR role: According to current regulatory frameworks, voluntary communication beyond mandatory disclosures should not be price-sensitive, and thus should not affect corporate value. To date, there is no authoritative theoretical account for the strategic role of investor relations. Some argue that IR shapes investor perceptions through sensegiving, by fostering social ties, or due to investors’ cognitive biases. This contribution proposes that evolutionary psychology allows for a more comprehensive theoretical account of the strategic role of investor relations. It reviews insights from evolutionary psychology and relates them to established concepts and empirical findings from IR research. It discusses avenues for future research and limitations to an evolutionary psychology perspective on strategic investor relations. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.","PeriodicalId":39017,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Strategic Communication","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135897588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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