The Gulf Coast Oil Spill Extending the Theory of Image...

Public Relations Review 37 (2011) 226–232 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Public Relations Review The Gulf Coast oil spill: Extending the theory of image restoration discourse to the realm of social media and beyond petroleum Sidharth Muralidharan âˆâ€" , Kristie Dillistone, Jae-Hwa Shin The University of Southern Mississippi, United States a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t The explosion of Transocean’s Deepwater Horizon, an oil-rig licensed to BP, set in motion a chain of unfortunate events that led to BP’s ruptured oil well disgorging millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Since the spill, the corporate image of BP has been severely challenged. The company has used many strategies to preserve†¦show more content†¦By examining social media, researchers have a greater opportunity to analyze audience sentiment in relation to emerging issues on a larger scale than traditional media outlets. Understanding the dimensions of audience reaction is crucial in a cycle of crisis. Audience response acts as gauge for image restoration effectiveness. This study is the ï ¬ rst attempt to extend the theory of image restoration discourse to the realm of social media. 2. BP’s corporate image and social media In the past, management tends to focus on the daily operations, leaving the care and maintenance of the corporate image to the public relations practitioners. As greater amounts of information are available through online media as well as news outlets to the public at large, the managerial approach has been abandoned by a number of corporations because of the increased scrutiny it brings to corporate image issues. Audience perception is a key factor in deï ¬ ning a company’s identity and image. Corporations are held accountable for their actions principally through public reaction. Before the year 2000, the company, then known as British Petroleum, had a reputation as a highly successful international oil conglomerate. British Petroleum’s business practices, including their safety record, were called into question. ThisShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesshifts that represented watershed transformations in where humans lived, how they earned their livings, and their unprecedented ability to move about the globe. Moya and McKeown set the patterns of migration in the twentieth century against those extending back millennia, and they compare in imaginative ways the similarities and differences among diverse flows in different geographical areas and across ethnic communities and social strata. They consider not only the nature, volume, and directionRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesDiversity Programs 58 Summary and Implications for Managers 60 S A L Self-Assessment Library What’s My Attitude Toward Older People? 40 Myth or Science? â€Å"Dual-Career Couples Divorce Less† 47 An Ethical Choice Religious Tattoos 51 glOBalization! Images of Diversity from Around the Globe 54 Point/Counterpoint Men Have More Mathematical Ability Than Women 61 Questions for Review 62 Experiential Exercise Feeling Excluded 62 Ethical Dilemma Board Quotas 62 Case Incident 1 The Flynn Effect 63 Case IncidentRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 Pages Faculty instructors can customize these presentations by adding their own slides and links to Web resources and/or by editing the existing ones. †¢ The Image Library is a collection of the text art organized by chapter. This collection includes all of the figures, tables, and screenshots (as permission allows) from the book. These images can be used to enhance class lectures and PowerPoint slides. CourseSmart eTextbooks Online CourseSmart is an online delivery choice for instructors and