Augustine Pang

Singapore Management University | smu · Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Crises present organizations with the “rhetorical exigency” to enact control. Silence is not an option. This study, as the first empirical examination of Author A’s seminal study on silence in crisis communication, examines, first, if silence can be strategically used as a bona fide strategy; second, under what circumstances should silence be broke...

Embracing a constitutive view of communication, this study explores how organizations in Hong Kong make sense of and negotiate their corporate societal commitment. It does that by examining how the considered organizations construct their engagement in society and talk of their aspirations on identified society-oriented doings by cultural discourse...

Considered one of the deadliest incidents in the history of aviation crises and labelled a “continuing mystery,” the ongoing search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 offers no closure. With endless media attention, and negative reactions of stakeholders to every decision made by the airline, this study investigates the types of emotions...

Social media influencers (SMIs) are increasingly employed by organizations to amplify their strategic communication efforts. Yet, little is known about the impact an SMI’s personal indiscretion has on their endorsing organizations. This article examines the factors that trigger these crises and their effects on the organizational image. Five cases...

The purpose of this paper is to assess the potential of using social media in employee engagement within the Singapore military through the theoretical lens of organizational listening, and to ascertain the implications to corporate organizational communication with the transferability of findings made possible by a common pool from which both mili...

Purpose Scholars have discouraged using silence in crises as it magnifies the information vacuum (see Pang, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to argue for its viability and explore the type of silence that can be used. Design/methodology/approach Eight international cases were analyzed to examine how silence was adopted, sustained and broken....

The rhetoric of then U.S. President‐elect Donald Trump and Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte had triggered a shift in global political discourse (Greene, 2016). This study examines their responses on three similar crises: disrespectful remarks towards women, associations with controversial political figures, and remarks threatening geopolitica...

This paper develops the CONSOLE (Coherence, Orientation, Nuance, Support, Ongoing, Leadership, Emotions) framework to guide practitioners on how to break bad news effectively to stakeholders during crises. Arguably the first study integrating well-established medical protocols such as SPIKES (Baile et al., 2000) and COMFORT (Villagran et al., 2...

In dyadic online chats with customers, agents commonly employ scripted responses and converse with several customers simultaneously in order to enhance efficiency. These techniques, however, can affect dimensions of interactivity-conversational contingency and response latency-undermining interpersonal assessments, satisfaction, and organizations'...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the veracity of the contingency model of ethical crisis communication by examining the factors of influence in a time of crisis including what constitutes ethics in a time of crisis; the role of public relations (PR) practitioners as the “moral conscience” of an organization and perceptions of the PR...

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been found to be a strong predictor of a favorable corporate image [Gray, 1986. Managing the corporate image: The key to public trust. London: Quorum Books]. Websites have become an essential communication platform [Dawkins, 2004. Corporate responsibility: The communication challenge. Journal of Communicati...

Online media are integral to daily life, and while many organizations use them to reach broad audiences, others still appear to be uncomfortable with online media because they do not understand how to maximize their potential to interact effectively with stakeholders. Numerous organizations use online media for one-way communication to disseminate...

While corporate advertising has been widely studied as a promotional tool, few studies have examined how it can be used in a corporate crisis situation. In 2013, Kim proposed a conceptual framework for examining stakeholders’ evaluation of pre-crisis corporate advertising, using the inoculation and reactance theory. The framework, published in Jour...

Singapore has achieved fame as a hub of commerce, knowledge, and research and development in a fiercely competitive global environment. If there is an Achilles heel in Singapore's progress in this new economy, it would be its lack of crisis preparedness, particularly social media crisis (SMC) preparedness. Due to its lack of natural resources, and...

Modern distribution systems often stretch beyond national borders such that a highly-visible product failure in a single country may negatively influence the reputation and market share of all identifiable supply chain members–even those that are blameless–in multiple countries, especially when the product is related to food safety. This study cons...

Several previous studies have been conducted to examine China’s management of internal crises, but few have investigated the approaches to crisis management used by domestic Chinese organizations. It is critical to study these organizations because their approaches exemplify the intricacies of crisis management at the local level. In China, there a...

Purpose Information vacuums (IVs) arise from organizational failure to satisfy stakeholders’ informational demands during crises. This study expands Pang’s (2013) study of the phenomenon by investigating its nature, stages, intensifying factors and resolution. Design/methodology/approach Print and social media data of five recent international c...

The world decided in December 2015 to take actions to reduce global warming. To contribute toward this goal, this research examines possible policy levers for inclusion in the climate change ratification plan. A case study of the measures taken by the Republic of Singapore, a low-lying 719.2 km2 island without natural resources in Asia, is conducte...

This article seeks to examine the relationships among source credibility, message plausibility, message type (rumor or rumor correction) and retransmission of tweets in a rumoring situation. From a total of 5,885 tweets related to the rumored death of the founding father of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew, 357 original tweets without an “RT” prefix were sel...

Crisis communication, which has been dominated by a practical perspective, has become a nexus where theory meets application. Despite mounting interest in theoretical studies, crisis communication lacks cultural contextualization. Asian communication researchers have advocated for the need to indigenize communication, drawing relevance to cultural...

This study explores the veracity of the six ethical variables proposed in the contingency theory of strategic conflict management – the role of PR practitioner, the role of top management, nature of the crisis, the activism of stakeholders; government regulation/intervention; diversity to different cultures and exposure external business environmen...

This study aims to understand the role of cultural values in influencing public relations practice in Singapore. Given that Singapore exhibits a hybrid of cultures, it purposes to comprehend how multiculturalism is operationalized and to uncover if the values that have a greater influence on organizational communication resemble those in individual...

Apology has been found to be the most effective strategy in times of crises. However, there is a dearth of research on the kinds of apology used and how primary stakeholders, in particular consumers, received them. This study aims to examine consumer responses to the types of apologies offered post crises against the levels of attribution of respon...

This paper investigates the characteristics of rumor-related tweets that would attract retransmission. Drawing on the uses and gratifications (U & G) and influential users' theories, it proposes a rumor retransmission model which comprises variables associated to the source and the message of the tweets. From a total of 5,885 rumor-related tweets a...

With the increasing clout of social media influencers (SMIs) in influencing public perceptions toward organizations, organizations should consider building relations with SMIs to maximize positive online media coverage. This study examines how organizations can build effective relations with SMIs using the Mediating the Media model as its theoretic...

Ethical communication during crisis response is often assessed by external perceptions of the organization's intentions, rather than an assessment of the organization's communicative behaviors. This can easily lead researchers to draw editorial conclusions about an organization's ethics in crisis response rather than accurately describing its commu...

In recent years, Singapore has faced its fair share of crises involving a wide spectrum of organizations, the government, corporate, and nonprofit. The types of crises involved management of transnational health issues, corruption of top government officials, financial crises involving a national bank, and misappropriation of funds by charitable or...

Governments are expected to intervene in national crises like natural disasters (Rosenthal & Kouzmin, 1997). Less clear are corporate crises. In recent years, there have been several corporate crises in Asia where governments have intervened to restore confidence. The paper seeks to examine the roles and extent of Asian government intervention in c...

Many studies have examined organizations’ use of specific types of online media, but few studies have examined how organizations generate dialogues and develop relationships by using multiple online communication platforms. This study takes an integrated approach by examining how top global organizations incorporate brand Web sites, Facebook, and T...

Organizations face several impediments when it comes to communicating their corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement to the public via the media. This paper examines practitioners’ and journalists’ perception of CSR communication using the agenda-building model (Qiu Q, Cameron GT, Communicating health disparities: building a supportive medi...

In today's media environment, crises are magnified as media events and are rich sites for the inception of images. Particular images, like a photograph or a sound bite are found to endure as representations of defining moments of crises. This study seeks to examine the concept of an enduring image, how it is engendered and how it impacts crisis com...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the viability of the media relations framework, Mediating the Media model (Pang, 2010), and ascertains its relevance to practitioners in a changing media landscape in Singapore where social media is emerging as an alternative source of information tool. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interview...

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine how crises can be triggered online, how different social media tools escalate crises, and how issues gain credibility when they transit to mainstream media. Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory study uses the multiple case study method to analyze five crises, generated online, throughout thei...

Public relations (PR) in Singapore can be traced back to the period immediately after World War II when the British colonial authorities re-established power after the defeat of Japan. As Singapore’s status as a cross-road for trade and innovation grew, public relations expanded. This started with government and corporate interests and has expanded...

This article extends Vasterman’s (2005) concept of media hype by analyzing how it applies in the social media context. It then develops the concept of social media hype, its nature, characteristics through examination of five cases that attracted much social media attention. Social media hype can be defined as a netizen-generated hype that causes h...

The aim of this article is to compare the state of crisis consultancies in Singapore and Denmark. Adapting and integrating indicators to assess professionalism, the study seeks to examine: 1) the level of expertise of public relations consultants in offering crisis management and communication consultancy to private and public organizations; 2) the...

The case: In December 2011, one of Singapore’s main mass transit rail lines came to a standstill for several hours on two separate days. While occasional public transport breakdowns are unavoidable, the rail operator came under intense criticism for its poor handling of the incidents, including its failure in crisis communication. Its value: This c...

Purpose ‐ A good corporate image is important to organizations. However, little is elaborated on how organizations can work on their images. This study seeks to explicate the types of image management before, during, and after a crisis through the development of the crisis pre-emptive image management model. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Integratin...

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) among small-medium enterprises (SME) is an overlooked area, despite the latter's emerging prominence as an economic player. To provide a comprehensive analysis of the CSR landscape among Singapore SMEs, a triangulation of 15 in-depth interviews and a self-administered Web survey was conducted among 113 senior e...

To better understand not only the minds, but also the hearts of key publics, we have developed a more systemic approach to understand the responses of audiences in crisis situations. The Integrated Crisis Mapping (ICM) model is based on a publics-based, emotion-driven perspective where the publics' responses to different crises are mapped on 2 cont...

Globalization has intensified the interaction and interdependency among countries. The need to maintain good reputation and establish good relationships should dominate public diplomacy efforts (Hiebert, 2005). Using the US financial crisis 2008 as a case study, this study examines how the world's only superpower repaired its image when it was accu...

In 2008, the Sanlu Group, a former giant in the Chinese dairy industry and a quintessential Chinese organization, was confronted with the melamine-contaminated milk crisis. Its products were blamed for causing at least six babies' deaths and damaging the kidneys of about 294,000 babies. Sanlu was criticized for its crisis handling, which resulted i...

Status and Role of CSR in Different SectorsRole of SettingFuture Research Directions and Conclusion References

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to seek to understand the differences in image repair strategies adopted by two governments that operate in the Western and Asian societies when faced with similar crises. Design/methodology/approach Textual analyses are presented of communication of Hurricane Katrina and Typhoon Morakot by the Taiwanese and US...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend current theories in crisis communication, by developing a more systemic approach to understanding the role of emotions in crises and the strategies organizations can use to respond. The authors' integrated crisis mapping (ICM) model is premised on a public‐based, emotion‐driven perspective where diff...

Purpose The prevailing challenge faced by practitioners is to conduct effective media relations, especially with the proliferation of diverse media platforms both online and offline. For such a predominant and critical function, a systematic approach needs to be offered. This paper aims to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach A new mo...

Purpose The use of new media in crisis is a double‐edged sword. On one hand, its pivotal role in online monitoring and dissemination of information can help an organisation manage crisis. On the other hand, it can also create organisational crisis. The purpose of this paper is to examine how new media can be used to escalate crisis. Design/methodo...

The dilemma facing crisis scholars could not be more paradoxical: How does one explain and predict the outcome of a phenomenon – characteristics which Chaffee and Berger (1987) argued to be the foundation of a theory – that is so contextual-dependent, where the twists and turns of unfolding events often frus-trate the natural ebb of what one could...

The image of a nation is crucial in the conduct of international relations (Wang, J. (2006). Managing national reputation and international relations in the global era: Public diplomacy revisited. Public Relations Review, 32, 91–96). A favorable image plays a critical role in asserting one's influence (Benoit, W. L., & Brinson, S. L. (1994). AT&T:...

Purpose One explicit leadership role the chief executive officer (CEO) can play during crisis is to assume the role of being the organization's spokesperson. What remains unclear is at what point of the crisis should the CEO step up and how does that impact crisis communication? The purpose of this paper is to examine this question. Design/methodo...

This study examines the systemic problems facing the profession, and suggests how PR can be transformed from a "pre-professional" to "professional" stage -- albeit mostly by confluence of circumstances and by default rather than by design. Three scenarios that fall into this wave of confluence are suggested, namely, the changing media landscape, en...

Purpose Crisis planning, which symbolizes an organization's crisis preparedness and often conceptualized at the corporate headquarters, is increasingly decentralized to regional centers of global companies. These centers, in turn, synchronize their crisis master plans with its national units for expeditious management of localized crises. The purpo...

The fabric and faces of threat, and the expediency and efficiency in the communication of threat, are examined with a threat appraisal model. This model is empirically tested on an ongoing communication challenge, the issuance of terror alerts by the United States' Department of Homeland Security (DHS), focusing on how threat is appraised by both t...

The contingency theory of conflict management and current crisis management literature are integrated in this paper to examine how crisis has been communi-cated and managed by the Singapore government and what kinds of strategies arose during the various stages of the SARS crisis life-cycle. Findings show that the Singapore government played a pred...

Extending current theories in crisis communication, the authors have developed a more systemic approach to understanding the role of emotions. The Integrated Crisis Mapping (ICM) model is based on a public-based, emotion-driven perspective where different crises are mapped on two continua, the organization's engagement in the crisis and primary pub...

Widely regarded as an anomaly in the neo-authoritarian system in Malaysia, Malaysiakini.com is proving that managing an independent media in a government-managed media landscape is more than a Sisyphean struggle. Employing participant observation and interviews, supplemented by artifacts and media accounts, this study seeks to understand the media...