Organizational crisis communication on Facebook: A study of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Corporate Communications: An International Journal
ISSN: 1356-3289
Article publication date: 6 February 2017
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore British Petroleum’s (BP) crisis response on Facebook and factors contributing to its stakeholders’ perceptions of its crisis response strategies during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Design/methodology/approach
Applying crisis response strategies, this study content analyzed BP’s crisis communication messages and Facebook users’ comments on BP America’s Facebook page.
Findings
The results revealed that information giving strategies dominated BP’s crisis response, and Facebook users were more likely to comment favorably when BP used information giving strategies and accommodative strategies. Bolstering strategies and third-party endorsement did not achieve anticipated effectiveness.
Originality/value
The findings of this study will contribute to effective application of crisis response strategies.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Sena Lim and Sumin Shin, the Doctoral Students at the University of Alabama, for their assistance in coding some portion of the data.
Citation
Ye, L. and Ki, E.-J. (2017), "Organizational crisis communication on Facebook: A study of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 80-92. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-07-2015-0045
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited