Kenon A. Brown

Organization–Public Relationships and Crisis Response Strategies: Impact on Attribution of Responsibility

The study examines how relationships with an organization and crisis response strategy affect attribution of crisis responsibility. Participants were exposed to 1 of 4 different crisis response strategies, manipulated through news articles. The study measured perceptions of the organization–public relationship, and after exposure to 1 of the 4 news articles, attribution of crisis responsibility. People with a positive relationship with the organization were less likely to place blame for the crisis on the organization regardless of crisis response strategy. The study provides evidence that maintaining positive relationships with stakeholders may be more important that individual crisis strategies.

From Pride to Smugness and the Nationalism Between: Olympic Media Consumption Effects on Nationalism Across the Globe

To measure relationships between Olympic media viewing and nation-based attitudes, 6 nations (Australia, Bulgaria, China, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the United States) were surveyed in the 5 days immediately after the 2012 London Olympics. A total of 1,025 respondents answered questions pertaining to four measures of nationalism: patriotism, nationalism, internationalism, and smugness. The amount of Olympic viewing resulted in significantly higher scores for patriotism, nationalism, and smugness, but not internationalism. In addition, differences by nation are reported, revealing considerable differences in nationalism measures among the 6 nations studied; for instance, the United States was the lowest of the 6 nations regarding internationalism yet highest of the 6 nations regarding smugness. Conclusions related to theory and the role of Olympic media content are offered.

5,535 Hours of Impact: Effects of Olympic Media on Nationalism Attitudes

Past studies have shown how international events such as the Olympic broadcast tend to favor athletes from a home nation in terms of both the amount of time devoted and the descriptions ascribed to home-nation athletes. This study highlights the ramifications of this focus on nationalism within the 2012 London Olympic telecast. A survey of 342 respondents at three different points in time (immediately before the Olympics, immediately after, and one month after) was conducted to determine the relationship between Olympic media exposure and nationalistic attitudes. Results showed that heavy viewers of the Olympics displayed significantly higher levels of nationalism, patriotism, internationalism and smugness than light viewers of Olympic media. Moreover, regarding differences between measurements before and after the Olympics, only smugness increased over time. Theoretical extrapolations of cultivation effects are offered, as are directions for future research.

“May No Act of Ours Bring Shame” Fan-Enacted Crisis Communication Surrounding the Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal

This study examined the Penn State sex abuse scandal by applying traditional crisis communication strategies, usually invoked by an organization, to the online communication of the university’s active stakeholders, sports fans. Previous findings suggest sports fans will act on behalf of an organization during a crisis. Yet, the tweets of Penn State fans showed that they turned on the university and placed their loyalty with Coach Joe Paterno. Furthermore, this study discovered that fans engaged in the ingratiation, reminder, and scapegoat strategies most befitting the typology offered by Coombs, empowering the active stakeholders in the process. Results of this case provide a warning for organizations that online fan-based crisis response may not always be enacted in their best interests.

The Effects of Crisis Response Strategies on Relationship Quality Outcomes

This study investigated the effects of crisis response strategies on the attribution of an organization’s crisis responsibilities and relationship quality outcomes and determined the linkages among relationship quality outcome indicators. This study found that none of the tested crisis response strategies were helpful in reducing public blame surrounding the featured organization’s responsibility in the crisis. This study also found that the presence of crisis itself tends to negatively affect the relationship quality and that the publics examined were not influenced by the use of crisis response strategies.

Social Media Becomes Traditional: Sport Media Consumption and the Blending of Modern Information Pathways

ABSTRACT As sports media evolves, it becomes more integrated. The mobile sport consumption only blurs these lines further, as fans may be finding “information” they do not regard as platform or outlet-specific. A survey of 199 sports fans reveals differences in the uses sought and gratifications from three forms of sports news social media offerings: (a) official team-managed social media outlets, (b) media-managed social media outlets, and (c) fan-managed social media outlets. Results showed that fan-managed social media outlets were less utilized than the other two forms of sport-related social media outlets and gratifications obtained from fan-managed social media were less than those for the other two options. Ramifications are offered on the theoretical and applied levels.

Developing a valid and reliable measure of organizational crisis responsibility

This study intended to develop a reliable and valid measure of organizational crisis responsibility that could be uniquely applied to public relations research. The three-dimensional measure was constructed using rigorous two-step pilot tests and a nationwide panel full administration survey. The constructed measures were further refined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and resulted in a twelve-item scale, consisting of three items for intentionality, three items for locality, and six items for accountability. The confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the hypothesized factor structure and confirmed that the dimensions of the scale had reliable and valid factor structure.

Sports Draped in the American Flag: Impact of the 2014 Winter Olympic Telecast on Nationalized Attitudes

A total of 525 U.S. respondents participated in a survey of nationalized attitudes surrounding four qualities (patriotism, nationalism, internationalism, and smugness) and their relationship to Olympic media consumption. Four data collection points were used: three months prior to the Sochi Games, immediately before the Opening Ceremonies, immediately after the Closing Ceremonies, and one month after the Sochi Games. Results indicated that the amount of Olympic media consumption significantly heightened responses on all four qualities, but that these qualities were higher before the Sochi Olympics than after. Conclusions are offered regarding the potential mitigating role of Olympic success as it relates to the bolstering of national pride through consumption of international mediated sporting events.

Changing the Image Repair Equation: Impact of Race and Gender on Sport-Related Transgressions

Utilizing a 2 (race) × 2 (sex) × 3 (response strategy) factorial experiment, this study interrogates the extent to which an athlete’s race and gender impacts the image repair process, specifically within the hypermediated realm of athlete transgressions. Using a national sample of 287 participants, results supported for the effectiveness of the mortification strategy above reducing offensiveness and evading responsibility strategies. Moreover, regardless of the transgression response, Black athletes were consistently rated more positively than their White athletic counterparts, deviating from the majority of prior research. Discussion of the role of the Black athlete is offered in light of the unexpected findings, with explanations postulated based on expectancy violation theory and the principle of covariance.

BIRGing with the Best; CORFing for the Country: Fan Identification and Nationalism during the 2014 FIFA World Cup

ABSTRACT To determine how consumption team performance (winning/losing) affects fan identification and subsequent nationalism traits, a national survey of 720 respondents was conducted at four different time periods throughout the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Using structural equation modelling, increased consumption significantly predicts fan identification towards the United States Mens National Team (USMNT). Consumption alone had no effect on nationalistic identity; however, fan identification towards USMNT significantly increased nationalised qualities one exhibits toward ones home country. Winning or losing had no effect on fan identity, yet losing did negatively affect fan internationalism scores and views of global citizenship. Ramifications are offered for theory as well as conclusions related to fan identity and nationalism as a byproduct from winning and losing.