Image Restoration and the Management of Reputation

Linsley, P.; Slack, R.; Edkins, A.

Abstract

In September 2007, the directors of United Kingdom-based Northern Rock bank had to engage in crisis management following a run on the bank. The rhetoric of the bank’s pre- and post-crisis press releases is analysed in the chapter, and the findings confirm that the DICTION certainty variable increases post-crisis, and the optimism variable decreases post-crisis. According to the date of departure of the incumbent chief executive, the separation of the post-crisis period reveals additional significant changes in rhetoric. Notably, in the post-crisis period, but prior to the departure of the serving chief executive, the analysis reveals a propensity to: (1) intellectualise problems rather than act upon them, (2) seek to reassure but with an inability to speak ex-cathedra, and (3) make greater use of denial-related language whilst avoiding discussion of hardship matters resulting from the crisis.

Citation

Linsley, P., Slack, R., & Edkins, A. (2014). Image Restoration and the Management of Reputation. In R. Hart (Ed.), Communication and language analysis in the corporate world (89-107). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-4999-6.ch006

• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Jan 14, 2014
• Publisher: IGI Global
• Pages: 89-107
• Book Title: Communication and language analysis in the corporate world.
• Chapter Number: 6
• ISBN: 9781466649996
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-4999-6.ch006
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1674239