Progressive Final Draft of Senior Paper-1

Tezlynn Tillmon
Reputation: Public Perspective &
Management

Reputation: Public Perspective & Management 2
Statement of Problem:
The mind is the most vulnerable and potent part of a human being. It has the ability
to form opinions and ideas on a plethora of discussion topics and situations. When
honing in on the more vulnerable side of the mind, the key to success in public
perspective can be discovered. In the realm of American politics and stardom, the
opinions and perspectives of the public can negatively or positively affect a career.
Generally public opinion and damaging factors are published or revealed via social
media or news outlets. Public opinions, judgments and speculations create a need
for reputation management. Due to technology being ever present and changing in
society, social media platforms have now become a part of reputational issues that
surface for high profile individuals as well as companies. Social media has grown
tremendously in its usage and approval ratings in recent years. Facebook has
accrued over 1.3 billion users, with other social media platforms such as Twitter and
LinkedIn following closely behind with hundreds of millions of users. With such high
usage and approval ratings, social media platforms have given privacy and personal
information a priceless value; they have become a type of currency. Due to this new
form of currency and the lack of knowledge concerning reputation management,
celebrities, politicians and businesses are more likely to be caught in the midst of
social media faux pas and various moments of personal exploitation. These instant
sources of communication have made it possible, due to widespread and low cost
information, for rapid image disruptions to occur for legitimate or irrational reasons.
According to Fogel and Nehmad (2009) it has become evident that highly interactive

social networks must be observed and identified as the central threat to the
reputations of businesses and the images of public figures. Overseeing the social
network environments is fundamental to becoming and remaining relevant.
Obtaining an account on social networks is clearly not sufficient; establishments and
high profile figures need to be active and provide appropriate engagement in order
to actively develop public trust. In certain areas of politics and business, situations
(improper use and misuse of social media and publicity) where public influence is
needed, tends to arise frequently, pushing the need for reputation management. It is
obvious that there is an extraordinary cost to pay for damaging or losing a positive
reputation as well as the noble standing among stakeholders, investors and the
public. Previous experiences of corporations and high profile individuals have
revealed that poorly controlled crises will decrease share values and public approval
ratings. According to an unidentifiable research that focused specifically on the
United States of America conducted in 2003, amid 1,400 stakeholders and investors,
around 50% of an establishment or individual’s reputation is credited to CEOs and
the perspective of the public. Individuals and establishments need to have
knowledge of how reputation management works and how important reputational
value is to personal and professional dealings.
Significance of Problem:
The lack of knowledge about reputation management and about the benefits of
reputation management presents a large problem for today’s businesses, political
figures and celebrities. The lack of knowledge about reputation management leaves

businesses; brands and figures wide open for social faux pas and bad publicity followed
by a possible decline in stocks, shares and market value. Preemptive planning by
reputation management firms and practitioners offers some solution to the problem.
Although reputation is a vague concept, research implies that a stellar reputation
causes notable increase in corporate and individual worth, along with supplying
consistent advantage in the area of effectiveness. Any establishment or individual can
attain its goals with ease if the reputation that precedes them carries favor with its
stakeholders. Favorable reputations enable establishments and individuals to be viewed
positively by their targeted audience and main consumers. The target audience and
main consumers will influence potential consumers via word of mouth based upon their
experience. Burson-Marsteller performed a survey research that discovered that 95% of
executives in corporate America believed that reputation is a vital part of achieving
objectives in industries where public relations is in high demand. Ironically it was also
found that even though 95% of corporate executives support reputation as a vital factor
to public success, only 19% of corporations and individuals were equipped with an
official system that assesses the significance and effectiveness of their reputations.
These statistics bring into question why corporation and individuals do not have these
formal systems in place. Conceivable explanations as to why corporations and
individuals do not have formal measuring systems are as follows: reputation is an
imperceptible and complex idea, which requires time to change; the numerical value of
enhancements to a thriving reputation is not easy to quantify; reputation is such a
general portion of establishments that designating certain duties for the enrichment of
corporate and individual reputations seems problematic.

Justification of the Research:
Information scarcity, technology, social media and other factors build a foundation
for the problem. More training for college undergraduates and industry professionals
is required. Research should include evaluation and explanation of the categories of
reputation management and the role it plays in public relations. This research
provides future scholars and industry professionals with additional resources for
knowledge and study.
This paper focuses on reputation management and its intersection with public
relations, and defines reputation management, its role, and benefits to target
audiences. The role of influence and industry examples will be included. These
examples emphasize the importance of reputation in the areas of business and
celebrity life. The research applies across locations and people groups, and is
focused mostly within the U.S.
Questions that must be answered in this research are:
 What is reputation management (RM)?
 Why is reputation management needed? What are the benefits?
 How does reputation management work?
 How has social media and the 24/7/365 news cycle impacted RM?
 What are entities and industries that are impacted by RM?
 What current examples demonstrate success and/or failure in RM?

Methodology
The purpose of this study is to examine how the perceptions of the public (everyday
people) affect the reputations of businesses and high profile figures such as celebrities,
especially when these groups are poorly informed about the value of reputation and
reputation management. The purposes of this section are to (1) describe the focus point
of this study, (2) explain the research process, (3) describe how the review of literature
was compiled, and provide legitimate answers to the questions that are the foundation
of this paper.
Type of Research
The nature of the research methods that were reviewed and that contributed to this
academic research paper is qualitative research. Qualitative research is about
investigating concerns, considering facts, and answering queries through analysis and
piecing together information of the quantitative form. The qualitative information was
discovered using the online resources at Oral Roberts University.
Databases & Research
The senior paper instruction manual along with the library at ORU provided a list of
databases; the list contained the names of over 30 academic research journals with
information and research that could be directly or indirectly related to the main focus of
the progressive academic research paper. Data collection was conducted through a few
databases from the previously mentioned list and the generation of a list of keywords
that would yield scholarly journals to support the thesis. The keyword list consisted of
terms such as:

 Public relations
 Management
 Strategist
 Tactics
 Planning
 Communication
 Image
 Publicity
 Media culture
 Social media
 Campaign
 Public affairs
 Politics
 Reputation
 Development
 Branding
 Crisis
 Entertainment
During the research period the keyword list yielded most of the academic sources from
the Journal of Business Communication, The Journal of Public Relations Research and
the Journal Of Mass Media Ethics. Other sources were discovered using other channels
such as public relations case study books. Sources were selected from multiple
scholarly articles and compiled into a file of research with the intent to support the need
to fill the literacy gap when it comes to reputation.
Research Review
The next step in the process was research analysis, where 30 sources of information
were intensively analyzed. Based upon the review of the sources that were to be used
in the review of literature, summaries of information relevant to the how there is a great
lack of knowledge amongst society when it comes to the value of reputation were
written. These summaries delivered a synopsis of factual evidence that further prove the
thesis to be true. Each summarization of the literature that was chosen to be apart of
this academic study was strategically set up to give the reader a literary map of what
RM is and how it is relevant to society.

Limitations
Limitations of this study include: time constraints, database resource limitations, and
current topic coverage. The time provided to select an area of focus and thoroughly
research the area of focus was brief. The time allotted was only a semester of an
undergraduate year, causing the process of topic selection, deck research compilation
and extensive analysis of the focus area to be accelerated. The database resource
limitations stemmed from an inadequate information system at the university were this
study is being conducted. The database resource is outdated and does not provide
enough current and relevant studies for RM. The limitations extended to the topic of RM
itself, because it is fairly new topic with a portion of defined and undefined territories; it
is difficult to fully explore all of the issues that tie into RM illiteracy.
Definitions of Terms:
Brand Value Index: The Brand Index is expressed on a scale of 0 to 100. It quantifies
the strength of the brand (a bank's in this example) relative to its main competitors, with
reference to key business and brand attributes.
Brand Index - Def inition. (n.d.). Retriev ed April 28, 2015, f rom http://brandirectory .com/glossary/definition/brand_index
Branding: The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in
the consumers' mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme.
Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that
attracts and retains loyal customers.
What is branding? definitionand meaning. (n.d.). RetrievedApril 28, 2015, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/branding.html

Campaign: An organized effort to bring pressure on a company that is deemed to be
engaged in unjust or undesirable activities through highly publicized protests,
political leverage or media assaults. Labor unions and advocacy groups have used
this tactic for decades as a way to influence public sentiment and
effect change in corporate policies.
What is corporate campaign? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/corporate-campaign.html
Communication: Two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in
which participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information, news, ideas and
feelings but also create and share meaning. In general, communication is a means of
connecting people or places. In business, it is a key function of management--
an organization cannot operate without communication between
levels, departments and employees.
What is communication? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/communication.html
Communications: All means of symbolic or verbal
communication (newspapers, mail, email, telephones, television, radio, etc.) that people
and machines use to make contact and share information.
What are communications? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/communications.html

Development: The process of economic and social transformation that is based
on complex cultural and environmental factors and their interactions.
What is development? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2015, from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/development.html
Entertainment: amusement or diversion provided especially by performers something
diverting or engaging.
Merriam-Webster Online Thesaurus. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, fromhttp://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-
bin/mw thesadu?book=Dictionary&va=entertainment
Image: a popular conception (as of a person, institution, or nation) projected especially
through the mass media.
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, fromhttp://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-
bin/mw dictfol?book=Dictionary&va=image
Management: The organization and coordination of the activities of
a business in order to achieve defined objectives.
Management is often included as a factor of production along with machines, materials,
and money. According to the management guru Peter Drucker (1909-2005), the
basic task of management includes both marketing and innovation. Practice of modern
management originates from the 16th century study of low-efficiency and failures of
certain enterprises, conducted by the English statesman Sir Thomas More (1478-1535).
Management consists of the interlocking functions of creating corporate
policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing an organization's resources in
order to achieve the objectives of that policy.

What is Management? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/management.html
Media Culture: the current western capitalist society that emerged and developed from
the 20th century, under the influence of mass media.
Media Culture in Cultural Study. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, fromhttp://www.slideshare.net/nilamba3158/media-culture-in-
cultural-study
Perspective: the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed.
(n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, fromhttp://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perspective
Politics: the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area,
especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to
achieve power.
Definition of politics in English:. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, from
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/politics
Public affairs: work that combines government relations, media communications, issue
management, corporate and social responsibility, information dissemination and
strategic communications advice. Practitioners aim to influence public policy, build and
maintain a strong reputation and find common ground with stakeholders.
Definition of politics in English:. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, from
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/politics
Public Relations: The profession or practice of creating and maintaining goodwill of
an organization's various publics (customers, employees, investors, suppliers, etc.),

usually through publicity and other nonpaid forms of communication. These efforts may
also include support of arts, charitable causes, education, sporting events, and other
civic engagements.
What is public relations? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2015, from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/public-relations.html
Reputation: Overall estimation of the character or quality of a person generally held by
those who know him or her.
What is reputation? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/reputation.html
Social Media: consists of various user-driven (inbound marketing) channels (e.g.,
Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube). These channels represent a stark difference from
the advertiser-driven (outbound marketing) push model. As the principal owner of the
customer relationship in the firm, typically, the marketing department is responsible for
managing these social media channels. Although some may argue that the customer
relationship is “everyone’s” responsibility in the firm, the overarching responsibility rests
with the marketing department as the champion for the customer.
What is Social Media? (w ith images, tw eet)Â· Haleybarcelona. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, from
https://storify.com/Haleybarcelona/what-is-social-media
Strategist: a person with responsibility for the formulation and implementation of a
strategy. Strategy generally involves setting goals, determining actions to achieve the
goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions. A strategy describes how the
ends (goals) will be achieved by the means (resources).
Strategist. (n.d.). Retrieved April28, 2015, fromhttp://en.w ikipedia.org/wiki/Strategist

Tactics:
1. Means by which a strategy is carried out; planned and ad hoc activities meant
to deal with the demands of the moment, and to move from one milestone to
other in pursuit of the overall goal(s). In an organization, strategy is decided by
the board of directors, and tactics by the department heads for implementation by
the junior officers and employees.
2. A set of strategic methods intended to promote the goods and services of
a business with the goal of increasing sales and maintaining a competitive
product. Good marketing tactics typically result in substantial customer
satisfaction while facilitating the business in focusing its limited financial
resources in the most efficient manner to maximize the effective promotion of
its products.
What are tactics? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2015, from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/tactics.html

What is reputation management?
Reputation management is a very new development in the industry of public
relations; it is all about changing perspectives and generating solutions to situations that
have been deemed unfeasible. Reputation management is essential to brand
ambassadors, the stories they tell and the products they represent. While the literal
sales and purchases of people are illegal, exploitation of people is a popular transaction
that takes place regularly in the United States of America. Instead of selling people for
their ability to provide manual labor, because of owed debts or the insensitivity of
humanity, people are sold for their influence and ability to multiply the net worth of
others. They are sold for their clout. What gives reputation management its
immeasurable value is the element of reputation itself. According to Fombrun and Low
(2011) there are a few things that affect why and how consumers accept products
(people) such as: perceptions of the features (what the individual has to offer), the
services they provide in exchange for compensation, the network that the products are
affiliated with and how the consumer will benefit from the product.
It is vital for the individuals who are marketing their influence to be desirable to
potential consumers. In an article that focuses on making products desirable, USC
affiliate Lars Perner (2010) asserts that internal and external features make an
individual desirable when the consumer is in the market for influence and power. Things
need to be in order in both private and public sectors of the lives of people who are on
the market. This is where the element of reputation comes into play, because it is the
feature that makes an individual very valuable to consumers. Without a reputation that
is perceived as stellar or acceptable in the industry of influence and power, commonly

known as public relations, a person cannot be successfully marketed. Reputation
management is clearly what the Business Dictionary says it is: “Activities performed by
an individual or organization which attempts to maintain or create a certain frame of
mind, regarding themselves in the public eye.” Reputation management is the course of
identifying what other people are saying or feeling about businesses and taking steps to
ensure that the general consensus is in line with business goals. There have been
many ideas on what public relations is and what its formal definitions should be, one of
those ideas can be found in the Journal of Public Relations Research. In the Journal of
Public Relations Research, Ledingham (2003) terms public relations as the “effective
and efficient management of organization-public relationships, based on common
interests and shared goals, over time, to engender mutual understanding and mutual
benefit” (p.184). This idea has taken off in the sense that researchers have continued
the endeavor to fully define this academic idea. By the year of 2003 eleven
characteristics were expressed as the makeup of reputation management, they were:
trust, openness, credibility, intimacy, emotion, similarity, relational history, accuracy,
agreement, common interests, and immediacy.
Why is RM needed? What are the benefits?
The value of reputation and the management of the people who are marketing
themselves or their influences, are a few of the reasons why reputation management is
needed. A clean reputation is like a guarantee or recommendation for the buyer or
employer. Reputation management is needed for managing the status of a company or
individual, but it can be for a company or individual of any size or importance, whether
they are trying to self-promote or revitalize their brand or fix a problem. Reputation

management is divided into three different classifications. The three classifications are
building, maintenance and recovery. The statement given by Doorley and Garcia (2010)
that “Reputation Management has a purpose and functions to solve crises and effectively
manage un-established, pre-established businesses and people” supports the formerly
written statements and ideas. The central reasoning that there is a need for reputation
management is establishment of reputations (building) and reputation damage repair
(maintenance). In America there are situational crises that occur and do not receive the
support of the public, but negative publicity instead. For Instance, a politician could be
campaigning when an inappropriate affair surfaces, causing decline in public favorability
and loss of potential voters and advocates. According to Simonson (2006) in an analysis
of “Robert Merton’s Perspective of Public Life”, consumers who have to purchase the
influence or reputation of people watch how the public reacts to the product (individual or
person marketing them). The public’s reaction and their thoughts on the product or
person affect the business of the employer. If a product or the influence of the product is
negative and tarnished then the sales of anyone and anything it is associated with stands
to be adversely affected. Reputation management is in demand because it can
manipulate the thoughts and ideas of the public about businesses and high profile figures
through the platform of confirmation. Confirmation occurs when ideas are discovered to
be similar to personally developed notions, for “ideas take up new validity when they are
independently expressed by another, either in print or conversation” (Simonson 2006).
What entities and industries does RM impact?

Colapinta and Benecchi (2014) believe that due to an increase in the use of social
media, there has been a growth in the occurrence of damage to public image for
companies and celebrities. Social media platforms and technologies make it possible to
destroy or publically debase groups with the click of a button. Since social media and its
many platforms and sites have made slander a technological norm, reputation
management has been given the task of coming in and containing situations. Social
media contributes both negatively and positively to reputation management; it is all
about knowing how to utilize the classifications of reputation. Social media combined
with the building, maximizing or rebuilding the reputation of any business or high profile
figure works just as well as it does combined with negativity. Ki and Nekmat (2014)
pose the thought that social media is a tool that helps reputation management to work for
public figures positively, however they also pose the thought that social media is a fickle
tool that you cannot heavily rely on when performing tasks concerning the status of an
individual’s character. In essence, it must be discerned what social media is to the
specific individual that the reputation management industry is representing. It has to be
decided whether or not social media is a friend or foe. If it is decided that social media is a
foe, then the industry needs to use the makeup of reputation management to create a
strategy to work against the negative publicity that social media has produced. Since
there are various platforms of social media such as: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and
MySpace; it is important that each social media platform be researched and files on each
platform are created when combatting social media crises. Online communications affect
how establishments and people share messages with the media and the public.
Henceforth, when working on the defense to turn situations around for clientele,

information and tactics must be gathered in a timely and accurate manner. Taylor and
Perry, authors of ‘Diffusion of Traditional and New Media Tactics in Crisis
Communication, found that when certain establishments (due to reputation management
illiteracy) attempt to censor and reply to negative online publicity, they tend to aggravate
the problem. In the past public relations case studies where celebrities, politicians and
businesses have been failed by practitioners or the lack thereof, the effects of the industry
are evident. In the case of an Olympic athlete who represented the image and values of
the United States while developing into a brand for international companies such as
Coca-Cola and Vera Wang, a single tweet nearly destroyed the athlete’s online presence.
The athlete’s response to the threat against his reputation (denial of accusations and
actions) escalated the crisis and created a heavier workload for his representatives.
When victims of online defamation respond and do not follow the primary rules of
reputation management (always tell the truth, never react on defensive terms and
establish credibility) the industry of RM affects them by creating a positive turnaround in
the publicity war. Based upon the Goffmanian framework regarding self-presentation, it is
normal for victims of online defamation to react in a defensive manner; however, it is the
public relations practitioner’s job to prevent this from happening by having a preemptive
plan. According to the Goffmanian Theory humanity usually presents or performs different
types of responses depending on the setting. The Goffmanian theory places the
responses of humanity into three categories: unintentional gestures, inopportune
intrusions and faux pas. The case of the Olympic athlete is labeled as unintentional
disruption aided by a series of social mishaps. To correct social mishaps and rectify the

disarray that the inopportune disruption created, the primary rules of reputation
management and public relations must be followed.
According to Berkowitz (2012), identifying critical relationships, building
relationships, using networks, targeting key concerns & leaders and giving the public the
perspective you desire them to have are all a part of the makeup of reputation
management. The makeup of RM works in various ways that are beneficial and good for
certain situations. It is imperative that the things that make up reputation management are
used properly for the right types of problems and misconduct. When establishing or
reestablishing credibility during a crisis all of the critical relationships and previous positive
works that the client has been involved in are vital to successfully handling the case.
While all of the previously stated characteristics provided by Ledingham (2003), are
indeed apart of general public relations and reputation management, they are not
sufficient to work within American government or politics. American politics and
government are very different from other areas such as business and the dealings of
celebrity life, thus they must be handled with more delicate tactics and strategies. The
intricate differences between general reputation management and political reputation
management do not eliminate government relations from being serviced by
practitioners. However, it does create sensitive situation for practitioners to work with.
According to Waymer (2013), the setup of the American government presents
noteworthy impediments to democratic governmental public relations applied in and by
the United States. These impediments must be explored and the research done in the
area of relationship management must exhaust every possible situation where non-
democratic relationships are needed. An example of tailored relationship developments

for governmental situations is the United States Governments’ apology; delivered by
former President Bill Clinton, to Tuskegee study survivors. This particular study initiates
the expansive notion of public relations and reputation management performed at a
distance to provide comprehension of a broader structure of what constitutes
democratic public relations.
How does reputation management work?
It was previously stated that reputation management has three categories
building, maintenance and recovery. These categories all serve a specific purpose that
works well for certain problems. Building has to do with creating the reputation for a
business or individual that is just getting started in their particular industry or area of
interest. It includes construction of a good reputation with a solid foundation in order to
make the maintenance of the reputation possible. Maintenance or the maintaining of a
reputation means to preserve a firm or person's public image. This is meant for both
companies and individuals that are already well thought of and have a good reputation.
The last classification of reputation management is recovery, if a client has received a
bad reputation for any reason, then the recovery portion of reputation management is a
necessity. According to Kaul (2006) using correct or incorrect elements of the reputation
management industry can improve or further rescind a situation. The process starts out
by analyzing the issues, strengths and weaknesses of the product. Once this is
accomplished it is decided if the current assets the product has are sufficient to work
with or not. If the product has sufficient assets that can assist in repairing the power of
their influence, then the use of those assets must be strategically planned into functional
tactics. When this is the situation, the crisis communication sector of reputation

management is at work. Crisis communication is mostly about branding. A Brand for a
product (people or their influence) is a unique design that is employed in creating an
image that differentiates it from its competitors. Over time, this image becomes
associated with a level of credibility, quality, and satisfaction in the consumer's mind.
Thus brands help consumers in crowded and complex marketplaces, by standing for
certain benefits and value. The legal name for a brand is trademark and when it
identifies or represents a firm, it is called a brand name. In the world of business and
Hollywood, branding reputations and relationships are important. Veloutsou and
Moutinho (2009) state that, “The image or idea that an individual stands for becomes
their brand. It marks them, so when they are out of character, reputation management is
needed to reaffirm what they stand for.” By working on reinforcing the brand of a
product or person, reputation management increases the chances of the product (the
person or their influence) making a comeback from the situation created by social
media. While it is important to use the makeup of reputation management properly and
effectively, there have been instances where this has not transpired and caused great
public relations failures. By assessing the failures and successes of reputation
management in the industry, the effects of the industry on politicians, celebrities and
businesses can be identified along with new solutions and theories. There are various
ways that reputation management works, many of the ways include theories and
processes discovered during research developments. The Excellence Theory is one of
the most common theories that explain how reputation management works. In the past,
during the formative years of reputation management, the Excellence Theory has
expressed the values and makeup of reputation management. According to Grunig

(2006), the dominance of Excellence Theory in public relations and research may be
outdated concerning contemporary issues in businesses, which involve the concern with
activist challenges to reputation management and social responsibility. Since the
Excellence Theory has been slow to develop and has provided ill dealings toward the
concepts of power and activism (when responding to crises), reputation management
has generated a need to emerge capable of handling activist and advocacy crisis
situations. Three of the concepts of Excellence Theory are persuasion, power and
activism. These three concepts are the apart of the process of reputation management
and are still vital despite how complex issues in public relations have become.
Persuasion is defined as the process aimed at changing
a person's attitude or behavior toward an event or idea by using written or
spoken words to convey information and or reasoning. Persuasion is key to reputation
management as it is how practitioners change perceptions of businesses via ethos,
logos, pathos and self-interest. Self-interest generally brings about a question of power
and when it comes to public image whoever has the most power or influence acquires
public acceptance. Power is defined as the ability to influence or control the behavior of
people. The term "authority" is often used for power perceived as legitimate by the
public. Power can be seen as immoral or partial, but the application of power is
accepted as regularity to humans as social beings. Society often practices the use of
power in public relations by going to the media in numbers, these numbers are usually
that of a group protesting or supporting some type of cause or professional indiscretion,
that has previously been given negative coverage. When groups come together for
these types of occasions, the groups are called activists. Activism is the most significant

part of the three concepts in the Excellence Theory. Activism is the most recognized
because it is has a strong value of advocacy. Groups of people working toward a cause
together generates friction in media and helps stimulate buzz on whatever issue is
being represented. Overall with the elements of persuasion, power and activism, the
Excellence Theory provides a strong idea of using words, clout and networking to
promote various causes using the process of reputation management.
What are current examples that demonstrate success and/or failure in RM?
The failure and success of reputation management can be can be properly
identified with a thorough knowledge of the foundation of the industry and the processes
that support it. However it is paramount that an understanding of the definition of crisis
is established. A crisis can be identified as a plethora of things. Crisis is defined in
laments terms as: a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future
events, especially for the better or worse is determined. The laments definition is
correct, but in public relations a crisis is defined as: “an extraordinary disruption of
standard operations that threatens safety, reputation and success of an organization or
individual”(Bernstein 2012). According to Bernstein, unsuccessful public relations and
reputation management cases look like that of Tiger Woods. The case study conducted
on Tiger Woods’ infidelity is based upon Woods’ response to a media lashing and the
work of his public relations practitioners. Tiger Woods’ scandal was recklessly handled
with the elements of crisis management. The first rule is to always tell the truth. In the
first statement provided by Tiger Woods’ public relations team, Woods takes no
responsibility for his actions. The statement failed to tell the truth and made Tiger
Woods a victim of the media. The statement included mortification and phrases of

repentance; this is where the statement begins to work against Tiger Woods. It started
when Woods lied about what was then his alleged infidelity. The statement read,
“Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious
rumors that are currently circulating about me and my family and me are irresponsible”
(p. 69). In this specific quote Woods and his public relations practitioners delivered
denial, lack of responsibility and a reprimanding of the media in the statement for
bringing to light accusations that were later found to be true. These actions indicate that
Tiger Woods’ public relations team failed to create a preemptive plan or strategy for
possible reputation damage. The absence of this plan, in the analysis performed by
Blair Bernstein, is given credit for the additional harm done to Tiger Woods’ credibility.
Press releases following the first statement all followed the same pattern and as a result
branded Tiger Woods as a liar and a cheat as opposed to branding him as a renowned
golf player.
The over usage of mortification strategies implemented by Tiger Woods and his
public relations team did unproductively assist with the conclusion of Woods’ infidelity
scandal. The mortification did more harm combined with the plan involving denial that
was used to tackle the cheating. As the case continued, Tiger Woods and his public
relations team were eventually forced to change their tactical approach. When the
approach transitioned into telling the truth, the scandal ended. If this had been the initial
approach to this particular case, it might have been analyzed as a reputation
management success. Failures can be easy to recognize when highlighting or analyzing
successes and failures in reputation management. A failed public relations case is
usually a result professional incompetence and built on offensiveness and agenda that

aims solely to clear the client’s name. These types of cases usually result in additional
destruction to the client and produces more negative publicity; causing the scandal to
drag out. Terrell Owens, a NFL (National Football League) player who was removed
from his team due to his attitude and public behaviors, is an example of a public
relations failure. Just as many types of image management falls under the category of
reputation management, sports management belongs to the group as well. Reputation
management crises are handled in ways that are similar to the handling of general
reputation management crises. The difference in handling sports crisis is that the
primary focus is the image of the athlete that is displayed. Based upon Brazeal (2008),
due to the impression that sports has on everyday life, sports have become a global
commodity and the value of an athlete’s image has become immeasurable. This means
that an athlete’s image depends mostly on the reputation that precedes him or her. In
the case of Terrell Owens, his reputation of arrogance and disloyalty cost him his spot
on the Philadelphia Eagles football team. In order to be reinstated, Owens and his
public relations practitioners had to come up with a plan to redeem his image. Like most
athletes Owens started off with a statement that was supposed to be an apology, and
his apology is analyzed based on Benoit’s Theory. Benoit’s Theory states that when
individuals are endeavoring to defend and repair their reputation, they innately use
several repair strategies. Initially the individual denies their actions through simple
denial or shifting the blame. Another set of repair strategies they use to alleviate the
offensiveness of their actions are bolstering their image and attacking the accuser,
usually the media. Similar to the Tiger Woods case, Terrell Owens’ apology was a
combination of bolstering his image and attacking the Philadelphia Eagles football team.

Owens performs this strategy several times in the media, causing his suspension. In
this statement Owens attempts to draw attention to his professional performance and
diminish his unruly behavior and violation of the NFL (National Football League) rules,
regulations and agreements. During the attempt to obtain support from the public to
cause the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles to overturn their decision, Terrell Owens
created more problems for himself. Owens added to his growing issue by attacking
coaches and the choices of the NFL using public platforms. This particular action
caused the public to view Terrell Owens negatively because he would not take
responsibility for his actions or change his behavior. The public, outside of devout fans
did not support Terrell Owens because “… humans seek accountability. [The public]
want to know who is responsible for certain actions and who is accountable [to repent
from those actions]” (Bivens p19). In his statement, Terrell Owens said, “Football is my
passion...I’ve always given it my all and will continue to do so”. Notice that Owens
avoids talking about his behavior and focuses on his football performance; this is an
indirect way of refusing to take accountability. In another section of the statement
Owens highlights his qualities to justify his indecency. Owens states, “I think the
mentality that I have is my greatest strength and can also be my greatest weakness. I’m
a fighter and I’ve always been and I always will be. I fight for what I think is right. In
doing so, I alienated my fans and teammates”. This justification was followed by other
interviews and thoughts that were made public and ultimately caused Owens his second
chance with the NFL. Terrell Owens’ case failed because his campaign was all about
his unwillingness to change or compromise. In public relations and reputation

management, change is the goal. If an individual is willing to take accountability and
change, success is possible.
This is made evident through the analysis of the Domino’s Pizza case. The manner in
which companies correspond with stakeholders during a crisis event is swiftly changing
with the constant developments in technology and the around the clock access provided
by the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Public relations practitioners and
other communication officials are struggling to create messages and hold onto control of
the movement of those messages. As Schiller (2007) explains, in “times of crisis, while
corporate communication executives are preparing manicured statements, customers
are [instantaneously] blogging, e-mailing and posting photos out of rage and
desperation because the very people who should be listening to them aren’t” (p. 16).
Bell (2010) states that stakeholders develop into “interpretive communities in
organizational crisis contexts,” they become proficient in creating an organization’s
status by sifting through the information that is posted on the Internet in the form of
reviews and business analyses (p. 148). Social media platforms allow investors to
regulate the times, places and methods when “reputational meanings are born and
disseminated” as “an organization’s reputation is built on the stories formed by
stakeholders and spread within networks” (Aula, 2011, p. 28, 30). The dynamic between
establishments and their publics is more evident on video sharing sites, such as
YouTube, that encourage and entice everyday Americans to cultivate messages.
Burgess and Green (2009) explain that YouTube users participate with this social media
platform “as if it is a space specifically designed for them and that should therefore
serve their own particular interests” (p. vii). Social media platforms that provide their

users with allusions of such rights pertaining to self-interest can have massive positive
or negative impacts on businesses involved in crisis/reputation management, counting
operators that generate crises. Since users can utilize social vehicles to construct major
issues for companies or individuals, it is important that businesses are aware that they
have the ability to use these social vehicles to combat a crisis and recover their
reputations.
Dominos who at the time was known as Domino’s Pizza experienced a scandal
that had negative effects on the business as a whole. While the scandal was very
damaging, Domino’s Pizza took a very unpleasant situation and turned it into an
opportunity. To effectively identify Domino’s Pizza as a successful reputation
management case, the characterization of success in reputation management must be
clearly explained. Success in the industry of public relations and reputation
management varies; the success of a case depends upon the goals for the client. When
a practitioner meets the needs of a client and achieves the distinct goals set out for the
case of a client; success has been obtained. Domino’s Pizza received a consistent
wave of negative publicity concerning a video of two their employees performing
unsanitary acts on food products, causing one of the first social media scandals. This
case study on Domino’s Pizza assesses one of the first social media-only reactions by
an American-based transnational establishment during a crisis. The scandal took place
in the year of 2009 when YouTube was still in the primary stages of development and
the majority of businesses were not emerging a presence on social media platforms.
Once the video had gone viral and attracted negative publicity and scrutiny of the
corporation, Domino’s Pizza immediately began working to counteract the pessimism

with optimism. Inconsistent with the primary rules of reputation management (telling the
truth/establishing credibility/taking accountability), Domino’s Pizza began working on
internal relations before putting out the metaphorical fire that had begun to destroy the
brand that was Domino’s Pizza. The company began by verifying that the contaminated
products had not been sent out to customers and beginning a formal investigation with
the appropriate health departments. The next step of the Domino’s Pizza establishment
was a period of silence. There are several response strategies that are frequently used
in reputation management situations. Each strategy is functional when applied to the
proper ailment. These response strategies are known as: justification, concession,
ingratiation, disassociation and relabeling. Each response serves a purpose in critical
situations. In the case of Domino’s Pizza, disassociation was attempted. According to
Swann (2014) disassociation is a strategy that distances the organization from the
scandal or wrongdoer who has ignored or exploited the company’s policies. However
the disassociation strategy did not work for Domino’s Pizza, instead it sent the public a
message saying that the company didn’t care. Throughout the duration of the Domino’s
Pizza scandal bloggers and official online reporters recorded the scandal in various
journals and analyses that created a detailed timeline (Jacques, 2009; Peeples &
Vaughn, 2010) and criticisms of the establishment’s reaction (Beaubien, 2009;
Esterline, 2009; Gregory, 2009; Vogt, 2009; Weiss, 2009; York, 2009). An examination
of the company’s crisis communication strategies, using a blend of best practices for
crisis and reputation management based upon the principles of public relations
management provided by Arthur W. Page and from an academic outlook as the basis
for evaluation. According to Jaques (2008), case studies “are generally a narrative of

events which are critically examined in relation to recognized public relations theories
and models in order to fully appreciate what happened and to consider alternative
strategies and outcomes” (p. 194), and are composed to postulate sensible importance
to public relations managers and practitioners alike who cannot effectively regulate the
flow of messages in the viral/digital landscape (Coombs, 2008; “How Social Media,”
2009; Oneupweb, 2007).
There were many reputational issues that plagued Domino’s Pizza after two of their
employees displayed grotesque behaviors on a video that was posted to YouTube. The
three main issues were ethics, management, and responsibility or the lack thereof. The
actions of the former Domino’s Pizza employees brought the issue of ethics to surface.
After the scandal was publicized, the ethics of the pizza establishment were called into
question. The public wondered what type of establishment would hire people with
unsavory characters and heavy criminal backgrounds. It should be the priority of the
establishment to have the best individuals working for them. Hiring employees generally
is the task of the management of any facility, due to this the work and ethics of the
management was also called into question. A domino effect had hit the Domino’s Pizza
brand. While the two previously highlighted are very important, the biggest reputational
issue is the lack of responsibility, which is displayed by Domino’s Pizza when they do
not hold themselves fully accountable for the situation and its occurrence. They played
the victim and responded with disassociation. This chain could have prepared for crises
in general by having a plan to implement. Due to the time of this incident media
monitoring would not have been helpful, social media was not as advanced as it is
today. According to Swann (2014) every establishment must always have a plan to deal

with situations that could damage the company’s reputation, investments or stock value.
This plan should focus on creating a platform for dialogue and openness in person
(directly) and on social media (indirectly). The reason that these things are vital to the
success of a plan/business is due to perception. The more positive the perception of a
company is the better its reputation becomes.
Domino’s Pizza did not immediately catch on to this concept, but eventually set up a
Twitter account several days later to talk to concerned consumers about what happened
and to assure the potential consumers that disciplinary action was being taken.
This case however is still a success because it transitioned from its mistakes after the
creation of the Twitter account. Domino’s Pizza took many measures to correct the
situation and give the public a positive image of the establishment. This was done by
using voice commiseration (publically apologizing and showing concern) and rectifying
behavior strategies (relabeling the company). The first strategy was taking was posting
a video on the social media site where the scandal began. The president of Domino’s
Pizza apologized and talked about the plan that had been into place for the company
and how the two employees had be disciplined and relieved of their duties. Vincent E
Barry, author of Moral Issues in Business defines responsibility as “a sphere of duty or
obligation assigned to a person by the nature of that person’s position, function or
work”.
The president of the Domino’s Pizza Corporation took on this type of responsibility by
saying that his knowledge of the people hired in the franchise and the involvement of
the corporate division of Domino’s Pizza would be more evident. He faulted himself for
not knowing what was happening in each Domino’s Pizza establishment and declared

that major changes would be taking place. This is where Domino’s Pizza began
rebranding itself, from the name of the company to the procedures, rules and
regulations and how they would be reinforced. In the after math of the video scandal
Domino’s Pizza changed the way products were made, the type of products that were
offered and the communication process with the public supporters and stakeholders of
the company. Committing to these types of actions during the aftermath of a scandal is
crucial, it reminds the public of the plans that broadcasted and displays the company
following through on those plans; it institutes the element of trust. After the crisis is the
phase where actions speak louder than words and current as well as potential investors
will be watching to see if the organization does more than talk.
One way to achieve this is to create open dialogue solely for the assessment of the
business (Domino’s Pizza) from the ground up. Its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats must be evaluated in order to give the establishment a fighting chance.
Domino’s Pizza possesses quite a few strengths, but the main two are resilience and
willingness. Instead of dwelling on the video scandal, they bounced back, and
immediately went to work on the issue while lying low publicly in the beginning stages
(not recommended). The success of Domino’s, formerly known as Domino’s Pizza
hinges on the company’s ability to adapt to the growth of technology, willingness to
change and performance of reputation management strategies.
Reflection
After reviewing the formal research literature it has come to my attention that today’s

frontrunners must grasp the value of professional PR and RM and how it enhances the
effectiveness of individuals and organizations by creating building beneficial
relationships, conserving clean reputations, reducing crisis damage, and producing
income. When corporate leaders and high profile figures embrace reputation
management and public relations along with communication systems, then leaders will
influence the behavior of establishments and individuals in crisis management.
Consciousness about the significance of planned communications with inside and
outside investors is essential to having functional leaders. Instructing future business
leaders and PR practitioners, needs to incorporate reputation management and public
relations as part of a new curriculum for aspiring professionals. Pragmatic actions will
assist PR and RM students and leaders to learn how to predict the unexpected.
There is indeed a serious knowledge deficiency where reputation management is
concerned. The reasoning for the disconnect lies at the hands of public relations
practitioners. Practitioners have to look at people as more than clients. Critical publicity
situations like the ones that Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens and Domino’s Pizza had only
occur because clients are not properly informed. It is the job of public relations
practitioners to inform all clients on how to avoid becoming repeat offenders where
public images are concerned. The only way to preemptively prevent social faux pas and
issues for high profile figures and corporations is to pass on the RM knowledge that has
been established and that is in the process of being developed.
Unfortunately, there aren’t very many academic institutions that provide classes in
public relations and reputation management; most executives and corporate leaders
acquire information about public relations and reputation management via negative

experiences and mistakes. In the majority of instances, high profile figures and
corporate leaders begin to comprehend the importance of public relations and
reputation management during the aftermath of a situation, such as when a business is
given unsolicited media attention due to an unexpected crisis or information leak. When
high profile figures and businesses are confronted with a crisis, they are required to
respond to the situation instead of displaying a firm leadership role.
Since corporate leaders and high profile figures are the faces, voices and /or brands of
their organizations, it is my recommendation they should be better prepared and beyond
adequately equipped with awareness concerning the function of PR (public relations)
and RM. Companies should utilize PR and RM, as more than promotion instruments,
companies should also give consideration to their significance, leveling it with that of
legal advisement. Companies and celebrities need to put more prominence on
supervising and examining their company’s personal atmospheres (external and
internal), and business leaders need to learn to fine-tune their practice to these
changing demands.
In 2010, the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) started a program entitled,
“The Business Case for Public Relations,” to notify corporate executives and
management about the importance of PR and RM. According to Anthony D’Angelo, a
co-chairman of the PRSA’s MBA program, educational programs in America are not
successful in strategic communications or reputation management instruction.
According to D’Angelo, “Getting bad press is not the problem; all large entities
experience some. What is at risk from this deficiency in [public relations] education are
company reputation, stock price, product sales and various executive jobs,” (D’Angelo

2010). He also stated that, “Even communications-savvy CEOs are less astute about
strategic communications” than about other roles in public relations; “[PR and RM
practitioners] should take more responsibility in providing this vital leadership
component,” (D’Angelo 2010).
Now that the absence of PR and RM education has been identified as the reason that
there is a knowledge deficiency amongst clientele, it is time to discuss how to
implement a PR and RM curriculum for clients and aspiring practitioners. In order to
properly fix the PR and RM knowledge deficiency problem, the solution of providing
adequate education should begin with aspiring practitioners as well current
practitioners. The best way to begin educating all practitioners would be to implement
courses that focus on RM’s problem child formally known as social media. According to
the literature that was previously presented social media works both for and against
individuals when dealing with reputation and public image. The best way to comprehend
social media would be to focus on past case studies and thoroughly assess the fatal
social media decisions that past businesses and individuals have made. It would also
be significant to assess the ways that social media can work for and against a client.
This is especially important since the research provided relays that social media
platforms and technologies make it possible to destroy or publically debase groups with
the click of a button. With this in mind, in additionto the recommendation of RM education
reform, I ‘d like to present the idea that a case study on social media platforms and
technology should be performed very five years. This will allow PR and RM practitioners
to keep up with the rapid changes and developments of technology, while simultaneously
keeping learning materials fresh and up to date. There are several ways to increase

crisis preparation of both clients and practitioners such as: crisis simulations, mentoring
programs, mock media conferences, case analyses and highly competent internships at
PR firms that have previously dealt with or are presently dealing with critical situations for
clients. I believe that if the PR and RM leaders and aspiring leaders begin to take on my
recommended responsibilities, they can make the research I’ve used in this paper even
more invaluable than it already is. Knowledge is power and if the PR and RM industries
are going to be responsible for solving highly publicized issues, the knowledge we
possess must be more than efficient.
It is one thing to say that educational reform is needed and to provide a written solution or
various ideas, it is another thing to give these ideas of reform logical ways to become
existent. Changing curriculum and teaching and refreshing the learning materials is
feasible. However as far highly competent internships are concerned, my
recommendations are out of reach. Sharp internships come at a price for high school and
undergraduate students, grade point averages must be stellar and extracurricular
activities must plenty. This needs to stop, as I previously the PR and RM industries must
be more than adequate. If this to be a reality, we cannot just give experience to student
performing past their potential, we have to give experience opportunities to all students.
Grade point averages and past performances should not matter, what should count is the
desire to work in the PR industry and the potential that an individual has to be excellent in
his/ or her field. Many great businesses, ideas and products have come from individuals
who were not great students. If the PR and RM industry affords the same opportunities to
all students, then the workforce would be competitive as opposed to being too selective.
Equal and stellar education are supported by Hagen (2011) who believes that

“successful business executives need to know the tenets of professional public
relations practice to lead their organizations in today’s fast-paced, virtual, and
global environment”. This is particularly true when it comes to the consistent
growth in media and social platforms, even excellent strategies, tactic and plans
can fall through if the perspective of the public suddenly changes.
Overall, I have gathered from this research that problems will always occur, but it
is the preparedness and education of clientele, public relations and reputation
management practitioners that counts. If practitioners are able to assess a
client’s situation and create preemptive plans for situations that may arise, they
are fulfilling their duties. Reputation management is in essence, solving problems
with efficiency and it is beneficial to the world because there is a need for
problem solver and eloquent thinkers. These thinkers can impact various
industries such as politics and business and education by constantly being
students. Knowledge is always developing, thus public relations professionals
and clients must develop as well.

Progressive Final Draft of Senior Paper-1

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (20)

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (20)

Ähnlich wie Progressive Final Draft of Senior Paper-1

Ähnlich wie Progressive Final Draft of Senior Paper-1 (20)

Progressive Final Draft of Senior Paper-1