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How companies should communicate with the public in the event of marketing crisis is discussed. If companies properly communicate with the public, damage to a particular brand and corporate image can be prevented. Companies might also realize brand enhancement by properly responding to a marketing crisis.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) mediated interactions, such as audio and video calls, are part of all companies' routines. Despite technological advances, no current ICT can perfectly mimic the unique characteristics of face-to-face interactions. As good-quality internal communication is critical to companies' operations, the increased demand for work-from-home jobs raises relevant questions regarding employees' capability to communicate properly. To better understand if the physical and temporal distance associated with the work-from-home represents a threat to employees' capacity to establish clear communications, this study explores the internal communication experiences of full-time home-based telecommuters. Adopting a transcendental phenomenological strategy and based on a mix of purposeful and snowball sampling, 23 employees were interviewed online. Two additional interviews with top managers from a company where all employees work from home were also performed. Following a thematic analysis, results did not reveal a direct relationship between physical and temporal distance and the quality of internal communication. Indeed, the increased media options adopted by employees after starting to work from home contributed to improving internal communication quality. The main identified communication issues, such as information segregation, are related to how internal communications are managed, and may happen whether employees work side-by-side or physically apart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communications professionals have widely recognized the importance of media coverage measurement. Despite having been discredited in measuring media coverage, either by the scientific community or by industry main organizations, advertising value equivalency (AVE) continues, nevertheless, to be a metric used by many communication professionals to measure digital media coverage. We propose a new metric, the Media Output Score (MOS), to automatically measure the online media coverage of brands in real-time, combining brand objectives with target media, media visibility, media favorability, readership, and social amplification of news by individuals. Using the design science research methodology, this research includes a case study analyzing the media coverage of the three main Portuguese telecommunications brands during one year on ten digital media outlets. The use of MOS with the sample data proved to be a comprehensive and valid metric to measure the output performance of brands' digital media coverage since it effectively combines all variables, providing a single metric that can be used to evaluate and compare the performance in this context. This article presents the development, the application, and the implications of the MOS, providing a new lens through which to view and assess media coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the intricate and multifaceted landscape of the European construction process, where the development and governance of the European Union take shape through a myriad of policies, institutions, and stakeholders, this study delves into the role of lobbies affiliated with the European Transparency Register. It focuses on the relationship between the utilization of social media platforms and the representation costs among interest groups. Analysis of data from 12,430 groups, encompassing website presence, social media engagement, and declared representation costs, reveals that 97.14% of groups maintain websites, while 67.52% actively use social media platforms. Among groups disclosing representation costs, the mean is EUR 181,333, with a median of EUR 74,999. Multiple linear regression analysis uncovers a positive association between Twitter and YouTube usage and representation costs, while Facebook usage demonstrates a negative correlation. However, no statistically significant relationships are observed for Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn. These findings offer insights into the potential impact of social media on representation costs for interest groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research examines how different kinds of promotion programs (i.e., price discount versus donation promotion) buffer brands from the ill effects of product-harm crises. Drawing on attribution theory, the authors investigate the differential effects of promotion programs on consumer responses following ambiguous product-harm crises. These effects are moderated by promotion depth (i.e., the monetary value of a promotion) and brand reputation. Results show that for low-depth promotions, donation is more effective than price discount when the product-harm crisis involves moderately reputable brands. Importantly, the authors identify blame attribution as the mediating mechanism accounting for the interaction effects. When the locus of causality is external to the focal brand, the interaction effects of promotion programs and brand reputation disappear. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Non-financial reporting is the basic tool for presenting the implementation of sustainability goals (SDGs). This paper investigated the current status of non-financial reporting standardization in terms of small and medium-sized enterprises. The topic of non-financial reporting has been discussed in recent years from the perspective of large business entities. So far, it has only rarely been applied to SMEs. This will increase significantly in the coming years when such reports will also become obligatory for smaller entities. The first stage of the research, based on the method of analysis and criticism of the literature, will be prepared in the area of the subject taken, including relations between the main concepts: sustainability, non-financing reports, SMEs. The essential data source used for the article is reports published by the Global Reporting Initiative. Based on the research conducted, it can be concluded that it is necessary to develop non-financial reporting standards for SMEs. These results may become a valuable resource of knowledge and a set of samples that can be useful in developing this area. Especially since it can be expected that such reports will also be obligatory for SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article extends theory around consumer-brand relationship quality by exploring conditions under which such relationships may be transformed into exceptionally negative dispositions toward once-coveted brands. Survey and experimental results indicate that the more self-relevant a consumer-brand relationship, the more likely are anti-brand retaliatory behaviors after the relationship ends. These anti-brand behaviors are diverse: from complaining to third parties, to negative word of mouth, to illegal actions such as theft, threats, and vandalism. In contrast, post-exit consumer-brand relationships that were low in self-relevance but were high in trust, commitment, and satisfaction are less likely to result in anti-brand actions. The role of a discrete product or service failure is also explored, and results suggest that self-relevance may motivate retaliation even in the absence of a so-called critical incident. Ultimately, this research illuminates previously unexplored mechanisms--including self-conscious emotional reactions--that motivate consumer hostility and retaliation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional service–profit chain (SPC) proposes that a firm's financial performance can be improved through a path that connects employee satisfaction, customer orientation, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. In this article, a complementary SPC that is built on both a conventional path and a social identity–based path is introduced. The latter SPC path centrally builds on customer– and employee–company identification as a core construct. Using a large-scale triadic data set that includes data from employees, customers, and firms, the authors find strong support for the extended SPC, which accounts for important customer (loyalty and willingness to pay) and firm (financial performance) outcomes. In addition, the effects of company identification exist incrementally beyond the effects of the conventional SPC path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intention of a cause-related marketing campaign is to encourage the purchase of a brand so donations can be made to the partnering cause. This study compared two ads, one that portrayed the cause as the visual element and one that portrayed the brand, to determine which executional technique produced a greater effect on advertising outcome variables. By comparing two models using 495 nonstudent consumers, the study shows the brand photo had a greater effect on purchase intentions than the cause photo. The study also shows that attitude toward the cause-brand alliance is influenced by the familiarity of the brand supporting other research on brand familiarity's influence on attitude formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online reputation is a strategic aspect of lodgings' image and commercialization. Websites containing tourism reviews have increased their influence on customers' decisions, leading to the effective management of Internet social media accounts. Customer evaluations of lodgings vary across websites because of differences in the scales used, the variables measured, and the reliability of opinions. The diverse information available on the Internet can produce communication problems in lodgings because the evaluations on online portals can differ. The objective of this paper is to propose an indicator to establish the rating of the online reputation balance, so that lodgings can determine the level of coherence of their communication and image on the Internet. One target for lodging community managers should be to converge different evaluations around a similar value that defines a coherent and real online reputation. The indicator proposed is tested on lodgings of distinct categories in different tourism destinations. Among the aims of the study is to try to provide a simple and practical method for directors to improve the management of hotel communication on the Internet. This is an issue for which research should propose methodologies because it is a new challenge for the competitiveness of accommodations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, lodgings' competitiveness depends on pricing, based on the online reputation measured by quantitative scales of variables. The purpose of this article is to analyze the different prices set by lodgings by season in relation to the variables that measure their online reputation. This is an essential aspect in determining prices competitively in a constantly changing market. The study analyzes the offer of three tourist destinations (Gran Canaria and Tenerife in Spain and Agadir in Morocco) and online customer reviews on the quality of service, value, and added value obtained from Booking.com. Bivariate regressions with different functions were carried out to determine which one best matches these variables to the prices. The results show that added value has the greater relationship with prices. The cubic and quadratic functions have the best fit between quality of service and added value with regard to lodging prices. Based on the results obtained, it is possible to determine the most competitive prices lodgings can set depending on the quality of service and the added value offered to customers. To the extent that destinations from different countries are analyzed, the research reaches an international scope that is in line with the competitive reality of the tourism market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers brief profiles of Mara Cameran, Claudia Gabbioneta, and Craig E. Carroll, who contributed to the writing of the journal.