A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION APPLICATION BY CHINESE AND FOREIGN-OWNED ENTERPRISES TO BRAND CRISIS MANAGEMENT.

This study is a mega-analysis to reconcile Carl Botan's Grand Strategy Models for strategic communication with actual cases. Invoking Botan's six-factor and four grand-strategy models proposition as an analytical framework, this study conducted a multi-case analysis on selected Chinese and international brands during the period of 2005-2014. Its preliminary findings revealed significant differences between Chinese and international corporations in applying strategic communication to brand crisis communication and management. The results also showed that, first, Chinese corporations tended to have lower level of understanding on all the six dimensions of grand strategies; second, they were more likely to rely on resistant strategy (70%), with 30% on intransigent strategy, but NONE on cooperative strategy and integrative strategy. This study hence asserts that the differences between the Chinese and international corporations in handling brand crises via strategic communication are, first and foremost, rooted in their different values attached to brands; second, effected by their different attitudes toward publics and competencies in issue management; and third, as a result of their different maturity level in crisis management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]