Culture and Crisis Communication: Nestle India's Maggi Noodles Case

Extant theoretical paradigms in the field of crisis communication are organization-centric and do not adequately recognize the role of culture. The purpose of this essay is to analyze a crisis faced by Nestle India using the framework of global public relations which defines culture broadly to include political, economic, media, societal, and activist cultures. Our analysis revealed that a multinational corporation with over a century of presence in the country struggled to align itself to the complexities of the cultures of the host country. In the case of Nestle India, whereas environmental variables such as political economy and Westernization of urban India boosted the growth of its instant noodles, the multinational also struggled to cope with the rise of media corporatization, activist pressure and the vagaries of regulatory enforcement not to speak of cultural nationalism. It is evident that Nestlé's crisis response was governed more by its traditional corporate culture than by an ability to keep pace with the changing demands of its environment, leading to the amplification of an issue into a crisis. The study concludes that multinationals that ignore culture will be forced to pay a heavy price both in terms of reputation and the bottom line.     

Assessing dust exposure in an integrated iron and steel manufacturing plant in South India

A study to monitor and estimate respirable particulate matter (RPM), toxic trace metal concentrations in the work environment was carried out in different sections of an integrated steel manufacturing industry. The average RPM concentration observed varied according to the section blast furnace was 2.41 mg/m;{3}; energy optimization furnace, 1.87 mg/m;{3}; sintering plant, 0.98 mg/m;{3}; continuous casting machine, 1.93 mg/m;{3}. The average trace metal concentration estimated from the RPM samples like iron, manganese, lead and chromium did not exceed ACGIH prescribed levels.     

The Situational Theory of Publics in a Different Cultural Setting: Consumer Publics in Singapore

In an ever-globalizing world, it behooves one to ask whether, and if so to what extent, the theoretical constructs developed primarily in Western democracies are applicable elsewhere. This study used the Situational theory of publics to assess the communication behaviors of a sample of Singaporeans vis-à-vis the level of customer service in the retail sector. The study surveyed 242 retail customers and conducted 3 focus groups of retail consumers. Results revealed that the situational theory was quite useful in identifying the communication behaviors of consumer publics in Singapore. A majority of the respondents perceived high problem recognition but also displayed constrained behavior in responding to the problem. Only a few respondents exhibited activist behavior as described in the theory. Cultural factors such as deference to authority and collectivism played a significant role in the constrained behaviors of the respondents. We contend that the referent criterion, abandoned for over 2 decades, helps include culture as an independent variable in the theory.     

Modeling of Distributed Generators Resilience Considering Lifeline Dependencies During Extreme Events

This article derives distributed generators resilience models considering lifeline dependencies during extreme events. The effects on power resilience of storage capacity, fuel delays, and fuel order placements are analyzed. Results indicate that storage capacity has an important role in improving overall power supply resilience as seen by loads. In addition, the presented models provide a quantifiable approach in evaluating fuel delivery resilience. The models facilitate studying fuel scheduling policies and local fuel storage sizing for specified resilience requirements. It is observed that tank autonomy greatly affects the flexibility in employing scheduling policies supplying fuel to generators. Resilience dependence on buffer autonomy is high during the first few days of extreme events, and this could have considerable effects on managing evacuations and rescue operations.     

Corporate social responsibility among SMEs in Italy

Much of the scholarly discussion on CSR has focused on large corporations even though small and medium enterprises (SMEs) constitute the bulk of businesses in many countries of the world. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 99.9% of the corporations in Italy are SMEs employing fewer than 250 people. This study sought to explore the CSR among SMEs including whether they practice CSR as a strategic function, who the main stakeholders were for their CSR activities, the drivers of CSR, and the motivations to engage in CSR. Data were collected from three sources: a survey of executives of a sample of 105 SMEs; qualitative in-depth interviews of the owner–managers of five SMEs and élite interviews with opinion leaders. The sample organizations practiced CSR mainly through informal, internally oriented and relational methods with very little, if any, managerial and strategic approach. A large number of sample organizations viewed employees as the most important stakeholders for CSR communication whereas customers, suppliers, and business partners trailed far behind. Interestingly, the media, government, NGOs, and unions were relegated to the bottom of the list. Networks of personal relationships (including that of owner–managers and top executives) were frequently used to conduct CSR activities.     

To be,or not to be: Paradoxes in strategic public relations in Italy

There is a paucity of empirical studies of public relations in Italy. This study sought to assess whether public relations departments are managed strategically in Italy and whether public relations contributes to the strategic management of organizations. Using the four generic principles that deal with strategic management, this study gathered data from public relations professionals working in the three major types of organizations: corporations, government agencies, and non-profits. The study found that regardless of the type of organization, few public relations practitioners are represented in the senior management of their organizations. Senior managers of non-profits tended to value public relations more than the other two sectors. Symmetrical communication again proved to be normative. By using a conceptual framework and research instruments that have been employed in studies conducted in other parts of the world, this study has generated data that can be used to compare strategic public relations in different socio-cultural environments – thus contributing to building a global theory of public relations.     

Structure of the public relations/communication department: Key findings from a global study

This paper reports on some of the core findings from a program of research focused on examining the structure of public relations/communication departments. It draws on a recent major global study that was sponsored by the former Research Foundation of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Analyzing the results from interviews with 26 Chief Communication Officers (CCOs) located in each of the five continents and from a survey sample of some 278 CCOs based in organizations headquartered across the globe, the study found quite notable variations in the type of departmental structures. No one dominant structural model emerged. In effect, each organization appeared to adopt a structural design to suit their individual circumstances, although there were nevertheless some reasonably common component functional elements within each department. CCOs identified those variables that they believed most influenced the design of the public relations department structure. While recognizing department structure is situation dependent, the evidence suggests that CCOs create hybrid structures unique to the circumstances. What was perhaps most surprising was that department structure did not appear to be strongly influenced by department size, other than in terms of the vertical structural design. In short, there do not appear to be any common formulas or prescribed solutions for how organizations should or do orchestrate the design of the public relations department structure, rather CCOs appear to be able to exercise a degree of latitude in determining what works best for them.     

Introduction to this special section: The impact of globalization on public relations

Globalization has thrust public relations into the limelight providing new opportunities while posing immense challenges as well. Whereas globalization has impacted the public relations industry in many ways, public relations also has contributed to the spread of globalization. Using the global diffusion of the top 10 public relations agencies, this article argues that public relations is often erroneously perceived as only involving corporate activities. The body of knowledge is almost completely silent on the use of public relations for altruistic and information campaigns. This special issue presents some of the papers presented at the 14th International Public Relations Symposium (also popularly known as Bledcom 2007) whose theme was “The Impact of Globalization on Public Relations”.     

Internal communication: Definition,parameters, and the future

As an organizational function, internal communication is gaining in importance, meriting a special issue on the topic. This importance is evident in many recent efforts among practitioners in Europe and the US to seek recognition of this field as an independent domain. Scholarship on internal communication has not kept pace with these initiatives. This introduction to the special issue addresses several key issues related to this topic and presents findings from a Delphi study of the leaders of European associations on internal communication. Results of the study are fuzzy: respondents see internal communication as interdisciplinary management function integrating elements of human resources management, communication and marketing, but at the same time they see it primarily as a part of the organization's communication function that is simultaneously managerial and technical. However, they contend that internal communication is an independent research field.