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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
Book cover


Brick-Wall Protection - Against Reputational Damage

Author

Term

4. term

Publication year

2016

Abstract

Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan virksomheder kan beskytte sig mod omdømmeskade i krisesituationer med udgangspunkt i casen om Lego, Greenpeace og Shell i 2014. Greenpeace kritiserede Legos partnerskab med Shells olieboring i Arktis og gennemførte en kampagne med en viral video og over en million underskrifter, men ifølge Reputation Institute’s RepTrak 100 steg Legos placering fra nr. 9 i april 2014 til nr. 5 i april 2015. Problemformuleringen er: Hvordan undgik Lego omdømmeskade under Greenpeace/Shell-krisen? Specialet anvender et casestudie med både kvantitative og kvalitative elementer, herunder to spørgeskemaer (om Lego/Shell-partnerskabet og om Greenpeaces omdømme) samt sekundære data fra RepTrak 100. Teoretisk bygger analysen på CSR-litteratur (de fire teoriretninger, Carrolls CSR-pyramide og Kyosei), begrebet om omdømmekapital og perspektiver på krisekommunikation, understøttet af en hermeneutisk fortolkningsramme. Undersøgelsen vurderer flere mulige forklaringer på Legos omdømmemæssige robusthed: begrænset krisekommunikation, en stærk CSR-profil der kan skabe omdømmekapital, Greenpeaces egen omdømmekontekst og beslutningen om ikke at forlænge aftalen med Shell. De endelige konklusioner fremgår af de senere kapitler; dette resumé bygger kun på den foreliggende uddragsdel.

This thesis explores how companies can protect themselves against reputational damage in crisis situations, using the 2014 case involving Lego, Greenpeace, and Shell. Greenpeace challenged Lego’s partnership with Shell’s Arctic drilling through a high-profile campaign featuring a viral video and more than one million signatures, yet Reputation Institute’s RepTrak 100 shows Lego’s ranking rose from 9th in April 2014 to 5th in April 2015. The central research question is: How did Lego avoid reputational damage during the Greenpeace/Shell crisis? The study employs a case study design combining quantitative and qualitative elements, including two questionnaires (on the Lego/Shell partnership and Greenpeace’s reputation) and secondary data from RepTrak 100. The theoretical framework draws on CSR literature (the four groups of CSR theories, Carroll’s CSR pyramid, and Kyosei), the concept of reputation capital, and crisis communication perspectives, guided by a hermeneutic interpretive approach. The analysis considers several possible drivers of Lego’s resilience: minimal crisis communication, a strong CSR profile that may generate reputation capital, Greenpeace’s own reputational context, and Lego’s decision not to extend its contract with Shell. Final findings are presented in later chapters; this abstract reflects only the provided excerpt.

[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]