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Abstract
Despite a growing number of studies on crisis communication, there is very little research that
examines corporate crises from a consumer perspective, particularly for crisis case studies
within Australia. Using Yins (2002) framework for case study research methods, this research
group conducted a qualitative content analysis of 1121 audience comments attached to three
news articles on the 2011 Qantas grounding crisis. Using Weiners Attribution Theory (1986,
1995) and the qualitative content analysis software; Leximancer, we used these comments to
deconstruct audience perceptions of the Qantas crisis and isolate different emotional,
attitudinal and behavioural responses. Our first major finding indicated that the majority ofaudience members attributed the cause of the Qantas crisis to managerial decisions or union
action. Working Conditions and Government policy was also found to be secondary factors to
the crisis cause. We also found these four causal factors to be strongly associated with
audiences responsibility judgments. The four key responsible stakeholder groups that
emerged from our analysis were Alan Joyce (Qantas Management), Unions, Employees and
the Labor Government. Another important focus of this study examined audiences crisis
emotions. Anger was found to be the predominant emotion that emerged from our analysis and
was largely directed towards management and union stakeholders. Sympathy also emerged as
a secondary emotion but was largely directed towards employees and management. Our final
research finding uncovered a number of behavioural intentions within the audience comments.While the majority of these behavioural intentions centre around avoidance and negative
purchase intentions, a few increased investment intentions also emerged. Although our
Leximancer analysis was restricted by a number of technical limitations, these research
findings indicate that Weiners Attribution Theory can be successfully applied to a real life
crisis case study.
Tamara Dorrington (s4177314) | Sarah Natasha Raziff (s4275762) | Jasmine Soriano
(s4272997) | Kate Fitzpatrick (s4201686) | Roxanne Lim (s4256084)
Supervisor: Lyn McDonald
The University of Queensland, 2012
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Public Reactions to The Qantas Grounding Crisis,
A Qualitative Content Analysis
A corporate crisis often poses an unpredictable threat that can have resounding effects
on an organization and its stakeholders (Coombs, 1999, 2010). These effects are largely
dependent on how effectively the crisis is managed (Coombs, 2010) and upon stakeholders
perceptions of the crisis cause (McDonald, Sparks & Glendon, 2010). To date there has been
very little research on consumer reactions to corporate crises (McDonald, et al. 2010),
especially for crises outside the United States (Lee, 2004).
In order to understand the implications of this research project on crisis
communication, one must first gain an understanding of the Qantas grounding crisis. As one
ofAustralias leading domestic and international airline brands, Qantas has a well-established
reputation for upholding excellence in safety, operational reliability, engineering,
maintenance and customer service (Qantas, 2012, pp.2). On October 2011, the company
faced one of the largest corporate crises in its 95 years of history, a crisis that had widespread
negative impacts on its reputation. After months of failed negotiations between management
and union representatives,around 4000 Qantas employees took part in an organized strike,
demanding greater job security, better wages and fairer working conditions.Qantas
management responded by grounding its entire domestic and international fleet, locking out
staff involved in the action and stranding around 68,000 passengers worldwide (Sydney
Morning Herald, 2011). The Federal Government also became involved in the dispute,
threatening to terminate strikes under the Fair Work Act if negotiations between union
members and management proved unsuccessful (new.com.au, 2011)
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Our case study analysis adds to existing crisis research by analyzing 1121 audience
comments attached to three news articles on the Qantas grounding crisis: 734 comments from
the Sydney Morning Herald article (Live: FWA orders Qantas dispute terminated, 2011), 171
comments from the ABC article (Qantas grounds its entire fleet, 2011) and 216 comments
from the news.com.au article (Qantas crisis: Who won and who's to blame). Using Weiners
Attribution Theory (1986, 1995) as a theoretical framework, we used the comments from
these three articles to deconstructed audience perceptions of the Qantas crisis and isolate
audience members different emotional, attitudinal and behavioral responses.
While studies into crisis communication are a popular area of research, much of the
existing research has used experimental designs to examine the effectiveness of different
types of crisis accounts or apologia. A case study analysis of audience reactions to the 2011
Qantas grounding crisis has many wider implications for crisis management strategies in
future. First, by evaluating audience comments, this study provides an insight into
stakeholder crisis reactions that may have greater generalizability than experimental studies.
Second, knowledge of audiences attribution processes will help future public relations
managers to mitigate negative crisis outcomes and manage brand reputation more effectively.
Literature Review
To date, there has been very little research on consumer reactions to corporate crises
(McDonald, et al., 2010) particularly for crisis cases outside the United States (Lee, 2004).
The majority of existing literature has approached crisis communication from an
organisational perspective, using experimental design to examine the relationship between
different types of crisis accounts and consumers purchase intentions (Lee, 2004). Very little
research has taken a content analysis approach, examining audience reactions to real life
crises cases. In bridging this gap, it is relevant to examine real life audience perceptions of
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crisis cause their association with different emotional, attitudinal and behavioral responses.
According to Lee (2004), taking a consumer orientated approach should provide valuable
insights into how individuals understand and react to organisational crises. Such knowledge
would help public relations managers to mitigate negative crisis outcomes and manage brand
reputation more effectively.
Theoretical Framework: Weiners Attribution Theory (1986, 1995)
Our research was primarily guided by Weiners (1986, 1995) Attribution Theory
(WAT), which examines the psychological process by which individuals understand and react
to external events. While WAT was originally used as a theoretical framework for examining
interpersonal relationships, it has been successfully applied to the context of company crises
(McDonald et al., 2010). Adapting Weiners (1986, 1995) Attribution Theory (WAT)
audiences observe and interpret events, such as the Qantas crisis, making attributions about
its cause along two causal dimensions: Locus (whether the cause was internal or external to
the company) and Controllability (whether the cause was controllable or uncontrollable). The
interpretation of crisis cause under these two constructs leads to a responsibility judgement
that, in turn, results in emotions, which then influences behaviors (McDonald et. al.,
2010). Weiner (1995) also suggests that mitigating circumstances or personal relevance may
also impact the individuals responsibility judgement or the strength of their emotional
reaction. The relationship between the various components of Weiners (1986, 1995)
theoretical framework is depicted in the flow chart below.
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Stimulus in the
form of an
event
Attribution of
Cause (locus,
stability andcontrollability)
Responsibility
Judgement
Emotional
Response
Behavioural
Intentions
In order to successfully apply Weiners (1986, 1195) Attribution Theory (WAT) to
the context of the 2011 Qantas grounding crisis, we first examined the individual components
of this theoretical framework.
A) Attributions of Cause (Locus and Controllability)
As previously discussed, Weiners (1986, 1995) Attribution Theory (WAT) suggests
that audiences evaluate an event and make attributions about its cause along two dimensions.
The Locus dimension refers to the location of the crisis cause as being either internal or
external to the organisation (Lee, 2004). Controllability refers to whether the crisis cause is
within the control of the organisation or not (Lee, 2004). According to Lee (2004) a crisis
cause that is within the boundaries of an organisation (internal locus) is also often perceived
as controllable. Likewise, a crisis cause that judged to be outside the organisation (external
locus) is often viewed as uncontrollable (Lee, 2004). However Coombs (1995) and
McDonald et. al. (2010) both hypothesised that crises could be internal and controllable
(neglected maintenance), internal and uncontrollable (employee sabotage), external and
controllable (failure to comply with government regulations) as well as external and
uncontrollable (terrorism sabotage). The graph below represents the causal matrix
summarized by McDonald et. al. (2010)
Mitigating
Circumstances
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In the context of the Qantas crisis, this leads us to the following research questions:
Research Question 1: What are the audience perceptions of the key contributing
factors to the crisis cause?
Research Question 2: Are these key factors internal and controllable or external
and uncontrollable?
According to Coombs (1995) the causal dimensions of Locus and Controllability have
a direct impact upon an audiences crisis response. A study by Folkes (1984) found that locus
and controllability had separate effects on customers responsibility judgments, emotions and
behavioral intentions. Lee (2004) also suggested that, in a crisis context, events that were
perceived to be internal and controllable were viewed more negatively by audience members
than those that were considered external and uncontrollable (Lee, 2004). Although separating
these two constructs was challenging in analyzing audience comments, the following research
questions aided us in mapping out ideas for our Leximancer data analysis.
Research question 3: What crisis causes are associated with negative and positive
crisis reactions?
Internal External
Controllable Neglected Maintenance Failure to comply with
government regulations
Uncontrollable Employee Sabotage Terrorism Sabotage
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B) Responsibility Judgment
The next step in Weiners (1986, 1995) Attribution Theory is the process by which
individuals attribute responsibility. Social psychologists Fincham and Jaspars (1980) noted
that, in an interpersonal context, individuals would often go beyond the attributions of
causality to make judgments about who should be held accountable for an observed outcome.
Likewise, audiences will assign crisis responsibility after a causal attribution (Lee, 2004).
The direction and degree of responsibility judgment will therefore depend upon the
audiences attributions of crisis cause (Lee, 2004). Coombs and Holladay (1996, 2002) and
Jorgensen (1994, 1996) both used Weiners (1986, 1995) causal dimensions of locus and
controllability as the foundation for their studies into crisis communication. All found
perceptions of crisis cause to be a major determinant of responsibility judgments and
subsequent stakeholder reactions. Of particular relevance to our current study, Lee (2004)
found crises that were perceived to be internal (locus) and controllable (controllability) were
more likely to bring about responsibility judgments aimed at the company and its managers.
On the other hand, audiences tended to attribute less blame to the company in situations
where the crisis cause was viewed as external and uncontrollable, instead reacting with
sympathy and support (Lee, 2004). In analysing audience comments through the use of the
Leximancer program, we aim to uncover public sentiment and reveal what major stakeholder
groups or individuals are held responsible for the 2011 Qantas crisis.
This leads us to the following research question:
Research question 4: What stakeholder groups are perceived to be responsible
for the crisis?
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C) Crisis Emotions
According to Choi and Lin (2009) there is a strong need to explore a variety of crisis
emotions, in particular the impact that crisis emotions have upon attitudes toward the
company and upon subsequent behavioral intentions (McDonald et. al., 2010). Several
studies (e.g. Coombs & Holladay; 1996, 2002, Jorgensen; 1994, 1996 and Lee; 2004) have
used Weiners causal dimensions of locus and controllability, finding causal attributions to be
a major determinant of stakeholder crisis emotions. McDonald et. al. (2010) found that crisis
controllability was the single strongest predictor of anger, sympathy and negative attitude
while Lee (2004) found that in cases where crises were viewed as uncontrollable, pity was
elicited. In McDonalds (2010) study, internal crises were found to correspond with fear and
surprise while external crises were more likely to result in a sympathetic emotion response
(McDonald et al., 2010). These findings validate the concept within Weiners (1986, 1995)
Attribution Theory that causal attribution precedes responsibility judgment, which in turn
affects crisis emotions. This leads us to the following research question for our Qantas crisis
analysis:
Research question 5: What audience emotions have emerged?
D) Behavioral Intentions
While responsibility judgment affects emotions, emotions, in turn, impact upon
behavioral intentions (Weiner, 1995). Several studies have investigated the relationship
between crisis emotion (anger, fear, sadness, joy, surprise) and consumersbehavioral
intentions. A review of previous literature by McDonald et at. (2010) found that anger
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influences punitiveness (Jorgensen, 1996), negative purchase intentions (Coombs &
Holladay, 2007), negative word of mouth (Coombs & Holladay, 2007) and indirectly lowers
investment intentions (Jorgensen, 1996). Sadness lead to a higher reliance on emotional
support while fear was associated with venting intentions or avoidance (Jin, 2009). Coombs
and Holladay (2007) also found that dissatisfied customers were more likely to voice
negative sentiments about a product or service than happy customers. This leads us to our
final research question regarding the application of Weiners (1986, 1995) Attribution Theory
to audiences Qantas crisis response:
Research Question 6: What audience behavioral intentions have emerged?
Based upon the review of existing literature, the current case study examined how
Weiners (1986, 1995) Attribution Theory can be applied to a current crisis case in Australia
using actual stakeholder comments. In particular, we expect to uncover associations between
Weiners (1986, 1995) causal constructs (locus and controllability),judgments of
responsibility, emotions and behavioral intentions within the context of audience comments.
Methodology
According to Yin (1994), case studies involve a methodical way of looking at an
instance or event within its real-life context. It is a process of collecting data, analyzing
information, and reporting the results in order to gain a sharpened understanding of why a
particular event occurred, and what might be relevant to future research in the area (Yin,
1994). This research project involved the development of a case study analysis that followed
a reputation crisis faced by the Australian national airline, Qantas, in October of 2011. By
conducting a content analysis of 1121 audience comments, this group was able to deconstruct
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the crisis narrative and examine audiences attribution process during the 2011 Qantas crisis.
Yin defined the research design as a sequence that links data to the studys research questions
and findings. In order to address our research questions, this group adopted a variation of
Yins (1994) case study design, collecting appropriate evidence, analysing the data and
reporting on the findings.
Step one of Yins (1994) case study research methods involved the collection of data
for content analysis. Yin (1994) noted that data collection could rely on many sources of
evidence, one of which includes documentation such as media articles. Following Yins
(1994) data collection guidelines, this group collected 1121 reader comments attached to
three news articles on the Qantas crisis, including 734 comments from the Sydney Morning
Herald online (Live: FWA orders Qantas dispute terminated), 171 comments from the ABC
website (Qantas grounds its entire fleet) and 216 comments from news.com.au (Qantas crisis:
Who won and who's to blame). We then inputted the 1121 audience comments into an excel
spreadsheet, organising them on the basis of media source and comment characteristics.
The second step in Yins cases study research methods is data analysis. This involves
examining and categorizing evidence that is relevant to the study (Yin, 1994). To achieve
this, we conducted a content analysis, aided by the concept association software; Leximancer.
According to Hsieh and Shannon (2005) a qualitative content analysis is one of numerous
research methods used to analyse text data. Qualitative content analyses go beyond a simple
word association and instead involves an in depth classification of language into an efficient
number of categories with similar meanings (Weber, 1990). Leximancer is a software
program designed to perform this conceptual analyses of text data in a largely independent
manner (Smith, 2003). It is able to analyse large volumes of comments and to statistically
assess the association between words, identifying emergent themes in the body of text. The
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basis for Leximancers qualitative data analysis is a concept association matrix that is built
from frequency data (Rooney, 2005). The result is a visual map and insight dashboard that
identifies the relational characteristics of key concepts (Middleton, Liesch & Steen, 2011).
However this raw Leximancer data requires further human analysis. By further analysing
these Leximancer results we were able to analyse audience reactions to the Qantas grounding
crisis under the construct of Weiners (1986, 1995) attribution theory.
The final phase of Yins cases study research methods involves reporting the results
and checking their validity. According to Yin (1994) content analyses involve a danger of
committing what has been called the narrative fallacy. This fallacy consists of a propensity to
simplify data through a preference for compact stories over complex data sets (Yin, 1994). In
case study research, the way to avoid the narrative fallacy is no different from any other
error: the usual consistent checks for validity and reliability in how data is collected, analyzed
and presented. Therefore it was important to conduct a thorough check of the Leximancer
results, correlating Leximancer findings with contextual examples within the article
comments and providing exemplar samples of audience statements.
Research Results
Leximancer is able to generate two types of sentiment analysis reports: a visual
concept map showing a detailed assembly of prominent concepts, and an insight dashboard
which provides quantitative rankings of concepts and their associated terms (Middleton, et al,
2011). The insight dashboard generates information about the data set by analysing the
frequency, strength and prominence of reoccurring terms within the text. It then organises
these terms into categories, which are groups of recurring sentiments, and concepts, which
are ideas that bear a strong contextual link to these categories (Middleton, et al, 2011).
Leximancer also automatically identifies compound concepts, which are two terms that are
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mentioned adjacent to one another within the context of a larger category (Middleton, et al,
2011). Leximancer analyses the data set using a default thesaurus which it uses to identify
terms as positive evidence towards a certain sentiment or category. The user can also adjust
the focus of the output results by controlling a number of manual settings within the program.
By adjusting these settings, results in answer to our research questions were analysed.
Research Question 1 asked what are the audience perceptions of the key contributing
factors to the crisis cause? In order to answer this research question, a preliminary
Leximancer analysis, examining key causal factors, was conducted. The concept map in
figure 1 was generated by inputting all 1121 audience comments into the Leximancer
program and adjusting the thesaurus settings to recognise related terms (such as Alan Joyce
and AJ). The resulting concept map clearly illustrates the key causal categories and maps
their association with surrounding terms. The main causal concepts that emerge from figure
1 are union action, managerial decisions, working conditions and industrial action.
These four terms appear as prominent categories from which smaller, related concepts stem.
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FIGURE 1:LEXIMANCER CONCEPT MAP
The concept map in figure 1 forms the foundation for the subsequent graphs 2 and 3, where
these key concepts are examined in more depth using related data from the insight
dashboard. Examining these four main causal categories and their related terms, we can begin
to deconstruct the narrative surrounding the Qantas crisis. In particular, we can begin to
analyse audience members attribution process in terms of Weiners theoretical framework.
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Figure 2 (below) is a pie chart, isolating the four main causal categories and their associated
terms. The terms surrounding each main category represent the associated concepts that
appeared with relative frequency and strength under each main causal category. Terms such
as pathetic, appalled and abominable were linked strongly with Managerial Decisions,
while Union Action was associated with concepts such as bloody minded, bashing and
dominated. Industrial Action was positioned within the context of government policy with
related terms such as Gillard,Fair Work Act and Labor. Finally, Working Conditions
can be seen positioned alongside key terms like employees, pay and unreasonable
FIGURE 2:FOUR KEY CRISIS FACTORS AND RELATED TERMS
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Figure 3 shows a further breakdown of each of the four main causal categories. Each
pie chart was generated using the quantitative data in the insight dashboard, which outlines
the strength, frequency and prominence of the four key categories and their related terms.
The first of the four pie graphs explores the category of Managerial Decisions. Here
we can see that the two major concepts associated with the managerial decisions category are
MGMT (an acronym for management) and Alan Joyce. Brand, restructures andfailures
are secondary concepts that also appeared in association with Managerial Decisions.
The second pie graph depicts the breakdown of concepts associated with the category
of Industrial Action. Here, industrial action is positioned closely with concepts such as
Gillard, Fair Work Australia and Federal Government. Therefore it is evident that this
causal category refers to the impact of government policy on the Qantas crisis.
In the working conditions pie graph, the strong association between terms such as
employees, afford and earn with terms such as pay rise, wages, and salary indicate
that one of the causes of this crisis involved current pay schemes and unfair working
conditions.
Finally, Union action is also identified as a main contributing factor to the crisis
cause. This pie graph explores this category by highlighting some of its key associated terms.
In particular, one can see the clear association between unions, demands and striking. In
the context of the Qantas crisis, union groups made a number of demands regarding current
working conditions and this was responsible for a large majority of subsequent employee
strikes.
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FIGURE 3: GRAPHS EXPLORING THE COMPOUND CATEGORIES OF MANAGERIAL DECISIONS, WORKING
CONDITIONS,INDUSTRIAL ACTION, AND UNION ACTION
Research Question 2 was concerned with the application of Weiners (1986, 1995)
causal dimensions of Locus and Controllability. It asked whether the key causal factors in the
Qantas crisis (identified in figures 13) could be classified as internal and controllable or
external and uncontrollable. As previously discussed in our literature review, past studies on
crisis communication have shown that crises can be either be internal and controllable
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(neglected maintenance), internal and uncontrollable (employee sabotage), external and
controllable (failure to comply with government regulations) or external and uncontrollable
(terrorist sabotage). If we adapt our understanding of McDonald et al. (2010) we can apply
the following attribution matrix to the current Qantas case study.
FIGURE 4:QANTAS ATTRIBUTION MATRIX
.
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Research question 3 asks what crisis causes can be associated with negative and
positive crisis reactions? Figure 5 addresses this research question by using Leximancer
insights to compare the appearance of favourable and unfavourable terms within the context
of audience comments. To justify the results, Leximancers insight dashboard provides
examples of each sentiment with comments directly from the data set. The graph below
shows that audience comments carry both favourable and unfavourable connotations towards
the concepts of management, industrial action, and employees. The balance of favourable and
unfavourable terms for all four causal concepts (managerial decisions, union action, working
conditions and industrial action) is consistent with our preliminary sample of audience
comments.
FIGURE 5: UNFAVOURABLE VS FAVOURABLE TERMS
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Figure 6 addresses research question 4 (What stakeholder groups are perceived to be
responsible for the crisis?) by using a Leximancer visual concept map depicting the major
stakeholder groups identified in the audience comments. The main stakeholder groups that
are identified in this visual concept map are:
Alan Joyce Employees Unions Government Qantas customers Australians in general
FIGURE 6:RESPONSIBLE STAKEHOLDER CLUSTERS
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Based on the information obtained in figure 4, we can take a step further and
categorise these major stakeholder groups as either internal or external to the company. As
the CEO and head of the Qantas company, Alan Joyce is identified as largely responsible for
managerial decisions. Baggage handlers, ground staff and cabin crew are grouped under the
stakeholder heading of employees, while the Australian Licenced Engineers Union
(ALAEA), the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the Australian and International Pilots
Union (AIPA) are grouped under the stakeholder heading of unions. Finally, the government
is also identified as a responsible stakeholder group, with many audience comments citing the
role of Julia Gillard, the Labour government and the Fair Work Act in failing to mitigate the
industrial dispute.
FIGURE 7:RESPONSIBILITY JUDGEMENT
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Figure 8 is a visual representation of the crisis emotion that have emerged from our
anlaysis of audience comments. This graph is based on the information taken from
Leximancers insight dashboard about the strength, prominence and frequency ofvarious
sentiments. Anger was the predominant emotion that emerged from the data set and was
directed toward all stakeholders, particularly unions and management. While sympathy
emerged as another primary meotion, it was used to express empathy towards workers
plights while Sorry was used in relation to customers, employees, and industrial action.
Support was also a prodominant sentiment that emerged and was expressed toward all
parties in relatively equal degrees.
FIGURE 8:AUDIENCE EMOTIONS
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Due to the informal nature of comments and the variation in sentence structure, it was
challenging to isolate behavioural intentions from the data set using the Leximancer software.
However, a preliminary manual analysis uncovered a number of trends in consumers
behavioural intentions. Major findings indicated that of the 4% of comments that implied a
behavioural intention, most were negative, while a small number showed positive purchase or
investment intentions. Figure 9 shows a cross selection of comments extracted from the data
in response to research question 6. This conceptual depiction summarises the main
behavioural intentions that emerged from the Qantas crisis.
FIGURE 9:BEHAVIOURAL INTENTIONS
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Figure 10 is based on a manual analysis of comments over all three news sites, and
shows the frequency of behavioural intentions that have emerged from the data set. The
category miscellaneous intentions refers to behaviours such as buying shares, venting
action, or switching carriers.
FIGURE 10: BEHAVIOURAL INTENTIONS FREQUENCY
Discussion
This case study analysis uncovered a number of key findings that are relevant to crisis
communication research.First, our research found that audiences perceived the key
contributing factor to the Qantas crisis to be union action, managerial decisions, working
conditions and industrial action with the majority of comments attributing the crisis to
managerial decisions and union action. When analysing these key causal factors under
Weiners dimensions of Locus and Controllability, managerial decisions can be interpreted as
both internal and controllable to the company while Union Action can be seen as both
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external and uncontrollable. If we analyse workingconditions in the context of its related
terms, we can understand that this cause is about employees observations of their working
conditions and the resulting strikes. In particular, this casual factor is about employees being
unhappy with current circumstances and demanding better working conditions from Qantas
management. While employees are internal to the company, their objections to their working
conditions and the ensuing strikes can be understood as relatively uncontrollable. Finally,
industrial action in seen within the context of government policy and work place regulation.
While the government is external to Qantas, the companys compliance with government
regulations is certainly within managements control. Therefore we classify this causal
concept as both external and controllable. These findings build upon previous research by
Coombs (1995) and McDonald et. al. (2010) - that Locus and Controllability can have
separate effects on audiences attribution process and that crises may not only be
internal/controllable and external/uncontrollable but also internal /uncontrollable and external
/controllable.
The second major finding of this research project linked causal attributions to
audiences responsibility judgements. When audiences identified the major causal factor as
managerial decisions they also tended to attribute blame to Qantas management, in
particular to Qantas CEO; Alan Joyce. The resulting emotions that emerged from this
attribution were anger towards Qantas management and support for unions and employees.
This sentiment is exemplified in the audience comment As a QF F of 20+ years I wish to
register my total support for the staff and crew at QF over their current legitimate and
understandable attempts to prevent Management from destroying the airline which I hold so
dear. This customer is sick and tired of being exploited by senior management and the
board. (ABC.net.au, 2011). These findings are similar to those of Lees (2004) who
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stated that crises that were perceived to be internal (locus) and controllable (controllability)
would bring about responsibility judgements aimed towards the company and its managers.
Another key trend in the data identified union action as the main cause of the crisis.
These audience members tended to attribute blame to unions and employees involved in
striking action. When union action, which we identified as external and uncontrollable, was
attributed as the primary cause of the crisis, audience members tended to respond with anger
towards unions and employees and sympathy towards the company and its managers. One
example of this is conveyed in the audiences comment: Well done Alan Joyce. Striking is
the lowest form of human behaviour in my opinion. I hope all these lazy striking staff lose
their jobs and are replaced by hardworking people, who unlike Qantas employees
appreciate their jobs, rather than expect that they are their god given right (ABC.net.au,
2011).
The third major finding in our case study uncovered a number of audience crisis
emotions. While we anticipated finding negative audience emotions such as anger and
helplessness, we also uncovered a number of positive emotions that expressed support and
sympathy towards all stakeholder groups. One such comment that expressed empathy
towards the Qantas brand was sourced from the Sydney Morning Herald (2011), Qantas
made the right decision and any company which has a strong union presence should do the
same if their future is threatened by them. The Australian dollar is strong and to remain
competitive globally, hard decision must be made.
This leads us to our final major research finding. As could be expected, positive
audience emotions were found to be associated with favourable behavioural intentions while
negative emotions were found to predict negative purchase intentions. While 81% of
behavioural intentions centred on avoidance, complaint and negative purchase intentions,
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another 14% of the behavioural intentions indicated that the audience intended to continue
flying with Qantas, signifying the audiences loyalty to the brand. An example of such
positive behavioural intentions is evident in the following audience comment from
new.com.au: I have always flown Qantas and always will, and to those who say they will
never fly them again, you know you will let all those FF perks go to waste?? Good on you Mr
Joyce. (News.com.au, 2011, pp. 8).
Although the technical limitations of Leximancer restricted our study, our research
project successfully applied Weiners (1986, 1995) Attribution Theory to audiences
attribution process in a real life crisis case. These research findings provide valuable insights
into how individuals understand and react to organizational crises in the real world.
Knowledge of this type will assist public relations managers in creating effective reputation
management strategies in the future.
Limitations
Although our case study can be considered largely effective, we did encounter several
limitations that impeded the progress of our research. Most of the limitations we encountered
involved the technical capabilities of Leximancer. Of particular relevance to our content
analysis was Leximancers inability to comprehend tone and colloquialisms. This meant that
a comment that Leximancer identified as positive might actually be a sarcastic remark meant
as a negative. We also found that the informal nature of comments was problematic, since
there were multiple ways of expressing a particular sentiment.
The data set too was limited by the individual news sites comment system. The
anonymity of contributors made it hard to clearly identify an audience members level of
involvement, unless it was explicitly mentioned in the comment. The anonymity may have
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led to audience responses phrased more assertively and argumentatively than they would
have been if they were named. The news sites also censor the time frame of the comments.
By identifying the time stamp attached to each comment, future studies could examine how
audience crises responses changed over the crises lifecycle. This would be particularly
important as it would reflect the dynamic nature of audiences crisis response (McDonald et.
al, 2009)particularly in this study where the online commentary between the audiences is a
highly interactive exchange.
Conclusion
Based on Yins (1994) case study research methods and the theoretical framework of
Weiners (1986, 1995) Attribution Theory, this research project found that managerial
decisions and union action were the two key contributing factors to the 2011 Qantas
grounding crisis. We also identified the main responsible stakeholder groups to be Alan Joyce
(Qantas management), employees, unions and the government.
Our findings have shown that the primary crisis emotion that emerged was anger, and
that this was targeted primarily towards the management and unions. This was followed by
sympathy, which empathized with the workers plights, and sorrow which was used in
relation to Qantas customers. However, contrary to expectations, support also emerged as a
dominant emotion and was expressed towards all stakeholder parties involved in the crisis.
These findings suggest that, despite the negative sentiment that has emerged from the
grounding crisis, there is still an existing group of passengers who remain loyal to the Qantas
brand. Qantas should also take a lesson from these findings in order to better safeguard the
interests of their stakeholders in future. This may include being mindful of employee moral
and considering the plight of the passengers before taking such drastic measures in the future.
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Acknowledgments
Supervisor: Lyn McDonald
Course Coordinator: Aparna Hebbani
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Publications
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