Case Studies in Corporate Communication

Tonny Odhiambo,B.A in English, Diploma in Communication,M.A in Communication,PhD

candidate in Communication

Introduction
Case study refers to the collection and presentation of detailed information about a particular
participant, or small group, frequently including the accounts of subjects themselves. A form of
qualitative descriptive research, case study works intensely at an individual or small participant
pool, drawing conclusions only about that participant or group, only in that specific context.
Researchers do not focus on the discovery of a universal generalizable truth, they typically look
for cause-effect relationships; instead emphasis is placed on exploration and description.

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Fight Viral with Viral: A Case Study of Domino’s Pizza’s Crisis Communication Strategies
The purpose of this Case Study was to investigate videos of adulterated food on YouTube in
2009.It was a crisis and therefore strategies of managing the situation were to be looked into in
this era of crisis management where we use social media as tool for communication.
The way in which companies communicate with stakeholders during crisis event is rapidly
changing with the 24-hour access provided by the internet, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Public relations practitioners and the other communication executives are struggling to craft
messages and maintain control of the flow of messages within the dynamic landscape.
According to Schiller(2007) in time of crisis, while corporate communication executives are
preparing manicured statements, customers are (simultaneously) blogging, e-mailing and posting
photos out of rage and desperation because the very people who should be listening to them
aren’t. (p.16).
Social media allow stakeholders to control when, where and how reputation meanings are born
and disseminated as organizations reputation is built on the stories formed by the stakeholders
are spread within networks (Aula,2011, p.28,30)
Just as consumers can use the social media to create a crisis for a company and interpret an
organization reputation throughout, so too can an organization use this medium to manage a
crisis and improve its reputation.
Patrick Doyle, president of Domino’s Pizza would come to understand this dynamic as his brand
suffered a devastating blow when two employees uploaded a vulgar video demonstrating their
grotesque adulteration of food.
The two Domino’s employees were bored working in North Carolina. The duo created videos,
one of which showed an individual sticking Mozzarella cheese up his nose then blowing the
cheese on a sandwich activities and one million people viewed the videos.
Tim McIntyre, Vice President of Corporate Communication, surveyed the situation and
determined that the videos were not hoax. He then began to communicate internally and
externally with relevant audiences at that time(including) social media people, head of security
and senior management team.
The company responded to customers question on Twitter about whether the company knew
about the situation, what the company was doing, and why the company had not issued an
official statement (Jacques,2009).

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Patrick Doyle, President of Domino’s Pizza recorded an apology that was then uploaded onto
YouTube. According to Seeger(2006) ten best crisis communication practices include: process
approaches and policy development; Pre-event planning, partnership with the public, listen to the
public’s concerns and understand the audience, honesty and openness, collaborate and coordinate
with credible sources; meet the needs of the media and remain accessible, communicate with
compassion, concern and empathy, accept uncertainty and ambiguity, and messages of
selfefficacy.

Case Study; Should He Be Fired for That Facebook Post?

The purpose of this Case Study was to construct strategies for solving James Kenton's messages
on Facebook concerning vehicles made by Downcity’s Mercedes dealership.
Kenton posted a photo of a soda can with the Downcity Motors sign looming in the background.
Susannah gave out solution of restricting who sees it depending on the Kenton’s private settings.
According to Megan Erickson Moritz, Susannah should look into what if anything, what Kenton
discussed with others, whether anyone else shared the views, and whether any of their worries
might reasonably be tied to wages, commissions, or other terms of employment.
Alexandra Samwel posits that Susannah needs to let Kenton go, because when you have warned
an employee about a specific issue and you have made your expectations clear, you can’t keep
providing second chances.

Putting the Right Information on Twitter in a Crisis

The purpose of this Case Study is to put the right information on Twitter in a crisis.
There was a terrorist attack in Paris although Twitter is a new media, but it’s an old impulse-in
times of trouble, always seek out other humans, go that the square, stay together.
Research team spent most of time analyzing Twitter messages during the threat period.
In terrorist situations, such as the Boston Marathon bombings, we find people posing on
messages of solidarity and resiliency.
One of the problems heard from the emergency managers is that scanning social media during
crisis events is like drinking from a fire hose.
There is just so much information and trying to identify information in that huge stream is
extremely difficult.
The best scenario for an emergency manager is to stay infront of information and put accurate,
truthful information out there. Being part of the conversation and providing information from an
authoritative source may help to prevent people from making things up because they can’t find
what they’re looking for.

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The effectiveness of adding graphic or image attached to a tweet that might give more
information and even attaching a link that reduces people passing it on are some of the solutions
that can be applied.

Vibrators: A Mainstream Product Continues to Shed its Taboo Past

The purpose of this Case Study is to investigate the vibrator use of which the majority of men
and women believes that vibrator use can be a healthy part of their sexual lives.
Its meaning is linked to the disease hysteria. Physicians described hysteria as a female disease of
the uterus with symptoms such as fainting, nervousness and chronic anxiety.
Trojan vibrations and Jimmyjane,are two components whose messaging and sampling strategies
illustrate the new marketing milieu for this once a taboo-product.
Vibrators are used as masturbation aids.
Herbenick et al. (2009) found that some vibrator users felt uneasy about negative stigmas
associated with sex aids.
In 2008, a federal appeals court overturned a Texas statute outlawing sales of sex toys.
E-publishing development and changes in the scholarly communication system
The purpose of this Case Study is to investigate the development of E-publishing and changes in
the scholarly communication system.
E-publishing has undoubtedly affected all stakeholders’ interrelationships in the scholarly
publishing value chain pressuring publishers in the value delivery to libraries and users.
Digital publishing technologies has been a problem. In the discussion about which models can
evolve, little interest for the author or reader facing charges has been evidenced.
Whatever the model evolves, a huge cultural change in authors and institutions publishing
practices will be required in order to make open access happen and consolidate the right business
for the traditional publishers.
All the stakeholders should be highly flexible and adaptable and on top of that, they should be
partners because the changes affect the whole scholarly publishing system.
Public Relations as Personal Relationships: How Top Bordeaux Wines are Promoted in
China

This Case Study investigates the public relations strategies used in the first growth of Bordeaux
wines in China.

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The study finds that the first growth have largely ignored mass communication tactics such as
media outreach and advertising in China.

Bordeaux enjoys a reputation for producing some of the world’s finest and most exclusive wines.
While the Bordelais have efforts to understand and place their wine in the Chinese culture,
interviewees also stressed that their strongest selling points were wines associated with French
culture.
The success of the public relations strategy employed by the first growth in China used sales as
an indicator.
While the correlation between the implementation of public relations strategy and the
unprecedented growth in sales of Bordeaux wines in China during the period of the strategy
suggests causation.
The success of Bordelais approach suggest that in an environment increasingly focused on the
latest communication technologies, public relations practitioners should also consider face to
face strategies.
Another factor that has made public relations practices of the first growth so successful in China
has been their correspondence with local customers.
Volkswagen and the End of Corporate Spin
The study is about the shockwaves emanating from Wolfsburg, Germany. Thousands of
individuals work for VW but their families and the community are angry, dismayed and fearful.
Millions of customers feel cheated, freedom of information acts and social media have created a
radically different world, in which reputational capital is more important and more fragile than
ever before. In this world radical honesty is no longer a luxury but a business necessity.
Conclusion
Case studies typically examine the interplay of all variables in order to provide a complete
understanding of an event or situation as possible.
This type of comprehensive understanding is arrived at through a process known as thick
description, which involves an indepth description of the entity being evaluated, the
circumstances under which it is used, the characteristics of people involved in it and the nature of
the community in which it is located.
References
Case study: Putting the Right Information on Twitter in a Crisis
Case Study: Should He Fired for That Facebook Post
E-publishing development and changes in the scholarly communication system

Fight Viral with Viral: A Case Study of Domino’s Pizza’s Crisis Communication Strategies
Public Relations as Personal Relationships: How Top Bordeaux Wines are Promoted in China

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Vibrators: A Mainstream Product Continues to Shed its Taboo Past
Volkswagen and the End of Corporate Spin