Repairing the Company’s Image: Image Repair Strategies and Theme Structure in Boeing’s Press Releases Published after the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines Plane Accidents
Heikkinen, Petra (2020-05-08)
Repairing the Company’s Image: Image Repair Strategies and Theme Structure in Boeing’s Press Releases Published after the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines Plane Accidents
(08.05.2020)
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on:
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020052939795
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020052939795
Tiivistelmä
In 2019, aerospace giant Boeing faced a public image crisis when two of their planes crashed fatally only five months apart. In this comparative study, I examine Boeing’s image repair efforts in their press releases issued after these accidents. Since both plane crashes involved the same jet model and the preliminary investigations revealed that the pilots in both planes experienced similar problems with the flight control law, the accidents posed a severe threat to Boeing’s image.
The image repair efforts of Boeing are examined through analyzing the image repair strategies and theme structure. The aim of the study is to find out firstly, what kinds of image repair strategies Boeing applied before and after the second accident and secondly, what kinds of themes are used and what kinds of implicit meanings are potentially constructed by means of the thematic position. Lastly, I intend to find out any potential patterns or correlations between the image repair strategies and the choices of theme. The analysis of image repair strategies is conducted using a model that builds on William Benoit’s Image Repair Theory and Timothy Coombs’s Crisis-Response Strategies. The theme structure analysis rests upon M.A.K. Halliday and Christian Matthiessen’s view of theme and rheme and how they coincide with given and new information. This allows the thematic position to be used as a rhetorical resource, directing the reader to perceive some information as given or mutually agreed.
The results of the study revealed that bolstering was the primary image repair strategy used both before and after the second accident, which implies that the company reinforced the positive image by emphasizing its good qualities and good deeds in the past. The results also indicated that Boeing increased the use of corrective action as an image repair strategy after the second accident. In addition to the two most frequent strategies, also praising others, simple denial and shifting the blame were used. The theme structure analysis revealed that themes referring to the company itself were overwhelmingly most common throughout the data and they were paired with rhemes that bolster the company’s image. The thematic position was also utilized in order to shape the audience’s perceptions and it was done more often after the second accident.
Overall, the image repair efforts increased and changed after the second accident, when the allegations also increased. Even though Boeing did not accept full responsibility of the accidents, they increased the use of corrective action by promising to prevent such accidents happening again and making enhancements to the flight control law, pilot training and manuals.
The image repair efforts of Boeing are examined through analyzing the image repair strategies and theme structure. The aim of the study is to find out firstly, what kinds of image repair strategies Boeing applied before and after the second accident and secondly, what kinds of themes are used and what kinds of implicit meanings are potentially constructed by means of the thematic position. Lastly, I intend to find out any potential patterns or correlations between the image repair strategies and the choices of theme. The analysis of image repair strategies is conducted using a model that builds on William Benoit’s Image Repair Theory and Timothy Coombs’s Crisis-Response Strategies. The theme structure analysis rests upon M.A.K. Halliday and Christian Matthiessen’s view of theme and rheme and how they coincide with given and new information. This allows the thematic position to be used as a rhetorical resource, directing the reader to perceive some information as given or mutually agreed.
The results of the study revealed that bolstering was the primary image repair strategy used both before and after the second accident, which implies that the company reinforced the positive image by emphasizing its good qualities and good deeds in the past. The results also indicated that Boeing increased the use of corrective action as an image repair strategy after the second accident. In addition to the two most frequent strategies, also praising others, simple denial and shifting the blame were used. The theme structure analysis revealed that themes referring to the company itself were overwhelmingly most common throughout the data and they were paired with rhemes that bolster the company’s image. The thematic position was also utilized in order to shape the audience’s perceptions and it was done more often after the second accident.
Overall, the image repair efforts increased and changed after the second accident, when the allegations also increased. Even though Boeing did not accept full responsibility of the accidents, they increased the use of corrective action by promising to prevent such accidents happening again and making enhancements to the flight control law, pilot training and manuals.