Erasmus Research Centre for Media, Communication and Culture (ERMeCC) at Erasmus University is pleased to host and organize a virtual research symposium on Friday, 11 of November 2022 about the spillover effect of crises.
A spillover crisis occurs when “events in an external organization create concern, uncertainty, or perceptions of harm for another organization.” (Veil et al., 2016, p.317). A spillover crisis can also occur between individuals such as politicians, athletes and celebrities. Examples of high profile crises that have spread from one organization to another include the Volkswagen emissions crisis spreading to other car manufacturers, United Airlines’ crisis in the USA involving the forceful removal of a passenger due to overbooking spreading to other airlines, and a spinach contamination crisis in the USA involving E-coli that occurred at Natural Selections Foods, LLC which spread to the spinach industry (Laufer & Wang, 2018; Veil & Dillingham 2020).
The spillover effect of crises has become an emerging research topic in the field of crisis communication. This phenomenon is of particular importance in an age of social media increasing the speed by which a crisis can spread from one organization to another. By gaining a better understanding of the mechanism underlying the process of crisis spillover, scholars can better assess the likelihood of crisis spillover occurring, and also develop more effective corporate responses in managing the spillover effect.
Considering the importance of the topic and the research interest among scholars, this one-day research symposium aims to create a multidisciplinary dialogue among scholars in order to gain a better understanding of the spillover effect of crises and its consequences for organizations and society. We intend to bring together scholars from (but not limited to) the fields of communication, management, and marketing.
Research Symposium Timetable:
- Research Symposium Date: 11th of November, 2022
- Deadline for abstract: 15th of July, 2022
- Notification to authors: 1st of September, 2022
Programme
Abstracts
Both theoretical and empirical abstract submissions are welcome. The empirical studies can use quantitative or qualitative methods. The following list of themes and questions are meant to be illustrative, not exhaustive, and to provide an indication of topics we are interested in for this research symposium
• How can organizations and individuals assess risk factors for crisis spillover?
• What is the impact of social media on the risk of crisis spillover?
• How does the country of origin effect (“COO”) impact crisis spillover?
• Does a crisis type impact the likelihood of a spillover effect occurring?
• How can organizations and individuals minimize the risk of crisis spillover?
• How can organizations and individuals effectively manage a spillover crisis?
• How and why do spillover crises occur in these situations? How can these spillover crises be effectively managed?
o Among companies within an industry?
o Among members of a supply chain?
o Between related entities (for example, subsidiaries in a corporation, franchises)
o Among individuals (politicians, athletes, celebrities, etc.)?
o Among nonprofit organizations
o Among government entities?
Leading scholars have been invited to discuss their research related to Spillovers Crises during the research symposium as keynote speakers. These include Professor Roland Rust, Professor Shari Veil and Professor Arvid Hoffmann (see bios below).
Abstracts should be no more than three pages and must include:
• Title of the paper
• Authors’ names
• Institutional address
• Contact details (phone, fax, and e-mail)
Public Relations Review has a special issue linked with the research symposium. The research symposium is an opportunity for scholars to receive feedback on their abstracts prior to the deadline for submission of papers for the special issue on the 1st of April, 2023. For more information about the special issue, please see the call for papers at www.eur.nl/en/eshcc/media/call-papers
Keynote speakers
Real-Time Brand Reputation Tracking Using Social Media
Prof. Roland Rust
Roland T. Rust is Distinguished University Professor and David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, where he is founder and Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Service. He is also Visiting Chair in Marketing Research at Erasmus University (Netherlands) and International Research Fellow of Oxford University’s Centre for Corporate Reputation (UK), as well as VP of Publications for the European Marketing Academy. His lifetime achievement honors include the AMA Irwin/McGraw-Hill Distinguished Marketing Educator Award, the EMAC Distinguished Marketing Scholar Award, Fellow of the INFORMS Society for Marketing Science, the Paul D. Converse Award, Fellow of the American Statistical Association, as well as the top career honors in service marketing, marketing research, marketing strategy, and advertising, and honorary doctorates in economics from the University of Neuchatel (Switzerland) and the Norwegian School of Economics. He has won best article awards from five different journals, including four best article awards from the Journal of Marketing, as well as the Berry/AMA Book Award for the best book in marketing. He served as Editor of the Journal of Marketing, founded the annual Frontiers in Service Conference, was founding Editor of the Journal of Service Research, and served as Editor of the International Journal of Research in Marketing (IJRM).
The Contextual Challenges of Spillover Crisis
Prof. Shari Veil
Shari R. Veil, MBA, Ph.D., is a professor and dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She oversees the strategic, programmatic, financial, fundraising, and management operations that support the mission and vision of the college and its role within the university and state. Veil also serves as a research fellow with the National Strategic Research Institute, a Department of Defense-designated University Affiliated Research Center focused on developing solutions for complex problems across the spectrum of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive threats. She is the research chair of the National Communication Association Public Relations Division and is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society. Veil came to Nebraska from the University of Kentucky, where she was associate dean for undergraduate affairs in the College of Communication and Information, chair and professor in the Department of Communication, and director of the Risk Sciences Division. Prior to Kentucky, she taught strategic communication in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication and served as the director of the Center for Risk and Crisis Management at the University of Oklahoma coordinating research, funding, graduate education, and training programs specific to risk and crisis communication.
The Role of Advertising in Reducing Crisis Spillover Effects in Financial Markets
Prof. Arvid Hoffmann
Arvid Hoffmann is a Professor of Marketing at the University of Adelaide Business School, Australia. Prior to joining the University of Adelaide, Arvid worked at Maastricht University, the Netherlands, and has held visiting positions in the US, Germany, and Finland. Arvid has published his research in such journals as Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Banking and Finance, and Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. His research has been featured in articles in international media, including Financial Times, BBC Capital, Forbes, Bloomberg, Reuters, CNBC, and the New York Times. Arvid regularly advises industry and policy makers in Australia, Europe, and the United States, including the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, ING Private Banking, Deluxe Corporation, Meetinvest AG, and the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets. In terms of research interests, Arvid seeks to better understand the interactions between capital markets and consumption/product markets. Specifically, he combines primary and secondary data to unravel how marketing actions and investments drive financial market outcomes, and vice versa.
We look forward to seeing you at the research symposium!
Research Symposium Co-Chairs and Co-Editors of Special Issue in Public Relations Review:
Dr. Daniel Laufer, Associate Professor, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr. Yijing Wang, Associate Professor, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Laufer, D., & Wang, Y. (2018). Guilty by association: The risk of crisis contagion. Business Horizons, 61(2), 173-179.
Veil, S. R., & Dillingham, L. L. (2020). 17. Reputational interdependence and spillover: Exploring the contextual challenges of spillover crisis response. In Crisis Communication (pp. 363-374). De Gruyter Mouton.
Veil, S. R., Dillingham, L. L., & Sloan, A. G. (2016). Fencing out the Jones’s: The development of response strategies for spillover crises. Corporate Reputation Review, 19(4), 316- 330.
- More information
For more information about the research symposium please email ermeccsymposium@eshcc.eur.nl