Browsing by Author "Alade MOYOSORE"

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    Apologia as a Crisis Communication Strategy: A Case Study of IBEDC'S Public Engagements
    (LCU, 2025-04) Atinuke Ibironke FANIMOKUN; Alade MOYOSORE
    This study investigates how corporate organisations, particularly the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), utilize apologia strategies to manage public perception. Guided by Benoit’s Image Repair Theory and Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), the research aimed to examine the nature, implementation, and effectiveness of apologia strategies in restoring trust and maintaining corporate reputation. A mixed-method research design was employed, comprising qualitative in-depth interviews with five IBEDC communication personnel and quantitative content analysis of 41 apologia press statements and interviews from various corporate entities in Nigeria and other countries. Data collection instruments included an interview guide for qualitative responses and coding sheets for content analysis. NVivo 12 was used for thematic analysis of interview data, while descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) was used for the content analysis. The study found that IBEDC predominantly employed bolstering, corrective action, differentiation, and mortification as its core apologia strategies, this is partially in line with the result of the content analysis; of the 44 corporate statements analysed, 27.3% used corrective action, 18.2% used denial and evasion of responsibility, and 13.6% used mortification. All the participants emphasised timeliness, message clarity, and channel diversity (radio, SMS, social media) as key to effective crisis response. The study concludes that strategic, ethical, and multi-channel communication paired with actionable follow-through is central to successful corporate crisis management. It is then recommended that IBEDC... and similar organisations should continue to utilise a combination of traditional media (radio, SMS) and digital platforms (social media) toensure inclusive and timely communication with diverse audiences during crises, while, a commitment to fixing issues and regular progress updates is critical to sustaining public trust.