BP and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: A case study of how company management employed public relations to restore a damaged brand

Abstract

Background: Cognitive Muscular TherapyTM (CMT) is an integrated behavioural intervention developed for knee osteoarthritis. CMT teaches patients to reconceptualise the condition, integrates muscle biofeedback and aims to reduce muscle overactivity, both in response to pain and during daily activities. This nested qualitative study explored patient and physiotherapist perspectives and experiences of CMT.Methods: Five physiotherapists were trained to follow a well-defined protocol and then delivered CMT to at least two patients with knee osteoarthritis. Each patient received seven individual clinical sessions and was provided with access to online learning materials incorporating animated videos. Semi-structured interviews took place after delivery/completion of the intervention and data were analysed at the patient and physiotherapist level.Results: Five physiotherapists and five patients were interviewed. All described a process of changing beliefs throughout their engagement with CMT. A framework with three phases was developed to organise the data according to how osteoarthritis was conceptualised and how this changed throughout their interactions with CMT. Firstly, was an identification of pain beliefs to be challenged and recognition of how current beliefs can misalign with daily experiences. Secondly was a process of challenging and changing beliefs, validated through new experiences. Finally, there was an embedding of changed beliefs into self-management to continue with activities. Conclusion:This study identified a range of psychological changes which occur during exposure to CMT. These changes enabled patients to reconceptualise their condition, develop a new understanding of their body, understand psychological processes, and make sense of their knee pain.

Perceptions of strategic decision‐making by crisis management teams during exercising: Establishing key dimensions

“…This is surprising when the strategic decisions made by the executive leadership team, and especially those made in a crisis, invariably impact the whole organisation and potentially the affected community. Crises such as the Deep Water Horizon oil spill have publicly demonstrated that organisation's executives are not immune to having to defend their strategic decision‐making failures during a crisis in a public enquiry (Kanso et al, 2020, p. 710). Subsequently, the importance of internal organisational structures and specifically those that dictate how strategic decisions are facilitated and recorded, cannot be underestimated.…”

Shaping Attributions of Crisis Responsibility in the Case of an Accusation: The Role of Active and Passive Voice in Crisis Response Strategies

“…The organization's CEO, Tony Hayward, denied responsibility in the initial stage of the crisis, but changed his response to an apology after great pressure from the media and the public. This late acceptance of responsibility was not well received and experts believe it would have been a better decision to apologize at the beginning of the incident instead of attempting to deny the crisis (Kanso et al, 2020). When Mercedes released its A-Class and the new car model overturned during a test, which injured the driver, the initial reaction was to deny all responsibility.…”

Recency effects in the buffering of negative news by corporate social responsibility advertising

“…Crises such as the Deepwater Horizon and the VW emissions scandal are frequently discussed in terms of PR management and reputation recovery (Stieglitz et al, 2019;Schultz et al, 2012;Kanso et al, 2019;Painter and Martins, 2017). Here, we emphasise the role of CSR ads in both pre-emption and recovery and, while these effects can be complex, CSR ads can have a positive role in either context.…”