Internal communication and reputational crisis. The case of the Rey Juan Carlos University

Abstract

Introduction: In recent months, the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) has been shaken by a series of corruption scandals that became part of the public agenda due to extensive coverage carried out by most Spanish media organisations. Objectives: In this context of crisis, the focus of the research is the messages sent to students by the vice-chancellor's office via corporate email over the last two years (November 2016-October 2018). Methods: To do this, content analysis is used as the main technique to approach the messages sent to the most crucial stakeholders, from the point of view of internal communication: the students. Results: Three trends have been identified: a mostly reactive, nonproactive behaviour; a considerable delay in the management of the different conflicts; and a preference for a blame redirection strategy.