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dc.contributor.advisorMarsh, Charles
dc.contributor.authorTidwell, Matthew
dc.date.accessioned2017-12-04T20:15:12Z
dc.date.available2017-12-04T20:15:12Z
dc.date.issued2017-01-01
dc.date.submitted2017
dc.identifier.otherhttp://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15243
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1808/25586
dc.description.abstractVolkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal represents one of the largest automotive crises in history. In the United States, approximately 500,000 cars were found to emit as much as 40 times the legal limits in pollutants after the company installed software to defeat emissions testing. This mixed methods case study examines owner and consumer opinions to determine the impact and effectiveness of VW’s choice of compensation strategy for its crisis response. The study’s conclusions are that consumer brand sentiment didn’t recover in the weeks following two separate compensation offers. In fact, factors including the company’s prior heavy advertising of the cars as “clean diesel” before the discovery, intensified the feelings of shock and betrayal. Strong prior reputation, long seen as a buffer against negative crisis reputational impact, is also examined. The study observes a corollary to reputation as a buffer – finding instead that Volkswagen’s strong prior reputation and heavy brand loyalty, coupled with its aggressive promotion of a false buying proposition, actually created a fall from grace that resulted in a stronger sense of betrayal and contributed to more negative brand sentiment.
dc.format.extent120 pages
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Kansasen_US
dc.rightsCopyright held by the author.
dc.subjectMass communication
dc.subjectMarketing
dc.subjectAutomotive crises
dc.subjectCorporate behavior
dc.subjectCorporate communications
dc.subjectCorporate values
dc.subjectCrisis communications
dc.subjectCrisis response
dc.titleMay I offer you a gift card? An analysis of Volkswagen's crisis response strategy in the wake of its Dieselgate scandalen_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US
dc.contributor.cmtememberBelmas, Genelle
dc.contributor.cmtememberFlynn, Terry
dc.contributor.cmtememberLee, Tien
dc.contributor.cmtememberZhao, Jane
dc.thesis.degreeDisciplineJournalism
dc.thesis.degreeLevelPh.D.
dc.rights.accessrightsopenAccess


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