eThesis - School of Business electronic theses

Objectives of the study The objective of this study was to investigate the approach of a multinational corporation to crisis communication and to create an understanding of how a multinational company should manage its crisis communication. The study examines crisis communication in the context of a multinational corporation, based on the example case of Cotesi, an international agricultural company producing twine, netwraps and ropes made from synthetic and natural raw materials. The main research question What is the approach to crisis communication in a multinational corporation? was divided into two research sub questions: 1) How is Cotesi communicating in crisis situations? and 2) Does Cotesi have enough resources and structures in place to face potential crisis?

Methodology The primary data for the study consists of four interviews: four semi-structured interviews of Cotesi employees, two members of the top management and two sales representatives. To get a better understanding observation was conducted on two trade shows where the case company was present.

Findings and Conclusions The findings of the study show that it is possible that multinational corporations, such as the case company, do not have any clear guidelines or plans to follow in crisis. The crisis communications approach in the case company can be seen to be on ad-hoc basis mostly and they have no specific plans on how to deal with crisis but rather have employees that are experienced in the field of dealing with crisis. With a clear plan and strategy set in place, a company can face a crisis more efficiently and effectively and avoid lasting implications on its operations.