Exploring the effectiveness of image repair tactics: comparison of U.S. and Middle Eastern audiences

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research into organizational crisis response effectiveness has tended to focus on Western case studies and U.S. samples. There are reasons to believe that audience response to image repair strategy is guided at least in part by broad cultural assumptions, though no research to date has explored cross-cultural comparison. This exploratory study compares U.S. and Middle Eastern audiences to see if individuals from countries and cultures outside the U.S. respond differently to organizational image repair tactics than people from the U.S. Results suggest that, while certain tactics seem to be overall better and worse across cultures, there are notable differences in how U.S. and Middle Eastern audiences perceive tactic effectiveness. These differences have implications relevant to those responsible for crisis response decisions. This report concludes with discussion on this matter and suggestions for future research.