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Communication During Crisis: Negotiation Strategies

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  • Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia, Melaka
International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences
Vol. 12, No. 8, 2022, E-ISSN: 2222-6990 © 2022 HRMARS
983
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Communication During Crisis: Negotiation Strategies
Mohammad Idham, Nalini Arumugam, Kuldip Kaur, Puspalatha C. Suppiah
To Link this Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i8/14668 DOI:10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i8/14668
Received: 19 June 2022, Revised: 22 July 2022, Accepted: 05 August 2022
Published Online: 24 August 2022
In-Text Citation: (Idham et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Idham, M., Arumugam, N., Kaur, K., & Suppiah, P. C. (2022). Communication During Crisis:
Negotiation Strategies. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(8),
983 1001.
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International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences
Vol. 12, No. 8, 2022, E-ISSN: 2222-6990 © 2022 HRMARS
984
Communication During Crisis: Negotiation
Strategies
Mohammad Idham, Nalini Arumugam, Kuldip Kaur, Puspalatha
C. Suppiah
1,3Universiti Teknologi MARA, Melaka, 2,4Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam
Corresponding Author’s Email: nalini@uitm.edu.my
Abstract
The study aims o find out the steps the Samsung organization took to resolve the exploding
Galaxy Note 7 issue and to identify the negotiation strategies adopted in the discussion. The
study employed a qualitative method to analyse the content. The organisation recorded the
step taken by Samsung in detail. The researchers extracted data from past studies and written
online press release resources. The results showed that the Samsung organization took a fast
and decisive response regarding their crisis. Moreover, integrative bargaining was used to
negotiate between both parties. The customers are familiar with Samsung products as a
brand and are therefore not seen as a predictor for post-crisis reputational damage. It has
been concluded that Samsung organization employed well-planned crisis management
strategies that proved its capability to deal with the crisis and restore its customer’s trust in
its product. The study concludes with the negotiation process and the actions taken
concerning a crisis to provide healthy organizational crisis communication. Organizations can
use this to implement a more effective strategy of crisis communication.
Keywords: Organization Crisis, Communication, Negotiation, Customer
Introduction
A crisis communication strategy allows seamless communication within an organization,
where the actions used in communication are meant to make the right decision during a crisis.
A crisis is a significant event that potentially has a negative outcome that can affect the
organization and its stakeholders. An organizational crisis can affect an organization, staff,
stakeholders, and society. Though they usually are unpredictable and detrimental to the
organization’s daily functioning, they are omnipresent and unsurprising (Lu & Jin, 2020). From
a communication perspective, addressing a crisis often puts the crisis’s essence and meaning
into action. Organizations use different crisis communication responses to address and
mitigate risks because crises vary depending on the type of crisis, the level of corporate
responsibility, the nature of the harm, the number of stakeholders involved, and the current
reputation and history of the organization (Marsen, 2020). It is essential to handle a crisis
effectively to retain ownership of the company, restore the corporate image, and recover
stakeholders’ trust. Organizations often establish elaborate business crisis management
plans. A company can quickly and easily switch from everyday operations to crisis
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management by a centralized reaction, whether the crisis involves a building evacuation, a
stock market collapse, or negotiations like a product recall.
Negotiation is when two or more people with different needs and goals address
mutually compatible alternatives. Negotiating skills are essential in business for casual day-
to-day interactions and formal agreements like sales, leases, service delivery, and other legal
contracts. While business negotiation somehow differs from other negotiations. This is
because it is considered the most challenging communication task in business and an essential
part of the management process relevant to implementing business strategies (Ghauri &
Usunier, 2003). According to Beenen and Barbuto (2014), successful negotiations contribute
to business success by creating stronger relationships and providing long-term, quality
results. Ideally, successful negotiations make each group satisfied and able to do business
with each other again. The plan should promote goodwill regardless of the differences in party
priorities. Many cases worldwide fall under the business negotiation; one of them is the
"Exploding Battery of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone."
Background of Study
On August 19, 2016, Samsung released its new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone to public
consumers (Samuelson, 2016). Each 7.9mm Samsung Galaxy Note 7 comes with an irregularly
thin-sized battery of 3,500mAh lithium-ion. It also has a water-resistant S-pen, Gorilla Glass
5, and HDR video. Half of the batteries made were done with the help of Samsung’s subsidiary,
which later became dangerous to its users. Due to the battery’s gaunt size in a thin phone,
even a minor mistake in its construction can cause frequent overheating to the phone
(Samsung, 2017). Battery cells are easily affected if the inside flow pathway gets clogged by
its walls. Unfortunately, some of the Samsung consumers who bought the Samsung Galaxy
Note 7 were befallen by unexpected tragedies of battery explosions and fire bursting from
the smartphone.
A few incidents related to mobile phones were reported in August and September
(Madanapalle, 2016). A Galaxy Note 7 was confirmed to have exploded on August 24 while
charging in China, and 30 other cases of the same problem were reported at the end of
August. Another problem arose in September of that year after the Galaxy Note 7 model that
exploded was replaced with another model that ought to be safe. Madanapalle (2016) also
reported an incident involving a shutdown of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 in the pocket of a
flight passenger who had started to emit smoke, prompting the flight attendants to evacuate
the aircraft. Also, a video was taken from a Burger King employee holding a Galaxy Note 7
with green smoke pouring out of it. After those incidents, Samsung had two choices: to
replace their consumers' Galaxy Note 7 or permanently end the model. A decision has been
made to stop the Galaxy Note 7's production and sale (Titcomb, 2016). Samsung then reissued
and recalled all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones shortly after the reports were made in
September 2016. The safely made ones were mixed with high risk to cause injuries distributed
evenly throughout its consumers. To avoid any more hazardous incidents, Samsung issued all
3 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones sold worldwide returned to them. Referring to Gibbs
and Yuhas (2016), those who own a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 were told to have their mobile
phone shut down for safety precautions before returning the smartphone. The recall was the
largest in consumer electronics history, costing Samsung billions (Banerjee, 2016).
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Negotiation Strategies
Negotiations include ongoing relationships and a strategic view of what is successful and
necessary instead of considering negotiating effectiveness (Arumugam et al., 2021; Chapman
et al., 2017; O 'Connor et al., 2005). Negotiations are often characterized as distributive or
integrative. Distributive negotiations require less information exchange as there is a zero-
sum, win-loss focus, with less concern for problem-solving (Beenen & Barbuto, 2014).
Distributive negotiators are mainly concerned with themselves, including anchoring the
spectrum of negotiations closer to the desired result of one's own and explaining why their
offer is fair. Integrative negotiations, meanwhile, involve each party's best alternative to the
negotiated agreement (BATNA) and aim to seek opportunities for mutual gain (Chapman et
al., 2017). Integrative negotiators are concerned about others as they want long-term
relationships. This negotiation style would also recognize tradeoffs, make several offers, and
create trust through a problem-solving approach that seeks to produce satisfactory results
for all parties.
Process of Negotiation
Shell (1999), in his crisis management framework, mentioned the negotiation process to deal
with the situation once the crisis occurs.
Process of negotiation (Shell, 1999)
During the preparation and planning phase, the party in a negotiation must figure out the
nature of the crisis and determine and clarify their own goals and stand in the negotiation.
Each party also needs to make predictions about what the other party expects regarding the
negotiation outcome. Kang et al (2019), in their study on the exploded Samsung Note 7
phone, mentioned the negotiation strategies implemented by Samsung by determining
customers' expectations of the company's reaction to the issue. During the ground rules
phase, the parties involved will define their ground rules and the procedures that will be taken
to conduct the negotiation process. At this phase, questions like what actions will be taken
and when the procedures will be conducted will be discussed.
During the phase of clarification and justification, the party involved will explain their
stand and demand. This is the phase where the party could understand the other party's views
on their stand. Each party could suggest or review their negotiation strategies to determine
the best outcomes for the parties involved. Next comes the most crucial element in the
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negotiation process, where the concept of 'give and take' takes place. The parties will use
negotiation strategies to achieve their goals during the preparation phase. An agreement
should be made at the end of the negotiation process. Finally, the procedures must be
designed and implemented about the agreements' terms at the closure and implementation
phase. To conclude, a crisis management plan should be planned carefully by considering the
three phases of crisis development, pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis. The negotiation process
should also be appropriately conducted to ensure the needs and demands of the parties
involved can be addressed.
Kang et al (2019) examined the crisis of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 explosion by
analyzing posts from the social media platforms Twitter regarding the issue. The study
revealed that the users often complained about the strategies that should have been taken
by Samsung during the pre-crisis phase and critiqued the value of attribution and morality.
The results also depict the customers' stand on Twitter, which was negative during the crisis's
early phase. The following study on a relatively similar topic is by Yu (2020), which aimed to
figure out the repair and response strategies used by Samsung to deal with the conflict.
Mixed-method research has been used in this study, and analysis is done by adopting (Fink's
crisis management theory, 1986). Business owners must take their customers' complaints
seriously to maintain their loyalty to the company (Arumugam et al., 2020).
Statement of Problem
Social media spreads crisis information more rapidly through user sites, virality, and
worldwide coverage than other media channels (Arumugam et al., 2022; Van & Verhoeven,
2013). Moreover, to increase public focus by impacting the organization’s reputation and
business interests (Gou, 2016 as cited in Zhang, 2020); therefore, researchers are concerned
about how crisis frameworks and social media sentiment influence global perceptions
internationally. Kang et al (2019) investigated Twitter posts with negative feelings in South
Korea, the United States, and Australia. The study highlighted that customer concerns and
companies’ breakdowns were dominant, demonstrating social media users’ reactions to a
company crisis. Several studies focused on the response of global users to the crisis. Samsung
company got a significant impact and responded to this crisis around the world. Next,
previous studies analyzed how Samsung handled the crisis. Zhang (2020) said Samsung's
"double standard" strategy made a fatal error in the company. The results show that close
cooperation with powerful social media is essential to crisis management. Besides that, Yun
et al (2018) also examined the causes and impacts of the crisis management of Samsung's
smartphone battery explosion. The study uses previous research, local and international news
articles, and interviews to analyze Samsung’s crisis regarding their exploded smartphone. Due
to past studies, more focus on social media posts and comments on Samsung’s company.
However, not many studies have looked into the strategy or negotiation regarding this crisis.
Therefore, to address this gap, the following research questions will be answered:
1. What steps did the Samsung organization take to resolve the exploded Galaxy Note 7
issue?
2. What negotiation has been used by the Samsung organization to deal with the crisis?
3. Did the crisis affect Samsung’s reputation?
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Methodology
This study employed the qualitative method of content analysis. The data were collected from
Samsung press releases, Facebook posts, and user comments. It was revealed that Samsung
applied three image repair strategies: reduce offensiveness, corrective action, and
mortification. Through content analysis, researchers can quantify and analyze the presence,
meanings, and relationships of certain words, themes, or concepts. Since most of Samsung's
actions were recorded in written form in detail, analyzing this form of information would give
better exposure to the matter. Media content analysis is a part of the method of content
analysis. It is a well-established research methodology, as content analysis has been the
fastest-growing technique over the past 20 years, according to (Neuendorf, 2002). Therefore,
this study used data collected from online press releases and articles.
Conceptual Framework
We live in a society that is increasingly vulnerable to natural or human-made crises,
humanitarian crises, and many other crises. A crisis's emergence could also affect an
organization's image and reputation. Therefore, the organization needs to have a good plan
to prepare for a crisis in the future. Crisis management plans should be formulated based on
each stage in the crisis phase. A framework adapted from Coomb (1999); Shell (1999) was
used in this study, as the framework allows researchers to analyze each stage of crisis
management in detail and help the researchers to address the strategies of negotiation
adequately (Kang et al., 2019).
Stages of Crisis
The development stage of crisis (Coomb, 1999)
Coomb (1999) notes about crisis development stages; pre-crisis, crisis (negotiation process;
preparing, exchanging information, bargaining, and closing), and post-crisis. During the pre-
crisis phase, a plan to address the potential problems that might arise is created to ensure
readiness in dealing with it. Kochigina (2020) mentioned the importance of having a crisis
management plan. The medium of communication nowadays allows information to spread
widely in a short period, and solid plans and communication strategies are needed for every
organization. The pre-crisis management plan is designed to address crisis occurrences and,
at the same time, prevent them from happening. When a crisis occurs, several steps need to
be taken to handle the situation properly and effectively. The good conduct of the problem-
solution process could minimize the effect of the crisis on the organization.
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Results and Discussion
Steps Were Taken to Resolve the Exploded Galaxy Note 7 and Samsung's Reputation
Implementing the framework of crisis management from Coomb (1999) and Shell (1999), the
crisis development stages of exploded Samsung Galaxy Note 7 are divided into three stages,
pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis.
Pre-crisis
The pre-crisis management plan is always what organizations refer to when
unexpected conflict happens, as a quick response is needed to curb the crisis in the early
phase. Customers, for sure, will want fast and decisive decisions made by the responsible
parties. The parties' response will determine the customers' acceptance and understanding
of the company's effort to deal with the situation appropriately. In late August, Galaxy Note
7 was confirmed to have exploded while charging, and 30 other cases of the same problem
were reported. On September 2, 2016, Samsung released the official statement regarding the
Galaxy Note 7 in response to the reported cases; "...we are conducting a thorough inspection
with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market". Fisher (2016)
mentioned Samsung's fast response when the crisis of exploded phones occurred, reflecting
Samsung’s preparedness in dealing with the situation effectively, enabling the brand to tackle
their customers’ hearts again. Not only that, but Dua (2017) also mentioned how Samsung
manages to make use of its pre-crisis management plan smoothly; they hold themselves
accountable and get to the root of the crisis, and at the same time, ensure effective
communication between its employees and consumers. Samsung stated its statement in the
press release:
"We acknowledge the inconvenience this may cause in the market, but this is to ensure
that Samsung continues to deliver the highest quality products to our customers. We
work closely with our partners to ensure the replacement experience is as convenient
and efficient as possible."
During the pre-crisis phase, when the crisis occurs, the company must show its capability to
handle the situation by making decisive responses quickly after the crisis happens. Without
the pre-crisis management plan, the effort to solve the problems will take much more time.
During the long period of making customers wait for their response, the company will lose
their customers' trust, thus impacting their company image in the long run as well.
Madanapelle (2016); Kang et al (2019); Yu (2020) agreed that Samsung’s pre-crisis
management strategies enabled the company to act fast in resolving the crisis.
Crisis
The crisis stage happened in 2016, when the newly-released phone, Galaxy Note 7,
exploded soon after its release. Citing from the timeline of the 'Note 7 crisis' written by the
BBC News online article writer, Edward (2016), he stated that the expectation and demand
were high when Samsung unveiled their latest model on August 2, 2016, soon to come out on
August 19, 2016. Six days after the release date, Samsung received its first reported case of
exploded Note 7 on August 24, 2016. Soon after that, more cases of the same problem were
reported. The device was reported that it caught fire and overheated when charging. This is
where the negotiation happened.
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Image 1 Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Reportedly Exploded During Charging
Process of Negotiation
The preparation and planning phase happened when Samsung received the exploded case.
They stated in their press release, "We take every incident report from our valued customers
very seriously ."During the ground rules phase, the first step of crisis management taken by
Samsung to deal with the crisis was informing their customers that they were aware of the
situation and that they would take full responsibility and investigate the problem with the
model as soon as possible. Below is Samsung's statement:
"Samsung is committed to producing the highest quality products, and we take
every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. We are working
with our carrier partners to announce the details of the U.S. product exchange
program as soon as today."
The phase of clarification and justification, taken on September 2, as noted by Edward (2016),
informed the investigation of why the phone exploded because of the faulty batteries and
announced a global recall.
“Samsung confirmed it has been collaborating with the United States Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC) following its announcement of battery cell
issues related to the Galaxy Note 7. New Note 7 replacement devices will be issued
to exchange program participants upon completion of the CPSC process. In the
interim, consumers can return their Note 7 for another device.”
Then, there have been reported crises in which the replacement model also exploded
(Madanapelle, 2016). Samsung is considering giving their customers the support they need,
which will stop the sales and exchanges of Galaxy Note 7 while the investigation is taking
place.
"Samsung understands the concern our carriers and consumers must feel after
recent reports have raised questions about our newly released replacement Note
7 devices. We continue to move quickly to investigate the reported case to
determine the cause and will share findings as soon as possible."
When Samsung identified the effect on their product, later on, during the bargaining and
problem-solving phase, Samsung requested customers to return their purchased phone to
the store where they bought it. Samsung's press release supported this: “Samsung announced
the expansion of the Galaxy Note 7 voluntary recall to include all original and replacement
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Galaxy Note 7 devices sold or exchanged in the United States before and after the original
recall on September 15, 2016”. Lastly, during the closure and implementation phase, Samsung
permanently ended the phone's production. Their press release mentioned:
"Consumer safety remains our highest priority, and we've had overwhelming
participation in the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program, with more than 93
percent of all recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices returned."
On January 23, 2017, all the phones were returned. Samsung also took steps to ensure that
buyers who have not yet returned their smartphones should immediately shut them down
and contact their carrier to receive a refund or exchange.
Post-crisis
Dua (2017) noted that recovering from post-crises will be challenging, as people will
still look at where the crack was. Koh Dong Jin, the President of Samsung Electronics, post-
crisis statements as such:
“For the last several months, together with independent industry expert
organizations, we conducted a thorough investigation to find the cause of the
Galaxy Note7 incidents. Today, more than ever, we are committed to earning the
trust of our customers through innovation that redefines what is possible in safety
and as a gateway to unlimited possibilities and incredible new experiences."
From the press release statement above, we can see that Samsung tried to convince its
stakeholders that a thorough investigation has been conducted. They are committed to
earning their consumers' trust and ensuring that they will always strive to give the best to the
consumers in the future. Not only that, but Samsung also confirmed the cause of the incidents
with the Galaxy Note 7 via a press conference on January 23, 2017 (see Appendix A). Samsung
is now focused on the future, announcing a new eight-step testing procedure to verify future
safety batteries. Samsung also promises to add an external protective bracket to prevent
phone drops from damaging the battery inside (see Appendix B).
Samsung’s Reputation
Regarding this problem, Samsung’s credibility was affected by the explosive batteries of its
newly announced flagship following its crisis. This crisis was held accountable by Samsung’s
organization and may be linked to post-crisis damage. Huisman (2017) mentioned that
responsibility is not seen as a significant predictor of reputation after the crisis. Moreover,
Coombs and Holladay (Huisman, 2017) have stressed that credibility declines as responsibility
intensifies and concluded that negative publicity eventually results in more reputation
damage. Conversely, these studies have shown that the Samsung crisis can be considered a
'victim crisis .'
Furthermore, a crisis can be seen as a product accident detrimental to the public or even a
product failure (Huisman, 2017). Thus, the type of Samsung’s crisis can be described as
product damage or a technical error. Besides, this is the first time that Samsung has had this
exploded battery crisis. Hence, the technical failure of its product was just an accident. Also,
Samsung's battery crisis does not harm credibility as it can be preventable (Huisman, 2017).
Therefore, not every responsibility has an impact on a post-crisis reputation.
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Some influences and consequences of this event occurred on both sides. Samsung
branding is still the choice of consumers even though the situation might downgrade their
image. Kemp et al (2012) concluded that negative emotions are the basis for future decision-
making. Thus, a crisis's effect on a consumer will likely undermine a company's reputation.
Negative emotions are not perceived to be a significant indicator of post-crisis credibility. It is
unlikely to confirm the findings of this analysis (Kemp et al., 2012). Trust and reputation are
not negatively impacted as the trustee is familiar with the organization. The more they are
conscious of a product from Samsung Electronics, the less adverse feelings they encounter
(Dunn & Schweitzer, 2005, as cited in Huisman, 2017). Therefore, negative emotions do not
significantly impact brand image after the crisis.
Lastly, the modesty of the CEO, who apologizes for the occurrence that occurred. "I deeply
apologize to all of our customers, carriers, retail, distribution partners, and business partners.
We thank you for your patience and continuous support". Besides, they are responsible for
replacing the current phone with the new one. This reveals their willingness to address the
issue and not just be hands-off. Their reputations are not severely impacted, and their goods
continue to have strong sales over others. From the customer's viewpoint, their money is not
affected because they can either refund it or swap their phones for another smartphone
model. In conclusion, this scenario is protected by inclusive talks since both sides have not
lost anything, and it is for both parties a win-win situation.
Type of Negotiation Strategies used to Deal with the Crisis
The type of negotiation that happened in the case of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is integrative
bargaining. It is because Samsung company and its customers have a win-win situation where
both parties get their winning part. The customers get replaced with the new phone, and
Samsung's reputation is still in the best rating by having a press conference to explain the
situation. Furthermore, Samsung knew its fault and promised to give the new phone to its
customers for their safety. This integrative negotiation leads to the problem-solving method,
where both parties fulfill their interest, and each party works to understand what the other
needs out of the negotiation (Mirbabaie & Marx, 2019). Not only that, but Samsung also
surfaces their interest and meets the needs of their customers. Interest is divided into four:
substantive interest, which focuses on the critical issues in the negotiation, and process
interest, which finds the way the dispute is settled (Park et al., 2019). Next, relationship
interest, where they value both parties' relationship, and interest in principle, where they did
what is fair for both sides, right, acceptable and ethical. In this case, the interest is more
interested in principle because it is their responsibility for the damages and has to take care
of their customers' perception of them and the reputation of the business itself.
Moreover, it is widely known in business negotiation that one must have alternative solutions
to settlement agreements. A term known as BATNA is a vital concept that can make
negotiations more successful. Excellently, Samsung knew their BATNAs in negotiating with
many parties, either the other organizations or the consumers, and showed how keen they
are towards the issues of the Galaxy Note 7: recall and refund programs. Some of the
alternatives taken were using their official Samsung website to give information and links on
how the customers can contact them. They also made a press release to persuade a few more
Galaxy Note 7 users who refused to return their phones. “Our number one priority is the safety
of our customers. We are asking users to power down their Galaxy Note 7 and exchange them
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as soon as possible”. By doing so, Samsung successfully retains its company's business and
reputation because of its effective crisis management. The alternatives proved they are good
in the business negotiation and stand out as one of the biggest mobile phone makers. Not
only that, if the negotiation goes wrong, Samsung will fail to back up itself. Integrative
negotiation thus helps the negotiation promote an agreement about what is most desired by
each party while maintaining a constructive relationship (Eklinder-Frick & Age, 2020).
Image 2 Samsung Nte 7 Refund and Exchange Program
Image 3 FAQ of Refund and Exchange Program
Conclusion
This study shows that Samsung's involvement is of great importance. In answering research
question one, the implementation in three phases of crisis growth of the exploded Samsung
Galaxy Note 7, which are: pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis, has taken place in the context of
the crises management system from (Coomb, 1999; Shell, 1999). The results showed that
Samsung reacted quickly and decisively to its crisis. Samsung uses well-planned crisis
management strategies demonstrating its capacity to handle the crisis and regain customers’
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trust in its product. Moreover, in answering research question number two, the type of
negotiation used was integrative bargaining, where a win-win situation happened for both
sides, Samsung's company and its customers. The customers get to refund or exchange the
smartphones, and since Samsung is a well-recognized brand, the customers still trust
Samsung. Hence, the crisis did not indeed affect Samsung's brand.
The findings and the interpretation of the results are focused on the data analysis.
Furthermore, to answer research question three regarding Samsung's reputation, it is found
that Samsung's company takes responsibility for the crisis and does not affect the post-crisis
reputation. Samsung claimed that technological product damage caused the crisis by the
battery crisis explosion. Also, negative emotions are not seen as a significant predictor of the
reputation after the crisis since the customers are familiar with and know the root of their
negative emotions towards Samsung's product as a well-recognized brand. The modesty of
Samsung's management also can protect the company's name as an excellent brand to
customer views. Therefore, Samsung's reputation is not severely impacted by the crisis. The
successful way of interacting shows that the public maintains trust in Samsung's products. We
also think the fault is only on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, not the entire Samsung company.
Thus, Samsung's company was well managed in crisis management, negotiating, and
communicating to the media, the public, and most importantly, their affected customers.
This study also has several limitations, which the analysis was mainly from the Internet: online
press releases and online articles. Not only that, Samsung's reputation was determined based
on the press releases only, which none from the stakeholders' point of view. Therefore, future
studies are recommended to investigate Samsung's reputation from the stakeholders' point
of view by conducting surveys or analyzing the comments on social media.
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Appendix
Appendix A Appendix B
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Appendix C [Official Statement] Galaxy Note7 - Samsung U.S. Newsroom
Appendix D Samsung Confirms Engagement with Consumer Product Safety Commission in
Response to Note7 Battery Issue - Samsung U.S. Newsroom
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Appendix E Samsung Taking Bold Steps to Increase Galaxy Note7 Device Returns - Samsung
U.S. Newsroom
Appendix F Samsung Urges Galaxy Note7 Users to Immediately Participate in The
Replacement Program
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Appendix G Samsung Will Ask All Global Partners to Stop Sales and Exchanges of Galaxy Note7
While Further Investigation Takes Place
Appendix H Samsung Announces Cause of Galaxy Note7 Incidents in Press Conference -
Samsung U.S. Newsroom
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