Comunicação de crise e reputação organizacional

: estudo de caso: Pingo Doce

Abstract

In the present paradigm, an increasingly digitized world where individuals communicate instantly and in real time, an organization's reputation can be its greatest asset, but it can also be a constant target. How organizations manage organizational risks and crises becomes critical to the management of their business. Stakeholders are increasingly demanding in relation to an organization's performance in society, valuing organizations that invest in Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. Thus, good reputation management in times of crisis can be a fundamental tool for an organization to be more competitive in the market. In this dissertation, a fundamental sector for the quality of life of individuals was studied, the food retail sector, which is responsible for the distribution of food goods to the population. The sector is fundamental to the fight against food waste, a topic that is intrinsically related to sustainability and CSR practices. In order to guide this research, the starting question was "How did the Pingo Doce (PD) food waste crisis, which occurred in August 2020, affect the organization's reputation among its consumers and what lessons can be learned for future crises?" and a case study of Pingo Doce was carried out using a mixed methodological strategy. On the one hand, with qualitative elements, with an exploratory interview and content analysis. On the other hand, with quantitative elements, with data collection through a questionnaire survey. The results obtained suggest that the crisis did not have a significant impact on the Organizational Reputation of Pingo Doce, among its consumers. The brand's medium/long-term communication strategy and its reputation prior to the crisis were the two key factors for this outcome. However, most consumers consider that the DP did not take responsibility for the crisis. This study demonstrates the importance of reputation management in times of crisis and, above all, how a crisis can be a moment of opportunity for organizations to strengthen their competitive positioning in the market.

Date of Award	27 Oct 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	João Simão (Supervisor)