A Content Analysis of the Image Repair Discourses of OSI Group in China's Food-safety Scandal
2017
XIE, Ya | YAO, Xiaojun
Food safety is one of the top issues for Chinese consumers. In the summer of 2014, Shanghai-based Husi Food Co Ltd was mired in a food-safety scandal. OSI Group responded to this situation by releasing statements and holding China press conference. This study focused on OSI Group’s image repair strategies employed in the scandal in Chinese context. A content analysis revealed that OSI Group’s image repair relied primarily on six strategies: defeasibility (appalled by the event), bolstering (factory in Henan is state-of-art), minimization (it was an isolated event), corrective action (thorough internal investigation), and mortification (sincerely apologized), and attacking the accuser (launched OSI Food Safety Education Campaign). Basically, OSI Group’s mortification without compensation doomed its efforts to failure. Implications for implementing image repair strategies with the combination of crisis types are addressed.
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