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Audience Perception of Crises Management of Erisco Foods Nigeria Limited: A Study of PR Practitioners in Anambra State

Chinwe Rebecca Okoyeocha PhD.

Abstract

The hallmark of every effective public relations practice is strategic communication processes to establish and maintain mutual understanding between organizations’ and their publics. This appears to be what Erisco Foods Nigeria Limited attempted to do during the crisis it had with Mrs. Ifeoma Egodi. The crisis generated so much controversy among Nigerian social media users that scholars alike became concerned about the saga. This study investigated the audience perception of how the crisis was managed by Erisco, using PR practitioners in Anambra State as the study population. The study, which adopted the Image Repair and Situational Crisis Theories, used a census study design, where all PR practitioners in Anambra State were studied. Data gathered were subjected to evaluation using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that PR practitioners in Anambra State were significantly aware of the Erisco Tomato Paste Ltd saga. It further showed that the pra ctitioners perceived Erisco’s PR intervention strategies as instrumental in de-escalating the crisis and that Erisco’s initial litigation strategy was widely viewed as inappropriate, ineffective, damaging to reputation, and insufficient for resolving the crisis. The study therefore recommended, among other things, that organizations should prioritize proactive and peaceful PR mediation strategies instead of litigation or defensive responses when addressing organizational crises, as these build trust and protect reputation

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