위기 이력, 위기 책임성, ESG 활동이 공중의 부정적 메가포닝과 기업태도에 미치는 영향: 중국 식품 기업의 안전 위기를 중심으로

Objectives To determine how crisis history, crisis responsibility and ESG activities influence the public’s negative communication behavior and corporate attitude in a crisis situation. Methods An online survey of 400 adult men and women in their 20s to 50s was conducted using an online survey website. The survey had a 2 (crisis history: present/absent) x 2 (crisis responsibility: high/low) x 2 (ESG activity: present/absent) design. Results Crisis history affected the public’s negative responses (negative megaphoning and corporate attitude), while crisis responsibility only affected the public’s negative megaphoning behaviour. Although ESG activities had no main effect on the public’s response, interactions between independent variables of this study, including crisis history, crisis responsibility, and ESG activities, were found to affect the public’s response. Conclusions This study demonstrated that ESG activities could mitigate negative public reactions in a corporate crisis situation. This proves that a strategic approach to ESG is essential, even in the context of crisis management. Furthermore, results of examining negative megaphoning, which has been relatively understudied in the field of crisis management, definitively confirmed that the higher the crisis history and responsibility, the more increase of negative public communication behavior. Research results make it clear that companies must consider the status of ESG activities in addition to crisis history and responsibility in a crisis situation.