IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/crepre/v27y2024i4d10.1057_s41299-023-00171-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social Learning and Reputation Management in an Espionage Crisis

Author

Listed:
  • Päivikki Kuoppakangas

    (University of Turku)

  • Sirkka Hagman

    (Black Donuts Engineering Inc.)

  • Jari Stenvall

    (Tampere University)

  • Tony Kinder

    (Tampere University)

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study comprising 18 thematic interviews was to explore social learning and provide an internal focus on the development path of an international company coping in a crisis. EC is an international engineering and design agency that grew from a small business to a medium-sized enterprise during the crisis era. Since it began operations in 2011, there has been a suspicion of industrial espionage, directed at the founders of the company, including the CEO. Managing internal and external reputations in these circumstances is challenging, as the company builds its legitimacy. The data were content analysed and the results of the study concluded that social learning is crucial to surviving crises. The abductive content analysis and findings of this study are threefold. First, it is suggested that social learning enhances organisational coping in the midst of a crisis. Next, to manage business development and organisational reputation during the crisis, it is necessary to use distributed learning, thinking and doing simultaneously. Thus, the core business and the need for ongoing espionage crime detection create potential harm to the company’s external reputation. Nevertheless, EC’s revenue continuously increased and the trust of clients was maintained.

Suggested Citation

  • Päivikki Kuoppakangas & Sirkka Hagman & Jari Stenvall & Tony Kinder, 2024. "Social Learning and Reputation Management in an Espionage Crisis," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 27(4), pages 271-282, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:crepre:v:27:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1057_s41299-023-00171-1
    DOI: 10.1057/s41299-023-00171-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41299-023-00171-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41299-023-00171-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eileen Fischer & Rebecca Reuber, 2007. "The Good, the Bad, and the Unfamiliar: The Challenges of Reputation Formation Facing New Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(1), pages 53-75, January.
    2. Margaret Oppenheimer & Helen LaVan & William Martin, 2015. "A Framework for Understanding Ethical and Efficiency Issues in Pharmaceutical Intellectual Property Litigation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(3), pages 505-524, December.
    3. Yijing Wang & Louisa Wanjek, 2018. "How to Fix a Lie? The Formation of Volkswagen’s Post-crisis Reputation Among the German Public," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(2), pages 84-100, June.
    4. Suomi, Kati & Järvinen, Raija, 2013. "Tracing reputation risks in retailing and higher-education services," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 207-217.
    5. Ernst Csiszar & Gregory W Heidrich, 2006. "The Question of Reputational Risk: Perspectives From An Industry," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 31(3), pages 382-394, July.
    6. Sophie Gaultier-Gaillard & Jean-Paul Louisot, 2006. "Risks to Reputation: A Global Approach," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 31(3), pages 425-445, July.
    7. Danuta Szwajca, 2018. "Dilemmas of Reputation Risk Management: Theoretical Study," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(4), pages 165-178, December.
    8. Halinen, Aino & Tornroos, Jan-Ake, 2005. "Using case methods in the study of contemporary business networks," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(9), pages 1285-1297, September.
    9. David L. Deephouse & Suzanne M. Carter, 2005. "An Examination of Differences Between Organizational Legitimacy and Organizational Reputation," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 329-360, March.
    10. A. J. Guerber & Vikas Anand & Alan E. Ellstrand & Matthew A. Waller & Iris Reychav, 2020. "Extending the Situational Crisis Communication Theory: The Impact of Linguistic Style and Culture," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(2), pages 106-127, May.
    11. Dubois, Anna & Gadde, Lars-Erik, 2002. "Systematic combining: an abductive approach to case research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 55(7), pages 553-560, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Päivikki Kuoppakangas & Kati Suomi & Jari Stenvall & Elias Pekkola & Jussi Kivistö & Tomi Kallio, 2019. "Revisiting the five problems of public sector organisations and reputation management—the perspective of higher education practitioners and ex-academics," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 16(2), pages 147-171, December.
    2. Annika Veh & Markus Göbel & Rick Vogel, 2019. "Corporate reputation in management research: a review of the literature and assessment of the concept," Business Research, Springer;German Academic Association for Business Research, vol. 12(2), pages 315-353, December.
    3. Suomi, Kati & Luonila, Mervi & Tähtinen, Jaana, 2020. "Ironic festival brand co-creation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 211-220.
    4. Frans Prenkert, 2012. "Business Network Simulation: Combining Research Cases and Agent-Based Models in a Robust Methodology," International Journal of Business Administration, International Journal of Business Administration, Sciedu Press, vol. 3(6), pages 82-92, November.
    5. Hilde Nykamp, 2020. "Policy Mix for a Transition to Sustainability: Green Buildings in Norway," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-17, January.
    6. Olsen, Per Ingvar & Prenkert, Frans & Hoholm, Thomas & Harrison, Debbie, 2014. "The dynamics of networked power in a concentrated business network," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 2579-2589.
    7. Burström, Thommie & Parida, Vinit & Lahti, Tom & Wincent, Joakim, 2021. "AI-enabled business-model innovation and transformation in industrial ecosystems: A framework, model and outline for further research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 85-95.
    8. Selena Aureli & Andrea Cardoni & Mara Del Baldo & Rosa Lombardi, 2018. "The Balanced Scorecard Logic in The Management Control and Reporting of Small Business Company Networks: A Case Study," Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 17(2), pages 191-215, June.
    9. Drummond, Conor & McGrath, Helen & O'Toole, Thomas, 2023. "Beyond the platform: Social media as a multi-faceted resource in value creation for entrepreneurial firms in a collaborative network," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    10. Sufyan, Muhammad & Degbey, William Y. & Glavee-Geo, Richard & Zoogah, Baniyelme D., 2023. "Transnational digital entrepreneurship and enterprise effectiveness: A micro-foundational perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    11. Päivikki Kuoppakangas & Kati Suomi & Paul Clark & Chris Chapleo & Jari Stenvall, 2020. "Dilemmas in Re-branding a University—“Maybe People Just Don’t Like Change”: Linking Meaningfulness and Mutuality into the Reconciliation," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(2), pages 92-105, May.
    12. Hadjielias, Elias & Christofi, Michael & Vrontis, Demetris & Khan, Huda, 2022. "Social impact through family firms’ interorganizational relationships within a community and a cooperative: An embedded view of stewardship," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 584-601.
    13. Chou, Hsin-Hui & Zolkiewski, Judy, 2012. "Managing resource interaction as a means to cope with technological change," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 188-195.
    14. Poulis, Konstantinos & Poulis, Efthimios & Plakoyiannaki, Emmanuella, 2013. "The role of context in case study selection: An international business perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 304-314.
    15. Cristina Del-Castillo-Feito & Alicia Blanco-González & Rafael Delgado-Alemany, 2020. "The Relationship between Image, Legitimacy, and Reputation as a Sustainable Strategy: Students’ Versus Professors’ Perceptions in the Higher Education Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, February.
    16. Butler, Bella & Soontiens, Werner, 2015. "Offshoring of higher education services in strategic nets: A dynamic capabilities perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 477-490.
    17. Silvestri, Raffaele & Bocconcelli, Roberta & Carloni, Elisa & Pagano, Alessandro, 2022. "Interorganizational R&D projects in clustering contexts: A resource interaction perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 343-355.
    18. Mele, Cristina & Russo Spena, Tiziana & Kaartemo, Valtteri & Marzullo, Maria Luisa, 2021. "Smart nudging: How cognitive technologies enable choice architectures for value co-creation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 949-960.
    19. Luis Alfonso Dau & Elizabeth M Moore & William Newburry, 2020. "The grass is always greener: The impact of home and host country CSR reputation signaling on cross-country investments," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 3(2), pages 154-182, June.
    20. Kowalkowski, Christian & Kindström, Daniel & Alejandro, Thomas Brashear & Brege, Staffan & Biggemann, Sergio, 2012. "Service infusion as agile incrementalism in action," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(6), pages 765-772.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:crepre:v:27:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1057_s41299-023-00171-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.