Articulo_1_EN_Doxa_31_Learning_about_reputational

fold problem for organisations, as there is less trust in what the company says about itself, and fake news feeds on the recommendation method for its virality; consequently, the fight against disinformation cannot be postponed, especially due to the fact that the expansion of news, recommendations and miscellaneous issues increased on social networks and the internet during the lockdown.

The results reveal that for companies affected by reputational crises resulting from disinformation, the hoaxes are spread through social networks and the internet, which have become ideal places for fuelling unfounded rumours. The most vulnerable intangible areas are brand and ethics/responsibility.

It is advisable to nurture and maintain a respectable, solid reputation. This can serve as a shield against a reputation crisis, because even in an age of disinformation, honesty is at the top of most people’s value scale. The capability of companies for social transformation will depend on their ability to remain faithful to their values, to be transparent, and to adapt to change.

On the other hand, this investigation has revealed some doubts, as well as a glimmer of hope. The doubts arise from the responses of the survey regarding experiences with this type of crisis. Many of the professionals showed a lack of knowledge about this kind of event or its management, and consequently, it seems strange to us that a crisis affecting corporate reputation has not been addressed by these experts.

The glimmer of hope comes from the outsourcing being carried out by companies in order to monitor or resolve such conflicts, on the one hand, and the assessment of the future by the professionals on the other. Thus, we consider that a new and distinct area of professional specialisation is emerging that will require experts to manage these crises.

As such, we can confirm that reputational risk is a definite reality. Reputational professionals in Spanish organisations are concerned about the effects of disinformation on the internet and social networks, and consider this to be a priority in corporate reputation management.

Therefore, we conclude that the concept of corporate reputation implies a new risk. By making this issue a priority, organisations can avoid reputational risk by taking advantage of the knowledge that has been gained regarding this type of risk, thereby strengthening their processes and allowing them to take a holistic approach to their communication endeavours.

9. Bibliographic references

Aced-Toledano, Cristina; Lalueza-Bosch, Ferran (2016). “¿Qué contenidos publican las empresas en los medios sociales? Análisis del discurso de las compañías del IBEX 35 y del Fortune 500 en blogs corporativos, Facebook y Twitter”. Revista Internacional de Relaciones Públicas, v. 6, n. 11,135-154.

AIMC Asociación para la Investigación de Medios de Comunicación (2020). AIMC Cuaderno de Bitácora, 16 de abril. Dispo-nible en: https://www.aimc.es/otros-estudios-trabajos/aimc-cuaderno-bitacora-estudio-medios-la-espana-confinada/resultados-aimc-cuaderno-bitacora/