Reporting on Agrokor crisis and crisis communication on websites Večernji. hr and Agrokor.hr in 2017

Abstract

Organizational crisis refers to situation where standard procedures are undermined, and every turn out in regular flow of actions may lead to extensive media interest. For some organizations crisis actually begins when media announce it. The case of The Agrokor Group crisis in 2017 provoked significant media attention. Therefore this essay studies the case of media coverage concerning Agrokor on Večernji.hr site, by the time The Group faced crisis caused by financial difficulties. Thereby the characteristics and determinants concerning Agrokor and crisis media coverage on Večernji.hr site are being examined. On the other hand, the analysis includes Agrokor official web releases from Agrokor.hr site, in order to examine the way The Group handled the crisis via official online channels. The results concerning Agrokor media coverage and its crisis communication give insight about media coverage of large crisis and crisis communication by means of releases. The research finds that in media portrayal of crisis significant emphasis is put on the leading man of an organization. Hence in the observed period Večernji.hr site in nearly every second release mentions Agrokor founder Ivica Todorić. Likewise, more than one third of the releases mention figures concerning crisis, such as The Group's debt rate. When it comes to Agrokor itself, research results show that the organization in the first stage of dealing with the crisis didn't implement active approach. There were no official web releases concerning crisis on Agrokor.hr site, and the messages which via Večernji.hr site could find their way to public consisted of problem denial features. As crisis become more complicated, Agrokor was forced into communication shift. Consequently in the second stage it uses specific crisis communication strategic components such as press conference, leading man of an organization visibility, communication uniformity and renaming.