What Corporations Say Matters More than What They Say They Do? A Test of a Truth Claim and Transparency in Press Releases on Corporate Websites and Facebook Pages

Abstract

This study explicates two strategic ways to enhance organizational transparency in the eyes of its public during a crisis. By using 2 (a corporate website vs. a corporate Facebook) × 2 (presence vs. absence of statement asserting factuality of an official statement) × 2 (presence vs. absence of sentences disclosing more detailed information) mixed-subjects experiment (N = 133), this study showed that a statement by a corporation claiming the official announcement as true affects public assessment of organizational transparency and reputation, and that participants’ favorable reputation perceptions prompted by the truth claim were not determined by different online media.