Differences between the U.S. and Japan regarding public corporate apologies
18 September 2024
It has been pointed out that there are significant differences between how corporate public apologies are made in the United States and Japan. To get evidence of that, we will ask well educated U.S. citizens with working experience to compose a corporate apology message in around 260 words after reading the fictional crisis scenario. Afterwards, you will also be asked to complete a questionnaire.
Requirements
- In this study, we will survey people aged 25 or older who have three months or more experience in the fields of public relations, public affairs, advertising, crisis management, journalism, or any related fields at any organizations. Thirty American participants are required.
- Participants will first read a scenario about a corporate scandal, and then, based on that scenario, will be asked to write a CEO message of around 260 words to be read by the CEO. There will also be simple survey questions afterwards. Detailed information will be provided to those who agree to cooperate.
- Skill level is not an issue, as the purpose is to compare the US and Japan.
Keywords
Ethical approval
Although our university does not require ethical review for this study, we have given approval for the research to take place.
About the researcher
I am a PhD student at Meikai University in Chiba, Japan studying Sociolinguistics, and I have an MA in Communication Studies from Hofstra University in New York. I used to be a newspaper reporter and a crisis communication consultant, so now I study corporate public apologies.
