PhD Studentship - Developing a measurement framework to represent impact of social media on organisations in crisis

Program Overview

It combines qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews, content analysis, and questionnaires, to understand the impact on organizational elements like cost, reputation, and goodwill. The program contributes to crisis communication theory and provides insights for global organizations to track and manage social media's influence during and after crises.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This PhD Studentship focuses on developing a measurement framework to assess the impact of social media on organizations during and after a crisis. The program aims to contribute to the field of crisis communication by moving beyond traditional reputation management strategies and exploring the broader impact of social media on organizational elements like cost, reputation, and goodwill.

Objectives:

The overall research objective is to:

• Develop a measurement framework to assess the impact of social media on organizations during and after a crisis.
Specific research objectives include: To determine the relationship between crisis communication, social media, and strategic communication management elements of measurement that can be used to understand the impact of social media during and after a crisis, from a theoretical perspective.

Careers:

A research degree can open new career opportunities in commercial research and development, consultancy, or could lead you to starting your own business. You may alternatively consider a career in academia. You may wish to undertake research to contribute to your knowledge of a specialist subject, or develop your employability by enhancing your skills in project management and analysis.

Other:

• The program is fully funded and includes a stipend of £18,622 each year to support living costs.
• The project is conditional upon funding being secured.
• The program is 36 months in duration.
• The closing date for applications is 10/12/2023.
• The program is open to UK, EU, and International students.
• The program requires a 1st class honours degree or equivalent GPA, or a Master’s degree with distinction or equivalent.
• An IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 minimum (with a minimum 6.0 in each component, or equivalent) is required for candidates for whom English is not their first language.
• The program will be theoretically framed by crisis communication, strategic communication management, and social media theories, as viewed from a reflective paradigm.
• The program will utilize a mixed method research approach combining qualitative and quantitative elements.
• The program will involve semi-structured interviews, social media content analysis, and questionnaires.
• The program will involve a total of 20 CEOs, CFOs, and Chief Communication Officers across energy providers globally.
• The program will involve a social media analysis across a stratified sample from the same organizations.
• The program will involve a representative sample from the energy providers, stratified geographically.
• The program will target top managers in these organizations with a questionnaire.
• The program will provide training and support to the candidate to support them in completing a mixed method study.
• The program will contribute to theory development in the field of crisis communication.
• The program will enable global organizations to track the impact of social media on their business during and after a crisis.
• The program will isolate the measurement of the social media impact for improved management.