Organisational identity construction on social media amidst COVID-19: the case of a Fast-Food Chain in Malaysia
for them to redefine their identities online for businesses to survive during trying times. This qualitative study examines the discourse strategies adopted by a popular fast-food chain in Malaysia, namely McDonald’s, in its postings on a social media platform during the pandemic. Through a hybrid a...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2023
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23154/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23154/1/komunikasi_1.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848815774265769984 |
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| author | Mazlin Azizan, Muhammad Zulfadhli Saifuddin, Najwa Zulkifli, Wardah Ismail, |
| author_facet | Mazlin Azizan, Muhammad Zulfadhli Saifuddin, Najwa Zulkifli, Wardah Ismail, |
| author_sort | Mazlin Azizan, |
| building | UKM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | for them to redefine their identities online for businesses to survive during trying times. This qualitative study examines the discourse strategies adopted by a popular fast-food chain in Malaysia, namely McDonald’s, in its postings on a social media platform during the pandemic. Through a hybrid analytical framework consisting of Critical Discourse Analysis and Politeness Theory, 79 postings on Facebook related to COVID-19 have been identified, coded and then examined using thematic analysis. The analysis found that McDonald’s adopted colloquialism, code-switching and linguistic politeness as its relational and localization strategies in communicating on Facebook. Further analysis also suggests that the organisation has utilised the social media platform consistently not only to keep the business afloat but also as an opportunity in expressing solidarity with and showing empathy towards Malaysians (for example, through COVID-19 hashtags like #safewithmekdi and #staysafe), creating a positive online organisational identity during the pandemic. This critical discourse study highlights the importance of altruistic values and prosocial behaviour in an organisation and hopes to shed light on the prominent role of linguistic strategies in online communication especially in managing a crisis. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T00:55:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | oai:generic.eprints.org:23154 |
| institution | Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T00:55:19Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | oai:generic.eprints.org:231542024-03-11T06:55:14Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23154/ Organisational identity construction on social media amidst COVID-19: the case of a Fast-Food Chain in Malaysia Mazlin Azizan, Muhammad Zulfadhli Saifuddin, Najwa Zulkifli, Wardah Ismail, for them to redefine their identities online for businesses to survive during trying times. This qualitative study examines the discourse strategies adopted by a popular fast-food chain in Malaysia, namely McDonald’s, in its postings on a social media platform during the pandemic. Through a hybrid analytical framework consisting of Critical Discourse Analysis and Politeness Theory, 79 postings on Facebook related to COVID-19 have been identified, coded and then examined using thematic analysis. The analysis found that McDonald’s adopted colloquialism, code-switching and linguistic politeness as its relational and localization strategies in communicating on Facebook. Further analysis also suggests that the organisation has utilised the social media platform consistently not only to keep the business afloat but also as an opportunity in expressing solidarity with and showing empathy towards Malaysians (for example, through COVID-19 hashtags like #safewithmekdi and #staysafe), creating a positive online organisational identity during the pandemic. This critical discourse study highlights the importance of altruistic values and prosocial behaviour in an organisation and hopes to shed light on the prominent role of linguistic strategies in online communication especially in managing a crisis. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2023 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23154/1/komunikasi_1.pdf Mazlin Azizan, and Muhammad Zulfadhli Saifuddin, and Najwa Zulkifli, and Wardah Ismail, (2023) Organisational identity construction on social media amidst COVID-19: the case of a Fast-Food Chain in Malaysia. Jurnal Komunikasi ; Malaysian Journal of Communication, 39 (4). pp. 1-21. ISSN 0128-1496 https://ejournal.ukm.my/mjc/issue/view/1630 |
| spellingShingle | Mazlin Azizan, Muhammad Zulfadhli Saifuddin, Najwa Zulkifli, Wardah Ismail, Organisational identity construction on social media amidst COVID-19: the case of a Fast-Food Chain in Malaysia |
| title | Organisational identity construction on social media amidst COVID-19: the case of a Fast-Food Chain in Malaysia |
| title_full | Organisational identity construction on social media amidst COVID-19: the case of a Fast-Food Chain in Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | Organisational identity construction on social media amidst COVID-19: the case of a Fast-Food Chain in Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Organisational identity construction on social media amidst COVID-19: the case of a Fast-Food Chain in Malaysia |
| title_short | Organisational identity construction on social media amidst COVID-19: the case of a Fast-Food Chain in Malaysia |
| title_sort | organisational identity construction on social media amidst covid-19: the case of a fast-food chain in malaysia |
| url | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23154/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23154/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/23154/1/komunikasi_1.pdf |