Corporate Crisis Management: Analysis of Controversies in the Technology Industry

ABSTRACT

Corporate crises represent a threat to firms' legitimacy, stability and stakeholder trust. The main objective of this study is to create a longitudinal descriptive mapping of controversy exposure with implications for crisis‐management theory taking into consideration the technology industry, identifying patterns (recurrence, clustering, concentration) that may inform early warning systems and vulnerability assessment. The research examines controversies related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. It also analyzes crisis management models defining the relationship between complaints, controversies and crises. The sample comprises 71 technology companies and a total of 2474 controversies from the LSEG Workspace database (2018–2024). The results suggest that a preventive approach based on the close analysis of common escalation patterns from complaints to controversies to crisis may help companies to anticipate and mitigate potential issues. The technology industry is examined due to its relevance in the global economy and its high public exposure to ESG controversies.