An Examination of the Constraints of Organizational Legitimacy with the Craft Beer Industry Audra E
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 2015 Whose Beer Is It, Anyway?: An Examination of the Constraints of Organizational Legitimacy with the Craft Beer Industry Audra E. Clodfelter Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in Communication Studies at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Clodfelter, Audra E., "Whose Beer Is It, Anyway?: An Examination of the Constraints of Organizational Legitimacy with the Craft Beer Industry" (2015). Masters Theses. 2286. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2286 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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I have conferred with my graduate faculty advisor. My signature below indicates that I have read and ag;:~e with the above statements, and hereby give my permission to allow Booth Library to reproduce and 91'st ibute my thesis. My adviser's signature indicates concurrence to reproduce and distribute the thesis. f Printed Name Jo IP')) r;- Date / / Please submit in duplicate. Whose beer is it, anyway?: An examination of the constraints of organizational legitimacy with the craft beer industry (TITLE) BY Audra E. Clodfelter THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF M.A. in Communication Studies IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS 2015 YEAR I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THIS THESIS BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE GRADUATE DEGREE CITED ABOVE OR CHAIR'S DESIGNEE THESIS COMMITTEE MEMBER DATE THESIS COMMITTEE MEMBER DATE Running Head: WHOSE BEER IS IT, ANYWAY? 1 Whose Beer is it, Anyway? An Examination of the Constraints of Organizational Legitimacy within the Craft Beer Industry Audra E. Clodfelter Eastern Illinois University WHOSE BEER IS IT, ANYWAY? 2 Copyright 2015 by Audra E. Clodfelter WHOSE BEER IS IT, ANYWAY? 3 Abstract Previous research on organizational legitimacy has determined that legitimacy is necessary for organizational survival, but also places a constraint upon the organization's actions. This project examines the roles of authenticity and social identity as constraints of legitimacy in the craft beer through a case study of four craft breweries that merged with Anheuser-Busch InBev. This study examined the social media communication of four craft breweries prior to their merger announcement as well as the reactions from fans after the announcements were made. Analysis revealed that the breweries used social media to emphasize their authenticity prior to the merger announcement and to reaffirm it through a crisis response strategy after fans began to react negatively to the news of the sale. Theoretical and practical implications for organizations that rely on authenticity to determine legitimacy are discussed, and recommendations for future research are presented. WHOSE BEER IS IT, ANYWAY? 4 Acknowledgements To my advisor, Dr. Matthew Gill: thank you for your encouragement, wisdom, support, and patience. You are the thesis advisor that I needed, but not the thesis advisor that I deserved. I knew from the moment that this thesis idea emerged that you would be the best person to guide me through this project. And now, finally, "mischief managed." To Dr. Sam Szscur and Dr. Brian Sowa, thank you for the support and encouragement you gave me throughout this process. You have each had a unique and valuable perspective for my research, which guided my research and which I am grateful. Noah -- The combination of your love, support, sense of humor, and Vulcan-like logic kept me going throughout this project. To say "thank you" doesn't seem adequate, but it's the best that I can do. To my fellow graduate students, thank you for the laughter and friendship, for all of the brainstorming and support. And Johnny Kraps, I'm especially grateful to you for your firm stance on Goose Island's status as a craft brewery, as it was the inspiration for this project. And finally, to my family, thank you for all of your love and support. And a special thank you to my sister, Rachel, for spending countless late nights at my house, keeping me company as we studied. WHOSE BEER IS IT, ANYWAY? 5 Table of Contents Abstract ...............................................................................................3 Acknowledgements ................................................................................4 Chapter I: Introduction ..........................................................................7 Chapter II: Literature Review ................................................................15 Public Relations: A Rhetorical Approach .............................................. 15 Organizational Legitimacy ............................................................... 17 Crisis Communication ............................................................................. 26 Authenticity, Social Identity, and Craft Beer. ........................................ .27 The Rhetorical Authenticity of Craft Beer. ............................................. 33 Chapter III: Methodology ...............................................................................37 Anheuser-Busch InBev ........................................................................... 37 Goose Island Brewery ........................................................................... 39 Blue Point Brewing Company .................................................................. 39 10 Barrel Brewing Company .................................................................. .40 Elysian Brewing Company ................................................................... .41 Method ...........................................................................................42 Chapter IV: Analysis ................................................................................. 46 Facebook Statements Prior to Announcement of Sale ............................... .46 Brewery Press Releases ........................................................................ 56 Brewery Fan Reactions .............................................................................. 58 Responding to the Crisis .........................................................................72 Chapter V: Conclusion .............................................................................. 81 Implications ............................................................................................... 82 WHOSE BEER IS IT, ANYWAY? 6 Theoretical Contributions .......................................................................... 86 Limitations and Future Research ............................................................. 88 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 90 References ......................................................................................................................... 91 WHOSE