The public trust crisis faced by state-owned enterprises in the energy sector has become a strategic issue, particularly when information spreads rapidly through digital platforms. This research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of PT Pertamina’s crisis management and communication strategies in restoring public trust following the alleged adulteration of Pertamax fuel, which emerged in February 2025. The research employed a descriptive qualitative approach with a single-case study design. Secondary data were collected from national mass media reports, official company releases, official social media posts, and law enforcement documents. The data were analyzed through data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing based on Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) and Image Repair Theory. The findings showed that Pertamina implemented a combination of crisis response strategies, including public apology, the establishment of a crisis response center, transparent product quality testing, and involvement of independent institutions as part of its rebuilding and bolstering strategies. Although these measures helped mitigate issue escalation in the short term, public trust had not been fully restored due to perceptions regarding the delayed appearance of top-level leaders in public communication and continued demands for greater transparency. This study recommends strengthening crisis preparedness, proactive transparency, and two-way communication as essential foundations for long-term reputation recovery.
Understanding the determinants of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) purchase intention in emerging markets requires rigorous empirical investigation. This study examines the key factors that discriminate between consumers who express interest and those who remain unwilling to purchase BEVs in Indonesia. Using survey data from 281 respondents, discriminant analysis was conducted to assess the influence of product attributes, price perceptions, and demographic characteristics on consumer behavioral intentions. Cross-validation results indicate a hit ratio of 79.4%, surpassing the proportional chance criterion of 63.36%, thereby confirming the model’s predictive validity. The findings reveal that the relatively high upfront purchase price is the strongest discriminating factor, followed by income level and product performance, suggesting that economic evaluations and functional value appraisals dominate consumer decision-making processes. Additional economic considerations—government incentives and operational costs—also significantly differentiate consumer groups. In contrast, demographic variables such as education, age, and gender exhibit limited discriminant power, although younger consumers demonstrate greater openness to BEV adoption. Overall, the results indicate that BEV purchase intention in Indonesia is primarily shaped by cost-related perceptions and assessments of functional product value. Future studies are encouraged to incorporate psychological constructs and utilize longitudinal designs to capture behavioral dynamics over time.
The bandwagon effect, which refers to an individual's tendency to follow the choices of the majority or the party perceived as superior, has become increasingly evident in the digital era through the role of social media, electability surveys, and the massive flow of information. In the context of the 2024 Presidential Election, this phenomenon not only influences the political preferences of the general public but also significantly impacts students, who are at a stage of cognitive and social development that is vulnerable to external influences. This study aims to examine the bandwagon effect in political communication during the 2024 Presidential Election and to examine the urgency of media and political literacy education for students. This study used a qualitative approach with a literature review method, analyzing various sources related to political communication, voter behavior, and media and political literacy in education. The results indicate that low levels of media and political literacy lead students to passively receive information and are easily influenced by majority opinion without verification and critical analysis. This has the potential to weaken the quality of democratic participation and foster a mindset that is not independent.
Perkembangan teknologi informasi telah mempercepat pertukaran pesan, namun tidak selalu meningkatkan kualitas pemahaman. Fenomena misinformasi, konflik digital, polarisasi sosial, serta kegagalan komunikasi interpersonal menunjukkan bahwa persoalan komunikasi bukan semata persoalan transmisi pesan, melainkan persoalan relasi makna. Model komunikasi klasik Shannon & Weaver menekankan akurasi pengiriman pesan, sedangkan teori komunikasi transaksional menekankan pembentukan makna bersama. Namun kedua pendekatan tersebut masih menempatkan komunikasi sebagai aktivitas yang dapat dikendalikan oleh pelaku komunikasi. Adanya Dominasi yang lebih superior dari pengirim pesan membuka paradigma baru. Filsafat Tao menawarkan perspektif berbeda: realitas bukan dikendalikan, tetapi diseimbangkan. Tao memandang harmoni sebagai kondisi alami yang muncul ketika unsur-unsur tidak saling memaksakan diri. Jika diterapkan pada komunikasi, pemahaman tidak dihasilkan dari dominasi pesan, melainkan dari keselarasan relasional antara komunikator dan komunikan. Metode yang digunakan adalah studi Literatur. Jika Aristoteles melihat komunikasi sebagai seni persuasi, dan Jürgen Habermas melihatnya sebagai rasionalitas dialogis, maka Laozi, melalui Tao Komunikasi, menawarkan sesuatu yang belum pernah diformulasikan dalam teori komunikasi modern, yaitu Komunikasi sebagai seni menjaga keharmonisan makna dalam relasi secara bersama-sama.
Safety culture in high-risk industries is often managed through procedures, compliance systems, and visible leadership programs; however, these mechanisms do not automatically become shared workplace values. This study examined how effective safety communication and safety leadership could be integrated to transform safety culture and support operational excellence in an oleochemical manufacturing company. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data from 421 respondents were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with LISREL, followed by in-depth interviews and focus group discussions analyzed using MAXQDA. The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory construct reliability and convergent validity. Safety communication had a strong and significant direct effect on safety culture (? = 0.724, p < 0.001), whereas the direct effect of safety leadership was not statistically significant (? = 0.129, p = 0.058). Safety culture significantly supported operational excellence (? = 0.438, p < 0.001), and the integrated model explained 87.2% of the variance in safety culture and 91.3% of the variance in operational excellence. Qualitative findings showed that leadership remained culturally central; however, its influence weakened when communication was formalistic, one-way, emotionally detached, or inconsistently implemented by second-line leaders. The study therefore positioned communication as the mechanism that transformed leadership intentions and role modeling into shared meaning, trust, feedback, and sustained safe behaviors. It proposed Personalized Safety Communication, consisting of direct personalized communication, escort communication, and direct impact communication, as a practical framework for integrating leadership visibility with dialogic, contextual, and empathetic safety communication.
