A Corpus-Assisted Perspective on Corporate Wrongdoing: The Boeing 737 Max Crisis

In 2018 and 2019, Boeing made headlines after two 737 Max aircrafts were involved in fatal crashes. The same issue was to blame for both incidents: the airplane’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, which is responsible for stabilizing the airplane, failed on both occasions. Boeing was charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and agreed to pay over $2.5 billion; a clear case of corporate wrongdoing. Using corpus-assisted methods to analyze a 31,872-word-corpus of Boeing’s press releases related to the incidents, this paper explores the key discourses found within them, and how they link to Coombs’ crisis communication strategies. It identifies Boeing’s key semantic domains to explore the ways through which they attempt to protect their brand identity and restore trust. In particular, findings suggest that Boeing promote inclusivity, offer clarity and transparency, emphasize their safety record, and they project confidence and knowledge. At the same time, they are clearly constrained in how much they can say due to potential legal repercussions.