Et speciale om Danske Banks håndtering af hvidvaskkrisen

Abstrakt

This thesis operates within crisis communication and is based on Danske Bank's money laundering crisis. The story was first published in Berlingske Business in 2017 and has been referred to as the most scandalous financial case ever. The purpose of the thesis is to examine how the bank has handled the crisis through the following problem formulation: How has Danske Bank communicated regarding their money laundering crisis? And has this communication been appropriate?
The thesis's structural perspective is inspired by David Sturges' phases in a crisis life cycle, where communication from the crisis breakout and the subsequent phase is being investigated. The theoretical apparatus consists of framing theory and Situational Crisis Communication Theory by Timothy Coombs and Image Restoration Theory by William Benoit. The problem formulation has been answered with the inclusion of document analysis and survey, where the respondents in the latter represent a smaller proportion of stakeholders. Finally, the thesis concludes that Danske Bank's communication has not been appropriate throughout, and that crisis communication alone cannot restore the bank's reputation in this large and unique case involving several factors and countries.