ArticleAuthors: Wei-Chun Wen; Tzu-hsiang Yu; William L. Benoit (2012)
This study extends the theory of image repair in a cross-cultural setting by examining an international controversy in the beef trade. Taiwan’s restrictions on American beef imports in 2010 (based on fears of ‘mad cow’ disease) caused trade tensions between the US and Taiwan and prolonged the ongoing controversy over American beef exports to East Asian countries, one of America’s top beef export markets. To repair the image of these products in Taiwan, the US government utilized the image repair strategies of denial, bolstering, minimization, and attacking the accusers. Although the US position was supported by scientific data, the rhetoric was generally not effective in Taiwan. A maj... 
