5th Edition
Student Workbook to Accompany Crisis Communications A Casebook Approach
No company, organization, or individual whose livelihood depends on public reaction can afford to function without a crisis communications plan. This student workbook reviews the critical terminologies, processes, and skills needed for understanding and responding to crises. It prepares individuals for responding to crises in a variety of contexts, and reinforces strategies and tactics to be used during a crisis. Chapters include instructive case studies of public relations professionals in crises: what they did, what they wished they had done, and what hampered their progress. The exercises provide students with the opportunity to respond to real-world crises, sharpening their own skills and practicing response behaviors. This workbook will serve as a useful tool for all future practitioners.
Table of Contents
1 Crisis Communications Today
What is a Crisis and What is Crisis Communications?
The Five Stages of a Crisis
Public Opinion
Mini-Case: White Star Line’s Titanic Sinks
2 Crisis Communications Theory
Apologia Theory
Image Restoration Theory
Decision Theory
Diffusion Theory
Excellence Theory
The Five W’s of Public Apology –Businesses and Celebrities
3 Communications to Prevent Crises
The News Media
Internal Publics
Customers/Consumers
Preventing Multicultural Crises
4 Communications When the Crisis Strikes
Communicating with the News Media 34
Communicating with Lawyers 44
Communicating with Internal Publics 47
Communicating with External Publics 49
Communicating Directly with the Masses 50
5 Social Media and Crisis Communications
Social Media in Strategic Organizational Communication
Mini-Case Studies in Social Media Crises
Social Media Etiquette for Organizations and Individuals to Prevent Crises
Online Communities and Crisis Communities
6 "Textbook" Crises
Case: Johnson & Johnson and the Tylenol Murders
Case: Exxon and the Valdez Oil Spill
7 Culture Crises --Domestic
Case: Saginaw Valley State University and the Theater Controversy
Case: Texas A&M University and the Bonfire Tragedy
Case: Police Departments and Community Trust
8 Culture Crises: Foreign and International
Case: AIDS in Africa
Case: Ebola Strikes Liberia: Firestone Strikes Ebola
Case: Nut Rage and Korean Airlines
9 Environmental Crisis
Case: Häagen-Dazs and Honey Bees
10 Natural Disasters
Case: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans
Case: The Oso Mudslide in Washington
11 Transportation Crises
Case: Holland America Line and Cruise Crises
Case: US Airways and the Emergency Landing in the Hudson
12 Product Failure and Product Tampering
Case: Yuhan-Kimberly and Baby Wet Wipes
Case: Maple Leaf Foods and the Battle against Listeria
Case: Wendy’s and the Finger-in-the-Chili Hoax
Mini-Case: Domino’s Pizza
13 Death and Injury
Case: Columbine High School and the Shooting Tragedy
Case: School Shootings: Communication To and For Children
14 The Crisis Communications Plan
Crisis Inventory
Developing the Crisis Communications Plan
Biography
Kathleen Fearn-Banks is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington (Seattle) and a crisis communications advisor.
