Situational Crisis Communication Research Articles

Managing Reputation Risk and Situational Crisis in Higher Institutions of Learning

Extant literature on crisis and corporate reputation management has presented the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) model as a valid and reliable framework for managing crisis and predicting stakeholders’perceptions of organizations’ reputation in times of crisis. In order to verifythe applicability of the model in higher institutions of learning in adeveloping country context, a study was conducted in September, 2011 in twopublic universities in Nigeria. The findings of the study revealed thatalthough the institutions did not fully implement the core tenets of SCCT, thestrategies adopted in each of the two crisis situations were similar to some ofthe recommendations of the SCCT in different ways. While one institutionfocused on a strategy similar to what the SCCT model describes as “rebuildcrisis response strategy” with informing and adjusting tactics, the secondinstitution utilized a victimization or “Victimage” strategy with strongattribution of blames; and frequent reminder of the stakeholders of the extentof losses that the institution would incur from the crisis. The outcome wasthat the institution with high emphasis on rebuilding and informationadjustment strategy recorded very little damage to its reputation capital, duringand after the crises. Conversely, the second institution which believed invictimization and high attribution recorded significant losses in reputation assets,which included withdrawal of key stakeholders and loss of recognition ofprograms by some professional agencies. The implication for crisis managers in thetwo institutions includes the need to always approach situational crises in aholistic manner. Such holistic approach would involve a refocus, critical analysis,planning and implementation of crisis response strategies based on the relevantsituations, events, and the people concerned. The research was designed as acase study with focus group discussions as the data collection method.Altogether, 16 officers including eight top and senior administrative staff whowere actively involved in the negotiation and communication programs during the crises in the two institutions participated in the focus group discussions.Keywords: situational crisis, reputation risk, stakeholders’perceptions, stakeholders’ value, reputation capital, reputation assets

Situational crisis communication and interactivity: Usage and effectiveness of Facebook for crisis management by Fortune 500 companies

Through the lens of situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) and interactivity, this study examined the Facebook usage of Fortune 500 companies and the effectiveness with which these companies employed the platform for crisis management. Findings indicated that ‘justification’ and ‘full apology’ were the most commonly used crisis response strategies. Results also show instances where companies inappropriately match their responses to crisis situations. An analysis of 7080 messages further revealed a significant relationship between an organization’s involvement in two-way communication and the overall positivity of audience tone in reaction to the organization in question and its handling of crises. Suggestions are provided for organizations intending to employ social media for crisis communication.

Beyond the Situational Crisis Communication Theory Where to go from now on?

Beyond the Situational Crisis Communication Theory Where to go from now on?

The Impact of Media Frames and Treatment Responsibility within the Situational Crisis Communication Theory Framework

This experimental investigation examines the role and impact of media frames and enhanced treatment responsibility within the situational crisis communication theory framework. An experiment was conducted among 121 undergraduate students at a Midwestern university. The results indicated that enhanced treatment responsibility resulted in an elevated reputational threat to organizations. Furthermore, it was found that crisis reports that emphasized treatment responsibility resulted in elevated negative affect toward the organizations. Implications, discussion and future directions are provided.

팀의 패배에 대한 위기대응 커뮤니케이션 전략이 팀에 대한 태도 및 관람의도에 미치는 영향 - 상황적 위기커뮤니케이션 이론을 중심으로

팀의 패배에 대한 위기대응 커뮤니케이션 전략이 팀에 대한 태도 및 관람의도에 미치는 영향 - 상황적 위기커뮤니케이션 이론을 중심으로

Has Crisis Communication Been Studied Using an Interdisciplinary Approach? A 20-Year Content Analysis of Communication Journals

This study examines whether the status of crisis communication research is interdisciplinary by paying special attention to different perspectives from varying theories, methods, and authors. One hundred seventy-five articles published in major communication journals from 1991 to 2011 were extracted as crisis communication articles. The results of a quantitative content analysis revealed that, among theories applied to crisis research, most were from communication and public relations disciplines, which included framing, image restoration, situational crisis communication, and excellence theory. Although outside disciplines that have studied crisis communication research included psychology, economics, mathematics, and sociology, those disciplines made up less than one-third of the articles. Regarding the methodological approach, each portion of articles using two or more methods (e.g., experiment and survey) and a triangulation approach (e.g., qualitative and quantitative) was less than 10%. However, the frequency of the triangulation, or mixed-method, approach has dramatically increased since 2006, which indicates that interdisciplinary crisis communication research is evolving into an interdisciplinary field. Another indication of this trend can be found in the variety of authors, institutions, and departments dedicated to crisis communication. Although crisis articles are published primarily by communication, journalism, and public relations departments, other diverse disciplines are also widely contributing to crisis communication research.

Revisiting the Effectiveness of Base Crisis Response Strategies in Comparison of Reputation Management Crisis Responses

This experimental study found that employing reputation management crisis-response strategies was no better than adopting only the base crisis-response strategy (i.e., instructing and adjusting information) in terms of generating positive responses from the public. Two-sided messages (i.e., sharing both positive and negative information) in crisis communication were found to be more effective than one-sided messages in a victim crisis. In addition, even in a preventable crisis, one-sided messages (i.e., sharing only positive information) were not more effective than two-sided messages. Finally, the study found little support for Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT)'s recommendations for the best crisis response strategy selections.

Effective Crisis Communication Strategies in Egypt

This study will review two strategies of post-crisis communication: namely situational crisis communication — theory (SCCT) and discourse of renewal as widely used approaches of crisis management and restoration of reputation in crisis communication literature. The empirical focus of this study will investigate the application of the two strategies in Egypt for two different business organizations in crisis after the 25th of January revolution, 2011 to explore the possibilities of application and degree of success. The importance of this study is embedded in the recurrent crisis situations in Egypt after the revolution, the growing need for effective crisis management strategies and approaches. In addition to a scientific value as the review of literature in this field revealed that while foreign studies focused on the analysis of crisis communication strategies in organizational units, Arabic studies were interested in the effects and consequences of utilized communication programs.

The Emergency Public Relations Protocol: How to Work Effectively on Controversial Projects in an Academic Health Setting

Certain research topics - including studies of sexual behavior, substance use, and HIV risk -- are more likely to be scrutinized by the media and groups opposed to this area of research. When studying topics that others might deem controversial, it is critical that researchers anticipate potential negative media events prior to their occurrence. By developing an Emergency Public Relations Protocol at the genesis of a study, researchers can identify and plan for events that might result in higher scrutiny. For each identified risk, a good protocol details procedures to enact before, during and after a media event. This manuscript offers recommendations for developing a protocol based on both Situational Crisis Communication Theory and our experience as an HIV prevention research group who recently experienced such an event. The need to have procedures in place to monitor and address social media is highlighted.

Amazon.com's Orwellian nightmare: exploring apology in an online environment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to understanding of crisis communication application and theory by analyzing online reactions of discussion board participants to assess the effectiveness of an apology issued online.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a content analysis of naturally‐occurring online reactions to an apology issued as a crisis response strategy. The Janis‐Fadner Coefficient of Imbalance was used to quantify the magnitude of negative and positive reactions to the apology.FindingsMost posts indicated acceptance of the apology and positive purchase intentions, thus confirming its effectiveness in managing the crisis as prescribed in Situational Crisis Communication Theory. Analysis of rejection reactions provided insights into additional actions crisis managers might take in this situation and how organisations might make their crisis communication more interactive in an online environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited by the focus on people responding to the apology online. It does show the potential value of online responses as a data source for crisis communication research.Practical implicationsThe paper demonstrates the utility of the research method for future studies designed to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of crisis communication strategies. Real time monitoring may signal if the response strategy is effective and, if not, reveal stakeholder concerns that should be addressed in follow‐up responses.Originality/valueThe paper provides insight into how online comments can be used to evaluate reactions to apologies used in a crisis. The method can be helpful when crisis managers have access to online reactions to their crisis communication.

How publics use social media to respond to blame games in crisis communication: The Love Parade tragedy in Duisburg 2010

Crisis communication scholarship has been criticized for its “managerial bias” and for its tendency to marginalize the perspective of publics and audiences. However, the understanding of how publics cope with and interpret crises is crucial for developing the body of knowledge in crisis communication, from both critical and managerial/functionalist perspectives. This case study of the Love Parade crisis in Germany 2010 aimed at exploring how publics perceived the crisis response of the festival organizers and how they used social media to communicate about it shortly after the outbreak of the crisis. A content analysis of 1847 postings at two relevant message boards produced support for the assumption that attributions of cause and responsibility are important predictors of publics’ evaluations of organizations in crisis situations. Findings also revealed that stakeholders actively engage in such attributional inferences spontaneously without being prompted by researchers. The analysis of responsibility perceptions as well as evaluative judgments over time supported the situational crisis communication theory. Blaming others and denying responsibility in the context of a crisis that was perceived as human error accident triggered negative reputational outcomes for the organizations involved in the Love Parade.

Identifying Communication Strategies in Cases of Domestic Terrorism: Applying Cultural Context to the Fort Hood Shooting

Cultural context is emerging as one of the most important aspects of crisis communication; yet cultural context adds layers of complexity to situations that crisis theory has difficulty explaining. This study investigated the crisis communication strategies revealed through U.S. media during the immediate post-crisis phase of the November 5, 2009 Fort Hood shooting. A textual analysis identified situational crisis communication theory strategies (Coombs, 2006) employed by different spokespeople/groups. Cultural context emerged as a key variable in explaining what happened when culturally insensitive policies and procedures were revealed. This case illustrates the importance of incorporating a culturally sensitive approach to homeland security policies, procedures, and understanding.

Nonprofit in Crisis: An Examination of the Applicability of Situational Crisis Communication Theory

Coombs' (2007) Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) provides the theoretical framework for a 3 × 2 experiment testing the effects of SCCT response strategies from a nonprofit organization. The body of research devoted to crisis communication rarely addresses one of the largest areas of public relations, the public sector. Findings illustrate that in two extremes, one in which the nonprofit is a victim and one in which the nonprofit acts intentionally, the strategies of SCCT are successful. The least effective strategy was when the nonprofit was responding to an accident, the most frequent type of crisis situation.

Are All Crises Opportunities? A Comparison of How Corporate and Government Organizations Responded to the 2009 Flu Pandemic

Through a quantitative content analysis, this study applies situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) to investigate how 13 corporate and government organizations responded to the first phase of the 2009 flu pandemic. The results indicate that government organizations emphasized providing instructing information to their primary publics such as guidelines about how to respond to the crisis. On the other hand, organizations representing corporate interests emphasized reputation management in their crisis responses, frequently adopting denial, diminish, and reinforce response strategies. In addition, both government and corporate organizations used social media more often than traditional media in responding to the crisis. Finally, the study expands SCCT's response options.

The ACORN story: An analysis of crisis response strategies in a nonprofit organization

In 2009, two political activists published hidden-camera recordings of their visits to the offices of a national, community-based, nonprofit organization. In the videos, the activists posed as a prostitute and a pimp in order to elicit damaging information from the organization's employees. This incident was just the latest in a series of disastrous situations for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). In the year prior to the video controversy, the organization addressed allegations of voter registration fraud in the 2008 presidential election and reacted to the expose of a hidden embezzlement by a family member of ACORN's founder. This study employs the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) to analyze how ACORN responded to this series of damaging public relations attacks. The study investigated ACORN's crisis response strategies through an analysis of media coverage about the crises.

The acceptance of responsibility and expressions of regret in organizational apologies after a transgression

PurposeWhen organizations face a crisis that is a result of a transgression, crisis scholars suggest that the organization should apologize in order to accept responsibility for the event. In turn, this is expected to reduce the reputation damage to the organization. The assumption is that an apology statement is interpreted by stakeholders to be equal to accepting responsibility; however, this assumption has not been empirically examined. This paper seeks to address that gap.Design/methodology/approachA three (explicitness of accepting responsibility: none, implicit, explicit) by two (expressing regret: none, explicit) between subjects design was employed. Participants read an article about a crisis event, answered questions about perceived reputation, read one of six organizational responses, and responded to questions about reputation and anger caused by the response.FindingsResults indicate that both accepting responsibility and expressing regret affect perceptions of reputation after a crisis and the anger felt by respondents. Additionally, apologies need an explicit statement of responsibility to increase their benefits for the organization.Research limitations/implicationsImplications of this research include understanding the independent effects that accepting responsibility, expressing regret, and anger have on organizational reputation. Results can be useful for both academics and practitioners when thinking about how to respond to a crisis. Different strengths and limitations are discussed in the text.Originality/valueThe paper tests the assumption that an organizational apology is viewed as equal to accepting responsibility and explores some of the basic propositions of situational crisis communication theory. This study is also one of the first to examine the impact of the crisis response on stakeholder anger.

The National Review “fires” Christopher Buckley: Image restoration and the rhetoric of severance and restraint

Image Restoration Discourse, Situational Crisis Communication Theory, and related crisis-response models tend to involve charges leveled at entities: individuals or organizations. In The New Rhetoric, Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca suggest an important mid-ground: stakeholder concerns regarding aberrant actions of a member of a larger public. Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca's “techniques of severance and restraint” comprise 11 strategies for countering the possible effects of an aberrant member's acts on the image and reputation of a larger public. This article will explore those techniques through an examination of how the National Review Online, the Web site complement of National Review magazine, responded to columnist Christopher Buckley's endorsement of Barack Obama in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

Restoring reputations in times of crisis: An experimental study of the Situational Crisis Communication Theory and the moderating effects of locus of control

This study attempts to provide empirical evidence for Coombs’ (2007) Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), which provides guidelines for matching crisis response strategies to crisis types to best restore organizational reputations in times of crisis. The impact of crisis type and crisis response strategies on perceptions of corporate reputation is measured for 316 consumers participating in a 3 (crisis type: victim crisis, accidental crisis, preventable crisis) × 3 (crisis response: deny strategy, diminish strategy, rebuild strategy) between-subjects experimental design. The results show that preventable crises have the most negative effects on organizational reputation and that the rebuild strategy leads to the most positive reputational restoration. Moreover, the more severe people judge a crisis to be, the more negative are their perceptions of the organization's reputation. The interaction effect between crisis type and crisis response strategies on corporate reputation is not significant. However, a person's locus of control has a moderating impact on the relationship between crisis response strategy and organizational reputation. Specifically, the results show that people with an external locus of control prefer the use of deny strategies more than people with an internal locus of control.

A quantitative review of crisis communication research in public relations from 1991 to 2009

This study quantitatively examines 18 years (1991–2009) of data, 66 published articles, from the crisis communication domain in public relations using Coombs’ situational crisis communication theory and Benoit's image restoration theory as the theoretical foundation for analysis. Overall recommendations indicate crisis communication research in public relations may be enriched both theoretically and pragmatically through more diverse contextual and methodological applications and could be less descriptive and more prescriptive through richer scholarly commentary and criticism in support for the models.

Korea's beef crisis: the Internet and democracy

On 19 December 2007, President Lee was elected the seventeenth president of the Republic of Korea with the widest margin in Korea's presidential election history. Despite this enormous victory, it took little more than 100 days for Lee's early record-high popularity to plummet to the lowest rating of all Korean presidents with so few days in office. This article claims that the combination of Lee's early misguided policies and staffing decisions, along with a highly ‘wired’ young generation, has quickly produced anti-Lee discourse, which, in turn, has escalated into massive, continuing street protests by a large cross section of the population. Observing such an unprecedented phenomenon, this article addresses two important questions regarding politics in the information era: How do newly networked information technologies (NNITs) influence the political discourse and contribute to the evolution of a political crisis, and who are the most critical players in the NNITs-induced politics? By applying the concepts underlying Heinrich's law, Situational Crisis Communication Theory, and the theory on four stages of crisis evolution to the first question, and by invoking Giddens’ theory of ‘life politics’ in answering the second, this article examines the grave political consequences that NNITs-galvanised young generations can have on democracy.