Crisis Communications: A Casebook Approach / Edition 5

by Kathleen Fearn-Banks

Overview

Crisis Communications: A Casebook Approach presents case studies of organizational, corporate, and individual crises, and analyzes the communication responses to these situations. Demonstrating how professionals prepare for and respond to crises, as well as how they develop communications plans, this essential text explores crucial issues concerning communication with the news media, employees, and consumers in times of crisis. Author Kathleen Fearn-Banks addresses how to choose the best possible words to convey a message, the best method for delivering the message, and the precise and most appropriate audience, in addition to illustrating how to avoid potential mismanagement.

The fifth edition of Crisis Communications includes updated cases that provide wider coverage of international crises and media technologies. It includes a new section on social media in crisis communication scenarios and includes additional comments from social media experts throughout various chapters. New case studies include "Police Departments and Community Trust," "The Oso Mudslide in Washington," "School Shootings: Communications To and For Children," and two additional international case studies - "Ebola Strikes Liberia: Firestone Strikes Ebola" and "Nut Rage and Korean Airlines." Previous case studies no longer in this edition can be found on the book's companion website, which also includes the Instructor's Manual with exercises in crisis responses, guidelines for crisis manual preparation, and other teaching tools: www.routledge.com/cw/fearn-banks.

Looking at both classic and modern cases in real-world situations, Crisis Communications provides students with real-world perspectives and insights for professional responses to crises. It is intended for use in crisis communications, crisis management, and PR case studies courses.

Also available for use with this text is the Student Workbook to Accompany Crisis Communications, providing additional discussion questions, activities, key terms, case exercises, and further content for each chapter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138923744
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/04/2016
Series:	Routledge Communication Series
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	438
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Kathleen Fearn-Banks is a tenured professor with emeritus status in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington, USA.

Kevin Kawamoto is a former associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
1	The Nature of Crises	1
2	The Crisis Communications Plan	5
3	Crisis Makers	45
4	Cyber Crises: Rogue Sites and E-mail Rumors	52
5	Managing a Crisis	60
6	Case: Johnson & Johnson and the Tylenol Murders	64
	Product tampering
	Media relations
	Consumer relations
	Government relations
	Employee relations
7	Case: Exxon and the Valdez Oil Spill	68
	Environmental issues
	Media relations
	Spokesperson problem
8	Case: Exxon's Other Story--Animal Rescue Centers and Alaskan Tourism	68
	Tourism
	Consumer/customer relations
	Media relations
	Advertising
9	Case: Snapps Restaurant and the AIDS Rumor	76
	Rumor management
	Media relations
	Consumer relations
	Government relations
10	Case: Cellular Phones and the Cancer Scare	79
	Non expert-expert
	Media relations
	Consumer relations
	Government relations
11	Case: United Way of America and the Overspending CEO	85
	Nonprofit organization
	Internal communications
	Media relations
12	Case: United Way of King County and the Overspending CEO	85
	Nonprofit organization
	Media relations
	Internal communications
	Community relations
13	Case: They Keep Coming--Chinese Immigrants in Canada	90
	Global communications
	Government public relations
	Political communications
	Constituent relations
14	Case: DC Mayor Anthony Williams and Another "N" Word	97
	Racial issues
	Political communications
	Media relations
	Governmental public relations
15	Case: Texas A&M University and the Bonfire Tragedy	101
	Fatal accidents
	Media relations
	Internal communications
	Community relations
16	Case: U.S. Postal Service and Workplace Violence	108
	Employee relations
	Labor relations
	Media relations
	Governmental public relations
17	Case: The Metro Transit Accident: Driver Shot, Bus Flies Off the Bridge	121
	Violence
	Accidents
	Media relations
	Internal communications
	Labor relations
	Multiple spokespersons
18	Case: Alpac Corporation and the Original Syringe-in-the-Can Scare	132
	Media relations
	Government relations
19	Case: Pepsi and the National Syringe-in-the-Can Scare	132
	Media relations
	Consumer relations
	Government relations
	Employee relations
	Advertising
20	Case: California State University, Northridge, and the 1994 Los Angeles Earthquake	136
	Media relations
	Internal communications
	Community relations
21	Case: Southern California Gas Company and the 1994 Los Angeles Earthquake	136
	Consumer relations
	Media relations
	Employee relations
	Community relations
22	Useful Web Sites	146

Editorial Reviews

"Crisis Communications provides a useful text for undergraduates new to the crisis field. Fearn-Banks has supplemented groundbreaking early case studies such as Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol case with defining crisis cases such as Columbine and Katrina and more timely studies such as the international Ebola outbreak and racial crises in the United States." – Dr. Barbara S. Gainey, School of Communication & Media, Kennesaw State University

"Crisis Communications: A Casebook Approach integrates the array of concepts necessary for effective crisis response and management: the external and the internal; the organizational and the interpersonal; the strategic and the relational. I use Crisis Communications in my courses because it applies theory to practice, and teaches crisis thinking, not just crisis management." – Dr. Brian Smith, Brian Lamb School of Communication, Purdue University

"Crisis Communications has become a well-recognized and leading textbook across Europe as well, which provides an engaging and up-to-date overview of the practice of this fascinating field. The book is a valuable resource for both students and practitioners who wish to explore and understand crisis communication from a practical and professional perspective through insightful and thought-provoking case studies." - Dr. Gyorgy Szondi, Leeds Beckett University, UK and International Business School, Hungary

From the Publisher