Crisis Communication Case Study
Select a crisis communication situation for analysis using all relevant learnings from this course. You may choose
any organizational crisis that has occurred within the past 10 years, provided it has not been a major case
analyzed in our class discussions and assignments. You may briefly introduce additional cases in the paper to the
extent that comparisons to the primary case are helpful.
Start the paper with a brief background section — 1+1/2 pages maximum– to describe the nature of the case.
Include links and/or other sources to provide additional information. Examine the case using all applicable tools
of analysis explored in our crisis communication course and related material. In particular, address as many of
the following questions as are relevant to your case:
What organizational theories are most relevant to the analysis of your case and the organizational response?
Specifically, explore where Systems, Cultural, Classical, HR, Chaos, and other theories apply and how they apply.
How did the crisis affect different stakeholder groups?
Describe the organizational response. To what extent was organizational culture a factor in creating,
exacerbating, and responding to the crisis? What role did mass media play in the crisis and what media strategy
did the organization employ to respond?
What were the ethical challenges involved? Did globalization and ethnocentrism play a role in creating or
contributing to the crisis? If so, how?
What image restoration approaches did the organization employ? Were spokespersons effective?
In conclusion, briefly summarize what worked in the organization’s favor, what did not? If you had been on the
management team, what would you do or recommend differently?