A Critical Public Relations Approach To Crisis Communication And Management

This book proposes a critical public relations approach to analyzing crisis communication with Malaysia Airlines flight 370 (MH370) disappearance (2014-2018) as a case study. It examines the discursive process of Malaysia’s crisis response and image building, tracing Malaysia Airlines during the immediate response and the Malaysian establishment until the official suspension of the underwater search. The study features a critical discourse analysis of 84 national media texts and 85 response statements, focusing on three aspects: the national media representations of Malaysia’s image, the national carrier and the government’s rhetorical strategies of delivering stances and actions, and the dynamic process of image reconstruction and national recovery. The present project contributes to the current research area by integrating both linguistic and public relations perspectives, and more importantly, by highlighting the ideological impact instead of merely behavioral effectiveness in modern communication research. Target readers may find their interest in corporate crisis communication, critical inquiry about political public relations, and the MH370 incident in general.

This book explores the definition, nature and context of public relations crises; it also examines and defines the main elements of public relations crises and positions it in the context of the current communication sphere. Public Relations Crisis Communication: A New Model investigates existing group communication theories, including organizational culture, critical theory of organizations, media ecology, public rhetoric, and cross-cultural communication theory to establish their relevance in the context of the new model of public relations crisis. Key concepts from existing public relations crisis theory are also discussed and validated in order to establish prevailing thought. Through a case study of Malaysia Airlines MH370, involving a textual analyses of press communications on the Malaysia Airlines website, this book scrutinises prevailing theory and definitions. Most valuably, this book proposes a new definition and model of public relations crisis, alongside a suggested extension to existing crisis communication theory in the form of a hierarchy of publics to be addressed during crises. This will help to address divergent publics with differing priorities in public relations crisis communication. This book is of interest to students, teachers, researchers and practitioners of public relations, communication, media and marketing, as well as professionals in the aviation industry and international relations.

Written as a tool for both researchers and communication managers, the Handbook of Crisis Communication is a comprehensive examination of the latest research, methods, and critical issues in crisis communication. Includes in-depth analyses of well-known case studies in crisis communication, from terrorist attacks to Hurricane Katrina Explores the key emerging areas of new technology and global crisis communication Provides a starting point for developing crisis communication as a distinctive field research rather than as a sub-discipline of public relations or corporate communication

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.

Ongoing Crisis Communication: Planning, Managing, and Responding provides an integrated approach to crisis communication that spans the entire crisis management process and crosses various disciplines. A truly integrative and comprehensive text, this book explains how crisis management can prevent or reduce the threats of a crisis, providing guidelines for how best to act and react in an emergency situation. The Fifth Edition includes new coverage of social media, social networking sites, and terrorist threats and includes expanded discussions of internal crisis communication and intuition in decision making.

Equip your students with a strong understanding of the essential role that communicators play in moments of crisis and the tools they need to conduct ethically sound crisis management.

When a crisis breaks out, it’s not always just the organization that reacts - the news media, customers, employees, trade associations, politicians, activist groups, and PR experts may also respond. This book offers a new and original perspective on crisis communication based on the theory of the Rhetorical Arena and the so-called multivocal approach. According to this approach, we gain a more dynamic and complex understanding of organizational crises if we focus not only on the communication produced by the organization but also take into account the many other voices who start communicating when a crisis breaks out. It provides: An in-depth overview of the five key dimensions of organizational crises, crisis management and crisis communication A comprehensive introduction to the theory of the Rhetorical Arena and the multivocal approach to crisis communication, including some of the most important voices inside the arena A series of important international case studies and case examples in each chapter. Suitable for students studying crisis communication modules on corporate communication, public relations, and management and organization studies courses.

When initially published in 2005, the two-volume Encyclopedia of Public Relations was the first and most authoritative compilation of the subject. It remains the sole reference source for any library serving patrons in business, communication, and journalism as it explores the evolution of the field with examples describing the events, changing practices, and key figures who developed and expanded the profession. Reader’s Guide topics include Crisis Communications & Management, Cyberspace, Ethics, Global Public Relations, Groups, History, Jargon, Management, Media, News, Organizations, Relations, Reports, Research, and Theories & Models. Led by renowned editor Robert L. Heath, with advisory editors and contributors from around the world, the set is designed to reach a wide array of student readers who will go on to serve as opinion leaders for improving the image and ethics of the practice. The Second Edition continues to explore key challenges facing the profession, such as earning the trust and respect of critics and the general public. Much greater emphasis and space will be placed on a theme that was just emerging when the First Edition appeared: the Internet and social media as public relations tools. International coverage and representation has been greatly expanded, as well. Finally, biographies (which are now widely available on the Web) have been deleted to give room to areas of enhanced coverage, and biographical material are included where appropriate within the context of topical entries. However, a long entry on women pioneers in public relations has been included as an appendix.