Week 6 Readings- Crisis and Issues and Management

I have summarized some of the key ideas and points from this weeks reading that i believe will really help my group extensively, as our plan is "Crisis Management"

I have also placed a copy of this on our groups blog page



Crisis and Issues Management…

Crises can occur at different levels. For organizations they may be te sudden events that disrupt normal business while at the same time focusing considerable attention on them from the media and other important publics.
They can range from a factory closure or a strike, allegation of corporate misconduct,- which draws the attention of regulatory bodies and affects share prices-, a fire or natural disaster, or an allegation of sexual misconduct or harassment.
Terrorism has emerged as one of the greatest potential causes of crisis for organization, governments, industries and individuals. While not new, the scale and reach is now greater the it has ever been, making this a truly global threat.

Tourism in particular has been affected at all levels, from increase security (with the associated costs for travellers) on airlines to diplomatic conflicts over the issuing of travel warnings around the world. Movement internationally has become more restricted, which has had a negative flow-on effect for business and trade.

Examples of a Crisis
* Takeover bid
* Product tampering
* Flood, fire, storm or drought
* Faulty Product
* Challenges or changes to leadership
* Industrial disputes
* Terrorist Act

Crisis Management begins with Public Relations practitioners looking months or years ahead to predict what can go wrong with an organization to cause damage to its reputation… Managers and policy-makers need to be alerted to possible crisis scenarios and their consequences.

Recognizing a crisis

It is a well known fact in the Public Relations life that a few minutes after something goes BANG- metaphorically or actually- the new media will be there. In som circumstances they will even be there first.
Almost immediately in the case of radio and TV, or the next morning in the case of newspapers, the whole world hears, sees or reads a glaring representation of what is going on in the afflicted organization.
The public relations practitioners need to be mostly concerned with the publics. Bother internal and external, it is important to predict what they are going to think, feel and consequently do in these circumstances.

Planning for a crisis

Principles of crisis preparation
• Ensure that the organisation’s practices are legally compliant.
• Brainstorm, or carry out a risk audit
• Build a trust bank- strong on going media and public relatons programs
• Create a crisis management team (besides the PR team these should include senior management and people who know the organization inside out and can give good direction)
• Designate a crisis control centre
• Create a procedure/ protocols
• Practise, practise, practise
• Team up with other organizations- coordinate drills with other local organizations or emergency services
• Designate a spokes person/ people
• Keep the CEO in reserve- best to appoint a spokesman other then the CEO to keep him/her available for any special announcements.
• Ensure adequate media training- all spokes people should have training and regular refresher courses on giving television and radio interviews.

Crisis management tactics

• Publicity
• Newsletters
• Direct mail
• Advertising
• Corporate publications
• Functions
• Speaking opportunities
• Internet sites
• Information kits
• Media relations
• Brochures
• Videos
• Lobbying
• Meetings

Media Management in a crisis

Principles to guide the spokesperson

• Candid information given promptly will emphasis the organsations integrity and ethical standards
• It is legitimate to withhold some information, such as names of diseased persons or information that may be prejudice in a court case
• News is news only for a very short period. It is vital t respond to journalists queries as fast as possible. Volunteer relevant, news worthy information as is comes to light.
• Spokes people should not speculate if the facts are not available
• The spokes person should not say anything “off the record”
• All journalists’ phone queries to the spokesperson should be taken by assistants and carefully logged, showing who asked what questions. The spokesperson must phone the journo back soon after the call is made. This removes the requirement for the spokesperson to think on their feet.

The advice of the chief public relations person to the management group about what should be said and how it should be said may be crucial.


Terrorism and Crisis planning

A lesson to be learnt from September 11 was the degree to which the government resources and private organizations may need to work together and what crises may occur well after the initial attack. The coffee chain Starbucks found itself in the middle of such a crisis, hn , some weeks after September 11, it emerged that one of its outlets had charged fireman for bottles of drinking water…. Increasingly, the crisis itself was provoked by Starbucks’ denial that this could have happened.
The ripple effect of major crisis’ cannot be underestimated.