Crisis Communication Management: Strategies and Literature Review
This paper examines the critical role of communication management during organizational crises, drawing on peer-reviewed literature to explore how corporations and governments should prepare for and respond to crises. Through analysis of case studies—including McDonald's notorious coffee lawsuit, the Phillips Petroleum plant explosions, and the global media coverage of Hurricane Katrina—the paper surveys frameworks such as Gonzalez-Herrero's Four-Phase Model and Coombs's Situational Crisis Communication Theory. It also explores how crisis history, globalization, and the perceived cause of a crisis shape communication strategies. The paper concludes that proactive planning, transparency, and media-awareness are essential components of effective crisis communication.
- Introduction: Defines crisis communication and paper scope
- The Literature on Communication in Times of Crisis: McDonald's case and Four-Phase crisis model
- Globalization and Media Amplification of Crisis: How global media magnifies organizational crises
- Crisis History and Organizational Reputation: Phillips Petroleum and reputational impact of past crises
- Cause Perception and Communication Strategy: How crisis cause shapes communicator decisions
- Conclusion: Proactive planning as key takeaway
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- Integrates multiple peer-reviewed sources to build a coherent argument about crisis communication best practices.
- Uses concrete, well-known case studies (McDonald's, Phillips Petroleum, Hurricane Katrina) to ground abstract communication frameworks in real-world consequences.
- Critically engages with source material — for example, questioning the ordering of Gonzalez-Herrero's Four-Phase Model — rather than simply summarizing it.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective literature synthesis: rather than discussing each source in isolation, it weaves findings from multiple journals together around a shared thesis — that proactive, transparent, and strategically planned communication is essential for crisis management. The critical commentary on Gonzalez-Herrero's model shows evaluative engagement with sources, a hallmark of strong undergraduate academic writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a framing quotation and a broad claim about crisis communication before moving into a literature review organized by source. It covers a corporate crisis model, international media dynamics, the impact of crisis history on reputation, and the influence of cause perception on communicator behavior. The conclusion briefly synthesizes lessons drawn from the case studies. Each section is anchored in specific journal articles, maintaining academic grounding throughout.
Introduction
"In crisis management, the threat is the potential damage a crisis can inflict on an organization, its stakeholders, and an industry. A crisis can create three related threats: (a) public safety; (b) financial loss; and (c) reputation loss" (Coombs, 2007).
Good quality communication is among the most vital components of any well-run organization — at any moment, in good times and bad. During a crisis, however, effective communication becomes even more pivotal to solving urgent problems. Without a well-considered, professional understanding of the media and how its coverage of a crisis will unfold, a company is at the mercy of a potentially harmful and very negative public image. This paper examines the importance of sound crisis communication management and offers an analysis that any company should consider well before a crisis occurs.
References
Coombs, Timothy W. (2004). Impact of past crises on current crisis communication: Insights from Situational Crisis Communication Theory. Journal of Business Communication, 41(3), 265–289.
Coombs, Timothy W. (2007). Crisis management and communications. Institute for Public Relations. Retrieved December 18, 2011, from http://www.instituteforpr.org.
Gonzalez-Herrero, Alfonso, and Pratt, Cornelius B. (1995). How to manage a crisis before — or whenever — it hits. Public Relations Quarterly.
Wester, Misse. (2009). Cause and consequences of crises: How perception can influence communication. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 17(2), 118–124.
Zoeteman, Bastiaan C.J., Kersten, Wouter C., Vos, Wiebe F., de Voort, Lieke van, and Ale, Ben J.M. (2010). Communication management during risk events and crises in a globalized world: Predictability of domestic media attention for calamities. Journal of Risk Research, 13(3), 279–302.
Create your account
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.