Good examples throughout the paper to back up what they are stating Reaffirmed safety rather than explaining what happened pg 2 oxygen canisters being shipped in the cargo hold ignited a fire that brought the plane down shortly after its take off pg 2 the events which surround air crashes are inherently dramatic involving life and death situations heroic actions fatal and fateful decisions and unforgettable visual images pg 2 themes were altered slightly by the recurrent suspicion that legitimate authoritites had failed to safeguard the public welfare and that the efforts to restore normalcy were being compromised by the FAA s desire to promote the low cost no frills segment of the aviation industry crisis has become a convenient synonym for an accident disruption catastrophe or disaster with no attempt to delineate the scope or severity of a given problem pg 3 Crisis definition within crisis comm pg 3 o A surprise o A high threat to important values o Requiring a short decision time a major occurrence with a potentially negative outcome affecting an organization company or industry as well as its publics products or good name pg 3 unstable time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending pg 3 Five common characteristics of a crisis communication situation pg 3 o Unpredictable event occurs technological uncertainty o Important values for an individual or institution must be threated in order for a crisis communication situation to exist Larger scope o The intention of an actor or an organization plays a minor if negligible role in analyzing a crisis communication situation o A crisis communication occurrence represents a time sensitive situation pressure for an immediate explanation to reassure the media relevant stakeholders and the public at large o A crisis communication situation involves a dynamic or multi dimensional set of relationships within a rapidly changing environment Effective communication is essential to maintaining a positive relationship with key stakeholders such as employees customers suppliers and shareholders The context in which a crisis situation takes place may best be described as dynamic and fluid rather than static and one dimensional pg 4 Companies must use strategic ambiguity because they have multiple goals and multiple audiences pg 5 Fink s Natural History Approach o Four stages pg 5 Prodromal Phase running before or providing warning signs A manager should attempt to detect early warning signs of a crisis because the safest assumption for a decision maker within an organization is to acknowledge t that a crisis looms on the horizon Acute Crisis Phase A period where events unfold with great speed and intensity Characterized by five elements The situation escalates in intensity from an undisclosed problem to a receptacle of public attention The situation attracts increased media attention Critical distractions interfere with normal business activities The situation affects the posititve image of the company and the repuatation of its management team The situation affects the financial well being of the organization Chronic Crisis Phase Undertaking steps to correct whatever difficulties have surfaced during the acute phase Crisis Resolution Stage A period when the company makes a Benoit s Image Restoration Approach pg 6 full recovery from the crisis o Based upon the assumption that an individual s or organization s most important asset is its reputation o An individual or organization will innately seek behaviors that maximize its reputation or image o Repuration or image maximizing behavior occurs within a fluid and ever changing context o Attack defend stimulus response condition o An attack has two major components The accused is held responsible for an action The action is considered offensive o Model is divided into five broad categories of strategies to be employed during a crisis event Denial Manifests itself in two variations Simple Denial Shifting the blame to another party as the actual source of the offensive action Portrays the organization or individual as a victim of unfair allegations or circumstances Evasion of Responsibility Four variations Defeasability A lack of information or control over elements within the crisis communication situation occurs Provocation The action occurs in response to the initiation of a detrimental step and thus the behavior is defensive in nature Accidental The action occurs inadvertently Good Intentions The wrongful activity occurs but it was premised upon good and sincere intentions Reduction of Offensiveness Six tactical variants to allow an individual or organization to reduce its responsibility for an offensive action Bolstering Stressing positive traits in order to offset any negative accusations against an individual s or organization s reputation Minimization Reducing or downplaying the negative aspects of a wrongful act Differentiation Distinguishing the alleged wrongful act from other actions that involve deep rooted harms and negative effects Transcendence Placing the act into favorable context or new frame of reference Counter Attack Actions and messages designed to reduce the credibility of the source of the allegations about wrongful conduct Compensation Providing a gift or tribute to directly aid the victims and to mitigate the negative aspects of an offensive act Corrective Action Designed to remedy any future occurrences of the act by enacting changes to eliminate the offensive behavior Mortification Use of apologies expressions or regret and admissions of guilt in seeking public forgiveness for the offensive behavior Birkland s Focusing Events Approach pg 9 o Sudden unpredictable events play an important role in promoting public policy discussions o Dramatic news events or crises can often cause a positive focus on public policy and encourages the public to take action to correct a problem o Agenda setting is the process by which problems and alternative solutions gain or lose public and elite attention o Two major types of focusing events Normal Natural isaster predictability New Event An event that has never happened before or alternatively happened so long ago as to have faded from memory Causes confusion and a call to action to create a preventative or coping mechanism The Integration of State and Strategies Analysis The crisis communication situation includes the o Disruption of normal business operations o Financial harm o Intense media scrutiny o Frequently