Chapter 4

Issues and Crisis Communication: Expecting the Unexpected

Almost every day, in the newspaper, on TV, or over the Web, we follow the plight of organizations in crisis – where something has publicly gone wrong and the world is watching … we think – “thank goodness, that’s not my company” 1

If someone asked you to identify “major business crises” during the last few years, you would likely have no trouble thinking of one. It seems environmental, social, or financial crises appear almost daily in the headlines and run the gamut of possibilities. The 2011 Japanese earthquake, tsunami, and resulting radioactive release disrupted electronics and automobile supply chains in Asia and the world. Global heath crises and food epidemics have ...

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