Introductory description

Crisis communication is a rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field which has seen important new developments in theory and practice in the last decade, particularly relating to culture. Intercultural communication is crucial for managing international and global crises successfully, and the crisis responses of organisations ranging from multinational corporations to public authorities are subject to intense media scrutiny due to their real-world impact. Moreover, the role of social media in crisis communication has come increasingly under focus in all categories of present-day crises, which likewise calls for multiple perspectives on language and culture. This module draws on well-established theories alongside recent research involving alternative approaches to crisis communication to explore crises in both corporate and public spheres from a critical intercultural perspective. Case studies will also be discussed in terms of cultural conflicts that may underlie or emerge from a crisis, which - especially with regard to recent global events - make it increasingly hard to draw a clear line between corporate, health, environmental, and political crises.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

• Crisis communication and culture
• Regenerative crises
• Corporate crises
• Political crises
• Pandemics and epidemics
• Climate and environment
• Corporate social responsibility in a crisis
• Crisis communication and conflict

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of traditional theories of crisis communication and alternative approaches to crisis communication.
• Demonstrate critical understanding of empirical studies of crisis communication and the frameworks that underpin them
• Relate linguistic concepts to crisis communication in mainstream and social media
• Demonstrate critical awareness of intercultural conflict associated with crises of different origin in international contexts
• Conduct analyses of corporate and public crisis communication and respond critically to contemporary media texts that concern urgent global issues

Indicative reading list

Austin, L. L., & Jin, Y. (2018). Social media and crisis communication. Routledge.

Benoit, W. L. (2018). Crisis and image repair at United Airlines: Fly the unfriendly skies. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, 1(1), 11-26. https://doi.org/10.30658/jicrcr.1.1.2

Benoit, W. (1997). Image repair discourse and crisis communication. Public Relations Review, 23(2), 177-186.

Cheng, Y., & Cameron, G. (2018). The status of social-mediated crisis communication (SMCC) research. In L. Austin & Y. Jin (Eds.), Social media and crisis communication (pp. 21-37). Routledge.

Coombs, W. T. (2017). Digital naturals and the rise of paracrises: The shape of modern crisis communication. In S. C. Duhé (Ed.), New media and public relations (pp. 281–290) (3rd ed.). Peter Lang US.

Coombs, W. T. (2015). The value of communication during a crisis: Insights from strategic communication research. Business Horizons, 58, 141—148

George, A. M., & Kwansah-Aidoo, K. (Eds.). (2017). Culture and crisis communication: Transboundary cases from nonwestern perspectives. Wiley.

Lehmberg, D. & Hicks, J. (2018). A ‘glocalization’ approach to the internationalizing of crisis communication. Business Horizons, 61, 357-366

Li, S. (2017). Apology as a crisis response strategy: A genre-based analysis of intercultural corporate apologies. International Journal of Linguistics and Communication. 5(1), 73-83

Mak, A. K. Y., & Song, A. (2019). Revisiting social-mediated crisis communication model: The Lancôme regenerative crisis after the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement. Public Relations Review, 45, 101812.

Schwarz, A., Seeger, M. W., & Auer, C. (Eds.). (2016). The handbook of international crisis communication research. Wiley Blackwell.

Slovic, S., Rangarajan, S., & Sarveswaran, V. (Eds.). (2019). Routledge handbook of ecocriticism and environmental communication. Routledge.

Zhao, H., Falkheimer, J., & Heide, M. (2017). Revisiting a social constructionist approach to crisis communication: Investigating contemporary crises in China. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 11(5), 364–378.

Zhao, H. (2020). Explicating the social constructionist perspective on crisis communication and crisis management research: A review of communication and business journals. Journal of Public Relations Research, 32(3-4), 98-119

Zhu, A., Anagondahalli, D., & Zhang, A. (2017). Social media and culture in crisis communication: McDonald’s and KFC crises management in China. Public Relations Review, 43(3), 487-492.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Research element

Students research one of two topic areas for their written assignment, contextualising their analysis in a critical review and discussion of the relevant literature.

International

Each topic and its resources are linked to international events and discourses, addressing a range of intercultural perspectives that include those brought by the students themselves, and opportunities to reflect critically together.

Subject specific skills

--Critically evaluate the use of different research methods and frameworks in empirical studies of crisis communication
--Conduct analyses of crisis communication in the public domain including analyses of contemporary media texts
--Juxtapose traditional approaches to crisis communication with linguistic approaches to crisis communication and selectively apply these as appropriate
--Discuss intercultural conflict associated with crises of different origins in international contexts

Transferable skills

--Communicate clearly and contribute effectively in discussions
--Work collaboratively in teams
--Read academic papers effectively
--Communicate ideas effectively in writing, using appropriate wording and structure
--Work independently
--Plan and manage time and workload to meet deadlines