Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

10-2010

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to extend current theories in crisis communication, by developing a more systemic approach to understanding the role of emotions in crises and the strategies organizations can use to respond. The authors' integrated crisis mapping (ICM) model is premised on a public-based, emotion-driven perspective where different crises are mapped on two continua, the organization's engagement in the crisis and primary public's coping strategy. Design/methodology/approach: Content analysis was used to analyze 259 stories in US mainstream newspaper covering five different crisis cases. Findings: The initial test suggests theoretical rigor. It found that publics involved in crises pertaining to reputational damage, technological breakdown, industrial matters, labor unrest, and regulation/legislation, are likely to feel anxious, angry, and sad. At the same time, they are likely to engage in conative coping. Originality/value: Understanding publics' emotions in crisis is a rarely studied area. This model is arguably the first to suggest a framework of emotions. This study is the first of a series of tests to generate what Yin termed "analytic generalization" for the ICM model.

Keywords

Corporate communications, Communication management, Emotional intelligence, Public relations, United States of America

Discipline

Business and Corporate Communications | Organizational Behavior and Theory

Research Areas

Corporate Communication

Publication

Corporate Communications: An International Journal

Volume

15

Issue

4

First Page

428

Last Page

452

ISSN

1356-3289

Identifier

10.1108/13563281011085529

Publisher

Emerald

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1108/13563281011085529

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