METHODOLOGY AND OBJECTIVES

Transcription

1 Crisis Communications Management PRAD 376 Section 401 Fall 2014 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:10-11:40 a.m., 14 E. Jackson, Room 605 Instructor: Jim Motzer Phone: Office ; Cell Office: 14 E. Jackson, Room 1247 (am) and SAC 589 (pm) Office hours: Tue and Thu 9-10 am (Loop) and 3-4 pm (LPC) and by appointment COURSE OVERVIEW Crisis communications applies the public relations professional s complete arsenal of skills creativity, curiosity, diligence, diplomacy, ethical behavior, humility, strategic thinking, quotable language, and a very thick skin and puts them to the test in a scenario with life-and-death stakes. All organizations corporate, government, trade association, non-profit experience crises. Crises interrupt organizations routines and attract extreme public and media scrutiny. For some organizations, a crisis may have long-term and even fatal implications irrevocably harming the organization s bottom line, or often worse, its perceived image and reputation. For other organizations, a crisis can be an expected event for which the organization has planned and prepared well in advance. The critical difference between a fatal or fleeting outcome is effective crisis management. And the key to effective crisis management is quick, open and honest communication of actions that restore credibility, confidence and control. METHODOLOGY AND OBJECTIVES This undergraduate-level course covers crisis communications and issues management with an emphasis on real-world application and case study analysis. Classes will be divided between lecture, class discussion and student. At the end of the course, you will: Acquire an overall understanding of the nature of organizational crises, crisis management theory, and effective crisis management principles. Understand different types of crises and apply effective crisis communication principles to develop strategic crisis responses for external and internal stakeholders designed to minimize the negative impact of a crisis. Become fluent in developing effective messaging and communications techniques required of a skilled spokesperson. Gain experience in developing a basic crisis management plan (CMP). Recognize potential ethical and legal issues for crisis communications managers. TEXTBOOKS AND READINGS Textbook chapters and readings posted on are assigned to complement, not replicate the material covered in class lectures and discussion. Students are expected to stay current with the assigned readings which will be part of class discussions and written examinations. The textbook is:, K. (2011). Crisis Communications, A casebook approach (Fourth edition). New York: Routledge ASSIGNMENTS and GRADING ALLOCATIONS Please see the assessment criteria (distributed in class and posted on ) for information on how to submit the assignment. Please use Microsoft Word (11 or 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing) and PowerPoint for assignments. 1

2 All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date indicated in the Course Calendar. Late assignments will be subject to grade penalties of 10% for each day after the due date. Students are responsible for all assignments given during an absence. Make-up exams and work are not available without prior instructor permission. 1. Class Attendance 10% Your success in this course will depend on attending class. Students are allowed one unexcused absence during the quarter. Other absences will affect your attendance grade unless approved by the instructor. Approved absences may include severe illness, funeral of an immediate family member, or other event with a non-negotiable date such as an emergency surgery or student athlete competition. 2. Reading Bullets and/or Discussion Participation 10% Keeping up with the assigned readings is essential for participating in the class discussion. While I will make every effort to encourage class participation, my experience is some students are reluctant to contribute to the discussion. To ensure all students feel they can succeed, students can earn two points based on the following options per grading period: Contribute two significant insights to class discussion or Submit typewritten hardcopy of two sets of reading bullets per the class schedule or Contribute one significant insight & submit typewritten copy of one set of reading bullets Grading periods and bullet due dates are as follows: Tuesday, September 16, and Thursday, September 18 Tuesday, September 23, and Thursday, September 25 Tuesday, September 30, and Thursday, October 2 Tuesday, October 7, Thursday, October 9, and Tuesday, October 14 (2 sets of bullets due when not presenting your group s Crisis Case Study) Thursday, October 23, and Thursday, October 30 Tuesday, November 4, and Tuesday, November 11 To receive credit, students must submit at least five bullets about the textbook or readings including: Key points which you may want to apply to your final PR campaign project Questions you have about the text or PR campaign cases Something in the chapter or PR campaign cases you d like to further research. What were the most memorable quotes from the book or reading? Bullets are due as outlined in the course schedule and late bullets will not be accepted. Active class participation involves more than physical presence since the learning process not only occurs between instructor and student, but also among students. We ll begin each class with a discussion of the assigned readings and current news topics with PR implications so you have plenty of opportunities to contribute to the class discussion. 3. Key Message Writing Exercise 5% One of the course objectives is to develop your skills in writing key messages which are a critical spokesperson tool to ensure the most important messages are communicated no matter the questions asked. Students will be given a crisis scenario and be asked to develop key messages. 4. Online Quiz 10% To help give students a sneak preview of the midterm exam, students will be assigned a brief online () quiz that will cover the assigned readings and lectures through Tuesday, September 30. 2

3 5. Crisis Management Case Study Presentation 15% (12% team and 3% individual) To replicate the typical crisis environment in which public relations professionals collaborate with others within an organization, we will randomly organize students into teams which will choose a case study to present, evaluate and facilitate discussion with the class. 6. Midterm Exam, Thursday, October 16 15% This exam will cover readings and lectures through Tuesday, October Crisis Management Plan 20% First draft 12% (10% team and 2% individual) due Friday, Nov 7, at 12 noon (dropbox) Final draft 8% (6% team and 2% individual) due Friday, Nov 14, at 12 noon (dropbox) Working in the same teams as you did for your crisis case study, you will develop a crisis management plan (CMP) designed to manage a specific scenario. Teams and scenarios will be assigned on Tuesday, October 21. The Tuesday, October 28, class period will be set aside for your team to work on your plan. 8. Final exam: Crisis Simulation Presentation 15% (12% team and 3% individual) In lieu of a final exam, you will work in your teams to manage to a hypothetical crisis scenario related to the CMP your team developed. Your team will receive specifics of your crisis on Tuesday, November 18, and will spend that class session developing a response your team will present on Tuesday, November 25, during the scheduled final exam period. Between November 18 and 25, teams are encouraged to fine-tune their. 9. Extra Credit To underscore the importance of learning from emerging crises reported by the news media, you have the opportunity to submit up to four 3-4 page documents that analyze a recent crisis or emerging issue. Extra credit submissions cannot cover the same cases we covered in class or the team. By successfully completing the write-up as outlined in the assessment criteria posted on, you will receive one additional point toward your final grade for a maximum total of four grade points. In most cases, completing four extra credit assignments will raise your grade one level, such as from a B to a B+. Extra credit due by Tuesday, November 18, at 6 pm. Grading Scale A A B B B COURSE SCHEDULE Wk Date Lecture/Discussion Readings Submit 1 Th, 9/11 Introductions Review course outline Assign Crisis Case Study groups PRSSA video 9/16 C C C D D F Below 60 Crisis management overview Communications when a crisis strikes o Situational Crisis Communications Theory (SCCT) o Communicating with key stakeholders Wendy s Finger-in-the-Chili case C. 1 C. 4 (pp & pp ) C. 12 (pp ) Coombs, Ongoing crisis communication, Chapter 8 Coombs video 3

4 Wk Date Lecture/Discussion Readings Submit 2 Th, 9/18 9/23 3 Th, 9/25 Tue 9/30 4 Th, 10/2 10/7 5 Th, 10/9 Crisis theories Crisis prevention finding warning signs Discussion: Reading and news Taking preventive measures o o Issues management, risk assessment, reputation management Corporate social responsibility (CSR) Haagen-Dazs bee CSR program Crisis management team and identifying a spokesperson Spokesperson media training Writing key messages, statements Group exercise: Key messages Tylenol and Exxon Valdez: Bookends on an ethical continuum? Legal and ethical concerns for crisis communications managers Group exercise: Writing statements Cybercrises o Motrin and moms o Nestle brandjacking o Progressive Insurance Rumors Tommy Hilfiger Communicating with diverse audiences Textbook crises, rumors and cybercrises case study o Groups 1&2 Product quality and tampering cases o Maple Leaf Foods and listeria o Gerber: standing its ground o Pet Food Institute Product quality & tampering or death & injury crisis case o Groups 3&4 Death and injury crises o Virginia Tech shooting o Northern Illinois shooting C. 2 C. 3 C. 9 C. 4 (pp ) Appendix A (pp ) Appendix C (pp ) C. 4 (pp ) C. 7 Pauly, J. J. & Hutchison, L. L. (2005). Moral fables of public relations practice. PRSA Code of ethics WOMMA Ethics Code C. 5 & 6 C. 12, pp Gottschalk, J. A. (1993). Crisis response. In L. J. Lovejoy, Villains and victims of product tampering (Gerber pp ) Silver Anvil case o Pet Food Institute C. 5 (pp ) C. 8 (pp ) Northern Illinois University Office of Public Affairs: Putting Lessons Learned to Work Key message exercise assigned Key message exercise due (dropbox) Online quiz activated Online quiz due Case study (hardcopy and dropbox) (hardcopy, excused if presenting) Case study (hardcopy and dropbox) (hardcopy, excused if presenting) 4

5 Wk Date Lecture/Discussion Readings Submit 5 10/14 6 Th, 10/16 10/21 7 Th, 10/23 10/28 8 Th, 10/30 11/4 9 Th, 11/6 11/11 10 Th, 11/13 11/18 Organizational mis-deeds, natural disaster, or transportation crisis o Groups 5&6 Labor manufacturing facility closing Midterm exam Assign crisis plan development/final exam teams and plan scenarios Conducting a crisis inventory Develop a crisis management plan Discussion: News Guest Lecturer: Cynthia Lawson, VP of Public Relations and Communications, DePaul Texas A&M bonfire tragedy Class time to work on crisis plans Transportation crises o Metro Transit in Seattle o Eurostar o Carnival Splendor 2010 o US Airways Flight 1549 Natural disasters - Hurricane Katrina Guest Lecturer: Scott Farrell, President, Global Corporate Practice Tasty Meats crisis simulation Discussion: News Individuals in crisis: Tiger Woods Non-profit crises: Susan G. Komen Feedback on crisis plans Discussion: News Company misdeeds crises o Martha Stewart o Netflix Post-crisis evaluation Final observations and learnings Teams formulate responses for final project crisis simulation presentation Teams present crisis responses Pryor documents key messages, media statement, media results report, message tracker C. 15 C. 8 (pp ) C. 11 C. 13 (pp ) American Airlines Flight 24 C. 10 C 14 Page Society Komen case Final 11/25, 8:45-11 am Any scheduling changes will be announced in class and reinforced on. Case study (hardcopy and dropbox) for excused chapter Three questions for Cynthia Lawson First draft crisis plan due, Fri, Nov 7, at 12 noon (dropbox) Final draft crisis plan due, Fri, Nov 14, at 12 noon (dropbox) Optional extra credit due, Nov 18, at 6 pm (dropbox) CLASS POLICIES Students will be treated as you can expect to be treated in the work place. As an adult professional you will be expected to be on the job, on-time every day and responsible for your 5

6 own performance. Students are expected to turn off all cell phones in the classroom. Students who leave while the class is in session will be marked as absent except in the case of extreme emergency as defined by student and instructor. Technology-Assisted Learning Policy You are welcome to use computers to take notes in class. If you are seen using your computer in class for another purpose, you will have to take notes by hand for the rest of the course. Desire to Learn () I will use the class site as the primary method of communication with you. On, I will post assessment criteria for all assignments, additional readings, and the Powerpoint slides for all lectures by 10 p.m. before class days. Please get familiar with the site and check it often. Guest speakers During the quarter, several guest speakers who are leaders in their fields will share their insights. Please grant them the respect and attention they deserve, which will also reflect well on DePaul. Take full advantage of the opportunity: familiarize yourself with their work before class; take notes during their ; ask thoughtful questions; introduce yourself after class and invite them to be part of your professional network. Writing Strong writing and grammar skills including accurate spelling and correct punctuation are essential to succeed in public relations. Errors undermine the credibility of your documents and will have a negative impact on your grade. DePaul students looking to enhance their writing skills have a great resource in the Writing Center. Visit to schedule 30 or 50-minute appointments to review your assignments or receive other free writing assistance. Extra credit points may be available for students who work with the Writing Center. Academic Integrity Policy Violations of academic integrity, in any of their forms, are detrimental to the values of DePaul. Plagiarism is a serious form of violation of this standard. Plagiarism involves the deliberate taking and use of specific words and ideas of others without proper acknowledgement of the sources. For more information on plagiarism and acceptable paraphrasing, visit: Plagiarism of academic work will result minimally in the instructor assigning the grade of F for the assignment or examination. In addition, all instances of academic dishonesty must be reported to the appropriate persons within the university. Please refer to the DePaul s Academic Integrity Policy for additional guidelines. Accommodations Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussion will remain confidential. To ensure that you receive the most reasonable accommodation based on your needs, please contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first two weeks of the course) and contact the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD), #370, Student Center, LPC, , for support and additional services. Please notify the CSD with your request in advance of a particular test, assignment or event. Dean of Students Office The Dean of Students Office (DOS) helps students in navigating the university, particularly during difficult situations, such as personal, financial, medical, and/or family crises. Absence Notifications to faculty, Late Withdrawals, and Community Resource Referrals, support students both in and outside of the classroom. Additionally we have resources and programs to support health and wellness, violence prevention, substance abuse and drug prevention, and LGBTQ student services. We are committed to your success as a DePaul student. Please feel free to contact the office at 6