Question: Ongoing Crisis Communication (2019), Timothy Coombs states that “crisis communication cannot and will not cure all the problems created by a crisis (…) and communication will not change how people act toward organisation” (p.159).

Assessment brief: In his book Ongoing Crisis Communication (2019), Timothy Coombs states that “crisis communication cannot and will not cure all the problems created by a crisis (…) and communication will not change how people act toward organisation” (p.159).

Using both theory and practical analysis, write a debate report for your CEO assessing to what extent the above statement is true. Your report must be based on a comparative analysis of two case studies – see list below – and offer relevant recommendations.

Guidance notes for the crisis debate report:

The crisis debate report must be written as a client facing document with clear sections and subheadings and should include screenshots of earned, shared and owned media to illustrate your arguments.

Please note that screenshots (including text) are not included in the word count, but you need to make sure any visual evidence you provide is readable and clearly explained or translated should you choose international case studies.

For the purpose of your analysis, you must select one of the following options:

Option 1: Balenciaga & Gucci

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11452015/Balenciaga-slammed-furious-parents-disgusting-campaign-BONDAGE-clad-teddy-bear-bags.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/harry-styles-gucci-ad-balenciaga-b2248489.html

Option 2: Adidas (Kanye West) & Nike (Kyrie Irving)

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/05/nike-parts-ways-with-nba-star-kyrie-irving-after-antisemitism-flap.html

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/04/kanye-west-white-lives-matter-t-shirt-paris-fashion-week

Option 3: Buckingham Palace & L.A. City Council

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63808613

https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-city-council-nury-martinez-resignation-19571bf8ce0524dfa84b5784ce30f65d

You cannot select organisations that are not included in the list.

• Use newspaper databases (e.g. Nexis Uni via https://libguides.
  ncl.ac.uk/news/current) or Google search with specific date range settings, as well as social media channels to research your case studies.
• Write in business English using standard sections, in active voice, in 12 point on 1.5 line spacing in Arial.
• For more guidance on writing a report, see Cottrell, S. (2013) The study skills handbook. 4^th Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 357-363.
• There will be a 5 mark reduction for exceeding the ‘range of the word-limit plus or minus 5%’, i.e. word count of the report must fall between 1900 and 2100 words.
• An academic reference list in Harvard style is required (not included in your word count), but please use footnotes for any in-text references as this is an industry-facing report.
• The deadline for this task is 4pm on Monday, 22 May 2023.

Suggested report outline:

1. Title
2. Introduction explaining the background of the crises
3. Main body – to include both ANALYSIS (not just description) of both crises from both a theoretical and practical perspective
4. Summary, evaluation, and recommendations. Make sure this section fully addresses the assessment question.

https://apaxresearchers.com/storage/files/2023/05/12/9667-cim_22_14_02_mch8179-week-3-seminar-predicting-and-preventing-crises-canvas.pdf

https://apaxresearchers.com/storage/files/2023/05/12/9667-v3T_22_13_52_mch8179-week-4-crisis-management-planning-canvas-210223.pdf

https://apaxresearchers.com/storage/files/2023/05/12/9667-LLA_22_13_41_mch8179-week-6-lecture-anatomy-of-crisis-canvas.pdf

https://apaxresearchers.com/storage/files/2023/05/12/9667-glh_22_13_31_mch8179-week-9-lecture-crisis-management-and-stakeholders-canvas.pdf