Nonprofit in Crisis: An Examination of the Applicability of Situational Crisis Communication Theory

Coombs' (2007) Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) provides the theoretical framework for a 3 × 2 experiment testing the effects of SCCT response strategies from a nonprofit organization. The body of research devoted to crisis communication rarely addresses one of the largest areas of public relations, the public sector. Findings illustrate that in two extremes, one in which the nonprofit is a victim and one in which the nonprofit acts intentionally, the strategies of SCCT are successful. The least effective strategy was when the nonprofit was responding to an accident, the most frequent type of crisis situation.

[1]  Earl R. Babbie,et al.  The practice of social research , 1969 .

[2]  Sherry J. Holladay,et al.  An Extended Examination of the Crisis Situations: A Fusion of the Relational Management and Symbolic Approaches , 2001 .

[3]  Dennis R. Young,et al.  Educating Managers of Nonprofit Organizations , 1988 .

[4]  William R. Darden,et al.  Consumer Assessments of Responsibility For Product-Related Injuries: the Impact of Regulations, Warnings, and Promotional Policies , 1992 .

[5]  W. Timothy Coombs,et al.  Attribution Theory as a guide for post-crisis communication research , 2007 .

[6]  Glen T. Cameron,et al.  The Effects of Threat Type and Duration on Public Relations Practitioner's Cognitive, Affective, and Conative Responses in Crisis Situations , 2007 .

[7]  R. Ulmer,et al.  Effective Crisis Communication: Moving From Crisis to Opportunity , 2006 .

[8]  Peter Frumkin,et al.  On Being Nonprofit: A Conceptual and Policy Primer , 2002 .

[9]  William L. Benoit,et al.  The Tonya Harding controversy: An analysis of image restoration strategies , 1994 .

[10]  Emmett D. Carson.  Public Expectations and Nonprofit Sector Realities: A Growing Divide with Disastrous Consequences , 2002 .

[11]  B. L. Ware,et al.  They spoke in defense of themselves: On the generic criticism of apologia , 1973 .

[12]  Glen T. Cameron,et al.  A Relational Approach Examining the Interplay of Prior Reputation and Immediate Response to a Crisis , 2004 .

[13]  BETTY KAMAN LEE,et al.  Audience-Oriented Approach to Crisis Communication : A Study of Hong Kong Consumers ’ Evaluation of an Organizational Crisis , 2004 .

[14]  Myria W. Allen,et al.  Legitimation endeavors: Impression management strategies used by an organization in crisis , 1994 .

[15]  J. Powell,et al.  Reputation Management: The Key to Successful Public Relations and Corporate Communication , 2008 .

[16]  J. Mccroskey.  Scales for the measurement of ethos , 1966 .

[17]  William L. Benoit,et al.  Accounts, excuses, and apologies : a theory of image restoration strategies , 1994 .

[18]  Michael Pfau,et al.  The Relative Effectiveness of Inoculation, Bolstering, and Combined Approaches in Crisis Communication , 2004 .

[19]  W. T. Coombs,et al.  An Analytic Framework for Crisis Situations: Better Responses From a Better Understanding of the Situation , 1998 .

[20]  Organ Donation Awareness Campaigns in the PR Campaigns Course , 2006 .

[21]  H. Thomas,et al.  Strategic Management and Change in High Dependency Environments: The Case of a Philanthropic Organization , 2005 .

[22]  Lynne M. Sallot,et al.  Image Repair in Politics: Testing Effects of Communication Strategy and Performance History in a Faux Pas , 2008 .

[23]  K. Hilton.  Primer of Public Relations Research , 2003 .

[24]  W. T. Coombs,et al.  Choosing the Right Words , 1995 .

[25]  J. Norwood,et al.  Occupational outlook handbook , 1990 .

[26]  William L. Benoit.  Hugh Grant's image restoration discourse: An actor apologizes , 1997 .

[27]  W. T. Coombs,et al.  Impact of Past Crises on Current Crisis Communication , 2004 .

[28]  W. T. Coombs,et al.  Protecting Organization Reputations During a Crisis: The Development and Application of Situational Crisis Communication Theory , 2007 .

[29]  William L. Benoit,et al.  AT&T: “Apologies are not enough” , 1994 .

[30]  Sherry J. Holladay,et al.  Communication and Attributions in a Crisis: An Experimental Study in Crisis Communication , 1996 .

[31]  Keith Michael Hearit,et al.  Crisis Management By Apology: Corporate Response to Allegations of Wrongdoing , 2005 .

[32]  Julie O’Neil.  The link between strong public relationships and donor support , 2007 .

[33]  Yoonhyeung Choi,et al.  Consumer Responses to Mattel Product Recalls Posted on Online Bulletin Boards: Exploring Two Types of Emotion , 2009 .