Case Study Topic: The Starbucks Incident (https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/the-starbucks-incident-a-crisis-management-case-study/)
Select a contemporary crisis (2019 – 2021)(I’ve selected the Starbucks incident, see background in link above) and write an original case analysis (4 pages plus references). I encourage you to select a case that truly interests you from a professional standpoint. That is, you believe the situation or case specifics have something useful to teach you about effective crisis communication management. Keep the length of this paper in mind when you are selecting the case. Steer clear of choosing huge, complicated events (9-11, Hurricane Sandy) because you just won’t be able to cover the topic effectively or do justice to an analysis of this magnitude in 4 pages. However, if a large issue or event interests you, pick a small aspect of it that will be a more manageable topic to cover.
You must use either Situational Crisis Communication Theory (Coombs, 2007) or Image Restoration Theory (Benoit, 1997) as the strategic lens through which you examine the various elements of the case. In your paper, use definitions and terms from class materials and other research to define the crisis, describe its characteristics and describe the actions and strategies of the organization.
In addition to using either the SCCT or IRT articles provided in class, your case should incorporate at least two other sources. This means you should be using a minimum of four (4) sources. Two of the additional required sources must be from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. You may also consult news reports and review social media and other sources for insights and descriptions to help you get the details of the case, what was done and how the actions (or lack of actions) impacted the outcome(s).
Here are the elements your case should include:
1. Provide an introductory overview of the crisis. What happened, who was involved, what precipitated the events, what disruptions to normal operations occurred. Discuss the seriousness of the threat to the organization, its reputation.
2. Discuss whether the organization experiencing the crisis had any warnings or prodromes that such a crisis might happen and if so, what precautionary actions it took.
3. Provide a summary of the theory (IRT or SCCT) and its explanatory power in helping us to understand the crisis and how it was handled.
4. Using the IRT or SCCT frameworks, describe the actions the organization took to resolve the crisis and return to normal operations. Identify and explain the image restoration strategies used and how. Cite specific passages from communication and describe events or actions that exemplify the strategies.
5. Was there a plan? Who were the stakeholders? What was the strategy? Was it effective? What were the messages? What communication tactics did the organization use? Evaluate how effective they were and discuss why they were or were not effective.
6. Discuss the roles and actions of the media (including both traditional and social media, as applicable) and other key stakeholders and players in the crisis.
7. Evaluation — Was it effective/successful?
8. What worked? What didn’t work? On what do you base these conclusions?
9. Were actions taken by others to distance themselves from the organization and/or person in question? Did people rally or retreat?
10. Did the actions and communication help to bring about quick resolution or did they prolong the crisis?
11. What, if anything, might the person/organization have done differently to bring about a more positive outcome?
12. Describe the final resolution of the crisis, including any lasting impacts on the organization. Can you detect or predict any potential benefits from this crisis?
Finally, your paper should:
• Cite all references in accordance with the format and requirements of the Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association.
• Be thoughtful (go beyond what others say), demonstrate your critical thinking skills, ruthlessly edited, and free of grammatical, spelling, word choice and punctuation errors.
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