Strategic Communication for Crisis Management at ABC Company

This report investigates the importance of effective communication within the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to protect its reputation during a crisis. The problem statement focuses on evaluating communicative approaches in response to recent issues involving allegations of improper government influence and unethical political interference. The study emphasizes the necessity of prioritizing communication strategies to connect with stakeholders, regain business profitability, and overcome the crisis. It discusses different types of crises and strategies, including the Constructionist Model, to protect communication abilities. Recommendations are made for a systematic approach to stakeholders during crises. The report concludes that effective communication by managers is crucial for achieving organizational goals, and that open communication can empower workers, fostering confidence and unity to protect the venture's reputation.

CRISIS COMMUNICATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF
COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

Executive summary
This study sheds light on the priority of effective business communication in business context of
Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The problem statement of this study is to evaluate
communicative approaches in order to protect the reputation of the company. Based on the recent
issue of this venture, this study has approached to discuss the necessity to focus on the
communication strategy as a priority. At the time of crisis communication, it is necessary to
develop the connectivity with stakeholders as they can support the venture to regain the business
profitability and overcome the crisis period.
1

Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Identification of issue......................................................................................................................2
Priority on effective communication...............................................................................................2
Different types of crisis...................................................................................................................3
Strategies to protect the communication ability..............................................................................3
Recommendation.............................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................4
Reference list...................................................................................................................................5
Appendices......................................................................................................................................7
2

Introduction
Crisis communication is an attempt to protect an organization's reputation and maintain the
public image. In different times, ventures face various challenges that can be considered as effect
of crisis period. Initiative to protect a venture from negative effects of crisis is the development
strategy including effective communication. The study has focused to deal with a specific issue
in Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Company regarding its crisis communication and
development of communication strategies. Based on this issue, the study has proceeded to
evaluate the necessity of effective communication priority in favor of ABC Company.
Recommendations have made to define the characteristics of strategic communication response
on business crisis period. The problem statement of this study is to evaluate communicative
approaches in order to protect the reputation of the company.
Identification of issue
Australian Broadcasting Corporation has recently faced politics and outrage due to which the
public broadcaster is now under investigation. An allegation has risen about the improper
government influence and unethical political interference on the work process of this venture
(hawaiipublicradio.org, 2018). Additionally, firing of its managing director due to such a reason
has clearly questioned about the leadership and communication style in this venture. This can be
implicated as a serious issue as the sudden investigation about business ethics and standard has
direct impact on the employees. This crisis has not only affected the employees but also the
stakeholders are equally worried about this issue. As an after effect customers are in complete
doubt about its broadcasting channels.
The impact of crisis is serious in this sense as a lack of crisis communication may impact the
overall business of this venture. In order to manage such a situation, it is necessary to control the
negative aspects and make employees courageous to overcome the critical phase (Haumann et al.
2015). Employee turnover, low customer’s percentage is some of the negative effects that may
provide a serious barrier to business expansion of this company.
Priority on effective communication
Effective communication should be a priority for managers as it can help employees as well as
stakeholders to overcome the crisis period. As suggested by Lundgren and McMakin (2018), an
open communicative environment can help employees freely express their queries about
3

different issues. Consistency in internal communication is helping to foster the work ethics in the
selected venture. As for ABC Company, in the above-mentioned crisis, employees may feel
worries about the job security, internal conflict, and political effect. Managers in this situation
should highly responsive to clear the doubts and queries in their mind. It can help to solve their
questions about this turmoil.
On the other hand, employee engagement should be enhanced if managers are careful enough
about effective communication technique. Coombs (2015) said that, if managers provide enough
space for employees and provide the opportunity to convey their thoughts it will bring
improvement in this business process.
Company growth is another effect of communication skill of managerial persons. In the view
point of Heide and Simonsson (2014), it facilitates a two-way communication in internal and
external purposes of company. Effective external communication assists to ensure the ability of
company for promoting goods, services in target market. Additionally, it can manage the
marketing collaterals, press release and advertisements to improve company brand image. As for
ABC Company, the venture has to deal with several outer circumstances in order to deal with the
issue.
An effective internal communication in this situation can empower its employees to make them
aware of their responsibilities. Moreover, standard communicative approach is helpful to meet
the goal of a company within the time (Hofenk et al. 2017).
Different types of crisis
Improper communication can bring several risks that can provide an adverse impact on a
company. Liu and Fraustino (2014) said that, unless reviewing the situation, applying
communication theory can make a situation worse than before.
Strategies to protect the communication ability
Constructionist Model:
In this model, communication activities should be done in a very effective way that can
encourage, influence and convince people. According to Merkl-Davies and Brennan (2017), this
model has specifically focused on human behavior and the structure of society on which
communication standard depends. As for the selected venture, the same concepts can be applied
4

to survive in the crisis period. Good communication standard can help to access a strong message
from the managers which make them stay and supports the ventures are the critical situation.
Apart from the above concept string overview, messaging, feedback and medium are some
related factors that can help to make stakeholders ensure its effective working process. In order
to develop the communication strategy, managers of ABC firm can focus on mechanistic,
systematic, critical, social and psychological well being. Mechanistic way of communication is
not much effective as it is only a process of transmission of messages between a sender and
receiver. On the other hand, Saebi and Foss (2015) explained that connect people with
psychological viewpoint can be much effective to make receivers empathetic about a crisis. It is
more than just a mechanical transmission and receiver can understand the emotion, reaction, and
feeling of sender.
Recommendation
Though the development framework of communication is better supported with psychological
viewpoint yet social circumstances need to be judged for the expected result. As for ABC
Company, in the period of crisis, it should be better to conduct a systematic approach to
stakeholders. Mazzei and Ravazzani (2015) said that it will help to define the situation in own
way and reach a conclusion. Thus, managers can interpret the reason behind the issue and
interpret the message in their own way with their subordinates (Refer to appendix 1).
Conclusion
It can be concluded from the above study that effective communication by managers is a
necessary criterion to meet the organizational goal and objectives. Based on the recent issue of
ABC Company, it is necessary to manage the situation with effective communicative behavior of
managers. Based on the necessity of effective communication it can be said that both internal and
external business process are equally benefited by this approach. There are different
communicative strategies that are immensely helpful in crisis period of a venture. In order to
protect the reputation of organisation defined strategies can be applied to overcome the crisis
period. Application of open commutative strategy can help to empower the workers; they can
gain confidence, belief and security in working in this organization. Managers are the
responsible persons who can support and bring the unity among employees in order to protect the
reputation of venture in crisis period.
5

Reference list
Coombs, W.T., 2015. The value of communication during a crisis: Insights from strategic
communication research. Business Horizons, 58(2), pp.141-148.
Haumann, T., Güntürkün, P., Schons, L.M. and Wieseke, J., 2015. Engaging customers in
coproduction processes: How value-enhancing and intensity-reducing communication strategies
mitigate the negative effects of coproduction intensity. Journal of Marketing [Online] 79(6),
pp.17-33. Available at: https://www.ama.org/publications/JournalOfMarketing/Pages/engaging-
customers-coproduction-value-enhancing.aspx [Accessed on 2nd October 2018]
hawaiipublicradio.org (2018). Hawaiipublicradio. Available at:
http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/asia-minute-politics-and-outrage-australian-broadcasting-
corporation[Accessed on 2nd October 2018]
Heide, M. and Simonsson, C., 2014. Developing internal crisis communication: New roles and
practices of communication professionals. Corporate Communications: An International
Journal, 19(2), pp.128-146.
Hofenk, D., van Birgelen, M., Bloemer, J. and Semeijn, J., 2017. How and When Retailers’
Sustainability Efforts Translate into Positive Consumer Responses: The Interplay Between
Personal and Social Factors. Journal of Business Ethics, [Online] pp.1-20. Available at:
https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-017-3616-1[Accessed on 2nd October 2018]
Liu, B.F. and Fraustino, J.D., 2014. Beyond image repair: Suggestions for crisis communication
theory development. Public Relations Review [Online] 40(3), pp.543-546. Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/institution/Loyola_University_Maryland/department/
Department_of_Communication/publications?nav=overview&ev=dep_pub [Accessed on 2nd
October 2018]
Lundgren, R.E. and McMakin, A.H., 2018. Risk communication: A handbook for communicating
environmental, safety, and health risks. Ed 2 US: John Wiley & Sons.
Mazzei, A. and Ravazzani, S., 2015. Internal crisis communication strategies to protect trust
relationships: A study of Italian companies. International Journal of Business
Communication, 52(3), pp.319-337.
Merkl-Davies, D.M. and Brennan, N.M., 2017. A theoretical framework of external accounting
communication: Research perspectives, traditions, and theories. Accounting, Auditing &
Accountability Journal, 30(2), pp.433-469.
6

Saebi, T. and Foss, N.J., 2015. Business models for open innovation: Matching heterogeneous
open innovation strategies with business model dimensions. European Management
Journal, 33(3), pp.201-213.
7

Appendices
Appendix 1: Factors in communication
(Source: created by researcher)
8
MechanisticPsychologicalSocialSystemic