MARK907: Crisis Communication Plan Analysis of Hook, Line & Sinker

This report provides a critical analysis of the crisis communication plan for Hook, Line & Sinker Corporation, a retail chain. It examines the plan's key elements, including the detailed communication strategy, crisis communication team, key messages, internal communication procedures, and contact/media lists. The analysis evaluates the plan's effectiveness in managing information and meaning during a crisis, referencing relevant theories and best practices. The report also assesses the company's preparedness to handle various crisis scenarios, such as natural disasters, criminal actions, and financial issues, highlighting the importance of pre-drafted messages and spokesperson training. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the need for well-defined internal communication procedures and a comprehensive contact list to ensure effective communication with both internal staff and external stakeholders. The analysis concludes with an overview of crisis management, emphasizing the need for continuous evaluation and improvement of the crisis communication plan.

Crisis communication plan of Hook, Line & Sinker Corporation
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Abstract
This report provides a critical analysis and a theoretical bases of organization crisis
communication plan with an application on Hook, Line & Sinker Corporation, Retail Stores. It
investigates the company detailed communication plan, crisis communication team, examples of
key messages to be delivered in case the crisis occurs, the internal communications procedures
and preparation of Contacts and media list.

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Table of Contents
Abstract..........................................................................................................................................1
Introduction....................................................................................................................................3
First: Detailed crisis communication plan...................................................................................4
Second: Crisis communication team............................................................................................4
Third: Key messages......................................................................................................................5
Fourth: Internal communications procedures...........................................................................6
Fifth: Contacts and media list......................................................................................................7
Conclusions.....................................................................................................................................7
References.......................................................................................................................................8
Appendix1: sample phone chain.................................................................................................10
Appendix 2: Internal communications procedures..................................................................10

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Introduction
Developing a strategic crisis communication plan is considered an essential activity that should
be developed pre the crisis and implemented during the crisis time (Coombs 2015). It is
considered a challenging process to create an effective internal and external communication plan
in all types of organizations. The challenge increases when the organization faces a real crisis
situation. Managers are required to handle the crisis situation and devote special attention to the
external crisis communication to keep a good image in front of its stakeholders and the general
public (Johansen, Aggerholm & Frandsen 2012).
The following section provides an assessment of the crisis communication plan for Hook, Line &
Sinker Corporation, Retail Stores.

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First: Detailed crisis communication plan
Crisis response strategies reflect the actions and words managers use in dealing with crises. The
strategic communication involves two strategies; managing information and managing meaning.
They are discussed according to Coombs (2015) and Kim (2013), as follows:
 Managing information strategy: It depends on the collection of crisis-related information
and disseminating it. It involves activities related to influencing people to perceive the crisis
 Managing meaning strategy: It is about crisis response that considers the desired effects
intended to affect the stakeholder perceptions of the situation.
Hook, Line & Sinker retail store should have its own crises communication plan, as follows:
 Purpose of the plan: Prepare the company manager to effectively respond to the crises
through accurate evaluation, planning actions based on the nature and severity of the crises.
Also, it helps the managers to respond on a timely and professional manner to both the
internal staff and external stakeholders. In addition, it enables in delivering the same message
to the whole staff in the retails locations in a way that enables them to understand the
company position and the role of every staff member.
 Activation criteria: The general manager, operations manager, merchandising manager and
general sales manager should be notified with the crises faced by the company immediately.
The spokesman of the crisis communication team is responsible for activating the
communication plan, speaking to the media and providing an external explanation about the
company position in case of the crisis.

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 Procedures: The steps that need to be taken in regard to internal and external communication
at Hook, Line & Sinker retail store, are discussed according to Hook, Line & Sinker
Corporation (n.d.), as follows:
 Internal crisis communication: The emails and phone chain are to be used when a crisis
occurs. The crisis that is specific to a certain department should be communicated by the
general manager with the general sales manager and the other members of the
communication team. Each store is required to have its own phone chain that includes the
phone numbers of each staff member. This phone chain acts as a guiding model that
requires to be adjusted to fit every store-specific needs.
 External crisis communication: The spokesman of the crisis communication team that
represents the store takes the major responsibility of dealing with the media. The staff
members are required to direct the media and public inquiries to him. The staff members
are not obligated to provide any information concerning the crisis to the media. The
delivered messages by the spokesman should communicate factual information to
maintain credibility and show the professionalism of managing and communicating the
crisis information. The communication plan is carried out by the spokesman proactively
to avoid negative public reaction to increase the public confidence and show cooperation
among the company departments. The media is communicated through television news
stations, local publications, local radio stations and government officials.
Second: Crisis communication team
Successful crisis communication was discussed by Marra (1998), as cited in Wigley & Zhang
(2014) and Park (2011). It considers that the success of the communication plan is a factor of two

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conditions that should be maintained; the communication culture and the existence of a senior
public relations manager.
The communication team members of the crisis could be public relations, operations, finance,
legal or human resources. The crisis nature decides the communication team members, who
should be well trained and the communication plan should be well tested. The team should
practice decision making in a crisis situation. The spokesperson should gain extensive training to
be well prepared to talk to the media and public and respond to their inquiries. Media training is
post-crisis and team members should avoid phrases, like 'no comment' that makes the
organization guilty. Also, they should present clear information and avoid technical terms. In
addition, it is important to appear pleasant and concentrate on the discussed issues (Robertson
2012; BBSRC Media Office 2014).
The excellence theory of crisis public relations involves a set of directions about how
communication should be implemented with the functional public (Edwards 2011). Also,
Weick, as cited in Johansen, Aggerholm & Frandsen (2012) developed the theory of
retrospective sense making. It focuses on situations where the need for sense-making is high.
Despite that Hook, line & Sinkers’ retail stores does not have a public relations manager, the
communication team plays an essential role in identifying the required actions that should be
done in case of any crisis. The team consists of the general manager, operations manager,
promotions manager, office administrator and one other general sales manager at least. If the
crisis occurs in a specific area, then the general sales manager is required to join the
communication team. There is a spokesperson to represent each store and the company. He is
required to provide official statements and respond to the media questions and address public
concerns. Accordingly, the spokesperson responds to media calls. Handling internal

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communication is the responsibility of the communication team. They ensure that the staff across
all the stores is informed with the communication message and know their roles. The
communication team is responsible for preparing the contact list that includes the phone numbers
and emails through the phone chain. The phone chain is used in case the crisis occurs. The
general manager notifies the communication team members of the phone chain, as shown in
appendix (1), and the particular general sales manager should be contacted according to Hook,
Line & Sinker Corporation (n.d.).
Third: Key messages
Crisis communication is necessary to fix the organization image during and after the crisis. There
are many types of crises that vary according to their severity, including industrial accidents,
intentional events, natural disasters and financial crises. The event type decides the requirements
of crises communication (Seeger 2006).
Hook, Line & Sinker stores can pre-draft messages to be used in case a crisis occurs. The
communication team is required to create a template for every type of crisis (Heide & Simonsson
2014).
Spokesperson training help in ensuring that consistent messages are delivered to media that
cover the crises incidents and the influence public awareness with the organization response to
the crises and help it to maximize its presence (National Public Education Campaign 2014; Jaffe
PR. 2016).
According to Hook, Line & Sinker Corporation (n.d.), the company spokesperson is likely to be
the general manager of each retail store. The company provides a training guide on its website in
a specific section titled "Education and training". It provides guidance to train the spokesperson
towards the techniques of public speaking, answering media questions what should not be

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spoken with the media. Accordingly, possible messages could be classified according to the
crisis type and stated as follows:
 Natural disasters: For example bad weather conditions that caused a delay in offering fresh
products. The message "We know that a few shipments of our products found to be damaged
upon delivery due to bad weather that will end by the next week. We are managing to provide
fresh product stream and will keep you informed of our progress".
 Criminal and legal actions: For example failure to securing personal information of a credit
card. The message "We are actively investigating the incident of revealing personal
information of a customer credit card, the matter that caused him to lose his credit limit. We
are in continuous investigations with the financial authority to get his money back safely. We
apologize for this inconvenience and taking the legal actions with the guilt employee. We are
always looking for ways to better service our customers. Should you have any questions, feel
free to contact me"
 Violent acts and demonstrations: For example a store robbery attack. The message
"Yesterday, we were informed that one of our stores was attacked, the matter that resulted in
several injuries among the staff. Our cooperation with the police is continuous and the issue
was concluded by catching the thieves this morning. Everything normally run at the store and
you can enjoy your shopping. Thank you for your attention".
 Perceived crises: For example, a customer had a 'food poisoning' incident. The message "The
company is sincerely devoted with a customer-centric approach. We recalled $10m worth of
the salmon fish from our stores that caused the poisoning incident. The customer will be
treated by us, as we closely follow up on his health status and will continuously inform you
with updates".

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 Financial crises: For example tax evasion scandal. The message "Our company is keen on
aligning its business with the legal conditions. The tax evasion has been managed with the
financial and legal authorities. Being responsible for the accounting failure we announce our
public apologies".
Fourth: Internal communications procedures
The lines to take are the possible questions and answers (Q&A) that emerge during the crisis.
According to European Food Safety Authority (2016), organizations need to develop a set of
Q&A that help the spokespersons to give an effective response to the internal audiences and they
could be also used in communicating the external audiences. The Q&A is an internal document
that should not be released externally. It is usually prepared by brainstorming the possible
questions and it is prepared by the communication team.
Hook, Line & Sinker store internal crisis communication plan defines the roles and
responsibilities of the communication team members and the staff, See appendix (2). The
majority of responsibilities are shared between the general manager and operations manager,
merchandising manager and all general sales managers. Other managers and team leaders should
know that they represent the company image. The plan should include the following points
according to Hook, Line & Sinker Corporation (n.d.).
 Designation of the spokesperson that will represent the store.
 The communication team prepares official statements and provide clarifications to the media
questions that address public concerns.
 Clear definition of the retail store’s position in crisis management and communication.

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 Staff awareness meetings are important to ensure that staff members are updated with different
crises, including possible crises, preparation activities and preventive actions. Every staff
member is obligated to attend the daily short meetings and the weekly educating meetings.
 Ways of developing appropriate messages.
 Providing the media with needed information and clarifications to re-establish the company
public credibility.
 Evaluation of the crisis plan after the incident of each crisis.
Fifth: Contacts and media list
In the corporate perspective of stakeholder theory investigates the way organizations interact
with their stakeholders to maintain and secure important resources. From the other side,
stakeholders should effectively deal with organizations for business success (Steurer 2006). The
importance for the stakeholders to every organization requires obtaining the contact details of
them to be communicated in case a crisis occurred. It is considered a pre-crisis preparation
process (University of Waterloo 2014).
According to Hook, Line & Sinker Corporation (n.d.), the communication team is responsible for
collecting the phone/email list to ensure that the crisis communication team members are made
aware of the situation and updates. Also, an updated media list and other contacts’ information
should be prepared in advance to facilitate the process of contacting the local media during a
crisis. Examples of contacts include television news stations, local publications, local radio
stations, government officials, the landlord (if applicable) and law enforcement.

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Conclusions
The spokesman of the crisis communication team at Hook, Line & Sinker stores is responsible
for activating the communication plan, speaking to the media and providing an external
explanation about the company position in case of the crisis.
The communication team plays an essential role in identifying the required actions that should be
done in case of any crisis. Hook, Line & Sinker stores can pre-draft messages to be used in case
a crisis occurs. The communication team is required to create a template for every type of crisis.
The communication team is responsible for collecting the phone/email list to ensure that the
crisis communication team members are made aware of the situation and updates.

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References
BBSRC Media Office 2014, 'Media training handbook', BBSRC Media Office, UK.
Coombs, T 2015, 'The value of communication during a crisis: Insights from strategic
communication research', Business Horizons, vol 58, p. 141—148.
Edwards, L 2011, 'Defining the ‘object’ of public relations research: A new starting point', Public
Relations Inquiry, vol 1, no. 1, pp. 7–30.
European Food Safety Authority 2016, 'Best practice for crisis communication: How to
communicate during food or feed safety incidents', European Food Safety Authority, Italy.
Heide, M & Simonsson, C 2014, 'Developing internal crisis communication: New roles and
practices of communication professionals', Corporate Communications: An International Journal,
vol 19, no. 2, pp. 128-146.
Hook, Line & Sinker Corporation n.d., 'Crisis communication plan: Retail store guidelines',
Hook, Line & Sinker Corporation, Australia.
Jaffe PR. 2016, 'Social media and crisis communication policy', Jaffe PR., USA.
Johansen, W, Aggerholm, H & Frandsen, F 2012, 'Entering new territory: A study of internal
crisis management and crisis communication in organizations', Public Relations Review, vol 38,
pp. 270– 279.
Kim, E 2013, 'The role of social media in crisis communication - A case study of Starbucks',
Texas State University, USA.

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National Public Education Campaign 2014, 'Spokesperson training guide', National Public
Education Campaign , USA.
Park, H 2011, 'The organization-public relationship and crisis communication: The effect of the
organization-public relationship on publics’ perceptions of crisis and attitudes toward the
organization', International Journal of Strategic Communication, vol 5, pp. 240–260.
Robertson, J 2012, 'Tell it all?: Challenging crisis communications’ rules', Public Relations
Journal, vol 6, no. 1, pp. 1-19.
Seeger, M 2006, 'Best practices in crisis communication: An expert panel process', Journal of
Applied Communication Research, vol 34, no. 3, pp. 232-244.
Steurer, R 2006, 'Mapping stakeholder theory anew: From the ‘stakeholder theory of the firm’ to
Three perspectives on business–society relations', Business Strategy and the Environment, vol
15, pp. 55–69.
University of Waterloo 2014, 'Creating and maintaining relationships with the media: Engaging
with the media', University of Waterloo, USA.
Wigley, S & Zhang, W 2014, 'Does planning and practice make perfect? A study of
communication culture, autonomy and PR practitioners’ confidence in handling crises', Public
relations Journal, vol 8, no. 2, pp. 1-13.

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Appendix1: sample phone chain of Hook, Line & Sinker retail store, Corporation

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Appendix 2: Internal communications procedures