• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • University Conferences, Events and Grant Projects
    • Celebration of Teaching & Learning Symposium
    • 2019 Teaching & Learning Symposium
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • University Conferences, Events and Grant Projects
    • Celebration of Teaching & Learning Symposium
    • 2019 Teaching & Learning Symposium
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    Skip to main content

    Browse

    All of SOAR USICommunitiesPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    Display statistics

    How Reputation Went Down with the Ship: How Students Can Spply the Situational Crisis Communication Theory

    • CSV
    • RefMan
    • EndNote
    • BibTex
    • RefWorks
    Author
    DiTirro, Lindsey
    DiTirro, Lindsey
    Affiliation
    University of Southern Indiana
    Keyword
    theory application
    public relations
    classroom activity
    Title
    How Reputation Went Down with the Ship: How Students Can Spply the Situational Crisis Communication Theory
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12419/145
    Abstract

    Topic/Problem Statement:
    It can be difficult for students to not only understand the different theories in the public relations field, but to understand the importance of using theory in real-life situations. It is also important that students are able to apply theory to real-world examples. Theory can be somewhat abstract and unrelatable for students. However, they will need to apply theory to practice in their jobs, so it is an important skill they learn in the classroom first.

    Context:
    For PRL 101, Introduction to Public Relations, it is important students are exposed to different public relations theories. These theories will be used in subsequent PR courses. A foundation in theory is important for success in PR. However, theory does not always seem like it can fit in real-life and that it is more a classroom skill. Creating activities that allow theory to seem approachable and applicable are necessary to connect students with the content.

    Approach:
    This case study assignment teaches students the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) (Coombs, 2007) by applying the theory’s concepts to an actual public relations crisis, different situations Carnival Cruise Lines faced. The goal of this assignment is to have small groups present an opening statement for a mock news conference to demonstrate how they applied SCCT to create a post-crisis message. Because these are situations that already occurred, students are able to compare their responses with how Carnival actually responded. This activity provides an opportunity to learn theory, apply that theory to practice and develop important PR skills that can be used in a range of crisis situations. 

    Reflection/Discussion:
    Through this assignment students are able to learn about an influential PR theory and apply that theory. However, most importantly, students are able to learn that careful planning is needed to create and implement post-crisis communication. It is easy for students to judge Carnival for making these PR blunders. Yet, when the students are tasked to create their own responses, they begin to realize how many factors play a role into a crisis situation. This activity creates a fun, interactive classroom for students. This activity could be applied to many different situations and theories and would be easy to replicate in other PR classrooms and even other disciplines.

    Reference:

    Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organization reputations during a crisis: The development and application of situational crisis communication theory. Corporate Reputation Review, 10, 163-176. 

    Description
    Poster. 3rd Celebration of Teaching & Learning Symposium, February 6, 2019, the University of Southern Indiana
    Collections
    2019 Teaching & Learning Symposium

    entitlement

     
    DSpace software (copyright © 2002 - 2023)  DuraSpace
    Quick Guide | Contact Us
    Open Repository is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV
     

    Export search results

    The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

    By default, clicking on the export buttons will result in a download of the allowed maximum amount of items.

    To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

    After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.