Within this Bachelor Thesis, the utilization of the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) by the Red Cross when framing internal crisis situations is examined. Effectively communicating a...Show moreWithin this Bachelor Thesis, the utilization of the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) by the Red Cross when framing internal crisis situations is examined. Effectively communicating a crisis to affected stakeholders is crucial for maintaining support and a good reputation (Coombs, 2007). Within the field of crisis communication the SCCT is one of the most prominent theories (Coombs, 2007). However, no recent research has been conducted in regards to the practical employment of the SCCT within the Red Cross, making this research of academic and societal relevance. The employed method involves analysing eighteen statement originating from official Red Cross websites using Atlas.ti, with a coding strategy based on the SCCT framework which is developed based on the article written by Coombs (2007). The statements belong to three different crisis situation. The first one is the case of a cyberattack that targeted the International Committee of the Red Cross, the second case involves sexual misconduct within the aid sector, and the third cases involves allegations against the Russian Red Cross for not adhering to the neutrality principle. The research shows that all three cases reflect correct adoption of the primary response strategies, secondary response strategies, and providing instructing information. The research also shed light on the incompleteness of the SCCT, as it does not guide organizations with what amount they should apply the different strategies. The results of this research contribute to the field of Security Studies by offering insights into the practical implementation of crisis communication theories within humanitarian organization like the Red Cross.Show less
The growing number of data breaches demands an effective approach to prevent reputational harm to companies. Situational Crisis Communication Theory suggests that stronger crisis response...Show moreThe growing number of data breaches demands an effective approach to prevent reputational harm to companies. Situational Crisis Communication Theory suggests that stronger crisis response strategies should be used when more responsibility for the crisis is attributed to the company. However, the theory is not fully applicable to data breaches due to the ambiguous nature of the responsibility for the incident. This paper aims to make this less ambiguous by suggesting that one of the predictive factors for the attributed responsibility, and therefore the level of crisis responsibility used, is the sensitivity of the leaked data. This paper examines the relationship between the sensitivity of the leaked data in data breaches and the type of crisis communication response. With content analysis, this paper systematically compares 20 data breach notifications from universities and hospitals in the U.S. Literature would suggest stronger crisis response strategies when the data breach contains sensitive information. However, the frequency analysis shows that companies dealing with sensitive data in data breaches use few strong crisis response strategies in their crisis responses, which would suggest that these companies could be more effective at limiting their reputational damages.Show less
