Running head: CRISIS MANAGEMENT 1
Crisis management
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT 2
Executive summary
The rate of change in technological advancement has not only stunned both
consumers but also marketers and professionals. The key factor behind the technological
advances and its growth is seen today with the development of quantum computers.
According to a publication by the International Telecommunication Union, technologies
such as cloud computing, wireless broadband networks, and smartphones have created a
foundation in crisis management (International Telecommunication Union. (2019). Zheng,
Hefu & Davison (2018) mention that crisis management is an aspect that so dearly places
skilled marketers in integrated marketing, corporate credibility, and corporate communication
values. That's because the overall focus of corporate marketing is jeopardized if a crisis or
conflict inside an organization is not handled efficiently. The development of integrated
marketing communication (IMC) is part of the new marketing climate. Social media is
changing the state of affairs because the public has become senders and takes part in
secondary crisis communication (SCC) which impacts the management of corporate crises
(Zheng et al., 2018). In summary, IMC helps bring forth a wide range of communication
tools to send a common message and have the desired effect on the expectations and behavior
of the customer.
Implications of recent technological changes
The advancement of technology has increased crisis exposure and enabled
many businesses to increase their crisis management strategies. According to Zheng et al.
(2018), crisis communication is currently more essential than before because of greater
exposure of crises to the media, and new media – especially social media has been vital to the
creation of this exposure. No organization is resistant to a crisis. An emergency may occur
from within or outside a corporation, which according to Collins et al., (2016), the minute it
arises, life will be at risk as well as a company's or organization's credibility. The ability to
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interact effectively with people involved in the event will decide whether life is saved while
also making sure that the organization recovers and maintain its strong reputation. In reality,
Penrose (2000) discovered that large firms with strong financial muscle can recover after a
crisis even without a contingency plan, but a majority of smaller and lesser-known firms that
have no detailed crisis plan would collapse inside two years of a huge crisis.
Social Media impacts
When there is a crisis, many people are curious about understanding what is taking
place around them. Social media is a tool that is important in sounding alerts during a crisis.
Social media pictures and videos of the incident provides another highly effective way to do
this. The sharing of images can be valuable, informative, and effective in these
circumstances. The scope of sharing photo-based information has increased with the
development of such technological advancement with the scope of sharing of photo-based
data expanding in the case of digital cameras as well as photo-sharing websites. Social media
acts as a watchdog for citizen journalists and photojournalists who can actively monitor and
document the world around them (Zheng et al., 2018). This increased contact and
understanding have serious consequences for communications regarding crises. The
landscape of crisis communicators is changing. The proliferation in social media in terms of
social networks, online forums, and messages have transformed how the society is involved
in risk communications and the evaluation of overall communication plans. Social media
can be used to communicate vital information to many users quickly, particularly in an
emergency.
Applications and software tracking of information and resource management
It is crucial to provide relief during a crisis because it helps the market place to
recover (Sweetser & Metzgar, 2007). However, it is possible to lose track of resources
without proper resource management. Nevertheless, one can use technology to enable the
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management of resources and provide a robust emergency response plan. Some of the current
technological changes are the use of an app or software that analyses emergencies and is
associated with the infrastructure as well as other key local government centers. A good
example is the use of a tracking system in monitoring the location of relief supplies.
Professionals can also utilize a platform that makes efficient use of machine learning to
forecast demands. This lets members of crisis management teams determine when to send
resources to regions in dire need. Proper management of information and make sure it is
correct will ensure that the resources are managed effectively (Collins et al., 2016).
Conclusion
The advancement of technology can be exploited by using tools and applications that
provide information in real-time. This knowledge can be relevant to the correct members of
the crisis management team in order in making decisions to handle the crisis effectively. It's
also necessary to define each stakeholder's duties and responsibilities to ensure that
information also reaches the right people. The use of a team of Data Management experts will
set up and manage such crisis systems to provide professional support that is needed. Real-
time information is essential in taking better, data-backed decisions and responding to a
crisis.
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References
Collins, M., Neville, K., Hynes, W., & Madden, M. (2016). Communication in a disaster - the
development of a crisis communication tool within the S-HELP project. Journal of
Decision Systems, 25(sup1), 160–170. DOI: 10.1080/12460125.2016.1187392.
International Telecommunication Union. (2019). Disruptive technologies and their use
in disaster risk reduction and management 2019.OCHA Services. Retrieved
from: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Emergency-
Telecommunications/Documents/2019/GET_2019/Disruptive-Technologies.pdf
Penrose, J. M. (2000). The role of perception in crisis planning. Public Relations
Review, 26(2), 155–171. DOI: 10.1016/s0363-8111(00)00038-2
Sweetser, K. D., & Metzgar, E. (2007). Communication during a crisis: Use of blogs as a
relationship management tool. Public Relations Review, 33, 340-342.
Zheng, B., Liu, H., & Davison, R. M. (2018). Exploring the relationship between corporate
reputation and the public’s crisis communication on social media. Public Relations
Review, 44(1), 56–64. DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2017.12.006
