Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management最新文献

Whilst research on extreme contexts has mainly studied responses to and perceptions of urgency in abrupt crisis settings, this paper examines the construction and contestation of urgency in ambiguous creeping crisis settings. It builds on the empirical case of the Alpine Region of Tyrol and the discourse that emerged around the climate crisis and ski tourism. By taking an abductive approach, we investigate how the temporal dynamics of urgency contestation unfold between different actors. Our findings show three discursive dynamics that drive the contestation of urgency over extended periods of time. We further reveal that actors draw on specific temporal dimensions when constructing high or low senses of urgency – a measurable, normative or synchronicity dimension. This contributes first to research on urgency by uncovering that urgency is not something that can be taken for granted in crises, but instead a multidimensional and relationally contested construct. Second, we point to the nestedness of crises by showing that the urgency of a crisis is shaped by the perception of urgency in related crises. Third, we contribute to crisis research outlining that creeping crises do not necessarily peak in a “hot phase” but instead remain contested and continue to creep on forever.

The South African Higher Education sector has faced challenging times recently, notably the #FeesMustFall student protest crisis, which inflicted damages exceeding R1 billion, and the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming over 102,000 lives in the nation. Against this backdrop, a critical investigation has been initiated to discern the indispensable crisis management competencies required by executive management members of Universities of Technology (UoT) in South Africa. This exploratory study emphasises the higher education landscape, recognising its pivotal role in national development. Employing qualitative face-to-face interviews, the research aims to delve into the experiences of executive management members, providing insights into the nuanced demands of crisis management within the higher education context. In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the study adapted by utilising online face-to-face meetings, ensuring a thorough exploration of crisis management competencies. Beyond mere identification, the research attempts to elucidate the profound significance of these competencies within the unique context of higher education institutions during crises. The findings contribute not only to the broader understanding of crisis management but also underscore the particular relevance and implications for the resilience and adaptability of South African UoT in the face of multifaceted challenges.

Technological advancements have altered the landscape of crisis management, making many crises potentially preventable and controllable. Moreover, these technological advancements have provided opportunities for organizations to implement an informed learning approach in crisis responses. The interconnectedness and complementary aspects of three theories within crisis management, including the situational crisis communication theory's base crisis response strategies, image repair theory's corrective action, and discourse of renewal theory's organizational learning, were assessed and integrated into a proposed framework for understanding a comprehensive approach to crisis management. In this research, technology is regarded as both an asset for facilitating organizational learning (e.g., informed decision-making through data analytics), and a potential source of challenges in crisis communication (e.g., Zoombombing and negative social amplification). The proposed framework aims to bridge proactive risk and reactive crisis management efforts through organizational learning. Findings from this 4 × 2 between-subjects experimental design study explore the effectiveness of organizational learning to address crisis responsibility in an evolving technological landscape.

Gorostidi-Martinez, H., Jiang, Q. Y., & Zhao, X. K. (2024). Authenticity and high performance: Nonmarket social, public and media strategies of foreign SMEs during a black swan event. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 32, e12625. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12625

In Table 3, the positioning of the theme ‘Customized FSME strategies through digital marketing’ and the subtheme ‘Tailored public relations for FSMEs’ are incorrect. Both should be positioned a few lines lower than they were initially published, aligned together and at the same level as the SPMS concept ‘- The acceleration of digitalization during the black swan event led to the rapid establishment of online customer service centers, download hubs, and webinar streaming platforms’. Similarly, they should be aligned with the Strategic outcomes of ‘+ The surge in demand for digital literacy will enable entrepreneurs to enhance user experiences, foster partnerships, and boost dynamic capabilities’. The correct Table 3 is reproduced below.

We apologize for this error.

This research aims to investigate the role of community resilience in the relationship between business continuity management and organisational resilience, the focus on a real-world event (flooding) and its impact on a community provides a concrete context that adds relevance to the study. To complete this research, a quantitative research design was used. A firm-level survey of private industrial firms in Ayutthaya Province (n = 211) was conducted. Variables included three clusters of business continuity management practices, community resilience, and organisational resilience. The data were then analysed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling. The results showed that business continuity management practices contributed to organisational resilience. There were also interaction effects between community resilience and business continuity management practices, indicating that community resilience moderated the effect of business continuity management practices on organisational resilience following the floods. The study is the first to test the role of community resilience in the effectiveness of business continuity management practices on organisational resilience. This contributes to the research by providing a better explanation of how communities and organisations interact in organisational disaster response. The study only investigated a single context of disaster response (firms previously affected by the 2011 Ayutthaya flooding). The research focuses on industrial manufacturing and service firms and does not include retail firms. The research was conducted in historic perspective. Development of organisational resilience is affected by community resilience. Therefore, supporting community resilience through infrastructure, institutions, and other mechanisms is key for post-disaster economic recovery. This provides a further reason for developing community resilience.

We conducted a between-subjects experiment (N = 1626) to examine the effects of instructing information, an important theoretical keystone in crisis communication research, in predicting two key outcomes in the literature—protective behavioral intentions and message retransmission intentions. Given the communicative context, high-impact weather warnings, we additionally considered the moderating role of linguistic features use in predicting these outcomes. Based upon theory and research in this area, we examined the mediating roles of self-efficacy and perceived instructing information in predicting protective behavioral intentions and message retransmission intentions, respectively. Results mainly support our hypotheses. The instructing information conditions predicted the proposed intervening variable, which in turn predicted both outcomes. Linguistic features use moderated the direct effect of instructing information in predicting protective behavioral intentions, but not message retransmission intentions. The discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for crisis communication theory and practice.

Cross-organizational collaboration exercises are crucial in improving preparedness and promoting team situational awareness for effective crisis management. Despite their potential, studies suggest that these exercises may often yield results with limited learning and practical benefits. This study analyzes a full-scale regional crisis management collaboration exercise conducted in Norway, involving 10 different organizations, and engaging over 200 participants. Using a survey-based data collection method focusing on the ‘Collaboration, Learning, and Utility-Scale’, complemented by on-site observations and data collection from various exercise locations, we scrutinize the exercise's effectiveness in enhancing collaborative efforts, learning outcomes and overall utility. The findings contribute valuable insights into the strengths and areas for improvement in cross-organizational collaboration, offering practical implications for optimizing future crisis management preparedness initiatives.

The COVID-19 crisis severely impacted entrepreneurs worldwide, so that policy dispatches like the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor's (GEM) September 2020 special report, Diagnosing COVID-19 Impacts on Entrepreneurship: Exploring Policy Remedies for Recovery, were crucial for governments devising economic policies. Our paper examines how the GEM used institutional storytelling to craft anticipatory resilience, by drawing on the Communication Theory of Resilience and (ante)narrative approaches to anticipatory resilience. Findings demonstrated intersections of the GEM's role of resilience storyteller, as well as how resilience action by entrepreneurs and policymakers was narrated by the GEM. We uncover key tensions within the GEM's positioning as diagnostician and fortuneteller, between the resilient processes of normalizing and pivoting for everyday entrepreneurs, and in the institutionalizing work of policymakers through reacting and prospecting. We end by discussing key implications of our narrative approach to how institutions craft anticipatory resilience in response to global crises.