Crisis Management and Corporate Strategy in African Firms: Towards a Contingency Approach

Crisis management logic suggests that preparing for a crisis should be a critical part of organizational strategy. This article aims to explore the difficulties in translating this logic into business practices in the African context. By comparing the application of the three most popular theoretical perspectives used in the field of strategy with the context of African firms, we come to the conclusion that another approach, the contingency perspective, must be integrated in order for African companies to manage small business crises successfully. This study is based on four case studies. It ends with two proposals for future research and practice in crisis management in African firms: (1) introducing a logic of solidarity; and (2) introducing the idea of the ‘palabre’. 1     

Linking Issue Management,Corporate Social Responsibility and Crisis Communication: Applying Balance Theory in Crisis and Issue Management

Through a 2 × 2 × 3 experiment design, this study examines effects of issue‐related corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes on stakeholder perceptions of an issue‐related crisis (i.e., blame, scepticism and corporate credibility) through the lens of balance theory. Results indicate that issue‐related CSR programmes work well in reducing scepticism when stakeholders have high issue involvement and positive attitudes. Scepticism is also found to be a mediator between issue‐related CSR programmes and perceived corporate credibility.     

Fractal Crises – A New Path for Crisis Theory and Management

This paper is a modest contribution to the vast exploration to be embarked upon as our maps appear increasingly outdated. We will first explore some outmoded ‘taken for granted’ assumptions and visions: this section aims to clarify why the crisis management world has profoundly changed and how the current understanding of crises and theoretical frameworks is becoming increasingly less adequate. Then, we will try to meet the second challenge of this special issue, by suggesting innovative approaches that will contribute to elaborate the building blocks of a theory of crisis management. We will propose a new theoretical framework, through the use of a fractal approach, following the footsteps of Benoit Mandelbrot, in order to rethink and capture the essence of the new theatre of operations that must be dealt with. Throughout, we will show how this original framework could be put into practice and what its limitations and perspectives are.     

Legislatures,Legitimacy and Crises: The Relationship Between Representation and Crisis Management

This article presents a theoretical argument that the study of representation can yield important insights for crisis analysts. The argument is presented through a claim that the representative systems, legislatures and individuals of a state – defined here broadly as ‘representative institutions’– should be factored into political analyses of crisis management, as they provide a lens for novel explorations of crisis issues. In particular, the use of parliamentary perspectives, and the examination of specific legislature functions during crises, can lead to valuable insights into the legitimacy dynamics that characterize political crisis episodes.     

Between Autonomy and Paternalism: Crisis Managers’ Constructions of Citizens’ Responsibilities in the Context of Crises and Contingencies

Public discussions about the division of responsibilities between state and citizen in crises have led to reformulated policies. These are interpreted and put into practice by crisis managers. Hence, their understandings of citizens’ responsibilities are central for actions and resource allocation. This qualitative study focuses on Swedish crisis managers’ understandings of citizens’ (moral) responsibilities and practices of ‘doing’ responsibilities. Three overarching forms of ‘doing responsibilities’ were found as follows: assignment, assessment and differentiation. These ways of constructing responsibilities were permeated by two diverging rationales: the autonomy rationale and the paternalism rationale. The two rationales add up to a partly contradictory complexity that may explain individuals’ differing responsibility taking. Further, not recognizing this contradiction may negatively affect citizen's willingness to take responsibility when desired.     

Corporate Social Responsibility and Crisis Management: the democratic organisation and crisis prevention

This paper explores the concept and nature of corporate social responsibility and relates this to the process of crisis management. The paper begins by outlining a typology of corporate social responsibility which uses categories drawn from political and social theory to organize the vast literature on this topic. In setting out this typology, the paper notes some of the weaknesses and contradictions within these types of corporate social responsibility. On the basis of such indications, it is argued that a ‘democratic’type is the most adequate form of corporate social responsibility. The paper then shifts to note some recent arguments concerning the various phases of crises and the nature and significance of crisis management as a process of crisis avoidance. These considerations lead to a consideration of the various interrelationships that exist between the two phenomenon. It is argued that there is a close affinity between crisis avoidance and democratic forms of corporate social responsibility. The paper concludes by highlighting the provisional nature of the points raised and sets out elements of a potentially fruitful research agenda around the relationships between crisis management and corporate social responsibility.     

The Kidnapping Crisis in the Philippines 1991–1993: Context and Management

This article examines the increasing incidence of kidnapping in the Philippines between 1991 to 1993. The context of the kidnappings is analysed to demonstrate why they constituted a crisis. The incidence of the crime is investigated with particular reference to who was being kidnapped and to regional variations, theories and facts about the alleged perpetrators being delineated before outlining the various ways in which official agencies, non-governmental organizations and individuals have responded to the crisis. The article concludes with some observations on the possibilities and problems of managing successful responses to such crises.     

Multicultural Crisis Communication: Towards a Social Constructionist Perspective

Crisis communication is a field dominated by case studies and is lacking of systematic knowledge and theoretical framework analysis. Functionalist and objectivist perspectives have dominated the field even though there are exceptions. This may be one reason why multicultural approaches to crisis communication, increasingly relevant in contemporary society, are very few and undeveloped. The aim in the article is to give a critical analysis of research that has been done on crisis communication as well as intercultural public relations and develop a different theoretical framework. We propose the use of ethnicity, focusing collective cultural identity as dynamic, relational and situational in crisis theory and practice. Ethnic differences seem to escalate during crises. Media use and access are also discussed. A Swedish survey shows, among other things, that people with a foreign background read mainstream newspapers more seldom than average Swedes, but that the access to Internet and mobile phones is very high. Based on a social constructionist epistemology, the article ends with four proposals for future research and practice in multicultural crisis communication: (1) audience‐orientation – focusing sense‐making, (2) a proactive and interactive approach – focusing dialogue, (3) a community‐focused approach – focusing a long‐range pre‐crisis perspective and, (4) an ethnicity‐approach towards intercultural communication.     

Towards a Knowledge-Level Model of Context and Context Use in Diagnostic Problems

Diagnostic support systems that help solving problems in open and weak theory domains need to be context-sensitive in order to reveal flexible and efficient behaviour. This paper presents a task-oriented methodology for analysing and modeling contextual knowledge at the knowledge level. We present a context-sensitive diagnosis approach (ConSID) which clarifies the connection between content and process knowledge. The former embodies the domain model, while the latter embodies the task and method models. We present a prototypical system, the ConSID-Creek, that applies the ConSID approach to the medical diagnostic domain. We illustrate how the system integrates case-based and explanation-based reasoning paradigms when realizing the abductive subtask of the overall diagnostic task.     

Using Personal Traces in Context Space: Towards Context Trace Technology

Wearables are often described with a focus on providing the user with wearable information access and communication means. The contextual information retrieval aspect is, however, an essential feature of such systems, as in, for example, the Remembrance Agent [1] where manually entered search-terms are used for presenting relevant situational information, or as in different location-based systems [2]. In this position paper we outline a general framework of contextually aware wearable systems, and suggest how such mechanisms, collecting massive traces of the user context, may lead to several other interesting uses in what we will call context trace technology.     

Introducing Performativity to Crisis Management Theory: An Illustration from the 2003 French Heat Wave Crisis Response

While current crisis management literature focuses on the necessity of consistent data and shared interpretation to coordinate effectively, contrastingly, this paper highlights the predominating influence of crisis responders' performances on information transmission. Based on an exploratory interpretive analysis of the 2003 French heat wave crisis response, our findings reveal that performances can support immediate reaction and involvement, but can also generate conflicts or misunderstandings that may burden coordination. This work's contribution to the crisis management literature is in threefold. First, we enrich the crisis management literature by proposing performativity as a potential analytical lens for collective action during crisis response. Second, we propose some practical recommendations to improve crisis management training through the application of the concept of performativity. Finally, we propose a critical perspective on tacitly held assumptions in crisis management.     

Viewpoint: Towards a New Theory X

This paper addresses the issue of the management of the design or innovation process in relation to the integration of different disciplines involved. A new Theory X is suggested, in which X stands for as much diversity as necessary – which is usually much more than people and organizations realize and accept. If implemented the new Theory X will influence the way work is organized; including career development, reward systems and recruitment criteria.     

Risk Management in a Disaster Management Context

This paper discusses how the adoption of a systematic risk management framework can enhance disaster management. In the analysis of risk, a focus on the interactions between sources of risk and elements at risk, rather than a pre-occupation with hazards, adds more value to management. Vulnerability is the crucial modifier of consequences and, as such, its analysis highlights critical areas and opportunities for developing effective intervention strategies. Risk communication processes based on community involvement need to underpin the development and application of evaluation criteria to determine which risk treatments will be implemented. Closing considerations reflect on how risk management may be used within public administration to re-define emergency management service provision. The paper concludes that Emergency Risk Management provides a framework which, by focusing on managing community exposure to major risks, facilitates the identification and implementation of intervention options which address socially significant problems.     

Board IT Governance in Context: Considering Governance Style and Environmental Dynamism Contingencies

ABSTRACT

We theorize that IT governance (ITG) by the board of directors is most effective when there is a fit between the dynamics of the business environment and the governance style through which board ITG is delivered. Survey findings from 110 board members largely supported these assertions. Findings show that authoritative governance style and environmental dynamism represent important boundary conditions for the efficacy of board ITG to achieve performance gains. Research and practical implications are discussed.     

Organizational Adaptation in Multi‐Stakeholder Crisis Response: An Experimental Study

Modern day crises demand organizations to collaborate and adapt to new roles, functions and structures. In such situations, lack of collaborative behaviour and openness between organizations can result in reduced adaptive ability. Therefore, it is important to facilitate collaboration between organizations. We have studied the extent to which crisis managers are prepared to work with personnel and resources from organizations other than their own when responding to crises. An experiment was designed with four different organizations in Sweden, which involved decision making concerning whether the participants systematically favoured their own organization over others. Findings indicate that increasing familiarity and expectation of future cooperation with other organizations increased the likelihood that decision makers would be prepared to work with other organizations in joint crisis management.