This book guides students through cases and exercises that explore crisis communication and management in action and build the necessary skills for effective crisis management.

In the first two chapters, W Timothy Coombs introduces key theories and principles in crisis communication, which students can apply through analysis of 16 cases drawn from recent headlines. The cases are explored from pre-crisis, mid-crisis and post-crisis perspectives, and include a range of predominant crisis scenarios from product recalls, to lawsuits, to environmental disasters. The appendix includes sample crisis management plans, sample crisis response strategy templates and sample message maps to support an organization's message.