Copyright -- Table of contents -- List of contributors -- Foreword -- Introduction -- 1: No thrillers, but hard reality -- Introduction -- There are no guarantees -- Stakeholders are everywhere -- The accountability factor -- Annoying threats -- Crises are challenges -- Successful crisis communication - principles -- Learn lessons from what has happened -- A crisis for every day of the week -- Conclusion -- 2: Proactive crisis communication planning -- Introduction -- Need for a plan -- What is a crisis? -- What a crisis plan provides -- Elements of a plan -- People -- The plan -- Conclusion -- 3: Image as a part of corporate strategy -- Introduction -- Reputations add value over time -- Determining how you want to be known -- Establishing competitive advantage -- Communicating what you stand for -- Planning to reach all potential audiences -- Turning vision into reality -- Tell real stories -- Appeal to higher standards, bigger ideas -- Conclusion -- 4: Calamities -- Introduction -- Aeroplane accidents -- Natural disasters -- Being prepared: Alaska Airlines 261 -- When fire strikes - twice -- Conclusion -- 5: The new dynamics of financial crisis -- Introduction -- Understanding financial crisis -- Institutional investors: potential agents of crisis -- Responding to financial crisis -- Conclusion -- 6: Fraud -- Introduction -- Gather the facts -- Legal issues must be sorted out -- Third-party validation -- Delay and denial compound the problem -- When your client is a victim of fraud -- Implementing an action plan -- Conclusion -- 7: Reorganization and restructuring -- Introduction -- Swiss purchase of US financial services company -- Moving business from The Netherlands to Germany -- Goodwill is vital in a closure situation -- Conclusion -- 8: A multitude of challenges for the international food sector -- Food safety -- Health and diet issues.

Crisis preparation is the key to success -- Stakeholders -- The need for proactive communication -- The media -- Conclusion -- Case study -- 9: Negative press and how to deal with it -- Introduction -- Prepare early and often -- Mitigate impact with proactive response -- Detecting a negative story before it appears -- No ostriches need apply -- Building bridges toward recovery -- Conclusion -- Case study -- 10: There is no substitute for media training -- Introduction -- Who should we train? -- Who should do the training? -- Other resources -- Who are the media? -- Developing the crisis message -- Know the rules of the game -- Conducting the training -- Conclusion -- 11: How senior management can make the crisis worse -- Introduction -- How it can all go wrong -- Managing to make it worse -- Getting it right -- How to demonstrate leadership -- Avoidance is endemic -- The danger signs -- Conclusion -- 12: Judgement days -- Introduction -- Case study -- Conclusion -- 13: Environmental crisis communications -- Introduction -- Laying the groundwork: creating a culture of environmental stewardship -- When a crisis hits -- Conclusion -- 14: Crisis communication and the net -- Introduction -- The nature of the net… fast, expansive, inclusive and a great leveller -- New medium, new risks -- The power to empower a crisis -- New tools, new opportunities -- The new ground rules -- Crisis communication - engagement versus pronouncements -- Conclusion -- 15: Organizational barriers to crisis and public affairs management -- Introduction -- Dismissing the issue, marginalizing the opposition -- Averting a crisis by early action -- Corporate resources can't trump a crisis -- Responding to a crisis with real process change -- Assuming a quick fix will make the problem go away -- Confusing facts with perception -- Combating the corporate siege mentality -- Conclusion.

16: Risk managers -- Introduction -- When brands do not measure up to public opinion -- 'Social autism' -- Turning public opinion into an asset -- The brand - its financial and social implications -- Risks, risk managers and crisis communication -- Company governance: a new source of crises -- Conclusion -- 17: Crisis communication checklists -- 1. Preparations -- 2. Public groups and stakeholders -- 3. Crisis centre -- 4. What's in your crisis-communication survival kit? -- 5. Background information -- 6. Employee training: dealing with the media -- 7. Crisis manual -- 8. How to handle a crisis -- 9. Crisis strategy -- 10. Crisis communication -- Appendices -- 1. Factual information document -- 2. Message development document -- 3. Crisis preparation document -- 4. Special considerations for dealing with reporters in a crisis -- Bibliography -- Index.