| Crisis management, to a business, is simply how | | | | plan is best way to go. The main thing to |
| to deal with the issues that the business is | | | | remember is that it can be crucial in such critical |
| currently facing or will face in the future, | | | | times. |
| alternatively Venette argues that "crisis is a | | | | In the first of the two types of crisis |
| process of transformation where the old system | | | | management styles earlier mentioned (the non |
| can no longer be maintained."*. Although this is | | | | planned kind) there are, as you would expect, |
| agreed upon by most, the area of what is | | | | two possible outcomes when their crisis |
| considered crisis management has expanded to | | | | management is tested. In the first instant the |
| areas such as short term decisions as well as the | | | | business will resist by having a strong |
| unpredictable changes in the market. | | | | management team who are dedicated to their |
| A basic but effective tool in finding possible | | | | job. When people are tested the best qualities are |
| problematic areas in the businesses target niche is | | | | sometimes released. The second, of course, is |
| to use the well known S.W.O.T analysis; S.W.O.T | | | | that the company could be hit hard and crumble |
| stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities | | | | or make great losses. |
| and Threats. By creating a S.W.O.T analysis the | | | | In the second type of crisis management, the |
| business can find gaps in the market they can | | | | businesses will already be prepared and everyone |
| penetrate and infiltrate, in order to gain a higher | | | | will know their place, thus giving both structure |
| amount of market share, as well as see possible | | | | and confidence to the business and employees. |
| risk factors that could affect the business. To do | | | | However, in both occasions the businesses that |
| this effectively a business should make sure they | | | | are able to withstand whatever the crisis has |
| do a S.W.O.T analysis not only on their own | | | | been, tend to become the businesses with the |
| business, but also on any others that could be | | | | biggest market share. How so? Well businesses |
| linked. This link could be that they are competing | | | | that show strength can then market that |
| in the same market; they have complimentary | | | | strength, whilst the weaker are trying to recover, |
| goods; or many more. Once the niches to get | | | | giving them the advantage on expansion and |
| into are found, the business can then setup a | | | | swaying public opinion as the recovering |
| crisis management plan for times when such a | | | | businesses will need to focus on restructuring the |
| crisis occurs. | | | | broken market links. |
| There are typically two types of crisis | | | | * as seen in Venette, S. J. (2003). Risk |
| management styles: those that don't see their | | | | communication in a High Reliability Organization: |
| short comings and possible weaknesses in the | | | | APHIS PPQ's inclusion of risk in decision making. |
| market and those that do see it and act on it by | | | | Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Proquest Information and |
| building a crisis management plan. This is not to | | | | Learning. |
| say however, that creating a crisis management | | | | |