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Towards a conceptual model of crisis communication with the media in the financial sector: a case study

a case study

Juliette Kathryn MacLiam
ABSA Bank
Rachel Barker
University of South Africa
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Towards a conceptual model of crisis communication with the media in the financial sector: a case study. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 28(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v28i1.1691
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  • Submited: October 16, 2022
  • Published: October 17, 2022

Abstract

Although crisis communication has emerged as a specialised study field for public relations
scholars and practitioners and has been a mounting area of inter-disciplinary research in recent
years, several gaps in current literature on crisis communication exist. Gaps include a notable
focus on the planning, prevention and recovery stages with lesser attention being devoted to the
crisis-response stage; a lack of a comprehensive conceptual framework to guide communication
decision makers during this critical period; and that crisis-communication studies appear to be
predominantly Western based. This article attempts to address these gaps by focusing on the
crisis-response stage, with particular emphasis on communication with the media during a crisis.
It is acknowledged that the success of a crisis-management effort is profoundly affected by what
an organisation says and does during a crisis – termed the crisis response (Benoit, 1997; Coombs,
2004). This article focuses on this crisis response and is divided as follows: firstly, an introduction
to key terminology is provided, followed by the theoretical background, the research approach
and methodology, as well as the findings from the case studies, which culminate in the proposed
conceptual model for effective crisis communication with the media. Lastly, a critical evaluation of
the model is presented and recommendations for further research are provided.

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How to Cite
Towards a conceptual model of crisis communication with the media in the financial sector: a case study. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 28(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v28i1.1691

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