Overview

Crisis communication is one of the most important aspects of crisis management and is one of the many specialised areas or functions of public relations. This unit develops students' ability to manage communication issues arising before, during and after a crisis within organisations.

Requisites

Prerequisites

50 credit points

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Critically evaluate differences in issues and crisis communication management within contemporary organisations with reference to cyber threats
  • Develop a crisis communication plan for an organisation
  • Formulate and deploy a crisis communication policy and describe its implementations using a variety of management techniques
  • Analyse the impact of digital media on organisational issues and crises and the consequences for communication management
  • Work collaboratively as a member or leader of a team and/or with stakeholders and implement methods for optimising collaboration

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Class		3.00 12 weeks 36
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Independent Learning		9.50 12 weeks 114
TOTAL150

Swinburne Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		12.50 12 weeks 150
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Communication PlanGroup 30 - 50% 1,2,3,4,5 
Online DiscussionIndividual 10 - 20% 1,2,3,4 
Research AssignmentIndividual 30 - 40% 1,2 

Content

  • Crisis identification
  • Issues management and issues management planning
  • Crisis management and planning
  • Agile crisis management
  • Risk communication
  • Relationship management and stakeholder engagement
  • Legal and ethical management of issues and crises
  • Media relations in a crisis
  • Preparing for a crisis
  • Developing a crisis communication plan
  • Developing a series of scenarios that reflect crises an organisation may face

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.