A review of Crisis Communication Management Techniques by DN Chile
Title: Crisis Communication Management Techniques
Author: Chile, Daniel Ngusha
Publisher: Donafrique Publishers
Year of Publication: 2015
Number of Chapters: Nine (9)
Number of Pages: 306
ISBN: 978-978-950-761-0
Reviewer: Tyotom Keghku, Ph.D
Public Relations as a profession is a management function which plays an advisory role via a deliberate, planned, and sustained effort to achieve the aims and objectives of organisations as well as satisfy its various publics. This book therefore provided an insight on some issues rocking cement companies and possible solutions to achieve results which goes as follows.
Chapter 1: Organisation, Crisis, and Public Relations.
This chapter consists of 77 pages .It talks about the diverse workings of an organization, causes of crisis in organisations, importance of applying public relations in the day to day running of organisations, stages of crisis in organisations, and various theories and methods applied by public relations practitioners in nipping organisatonal crisis in the bud and possibly how lessons gotten from crisis such crisis can be taken and applied in case of further occurrences.
Chapter 2: Profile of Selected Cement Companies in Nigeria and Government Approaches to Managing Crisis.
This chapter consists of 20pages. It provides the profiles of all major cement companies in Nigeria. It also talks about all major inter-communal, political and religious unrests witnessed in the country in the time past, attacks by terrorist and also various strategic efforts put in place by government to salvage the situation. It also chronicles partnerships between the Nigerian Government and various local and international organisations in providing remedy to our security challenges
Chapter 3: Indices on Methods for Information on Crisis Communication Management.
The 10 page chapter which is the shortest essentially states the various methods or better still techniques adopted by the author in ensuring an accurate research. It clearly distinguishes the population of the study and all other relevant data was provided for easy analysis of collated figures.
Chapter 4: Crisis Communication and Management Review: Case Studies (Quantitative).
This 44 page chapter talks about the different tactics deployed by companies to tackle crisis in companies. It gives various instances of crisis between and within some major world leading businesses. It also chronicles the various public relations strategies adopted by cement companies which the author regarded as ineffective because host communities could not feel their impact. The chapter goes further to provide a detailed analysis of data collected during the research.
Chapter 5: Analysis of Crisis Communication and Management by Selected Cement Companies in Nigeria.
This chapter comprises of 18 chapters. It x-rays the various interviews the author had with kindred heads of communities where selected cement companies are situated. It also highlights some major crisis that has occurred in such areas which have caused a lot of damage. It also captures the fact that the public relations strategies adopted by cement companies in such areas have just worked a bit as a result of the absence of members of the host community amongst to management of such cement companies which would have represented them better by attracting more viable projects and in the long run ignite development and growth.
Chapter 6: Discussion of Research Questions and Hypothesis.
This chapter has 16 pages. As a follow up of chapter 5 which was based on some vital questions thrown to kindred heads of communities around cement companies .This chapter seeks to discuss the answers, results and findings gotten from the research questions. It states the major (dominant) crisis confronting the cement companies in Nigeria is between management staff and members of the host communities which are in most cases environmental issues. This chapter also highlights the decision- making processes of the companies which they said wasn’t all encompassing because they were not made in consultation with key stakeholders and the public in such communities. The chapter also reveals that public relations unit of cement companies are not proactive in applying public relations strategies in managing crisis, in fact these companies lack professional in handling crisis.
Chapter 7: Crisis Communication and Management in Nigeria
This 22 page chapter talks about how crisis communication can be managed in companies. It describes public relations as the main component in managing crisis in companies. It goes ahead to elucidate the various crisis management techniques which should be adopted by public relations units in organisations to reduce crisis which include:
a) Dialogue
b) Town Hall Meeting
c) Media Relations Apparatus
d) Palatable Gifts
e) Motivational Orientation in Crisis Management.
Also part of the orientation that government would consider giving to help curb issues of crises includes:
i.Human Certification
ii. Human Identification
iii.Creating Human Awareness
Chapter 8: Public Relations Strategies, Tactics, and Tools.
This chapter consists of 18 pages. It gives a distinction of various terms in public relations practice which are interwoven. Such term includes:
a). Public Relations Strategies
b).Public Relations Tactics
c).Public Relations Tools.
Chapter 9: Revealing Crisis Communication and Management Mandate
This 11 page chapter highlights the various strategies deployed by Public Relations Units for handling crisis in the selected cement companies listed above. It recommends above all some best practices adopted to effectively manage crisis situations in such areas.
I must first of all commend the author Dr.Daniel Ngusha Chile for taking a bold step to compile another very pertinent document to advance the course of public relations in Nigeria as it is in line with the words of pioneers of public relations in Nigeria which states that practitioners should write, write and write till all gain full understanding of the meaning and relevance of public relations in our society. I recommend this text for top executives of companies, students, researchers and particularly public relations officers of companies to serve as a guide to avert constant crisis in their organisations.
However I want to make few observations. The author as a public relations professional failed to give practical and deep rooted solutions to be adopted by companies to avert crisis. He also didn’t give a lucid distinction between public relations strategies, tactics and tools.
Once again I appreciate the author for this articulate and well packaged scholarly research material.
