ABSTRACT
CRISIS INVENTORY To determine an organization’s most likely crises, the public relations department, with key executives, must take an inventory. A sample graph showing how crises are plotted and a blank graph for you to plot your own plan are provided in Figs. 10.1 and 10.2, respectively. Each possible crisis must be ranked as follows:
0-Impossible; that is, the crisis has basically no chance of occurring 1-Nearly impossible 2-Remote to possible 3-Possible 4-More than possible, somewhat probable, has happened to competitors or similar
companies 5-Highly probable; may or may not have previously occurred in the company, but
warning signs are evident Each crisis also should be ranked according to its potential damage to the company. The rankings in this category are as follows:
0-No damage, not a serious consequence 1-Little damage, can be handled without much difficulty, not serious enough for the
media’s concern 2-Some damage, a slight chance that the media will be involved 3-Considerable damage, but still will not be a major media issue 4-Considerable damage, would definitely be a major media issue 5-Devastating, front-page news, could put the company out of business
For added security, when in doubt, rank a crisis in the next highest category. For instance, Company Z may identify five crises that it could face: workplace violence, fire, protest demonstrations, negative legislation, and tax problems. Each of these crises might be ranked as shown in Table 10.1.
