ABSTRACT
When French pro-Tibet protesters attacked the 2008 Olympic Torch on its trip through France, it initiated a series of events that created an international crisis for the French retailer Carrefour. Chinese citizens, in a show of national pride, protested against Carrefour stores in China. The protesters were striking back against France by attacking Carrefour. Communicative actions by Carrefour and the Chinese government helped to ease the crisis. This case examines the events that precipitated the crisis, how the three main actors (Chinese protesters, Carrefour management, and the Chinese government) responded to the crisis, and the effectiveness of those responses. The analysis extends our understanding of international crises and the effective use of crisis response strategies along with demonstrating the analytic value of the rhetorical arena model of crisis communication.
