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"How Did Toyota Stay On Top?" Revisiting Crisis Communication Discourse, Rachel Marie Knoespel

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This study focuses on Toyota's 2010 accelerator pedal recalls and its use of crisis response strategies that relied on past performance. As a precursor, the author researched current literature regarding crisis communication and identified two key areas of research: understanding crisis and its impact and crisis response. To understand crisis communication it is necessary to first define a crisis and the impact it has on an organization's image, identity, and/or reputation. Once the crisis occurs, the organization must respond considering the audience, type of crisis, and the phase of the life cycle the crisis is in to determine a proper …