Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Emerging From The Ashes: An Evaluation Of The Postcrisis Communication Following The 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority Coal Ash Spill, Nicole Catherine Staricek

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This dissertation uses a case study approach assess the postcrisis communication between the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Roane County community following the 2008 coal ash spill. More specifically, the researcher explores the relationship between organizational renewal and community involvement by means of an in-depth case study analysis.

The dataset includes transcripts from interviews with Tennessee Valley Authority leaders, as well as neighboring community members, all of whom were involved in the postcrisis recovery. Supporting data was collected from archival records made available to the public online and dedicated specifically to the Roane County project.

The results, implications for practitioners, …

Keeping It All Together: The Challenge Of Complexity, Reputation, And Supply Chain Crises, Kathleen L. Ambrose

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Supply chains are developed to reduce business expenses and increase efficiency. However, a disruption in the supply chain, or a failure in one of the links, can expose organizations to crises that can severely impact short-term bottom line and long-term corporate reputation. This study examines the communication challenges inherent in supply chain crises using Samsung’s 2016 Galaxy Note 7 phone crisis as a case study. Results of this study show, in a supply chain crisis, stakeholders hold the organization responsible, regardless of where in the supply chain the break occurred. This study also examines the impact of complexity inherent to …

Testing The Message: Making Sense Of Converging Multimodal Messages In A Foodborne Illness Outbreak, Bethney A. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The goal of risk and crisis communication is to reduce and contain the harm inherent in a threat. In order to achieve this goal, risk and crisis scholars call for continued testing of messages surrounding these events; specifically, messages that address the needs of the at-risk message receiver. Previous scholarship suggests that these messages should include adapting and instructing information (Coombs, 2012), and should be designed using pedagogically sound instructional approaches (Frisby, Sellnow, Sellnow, Lane, & Veil, 2011; Sellnow & Sellnow, 2010). In order to meet this call, this dissertation tested an instructionally sound message that includes both adapting and …