Exxon and the Valdez accident: A failure in crisis communication
- 1 March 1992
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Communication Studies
- Vol. 43 (1) , 56-64
- https://doi.org/10.1080/10510979209368359
Abstract
The March 24, 1989 grounding of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker on Alaska's Prince William Sound caused severe damage to both the local environment and Exxon's corporate image. This essay examines the strategies employed by Exxon while attempting to manage the Valdez crisis. The essay argues that Exxon's crisis communication efforts failed because of a slow initial response, and an ineffective use of burden sharing and scapegoating strategies.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
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- Crisis revisited: An analysis of strategies used by Tylenol in the second tampering episodeCentral States Speech Journal, 1988
- A Multi-Systems Theory of Organizational CommunicationCommunication Research, 1975