Course Syllabus
Course Description
Explores strategies for leading and communicating effectively with both internal and external audiences during crisis situations. Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discusses the development of a communication plan and how to craft and deliver messaging during the crisis situation.
Course Textbook(s)
Ulmer, R. R., Sellnow, T. L, & Seeger, M. W. (2019: 2024 – Online Assignment Homework Writing Help Service By Expert Research Writers). Effective crisis communication: Moving from crisis to opportunity (4th ed.). SAGE. https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781506315744
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Apply crisis communication theory to real-world crisis situations. 2. Evaluate leaders’ approaches to crisis communication and action. 3. Apply strategies for communicating and leading during times of uncertainty. 4. Apply strategies for communicating a message to neutralize risk or scandal. 5. Create opportunities for positive messaging in the midst of crisis, in order to support the organization, its people, and
its brand. 6. Evaluate ethical demands of the leader during crisis situations. 7. Create a leadership communication plan for a crisis situation. 8. Develop strategies for leading the organization toward crisis recovery and renewal.
Academic Integrity
Honesty and integrity are taken very seriously at Waldorf University. All students should be familiar with the Waldorf University Academic Integrity Policy (found in the current Student Handbook) and the consequences that will result from breaches of this policy.
Credits
Upon completion of this course, the students will earn 3.00 hours of college credit.
Course Structure
COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership
COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 1
1. Study Guide: Course units contain a Study Guide that provides students with the learning outcomes, unit lesson, required unit resources, assignments, and supplemental resources.
2. Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit.
3. Unit Lesson: Unit Lessons, which are located in the Study Guide, discuss lesson material. 4. Required Unit Resources: Units contain Required Unit Resources from one or more chapters from the textbook
and/or outside resources. 5. Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Boards: Students are required to submit Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board posts in Units I-VIII. Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Boards
provide students the opportunity for student-to-student and professor-to-student interaction based on relevant course concepts and ideas. Specific information about accessing the Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board rubric is provided below.
6. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments. Specific information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with each assignment. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below.
7. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides students with an opportunity to ask their professor general questions or questions related to course content.
8. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with other classmates.
Unit Assignments
Unit I Assignment
Conduct a search of news reports that involve an organization responding to crisis events. Search for a range of reports to get an overview of the types of crises that organizations have responded to in recent years. Then, select one crisis event to develop your paper, addressing the following points. Support your response with specific examples from the news report and our assigned readings, and illustrate the specific course concepts you relied on to draw your conclusions.
Define organizational crisis, and explain the difference between risk and crisis. Describe the criteria leaders should use to determine whether an event constitutes a crisis event. Who were the stakeholders? Who was impacted by the crisis—both inside and outside of the company? Was the crisis preventable? Were the circumstances of the crisis predictable/unpredictable? Were there elements of uncertainty that were outside of the organizational leaders’ control? What can the organizational leaders learn from the crisis and their responses? Who spoke to the media/public on behalf of the organization? What message did he or she convey on behalf of the organization (i.e., did he or she seek to support stakeholders, assign/accept blame for the crisis, communicate the organization’s plan for recovery)? How could the organization make the response more effective?
See the grading rubric for additional guidelines. It is recommended that you use the rubric as a checklist as you draft the essay. Refer to the rubric often, and be sure to fulfill the requirements for all criteria listed.
Your paper must be at least two pages in length. Adhere to Ace homework tutors – APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that are used. I need help writing my essay – research paper note that no abstract is needed.
This formal paper example provided by the Waldorf University Writing Center shows this type of formatting.
Unit II Case Study
After reviewing the case described in Example 4.3 on pages 57-60 of your textbook, write an analysis using discourse of renewal theory as a framework to analyze the organization’s crisis response. Using the Waldorf Online Library, conduct any additional research necessary to fully evaluate the aspects of the crisis response described in the theory. Cite specific examples to support your points.
See the grading rubric for additional guidelines. It is recommended that you use the rubric as a checklist as you draft the essay. Refer to the rubric often and be sure to fulfill the requirements for all criteria listed.
Your case study must be at least two pages in length. Adhere to Ace homework tutors – APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in- text citations and references for all sources that are used. I need help writing my essay – research paper note that no abstract is needed.
This formal paper example provided by the Waldorf University Writing Center shows this type of formatting.
COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 2
https://mywaldorf.waldorf.edu/media/formal-essay-with-bubbles/
https://mywaldorf.waldorf.edu/media/formal-essay-with-bubbles/
Unit III Case Study
After reviewing the case described in Example 4.6 on pages 68-72 of your textbook, write an analysis by responding to the questions listed in the table under “You Make the Call” on pages 71-72 named “Lessons on Producing Effective Crisis Communication”. After answering these questions, also write a brief analysis on Dominos’ organizational leader’s goals during their crisis response.
Present your responses in a format you would use if you had been hired by Domino’s as a crisis communication consultant and were preparing this report to provide to the client directly. Ensure the content, tone, and presentation are appropriate for your intended audience.
See the grading rubric for additional guidelines. It is recommended that you use the rubric as a checklist as you draft the analysis. Refer to the rubric often, and be sure to fulfill the requirements for all criteria listed.
Your paper must be at least three pages in length. Adhere to Ace homework tutors – APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. Ace homework tutors – APA formatting, however, is not necessary
Unit IV Assignment
This assignment has two components – an outline and a code of ethics. I need help writing my essay – research paper prepare both portions and submit as one single Word document. Use section headings to organize the information, but do not paste the assignment instructions into your document.
Part I: Introduction and Outline
The final project in this course is to create a crisis communication plan. From within the course syllabus, review the assignment instructions for the final project. Approach the project as if you are the director of communications for an organization, which can be a for-profit or non-profit organization.
I need help writing my essay – research paper use complete sentences within the outline/introduction and be sure your outline/introduction applies course concepts. Draft the outline/introduction by performing the following actions:
Describe the industry/organization you are representing. List the stakeholders (specific customers, clients, shareholders, and other groups) that your organization serves and/or impacts. Explain any concerns or challenges the organization might face, including potential risks, previous crises, or other issues that will need to be considered when you develop the crisis communication plan. Find an existing crisis communication plan for a similar organization, and link to the document. Identify at least two lessons described in Chapter 3 that are followed in the plan. Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discuss whether or not any lessons are evident in the plan and the impact, if any, on the effectiveness of the plan.
Part II: Code of Ethics
Create a code of ethics for leaders responding to crisis events. The code must
have at least 10 original, ethical guideline statements, include statements that are written in complete sentences (For example, accountability is a guiding principle, but it is not a specific guideline. Instead, an ethical guideline based on the principle of accountability might be, “We will publicly acknowledge errors in production, policy, or judgment that harmed stakeholders.”), and include guidelines that demonstrate you are applying course concepts.
For examples of codes of ethics, you can conduct a search for policies from organizations and industry associations like the one you have selected for the project. Be sure to review the codes only to familiarize yourself with the types of statements that are included and the overall format.
To complete the assignment, you must write original guidelines. Ensure that you do not plagiarize another policy by using guidelines contained in existing codes.
See the grading rubric for additional guidelines. It is recommended that you use the rubric as a checklist as you draft the code of ethics. Refer to the rubric often and be sure to fulfill the requirements for all criteria listed.
Your introduction, outline, and code of ethics all together in one document must be at least three pages in length. Adhere to Ace homework tutors – APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. Ace homework tutors – APA formatting, however, is not necessary
COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 3
Unit V Assignment
Press Release
Review Example 6.4 on pages 98-101 of your textbook. Assuming the role of the public relations director for King Car, create a press release in response to the second round of testing that came back positive for high levels of melamine.
The press release must
show you relied on the 10 lessons in Chapter 5 as a guide to develop the content of the press release, include any relevant information described in the case study (conduct additional research on the case as needed), follow this press release format/template include at least one quote from a King Car representative (attribute the quote to yourself as the PR director for King Car).
Your press release must be at least one page, but no longer than two pages in length. Adhere to Ace homework tutors – APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. Ace homework tutors – APA formatting, however, is not necessary.
You can conduct a search for press releases to use as examples. Review the press releases only only to familiarize yourself with the structure and overall format. To complete the assignment, you must write an original press release.
Ensure you do not plagiarize another press release by using content in any example press releases. (For more information about the consequences of plagiarism, please see Waldorf’s Academic Integrity Policy in the Waldorf University Online Programs Catalog.
Unit VI PowerPoint Presentation
PowerPoint Presentation
Review Example 4.1 on pages 49-53 of your textbook. Using the 10 lessons in Chapter 7 as a guide, assume the role of a crisis communications consultant hired by BP one month after the spill has been contained. Develop a PowerPoint presentation for BP leadership to use during a press conference that will be given within the next week, with the purpose of employing positive messaging, repairing the company’s image, and explaining the company’s future plans.
The presentation must be at least eight slides, not including the introduction or citation slide. Use image repair theory (described in Chapter 2) as a framework for your approach.
When using images in a public presentation, you can use any of your own original images for which you own the copyright (such as photos you took yourself). If you search for images online, keep in mind that some photos might not be public domain (i.e., free to use). They could have a copyright that requires either permission or purchase to use. To avoid copyright infringement, it is best to use photos that you can clearly identify as public domain. Free stock photos (which are public domain photos and do not have a copyright) are available at http://www.freeimages.com/.
Unit VII Assignment
Social Media Policy
Create a social media policy for an organization (of your choice) with the goal of positive messaging, neutralizing risk, and crisis prevention. Select the same organization as for the final project (creating a crisis communication plan). This social media policy will be incorporated into the final project as one section of the entire crisis communication plan. The format should follow the same format used in the crisis communication plan.
Your policy must:
clearly identify the organization/target audience that the social media policy is written for. describe procedures regarding how employees (such as the PR director/spokesperson) should use social media when representing the organization. Explain how social media can be used for positive messaging, crisis prevention, and neutralizing risk. Add any other sections that might be relevant to your organization. Apply course concepts when you create the policy. include clear, detailed procedures using a format that is easy to follow. add any templates or worksheets that might be helpful for leaders to use. use text enhancements and visuals to emphasize and for clarity. In addition to basic enhancements, such as bold, underline, italics, caps, font/font size, and color-coding, you can include graphs, illustrations, or other visual elements.
COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 4
https://online.waldorf.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-134489839_1
http://www.waldorf.edu/Download-Information
http://www.freeimages.com/
You can refer to examples of crisis communication plans to determine a format for the policy. Review these plans ONLY to familiarize yourself with the structure and overall format. To complete the assignment, you must write an original policy. Ensure you do not plagiarize another policy by using content in any example social media policies or crisis communication plans.
Your policy must be at least three pages in length. Adhere to Ace homework tutors – APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. Ace homework tutors – APA formatting, however, is not necessary
Unit VIII Final Project
Crisis Communication Plan
Create a crisis communication plan for leaders in a specific organization.
The plan must
clearly identify the organization/target audience the plan is written for, create sections describing each type of potential crisis this organization might encounter and an appropriate response,
The sections should be tailored to your specific organization. For example, if your company produces a food product, recalls could be an important topic to address. Be sure to apply course concepts, including those related to positive messaging and crisis prevention/risk. NOTE: Get custom essay samples and course-specific study resources via course hero homework for you service – Include the social media policy created during Unit VII as one section of the plan. You can update the policy and make any necessary revisions to the version you submitted in Unit VII.
identify stakeholders who might be affected by the crisis, Get custom essay samples and course-specific study resources via course hero homework for you service – Include procedures to communicate internally with those inside of the company and externally with stakeholders outside of the company.
include clear, detailed procedures using a format that is easy to follow, add any templates or worksheets that might be helpful for the leaders to use when responding to a crisis event, and use text enhancements and visuals to emphasize and for clarity.
In addition to basic enhancements such as bold, underline, italics, caps, font/font size, and color-coding, you can include graphs, illustrations, or other visual elements.
Your crisis communication plan must be at least 6 pages in length. Adhere to Ace homework tutors – APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. Ace homework tutors – APA formatting, however, is not necessary.
Note: In Unit I, you developed a definition of an organizational crisis and you have been applying that definition to your written work throughout the term. This definition should become the basis for your crisis communication plan. In Unit II, you were introduced to several key crisis communication theories. Rely on these concepts to guide your plan. Both the definition you created in Unit I and the theories you learned about in Unit II should provide justification for your specific strategy. The Unit VIII readings (Chapter 12 of your textbook) elaborate on a key theory presented in the course: discourse of renewal theory.
The four opportunities presented in the chapter are important aspects to consider as you develop the plan:
1. organizational learning, 2. ethical communication, 3. prospective rather than retrospective vision, and 4. effective organizational rhetoric.
To complete the assignment, you must write an original plan. Ensure you do not plagiarize another plan by using content in any example crisis communication plans.
Submitting Course Papers/Projects
Once you have completed your papers/projects, submit your completed papers/projects by uploading through the Assignment tab in each unit. Do not e-mail your paper directly to your professor. By using the Assignment tab, your record will automatically be updated to indicate you have submitted your papers/projects, and the assignment will be provided to your professor for grading. Instructions for submitting your assignment can be found under the Assignment tab in each unit.
COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 5
Ace homework tutors – APA Guidelines
Waldorf University requires that students use the Ace homework tutors – APA style for papers and projects. Therefore, the Ace homework tutors – APA rules for formatting, quoting, paraphrasing, citing, and listing of sources are to be followed. Information about using Ace homework tutors – APA style can be found in Ace homework tutors – APA Style Help in the Course Menu. This area provides links to Internet sites, tutorials, and guides that provide comprehensive information on Ace homework tutors – APA formatting, including examples and sample papers.
Grading Rubrics
This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities.
Rubric categories include (1) Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have Assessments).
The Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board rubric can be found within Unit I’s Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board submission instructions.
The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment.
Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting the “Grades” link.
Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades.
Communication Forums
These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students. Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below.
Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums.
Ask the Professor
This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions. Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration, additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students.
Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a non- public nature, please feel free to email your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or emailed by the professor within 48 hours.
Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus, assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information.
Student Break Room
This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to share assessment answers.
COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 6
https://online.waldorf.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/CSEG_Content/Commons/PDFs/Create_New_Thread_Subscribe.pdf
Schedule/Grading
The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted.
Unit I Defining Crisis Communication [ Weight: 10% ]
Read/View: Unit I Study Guide Chapter 1: Defining Crisis Communication Unit Resource (1 video): See Study Guide
Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discuss: Unit I Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit I Assignment 8%
Unit II Crisis Communication Theory in Practice [ Weight: 10% ]
Read/View: Unit II Study Guide Chapter 2: Understanding Crisis Communication Theory and Practice Chapter 4: Applying the Lessons to Produce Effective Crisis Communication, pp. 57-60 Unit Resource (1 article): See Study Guide
Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discuss: Unit II Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit II Case Study 8%
Unit III Approaches to Crisis Communication [ Weight: 10% ]
Read/View: Unit III Study Guide Chapter 3: Lessons on Effective Crisis Communication Chapter 4: Applying the Lessons to Produce Effective Crisis Communication Unit Resource (1 article): See Study Guide
Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discuss: Unit III Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit III Case Study 8%
Unit IV Ethical Demands of the Leader [ Weight: 10% ]
Read/View: Unit IV Study Guide Chapter 11: Responding to the Ethical Demands of Crisis
Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discuss: Unit IV Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit IV Assignment 8%
COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 7
Unit V Leading During Times of Uncertainty [ Weight: 10% ]
Read/View: Unit V Study Guide Chapter 5: Lessons on Managing Crisis Uncertainty Effectively Chapter 6: Applying the Lessons for Managing Crisis Uncertainty Effectively Unit Resources (1 article, 1 video): See Study Guide
Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discuss: Unit V Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit V Assignment 8%
Unit VI Recovery and Renewal [ Weight: 10% ]
Read/View: Unit VI Study Guide Chapter 7: Lessons on Effective Crisis Leadership Chapter 8: Applying the Lessons for Developing Effective Crisis Leadership
Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discuss: Unit VI Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit VI PowerPoint Presentation 8%
Unit VII Positive Messaging and Neutralizing Risk [ Weight: 10% ]
Read/View: Unit VII Study Guide Chapter 9: Learning Through Failure Chapter 10: Risk Communication
Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discuss: Unit VII Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit VII Assignment 8%
Unit VIII Creating a Crisis Communication Plan [ Weight: 30% ]
Read/View: Unit VIII Study Guide Chapter 12: Facilitating Renewal Through Effective Crisis Communication
Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discuss: Unit VIII Ace my homework – Write my paper – Online assignment help tutors – Discussion Board 2%
Submit: Unit VIII Final Project 28%
COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership 8
COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership
Course Syllabus
Course Description
Course Textbook(s)
Course Learning Outcomes
Academic Integrity
Credits
Course Structure
Unit Assignments
Unit I Assignment
Unit II Case Study
Unit III Case Study
Unit IV Assignment
Part I: Introduction and Outline
Part II: Code of Ethics
Unit V Assignment
Press Release
Unit VI PowerPoint Presentation
PowerPoint Presentation
Unit VII Assignment
Social Media Policy
Unit VIII Final Project
Crisis Communication Plan
Submitting Course Papers/Projects
Ace homework tutors – APA Guidelines
Grading Rubrics
Communication Forums
Schedule/Grading
