Crises can surface at any time and with little or no notice.  Analyzing historical cases on successful and unsuccessful case studies can identify common threads that are useful for crisis management program improvement.

This exercise will allow an opportunity to analyze a major crisis and the impact on a community, a nation or the world considering crisis management.

Describe and assess a recent major crisis

Discuss the following for the crisis situation:

What was the threat or hazard to the organization?
If any, what was the element of surprise?
In leadership and decision-making, what was the quick timeline of events and decisions to be made?
What were some examples of successful decision-making?
What were some examples of unsuccessful decision-making?
What changes resulted or should be considered?
Assignment Expectations
Length: This assignment should be 35 full pages, double-spaced, not counting the cover or reference page. Paper format: (a) Cover page, (b) Header, (c) Body. Including an Abstract page/opening. The abstract begins on a new page and includes the page header. The word Abstract (no bold, italics, underlining) is centered on the first line of the page.
On the next line begins a brief yet succinct summary (abstract) of the main points of the paper. The summary is a single double-spaced paragraph and is not indented. It is typically between 150 and 250 words and includes the research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions.
References: At least two references should be included from academic sources (e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles). Required readings are included. Quoted material should not exceed 10% of the total paper (since the focus of these assignments is critical thinking). Use your own words and build on the ideas of others. When material is copied verbatim from external sources, it MUST be enclosed in quotes. The references should be cited within the text and also listed at the end of the assignment in the References section (preferably in APA format).

Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to question.

Grammar and Spelling: While no points are deducted, assignments are expected to adhere to standards guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact clarity.

The following items will be assessed in particular:

Relevance (e.g. all content is connected to the question)
Precision (e.g. specific question is addressed. Statements, facts, and statistics are specific and accurate).
Depth of discussion (e.g. present and integrate points that lead to deeper issues)
Breadth (e.g. multiple perspectives and references, multiple issues and factors considered)
Evidence (e.g. points are well-supported with facts, statistics and references)
Logic (e.g. presented discussion makes sense, conclusions are logically supported by premises, statements, or factual information)
Clarity (e.g. writing is concise, understandable, and contains sufficient detail or examples)
Objectivity (e.g. avoid use of first person and subjective bias)

***Required Reading***
Crenshaw, D. (2012, Mar 12), PR Disaster Averted: 7 Cases of Good Crisis Management. Retrieved from: http://crenshawcomm.com/pr-disaster-averted-7-cases-of-good-crisis-management/#.UoKt9_nktwo

Examples of Organizations’ Successfuland UnsuccessfulCrisis Management (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://managementhelp.org/crisismanagement/

Fischer, R.P., Halibozek, E., and Walters, D. C. (2013), Introduction to security, 9th Edition. Retrieved from Trident Online Library. Read Chapter 11.

Watters, J. (2014). Disaster recovery, crisis response, and business continuity: A management desk reference. Retrieved from Trident Online Library. Read Chapters 16 and 17.

***Required Websites***
Developing an Emergency Plan for the Workplace, FEMA. https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4085/updates/developing-emergency-plan-workplace

FEMA: http://www.fema.gov