Signature Assignment: Crisis Management Plan

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Signature/Benchmark Assignments are designed to align with specific program student learning outcome(s) in your program. Program Student Learning Outcomes are broad statements that describe what students should know and be able to do upon completion of their degree. Signature/Benchmark Assignments are graded with a grading guide or an automated rubric that allows the University to collect data that can be aggregated across a location or college/school and used for course/program improvements.

Resource: Blossoms Up! Case Study

Most organizations face a disruption in their business continuity based on an “event” that creates a change in life cycle.

Coming into your new role, you recognize that a Crisis Management Plan has never been created for the company, Blossoms Up! In your last company, it experienced a business continuity disruption that had a severe impact on its financial standing, but an effective business continuity and crisis management plan significantly helped to respond quickly to the major issue and in an organized manner. This is one more area in which you can prove HR to be an important strategic partner.

For this assignment, you will focus on one of three main events that could happen to Blossoms Up!

• Unexpected death of the CEO, Seth Smith
• Negative media publicity–For example, a news story breaks out about a $500,000 sexual harassment claim filed against a high-ranking director
• Strike–Upon possible unionization and a collective bargaining impasse, a strike occurs disrupting the company’s ability to harvest their products

You assess the three events that could cause Blossoms Up! to undergo business continuity disruption rising to a crisis state and decide to get to work on the one you think is most pressing and should be implemented now.

Research the Internet and University Library for information on crisis management plans and various templates.

Design a 1,050- to 1,400-word Crisis Management Plan to respond to the potential event determined to be the most pressing.

Include the following:

• Evaluate which departments and people need to be a part of the crisis management team. Consider:
  • HR
  • Top management
  • Operations personnel
  • Public relations experts
  • Legal assistance
  • Insurance carriers.
• Prepare a policy statement that includes the legal and ethical standards for responding to the event. Avoid “no comment” or have your company appear uncooperative or secretive during a crisis situation.
• Prepare clear, consistent, and tailored responses for all stakeholders and the media that includes the following:
  • State the scope of the crisis – local, regional, national or international.
  • Articulate policies and procedures affecting the crisis event.
  • Launch a cohesive and united response in support of the organization – one spokesperson, one person recognized and authorized to disseminate statements to the media, etc.
• Evaluate human resource management solutions that will be implemented to address the organizational crisis.
• Create answers to anticipated questions from the media.
• Include a section for post-crisis review with an assessment tool to evaluate the crisis management plan response. List any follow-up communication or activities that may be needed to ensure that the current crisis has been appropriately addressed and that the potential for future crises in this area is reduced.

Write the plan in the third person voice.

Use headings to appropriately signal the topics and keep your document organized.

Include a minimum of two in-text citation sources and a Reference page based on APA formatting guidelines.