مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

In the past decades, several frameworks of crisis response strategies (CRSs) have developed in the West, with the image repair theory (IRT) (Benoit & Pang, 2008) and the situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) (Coombs, 1995) established as dominant paradigms in crisis communication research (Avery, Lariscy, Kim, & Hocke, 2010). However, scholars in nonWestern countries argued that the employment of western paradigm in analyses of non-Western crises (e.g. Meng, 2010; Pang, Jin, & Cameron, 2010) might not fully capture the nuances and influence of culture (Grunig, Grunig, & Dozier, 2002; Lee, 2005). Examining crises with a focus on indigenous CRSs is much needed.

In an earlier study conducted by the authors, three indigenous CRSs, namely “barnacle”, “third-party endorsement”, and “setting up new topics” were uncovered. In this study, Chinese PR practitioners’ and government officials’ views on the veracity of these strategies were solicited.

The study is significantin two aspects. Theoretically, it aims to enrich and refine crisis response typologies of IRT and SCCT by integrating perspectives of non-Western practitioners. In practice, our findings might address context-specific problems in crisis management and improve understanding of indigenous CRSs.