Lessons from the financial crisis - the importance of communication in a world where business is king

Abstract: Title: Lessons from the financial crisis – the importance of communication in a world where business is king. Authors: Peter Houli and Robert Sarvik Mentor: Asta Cepaite Nilsson Problem statement: Currently, seemingly few studies have been conducted with focus on how organisations have used issues and crisis management during the financial crisis. Furthermore, issues and crisis management as fields within communications studies have rarely been combined and scrutinised accordingly. Purpose: To scrutinise how and when issues and crisis management have been used by organisations to survive the financial crisis. Method: A textual discourse analysis of news coverage on three organisations by prominent financial media during the financial crisis, complemented by qualitative interviews with key individuals from respective organisation. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates discrepancies between what is written in literature and how it is actually practiced. The three organisations have had different presuppositions and have handled the situation differently. This has enabled us to provide openings for possibilities to develop the fields further and merging or at least clarifying a stronger link between issues and crisis management.