COM5360 Unit IV Assignment

COM 5360, Crisis Communication and Leadership

Unit IV Assignment

This assignment has two components – an outline and a code of ethics. Please 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.

Please 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. 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 APA Style when creating citations and references for this assignment. APA formatting, however, is not necessary