Cambridge Business Association
Why Some Companies Emerge Stronger and Better from a Crisis
Book

Why Some Companies Emerge Stronger and Better from a Crisis

7 Essential Lessons For Surviving Disaster

Ian I. Mitroff
AMACOM, 2005
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7

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Recommendation

In this book, author Ian I. Mitroff, an expert on crisis management, helps you attain the attitudes and philosophy you need to ensure that your organization implements crisis management correctly. Instead of repeating the basics of crisis management, he urges corporate leaders to learn, understand, adopt and practice attitudes and tactics that can help businesses implement crisis management more skillfully. This book will help you think about crisis management differently and will spur you to implement pre-crisis planning at your organization. The author’s stories about how companies have mishandled crises make it hard for you to miss the point. getAbstract.com believes executives and managers who read this book and buy into its philosophy will learn how to become better prepared for the unexpected, so they can make a difference when it really counts.

Summary

Thinking the Unthinkable

You may not like to think about a crisis affecting you or your organization, but you no longer have that choice. Before September 11, 2001, few people would have fathomed the scenario of a "flying bomb" destroying New York City skyscrapers. These attacks changed U.S. society’s assumptions of routine and safety. The world suddenly became more complicated and more dangerous. While it’s somewhat understandable that most American companies were not ready to contend with crises prior to the 2001 terrorist attacks, it is harder to fathom why many companies still remain ill equipped for potential crises.

Organizations must plan for crises, that is, any dangerous events threatening injuries, deaths and financial trouble that could deeply damage or even close your company. However, if you can muster seven specific abilities, you can better equip your organization to overcome a crisis. First, recalibrate your attitude. Recent crises and disasters included events that many once thought impossible. These calamities included terrorist attacks, a natural disaster large enough to take out a major city, cyber-attacks and corporate fraud. Today’s organizations...

About the Author

Ian I. Mitroff is a professor at the Marshall School of Business and the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Southern California. He’s the author of numerous papers and books on crisis management, management policy and other areas of business.

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