Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 

About: Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management is an academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Crisis management & Emergency management. It has an ISSN identifier of 0966-0879. Over the lifetime, 887 publications have been published receiving 26921 citations.

Preparing for Critical Infrastructure Breakdowns: The Limits of Crisis Management and the Need for Resilience

Abstract: Modern societies are widely considered to harbour an increased propensity for breakdowns of their critical infrastructure (CI) systems. While such breakdowns have proven rather rare, Hurricane Katrina has demonstrated the catastrophic consequences of such breakdowns. This article explores how public authorities can effectively prepare to cope with these rare events. Drawing from the literature on crisis and disaster management, we examine the strengths and weaknesses of traditional approaches to crisis preparation and crisis response. We argue that the established ways of organising for critical decision-making will not suffice in the case of a catastrophic breakdown. In the immediate aftermath of such a breakdown, an effective response will depend on the adaptive behaviour of citizens, front-line workers and middle managers. In this article, we formulate a set of strategies that enhance societal resilience and identify the strong barriers to their implementation.

A Work‐In‐Process Literature Review: Incorporating Social Media in Risk and Crisis Communication

Abstract: This work-in-process literature review gives an overview of recent insight in the incorporation of social media in risk and crisis communication By marrying literature and examples of social media use with best practices in risk and crisis communication, this study demonstrates how communicators can embrace social media tools to better manage a risk or crisis Best practices in risk and crisis communication are summarized, examples of social media tools used to manage risks and crises are expounded, and recommendations for practitioners are provided to incorporate social media tools in risk and crisis communication

High Reliability Organizations: Unlikely, Demanding and At Risk

Abstract: The HRO project is cast within a broader socio-political context, by first, reviewing its practical origins, its conceptual/logical framework, and a summary of the project's provisional findings, including a brief observation about the importance of a ‘culture of reliability.’Then some socio/political implications for HROs are explored as they assume the status of large technical systems (LTSs) and become quasi-public institutions. This paper ends with a reflection on the challenges of institutional trustworthiness that confront HRO operators, managers, and overseers.

Managing Transboundary Crises: Identifying the Building Blocks of an Effective Response System

Abstract: In recent years, crises have become increasingly transboundary in nature. This exploratory paper investigates whether and how the transboundary dimensions of crises such as pandemics, cyber attacks and prolonged critical infrastructure failure accentuate the challenges that public and private authorities confront in the face of urgent threats. We explore the transboundary dimensions of crises and disasters, discuss how an increase in ‘transboundedness’ affects traditional crisis management challenges and investigate what administrative mechanisms are needed to deal with these compounded challenges. Building on lessons learned from past crises and disasters, our goal is to stimulate a discussion among crisis management scholars about the political-administrative capabilities required to deal with ‘transboundary’ crises.

Small Business in the Face of Crisis: Identifying Barriers to Recovery from a Natural Disaster1

Abstract: The crisis management literature has not dealt in depth with small business response to disasters. This study takes a qualitative approach to consider how small businesses respond to and recover from a large disaster, by interviewing stakeholders in five different communities in the Gulf Coast of the United States. Events that are considered to be crises in nature are usually characterized by high consequence, low probability, ambiguity, and decision making time pressure. Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath caused small business owners in the U.S. Gulf region to experience each of these. Findings include lack of planning by small business; vulnerability to cash flow interruption; lack of access to capital for recovery; problems caused by federal assistance; and serious infrastructure problems impeding recovery.