Locate and explain a news report on a crisis. Address the following in your response:
The introduction should engage the reader in the crisis and clearly present a summary of the main points.
What were the fundamental stages of the crisis?
What happened during the crisis?
What effective communication plans were implemented in this crisis?
Research sources to support your ideas. Your essay APA format. Cite and in-text cite all references. You must include a minimum of three sources,
Using social media in hotel crisis management: the case of bed bugs Bingjie Liu and Lori Pennington-Gray Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA, and Louisa Klemmer Department of Business Studies, Harz University of Applied Sciences, Wernigerode, Germany Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide greater insights into the-state-of-the-art in crisis management and aid in better response to health-related crises, with a specific focus on the hotel industry. This study extends the tourism crisis management model to include social media, concerning the role of monitoring and responding. Design/methodology/approach – This study enhances the classic 4R (readiness, reduction, response and recovery) crisis management model to include social media for hotels facing a bed bug crisis and/or other health-related crises. Findings – This paper discusses the use of social media at different phases of managing a bed bug crisis, which include risk reduction, readiness, response and recovery. Recommendations are also provided for hotel managers to combat health-related crises that are fought out on social media. Practical implications – Social media has helped to bridge the communication gap between customers and hotels. Bed bug infestations are a growing health crisis, and they have obtained increasing attention on social media sites. Without managing this crisis effectively, bed bug infestation can cause economic loss and reputational damages to hotel properties, ranging from negative comments and complaints, to possible lawsuits. Thus, it is essential for hoteliers to understand the importance of social media in crisis communication, and to incorporate social media in hotels’ crisis management plans. Originality/value – This study serves as one of the first attempts in the hospitality field to offer discussions and recommendations on how hotels can manage the bed bug crisis and other crises of this kind by incorporating social media into their crisis management practices. Keywords Hotel industry, Social media, Bed bug crisis, Monitoring and response, Tourism crisis management, Health-related crises Paper type Conceptual paper Introduction To date, the rise in new media channels has helped to bridge the communication gap between the customer and the supplier of the product. Particularly, social media has changed the landscape of crisis communication by providing platforms that are low cost and easily accessible (Veil et al., 2011). Unlike traditional media, where information normally follows a one-way path, social media allows instant communication between all stakeholders in both directions, offering more opportunities for people to share The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1757-9880.htm JHTT 6,2 102 Received 14 August 2014 Revised 17 November 2014 16 January 2015 Accepted 16 January 2015 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology Vol. 6 No. 2, 2015 pp. 102-112 © Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1757-9880 DOI 10.1108/JHTT-08-2014-0036 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-08-2014-0036 information and express opinions (Anderson, 2010). The public also perceives user-generated content (UGC) on social media sites as more authentic and trustworthy, which contributes to a communication network that builds upon storytelling, dialogue and collective knowledge (Freberg et al., 2011). Indeed, the wide use of social media helps individuals keep up-to-date on information regarding the current state of the crisis, while also facilitating individuals and organizations to engage in communication before, during and after a crisis event, enabling various stakeholders to be involved in crisis management practices (Wright and Hinson, 2009). As a growing trend, the on-site and online crisis management activities are now becoming more simultaneous and intertwined, and it becomes necessary for practitioners to understand the need and importance to incorporate social media into their crisis management plans (Sigala, 2011; Veil et al., 2011). Bed bugs, declared “a pest of public health importance”, recently emerge as a main health crisis and have obtained substantial public attention on social media sites (Anderson and Leffler, 2008; CDC and EPA, 2010; De Lollis, 2011). As bed bugs travel on human hosts, infestations are more common in places such as hotels and motels as many people come and go in these establishments. Because of the increased mobility within our society, various hospitality establishments have already proven their vulnerability to bed bug infestations based on the increase in travelers and the resulting high turnover rates of hotel room sales (NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2013). Thus, using the case of the bed bug health epidemic, this paper introduced the role of social media in monitoring and responding to crises. In doing so, the tourism crisis management model is expanded to include social media explicitly throughout the 4R phases of crisis management: reduction, readiness, response and recovery. Crisis management in the hotel industry and social media The hotel industry is susceptible and vulnerable to different type of crises. These may range from major crisis such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters and health-related crises [such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), H1N1, Legionnaires disease or foot-and-mouth diseases], to more common issues such as minor crime or even a case of food poisoning (Henderson, 2004; Kim et al., 2005; Ritchie, 2004). The outbreak of health-related crises has recently caught a vast amount of public attention, which has led to profound impacts on the hotel industry (Chien and Law, 2003; Henderson, 2004; Kim et al., 2005). Impacts include a general decrease in tourism demand as observed in the UK market due to the outbreak of H1N1 in 2009, or economic impacts as exemplified by the loss of over $28 million in the Singapore hotel market due to the SARS outbreak in 2003 (Henderson, 2004; Page et al., 2011). Various frameworks, guidelines and strategies have been established regarding the subject of tourism crisis management (Chien and Law, 2003; Henderson, 2004; Ritchie, 2004); however, the hotel sector has traditionally adopted more of a risk management perspective which has focused on safety and security (Wang and Ritchie, 2010). Because of this limited focus, hotel managers tend to be less able to handle the situations outside their rehearsed crisis situation, such as health-related crises (Henderson, 2004; Wang and Ritchie, 2010). To develop effective crisis management practices, scholars recommend that crisis management plans should address a range of possible crises events (even ones which have not been experienced before) and a comprehensive 103 Social media in hotel crisis management communication plan as part of the response phase, Coombs, 2014; Pennington-Gray et al., 2011). Recently, the significance of social media in crisis communication practices has been addressed, which resulted from the intensive use of social media among the travelling public, as well as the pragmatic utility of social media as an effective communication platform for the various hospitality establishments (Coombs, 2014; Sigala, 2011). Taking a demand-side perspective, tourists regard health and safety as a main concern when making travel-related decisions, and they tend to stay in hotels that are free from any kind of safety issues (Jonas et al., 2010; Kozak et al., 2007). In an attempt to reduce or avoid crisis, numerous sources are sought out for information, including word of mouth from friends and relatives, online blogs, social media sites and others. Undeniably, social media is increasingly becoming one of the top sources of information, especially during the times of crisis (Anderson, 2010; Schroeder et al., 2013; Jacobsen and Munar, 2012; Xiang and Gretzel, 2010). Tourists also use social media to share their crisis experiences, express their concerns and participate in conversations that relate to crisis issues (Sigala, 2011). Empirical research has documented people’s intensive use of social media to participate in crisis communication regarding travel (Schroeder et al., 2013). Similarly, a national report shows that 48 per cent of Americans participate in online communities and social networks and more than half of this group is likely to share crisis information through these channels (American Red Cross, 2012). Regarding the supply side of the hotel industry, it is suggested that practitioners should fully embrace the benefits of using social media in crisis management plans, both from a marketing perspective and a research perspective (Sigala, 2011). In regular settings, social media has been extensively used by hoteliers as an innovative platform to manage customer relationships, and to establish positive brand images (O’Connor, 2010). In addition to the marketing function, scholars (Fall, 2004; Liu et al., 2015) suggested that the crisis management function of social media, in terms of monitoring and responding, should not be ignored. Monitoring the contents generated on social media sites is meaningful for practitioners, in that these conversations can help them better understand guest concerns, detect signals for potential crisis, and, therefore, increase their readiness toward a crisis (Coombs, 2014). Additionally, social media allows the tourism industry and its respective sectors to provide direct responses, enabling practitioners to engage in dialogues with concerned tourists/consumers. A recent study found that tourists have a tendency to express their concerns during a crisis via social media, and they are particularly interested in responses from the tourism industry (Liu et al., 2015). Appropriate and effective responses can lead to less tourist anxiety and, thus, aid in achieving positive decisions for the destination (Sigala, 2011). In summary, to develop the best practices for hotels regarding crisis management, practitioners need to listen to the customers and understand tourists’ concerns, in addition to equipping themselves with crisis management plans (Veil et al., 2012). This holds true to the new medium of social media, which offers a unique opportunity for practitioners to monitor the public discourse surrounding the crisis issue, respond to concerned guests straightforwardly and stay connected with them at all times (Veil et al., 2011). However, most research that has been undertaken in recent years attempted to avoid or reduce the impact of a crisis on JHTT 6,2 104 people’s travel experiences (Ritchie, 2004); however, the role of using social media to monitor a crisis situation and to respond to tourist concerns has been generally overlooked (Sigala, 2011; Liu et al., 2015). Bed bug crisis and the hotel industry Cimex lectular is known as the common bed bug and is an insect that feeds exclusively on blood. Although bed bugs are unable to transfer diseases directly, bed bug bites can cause certain types of health problems, such as itching, swelling, allergic reactions and secondary infections (Quarles, 2007). Bed bugs can be found globally, but more specifically within the USA. Hotel rooms have become the most frequently reported spots for bed bug infestations, accounting for three-fourths (75 per cent) of all the bed bug reports (National Pest Management Association, 2014). Because of the physical characteristics, bed bugs can quickly hide in a hotel room – between the mattress and bedding, behind the wall decorations and under the furniture (Davies et al., 2012). In addition, these tiny insects