Crisis communications in war

[M. Cebalović]

571, [3], 13 listova

Biografija autora: list 571

Communicology and informatics

Research of crisis communications on the example of the Electric Power Industry of Serbia, as well as drafting a new communication model for war conditions and emergencies represents a methodological and theoretical challenge as to filling out academic gaps of the theory of public relations and crisis management in the public sector. The work subject has been studied within the notion frame of communication science, conflictology and crisis management as interdisciplinary areas of research, focussing on communication between a state-owned company and the public in the period prior, during and after the conflict. Methods and techniques have been adjusted to the topic and targets of the research, whereas due to transformations of the electric power industry and doctrine of the New Public Management, we have also researched change of attitude towards private individuals as subjects of the social decision-making. In the thesis, there have been used available war documents, facts and in-field researches on the public attitudes in the post-conflict and emergency situations (in June 1999) on the degree of information given to private individuals relating consequences of hostile actions and degree of confidence in the company messages, then on the level of information given to jeopardized private individuals in Obrenovac (floods in May 2014) and Majdanpek (five days without electricity in December 2014). By the research, the starting hypothesis as per which public relations as important and unavoidable business functions in a public company should provide two-way corporate communication particularly in the crisis communications when they need to affirm responsibility and credibility of the company management, has been confirmed entirely! In new circumstances, representatives of the state should act as managers of public companies, so that private individuals themselves should be their stakeholders instead of shareholders. Patterns and experiences of the analysed crisis communications cannot be mapped onto all future crises, but with application of a model that observes experiences tested in practice, it will be ensured that crisis-situations could be managed even in a deregulated and liberalized electric-power sector. Obtained results, with improvement of crisis communication system both in emergencies and in the conditions of armed conflicts should improve functioning of the overall system of crisis situations management of the public companies in Serbia further affecting increase of security of the citizens and their property.

Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS), crisis management, crisis communication, war, emergency, public relations (PR), media

Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), krizni menadžment, krizne komunikacije, rat, vanredna situacija, odnosi s javnošću (PR), mediji

316.774:355.01(497.11)(043.3)

621.311:351.817(497.11)(043.3)

316.774:355.4

Elektronska teza