Wouter Van Doesum

Crisis Communication in the Global Arena: Arla and the Cartoon Crisis Wouter Van Doesum

The Cartoon Crisis of 2005 and 2006 provoked an international crisis, where ?freedom of expression' was pitted against ?respect for religious believes'. However, in the midst of this central debate, Arla Foods faced the challenge to communicate with angry stakeholders on all sides. The Danish-Swedish cooperative was thereby involved in one of the most intense crisis situations on record. The crisis showcased the communication challenges during a complex, ambiguous and unpredictable intercultural crisis. This book offers an overview of contemporary crisis communication theory and the ongoing critiques and debates. An in-depth case study of Arla will provide an insight in the multifaceted communication demands the company faced during the Cartoon Crisis. Arla's communication efforts during this crisis are analyzed and measured up against current crisis communication literature, whereafter implications for managers working in international companies are offered, with the goal of providing managers with the tools necessary to make informed communication choices during an intercultural crisis.