Lessons from the financial crisis

The financial crisis has been demanding for a majority of organisations, institutions and nations across the globe. Many factors have influenced the situation and how it was handled. This thesis analyses the way organisations have interpreted and handled the financial crisis from a communicative perspective with emphasis on management. With a starting point in issues and crisis management, three international organisations are analysed – KIA, Citroen, and UBS – and the way the've handled the financial crisis as well as how media have portrayed them. Theories defining the fields today are compared to how they are practiced in reality. The analysis of the theories demonstrates discrepancies between what is written in literature and how it is actually practiced. The three organisations have had different presuppositions and have handled the situation differently. This has enabled us to contribute and revise theories during the analysis, adding possibilities for the development of the fields by merging or at least clarifying a stronger link between issues and crisis management.