Communication and Crisis Management When Things Co Wrong Force Majeure as a Crisis Situation

摘要

The term”force majeure”which has such an almost charming French ring to it,refers to a crisis situation which can overtake an enterprise or an institution in spite of all precautionary measures.The concept of ferce majeure covers natural disasters such as earthquakes,floods,severe storms,or volcanic eruptions,as well as fires,civil wars,hostage taking,and sabotage.That is merely an excerpt from a long list of possible events which unexpectedly and without any fault might interrupt the production chain in a company.They may not only unexpectedly cause delivery problems but in extreme cases threaten the very existence of an enterprise.Traffic accidents,terrorism,or under certain legal circumstances also strikes belong to the force-majeure category.In today's globalised economy,the consequences will be felt not only in the directly affected region or in a single company.Disruptions can affect all actors within the value chain,from manufacturer via supplier,to end user.