Crisis Management - Case Study Example

Running Head: Crisis Management Crisis Management By ______________________ Introduction The concept of 'crisis' has entered international politics as a situation jenseits von Krieg und Frieden: 'where there is a crisis, there is no war and there is no peace' (Houben 12: 2005). It is in this ambiguous space that the practice of crisis management takes place. In that sense, international crisis management signals the end of an important political dichotomy. The notion of 'crisis' differs widely from our classical perception of war as the great exception to the normal political state of affairs. This does not mean that crisis and crisis management have become regular or everyday political phenomena, but the tendency to routinization is undeniable. An important question faced by governments and democracies is whether this change from crisis management as the politics of exception to crisis management as part of regular politics may require different political arrangements: in the relation between the executive and legislative branches of government, for example, and regarding questions such as whether more stringent policy coordination is required, whether we need better communication and interaction with the public, and whether we need different modes of intergovernmental cooperation. Hotel Safety & Security The particular policies defining staff duties in hotels will vary somewhat, as will the moral orientations of the supervisors, and the nature of the clientele and "intruders" encountered, but from the security officer's perspective, keeping order is characterized by two major elements. The first and most apparent responsibility is that of "protecting hotel guests, staff, and property from theft or other abuse." Secondly, the security officer is expected to operate in a "public relations capacity;" to help make the guests' stays pleasant and to maintain a respectable image of the hotel. While much more important than might first seem, this second concern has profound implications for the management of trouble. It places limitations on the ways in which security officers may respond to troublesome persons, suggesting that deviance be handled informally and as unobtrusively as possible. Perceiving hotel security to be disadvantaged relative to the authority of peace officers and more responsible for public relations, security people (and their employers) place considerable emphasis on abilities to handle incidents with a minimum of physical force. Keeping a Clear Lobby: the lobby areas of hotels can represent difficult places in which to keep order. Thus, in addition to the possible confusions which may result from guests (and their children) checking in and out of the hotel with baggage and other belongings, security officers frequently have unwelcome entrants such as drunks and vagrants, hookers and hustlers, and other loiterers Dealing with Room Trouble: Trouble in the rooms involves the guests in some respect, but the knowledge that trouble is taking place in these locations is of limited value in predicting its form. Thus, while noise, drug use, theft, and vandalism are among the more common sources of trouble, guests may also call security in matters pertaining to physical violence, accidents, sicknesses, and misplaced items. The staff should be hired to keep a note on things in the rooms as the customer prepares to leave, further there should be clear notice inside the room regarding things not to do. Hijacking The pilot is the prime player in the hijack situation because he controls the aircraft and the crew. The first concern the pilot has, after ensuring the safety of his passengers, crew, and aircraft, is to advise the ground authorities that he has been hijacked. Often the hijacker prefers to do this at a time of his own choosing, in which case the pilot must resort to covert methods to ensure that a warning is issued. The pilot has various means whereby he can secretly advise ground controllers that he has been hijacked. Since all flights are radar controlled, most commercial aircraft have a transponder that receives a ground-based signal and replies automatically. The controllers advise the pilot to select a given frequency that identifies the flight and its altitude, course, speed, and position. Should the pilot reset his transponder to a special code, alarm bells will advise the ground controllers that a problem exists. The controllers would immediately call the plane and should the pilot confirm that his transponder is correctly set, the controllers will acknowledge that fact and ask if the pilot can provide further details. Should the pilot respond that he cannot, the controllers will continue to monitor the flight and pass the fact of the hijack along to control agencies farther along the jet's route. As is well known within the industry, pilots can select special codes for emergency situations on board (code 7700), for communications' failure (code 7600), or for skyjacking in progress (code 7500). Should the pilot be unable to activate his transponder, he could still advise ground authorities by the use of code words. The code word trip used in combination with the aircraft call sign will identify the flight as one that has been hijacked (John 1991). Once the ground system is advised of the hijacking, any necessary clearances for the aircraft to penetrate unfriendly airspace or to land at a given airport can be negotiated. This information will be relayed to the pilot; however, it is normally kept from the hijacker to try to convince him that it is necessary to go to a site more favorable to the crew. In keeping with this concept, the crew will normally try to be as negative as possible to all of the hijacker's demands. Since many hijackers are unfamiliar with flight operations, it is possible that the crew can convince the hijacker that an immediate landing is necessary because of engine problems, a lack of fuel, or inclement weather. It will be to the crew's advantage to be as slow and methodical as possible in their actions since this will serve to confuse and tire the hijacker. Some people reach their acceptance threshold of negative responses and delaying actions before others, and so the crew will have to be attentive to the attitude of a hijacker. After the ground system is alerted to the hijack, the crew should endeavor to use the ground authorities to terminate the hijack. Potential destinations can be identified by simple techniques such as the pilot explaining to the terrorist that he must have weather data for a particular airport so he can prepare the landing calculations. Once given permission to get weather conditions for a particular airport, the ground controllers can advise the police or military, as well as calculate the estimated time of arrival. Hostage Survival (Taking an Air Hostage) A hostage-taking episode on an aircraft in flight with a terrorist in charge takes on the character of a dynamic psychosocial process. First, a hijack usually lasts for a considerable time, long enough for the terrorist to experience challenges to his initial resolve and his carefully prepared state of mind. Second, during this same period the victim continuously confronts the terrorist and is the latter's total responsibility. At the same time the hijacker is confronted from time to time by the pilot and the negotiators on the ground. These factors both genuinely affect the terrorists' feelings and actions. Third, the victim or hostage is affected by the whole experience in ways that are impossible to predict, a factor that tends to complicate the hijack situation further. Finally, the complex pressure process of response and counter response between hostage taker and captive suggests that the negotiators may be able to pursue a strategy that will both avoid a violent outcome and maybe even persuade the hijacker to surrender. Such an outcome has happened on a number of occasions during hijacks in the past 20 years. Commercial Espionage The idea of committing espionage has become ever more common in American culture during the twentieth century. The two world wars, with their desperate demands for victory, naturally generated more spying than in peacetime. War motivated more betrayal of national war plans, economic developments, and technological innovations to the enemy. During the brief time the United States actively fought in World War I, the government deliberately raised public anxiety about spies with a propaganda campaign, helping to touch off virulent and unfocused anti-German persecution in the United States. Having available a wealth of information, some of it accurate, some of it glamorized, in the attractive form of the spy thriller increases the currency of the idea of espionage, and it can tutor those who seek instruction on how to go about it. Within the community of those holding security clearances, another more ironic source of suggestibility for committing espionage is provided routinely by well-meaning security staff: the briefing on hostile intelligence service methods. It would be irresponsible to clear people for access to sensitive information and then not to warn them about the interest of foreign intelligence services in obtaining such information. Civilian and military defense employees and contractors all receive such briefings. Violence in Workplace When addressing the problems presented by a potentially violent employee, it is important to assemble an interdisciplinary team. Issues of employee rights, safety, security, privacy, and the law must all be considered in any intervention effort. At a minimum, the intervention team should be comprised of a mental health professional or representative from an employee assistance program, a human resources specialist, a legal representative, a security or safety representative, and a member of the organization's senior management. In an ideal situation, a threat assessment specialist or staff psychologist would also be included. It is foolhardy to attempt to intervene with a potentially violent employee unless these resources are available. Simply dealing with the complexities of employee rights and the law demands a teamwork approach in order to minimize liability. Beyond this, many potentially lethal employees are suffering from significant psychological problems that require the attendance of a mental health professional. Members of the intervention team and, in particular, the individual assigned to interact with the potentially violent employee must be familiar with the employee's work history and background. An angered and frustrated employee who is on the verge of violence may quickly and aggressively react to otherwise insignificant stimuli. It is imperative that any individual who is attempting to intervene with the employee know and understand his background, history, and, to every extent possible, apparent motivations. The process of intervention demands that the potentially violent employee be addressed in a sensitive, personal manner to indicate that his value as an individual is recognized and appreciated. This approach can only be successful if the members of the intervention team are as familiar as possible with the employee. Preparation such as reviewing personnel files and interviewing coworkers is essential to successful intervention. The more that is known and understood about the potentially violent employee, the greater the likelihood of successful intervention. Reference Houben M. (2005), "International Crisis Management: The Approach of European States", New York: Routledge. John P.S. (1991), "Air Piracy, Airport Security, and International Terrorism: Winning the War against Hijackers", New York: Quorum Books. Kelleher M.D. (1997), "Profiling the Lethal Employee: Case Studies of Violence in the Workplace", Westport, CT: Praeger. Trahair R.C.S. (2004), "Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies and Secret Operations", Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Irini S. & Prus R. (1982), "Doing Security Work: Keeping Order in the Hotel Setting", Journal Title: Canadian Journal of Criminology. Volume: 24. Issue: 1. Read More