The theory applied (horrifically wrong): United’s CEO, Oscar Munoz, sent an email first—which leaked immediately. He called Dr. Dao "disruptive and belligerent." That was victim-blaming (a violation of SCCT's victim cluster). Then his public statement "re-accommodated" the passenger.
The crisis: KFC switched delivery partners to DHL. It went horribly wrong. Hundreds of UK stores ran out of chicken. #KFCCrisis trended globally. Angry customers posted photos of locked KFC signs next to "finger lickin’ good" slogans. Then his public statement "re-accommodated" the passenger
The theory applied (badly first): Initially, JetBlue used (a low-responsibility response). "It's the weather." But SCCT says: Weather is a victim crisis, but the lack of contingency plans is a preventable crisis. By waiting 6 hours to cancel flights, JetBlue owned the blame. Hundreds of UK stores ran out of chicken
How do you bridge the gap? Let’s look at three major theories and apply them directly to real cases you actually remember. The Rule: Match your response to the level of crisis responsibility. Victim (low responsibility) → Accommodate . Accidental (moderate) → Justify . Preventable (high) → Apologize/Recall . The theory applied (badly first): Initially