PR in Crisis Situations. A Case Study

AbstractPublic relations prove to be an original and efficient tool in meeting the current challenges of society, irrespective of the activity to which they are related: they can support the solving of problems and crisis situations, promoting an institution or organization, its products or services, by building higher visibility in the public space. In crisis situations, public relations are absolutely compulsory. The damages caused to the organization may be extremely serious unless a correct management of communication is taken into consideration which, in such a situation, is more than necessary. Based on these considerations, the purpose of our research is two-fold: to present the concept of public relations and its essential role in crisis situations, respectively to analyze and evaluate, in terms of public relations, the tragic event from the Giuleşti Maternity, which resulted in the death of six babies. The case study aims at analyzing how the crisis situation was managed, the actions undertaken in this respect, their impact and consequences, based on the information/documents published on the Internet. We believe that public relations may support organizations in predicting and reacting appropriately in a crisis situation, if applied accordingly. In this context, it goes without saying that a good communication during a crisis can only be advantageous, being able to improve and even stop the public's negative reactions