The authors, academics and consultants in crisis management, explain how to assess a company's strengths and vulnerabilities before a crisis happens, how to handle a crisis once it hits (including what to do if there has not been any precrisis planning), and how to learn from a crisis so that future problems can be minimized. A crisis can strike any company at any time, and although no company is immune, effective crisis management will enable organizations to recover much faster and learn more from their experiences. One chapter serves as an instruction manual for the crisis management software that is to be included in the finished book. With damage containment, treatment of the problem, and recovery from the crisis as central themes, the authors consider the various stages of a crisis, beginning with the importance of identifying its precise nature and causes. Appropriate dealings with the media are fundamental to proper crisis management, since a company is perceived in the marketplace as a hero, a villain, or a victim, and public perception is shaped by the media. Proper training is recommended to ensure positive reaction and functioning in times of crisis and to prepare managers to face reality when a crisis hits. Mary Whaley