Strategic Relationship Management In Crisis Communication: Navigating Public Relations And Stakeholder Engagement Strategies Adopted By Malls Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Covid-19 brought unexpected social and economic disruptions in the lives of every person. The outbreak of the virus just didn’t shut the people within their four walls significantly affecting their mental and physical wellbeing, but it also simultaneously shut down all the doors of business operation, resulting in tremendous economic loss to the nation. 

Every organization revisited its business policies and priorities resorting to applying compassionate  Stakeholder Management strategies to address their escalating tensions and switched over to adopting innovative Crisis Management strategies to stay connected with the stakeholders and ensure that their relations with them are kept intact. The research article tries to explore the various dimensions of the communication strategies employed by the malls during the crisis to ensure that a strong thread of connectivity and communication is maintained between the mall’s management team and its concerned stakeholders. The researcher seeks the valuable insights of the top-most professionals of the Public Relations & Management Team of some of the leading malls of northwest India to find out their perception regarding the degree of effectiveness of the role played by the Communication Professionals during the Covid-19 period to keep the stakeholders informed and engaged.