Sony Pictures and the U.S. Federal Government: A Case Study Analysis of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Hack Crisis Using Normal Accidents Theory

<p>In this case study, I analyze the 2014 North Korean computer database hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), a serious national security crisis of cyberterrorism. I utilize Normal Accidents theory as a lens, to help explain how the accident within one system (SPE) and later crisis lead to the interaction with a second system (U.S. Federal Government), the development of a new crisis, and the need for a crisis response from system two. The evolution of a single organization’s accident into a national security crisis does not occur without specific complex interactions that take place to connect the two systems together. To explain this interconnectedness between systems, I introduce two new constructs: 1) common denominator and 2) common goal, which expand Normal Accidents theory allowing it to account for the coupling between the two independent systems (SPE & United States Government) through non-linear interactions. Overall, this case study provides important insight for future crisis communication planning, response, and development regarding between-organization interaction during a crisis. <strong></strong></p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication Studies

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Ismail, Mohamed

Contributors dc:contributor

• Steven Venette
• Kathryn Anthony
• John Meyer

• Crisis communication
• cyberterrorism
• normal accidents theory
• charles perrow
• organizational crisis
• Organizational Communication
• Other Communication
• Social Influence and Political Communication

Repository record dc:identifier

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/330

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1360