Scenario: Digital Communication in a Crisis Scenario Overview: You have joined Fly-Tech as a Digital Support Analyst as part of your undergraduate placement. Fly-Tech specialises in providing and supporting digital learning

Module Code

CPUF 100-20C

Module Name

Digital Foundations

Module Leader

Cohort

September 2025

Assessment component(s)

Report

Restrictions on time/word count

1500 words

Individual/group

Individual

Assessment weighting(s)

100%

Hand in date(s)

09/02/2026

Scenario: Digital Communication in a Crisis Scenario

Overview:

You have joined Fly-Tech as a Digital Support Analyst as part of your undergraduate placement. Fly-Tech specialises in providing and supporting digital learning platforms, communication tools, and IT systems for educational institutions including schools, colleges, universities, and training providers.

In April 2023, the company experienced a cybersecurity incident when several staff members clicked on a phishing email that falsely presented as an Outlook Anti-Virus Alert (Appendix A).  The email prompted recipients to verify their credentials on what appeared to be a secure login page.

Within hours staff experienced password changes, account lockouts, and clients received suspicious emails that appeared to come from Fly-Tech addresses. Initial login issues were reported informally on Slack (Appendix B) but there was no central alert or coordinated IT response. An unofficial Telegram group was later created (Appendix C) yet not all departments were included. A Zoom meeting to coordinate next steps was announced only via Telegram (Appendix D) leaving some staff unaware.

At 11:30 AM on 18^th of April 2023, Fly-Tech prematurely posted on Twitter/X that services had been restored without internal confirmation (Appendix E). This caused confusion as stakeholders began submitting complaints via email and social media the next day (Appendix F).

Internal emails (Appendix G) revealed frustration over inconsistent messaging, lack of clarity, and poor coordination. A formal system audit and crises communication plan (Appendix H) only began late on 19^th of April.

The full incident timeline has been summarised in Appendix I, which highlights all critical events, communication tools used, gaps identified, and their corresponding appendices.

In response to this event and given your role in supporting digital systems and communication infrastructure, you have been asked to produce a report for senior management. This report will also be used as a training resource to raise awareness and improve crisis communication practices among Fly-Tech staff.

The purpose of the report is to:

• analyse the communication failures that occurred during the incident,
• assess the digital tools that were used,
• apply logical thinking to suggest improvements,
• and provide recommendations for ethical digital practices to help guide future behaviour and mitigate similar risks.

Additional information/guidance:

Please structure your report using the sections below, with each section clearly labelled. Each section includes a short explanation of what to include. Your answers should be written in full paragraphs, using clear academic language. You may also use bullet points or numbered lists where appropriate to present information clearly. Avoid using one-line answers or informal notes, your work should read as a formal report. Use headings for main sections and subheadings for specific topics within those sections. This will help make your report well-organised and easy to follow. Ensure that all information is presented logically and clearly, with each point discussed in a way that aligns with the section`s objectives. Directly quoting the guidance (tips) provided is not permitted. Instead, you are expected to conduct your own analysis and evaluation based on the information presented.

Report Framework (1,500 words)

1. Introduction (Approx. 150–200 words. 10 marks)

This section introduces the report and sets the context.

• Provide context and set the scene for the report
• Purpose and Relevance:

State the purpose of the report and explain why it matters for Fly-Tech.

• Incident Summary:

Summarise the cyber incident that occurred at Fly-Tech highlighting its impact on internal and external communication.

• Importance of Effective Communication:

Explain why effective digital communication is critical during a crisis especially for a technology driven organisation like Fly-Tech.

• Report Structure:

Briefly outline the main sections of the report to give the reader a clear idea of what to expect.

Tip: Write this section last for clarity but place it first in the report.

2. Analysis and Recommendations (Approx. 750-850 words. 50 marks)

This section addresses Learning Outcomes LO1 and LO3:

LO1: Assess the ability to identify key digital communication methods and their appropriate use in academic and professional contexts.  

LO3: Demonstrate logical thinking skills to effectively break down complex tasks and solve real-life problems.

The section analyses the digital communication tools employed and the appropriateness of their use. Based on this analysis, it identifies issues and provides recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future. It also assesses your ability to critically evaluate communication tools, apply problem-solving skills, and undertake logical reasoning to develop effective recommendations. 

This section should contain the following:

• Description of the tools used (10 marks):

Identify and describe all the communication tools involved in the incident, such as but not limited to, email, Slack, Telegram, and social media.

• Evaluation of each tool used (15 Marks):

For each tool, assess its effectiveness during the crisis in terms of:

• Formality and professionalism.
• Accessibility and inclusivity (who received update and who did not).
• Traceability (ability to track or audit messages).
• Security and privacy.
• For each tool, assess whether it’s use was effective or not and why.

Tip: use evidence from the Appendices and credible academic or professional sources to support evaluation. You may present key points in a comparative table for example, listing each tool alongside its intended use, actual outcome, and the immediate communication issue to make the analysis clearer and more structured. This section is strictly about description and evaluation of tool performance. It does not explore the deeper organisational reasons for the failure and does not propose fixes.

• Identification of failure points (5 marks):

Logically Identify the points in the sequence of events where failure in communication starts or becomes more serious.

• Analyse root issues (8 marks):

Identify the reason(s) why those failures occurred and their impact

Consider how the incident and communication gaps may have influenced staff and stakeholder experiences.

Reflect on aspects such as confidence in organisational processes, clarity of internal updates, and trust in public information.

• Evaluation (5 marks):

Provide an overall judgment of how effectively the crisis was managed.

Focus on the observable quality of decision making, coordination, and communication flow at an organisational level, noting strengths and weaknesses in how the situation was handled.

• Recommendations (7 marks):

Make at least 3 recommendations that would prevent those failures occurring in a future incident. These recommendations should address the following areas:

Improvements to Communication Tools and Protocols:

Suggest which tools should be used for crisis communication and how they can be better managed.

Training on Digital Ethics and Security:

Propose training for staff to raise awareness about digital ethics and secure communication practices.

Steps to Build Trust and Transparency:

Provide practical steps Fly-Tech can take to rebuild trust with clients and stakeholders following the incident.

Tip: The recommendations here should outline short-, medium- and long-term improvements for example, introducing a written crisis communication policy within 60 days so that actions are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time bound).

3. Ethics and Digital Citizenship (Approx. 250–300 words. 15 marks)

This section addresses Learning Outcome LO2:

LO2: Understand and apply principles of online privacy, ethics, digital etiquette, and responsible communication in the context of digital citizenship.  

It focuses on the ethical considerations and the importance of responsible digital behaviour during a crisis. It also addresses how Fly-Tech can improve its digital citizenship.

• Data Protection and Privacy Breaches:

Were any privacy or data protection regulations violated during the incident, especially with sensitive client information? What are the legal implications?

• Company Responsibility in Communication:

Assess whether Fly-Tech acted ethically when communicating with clients and online during the crisis. Were there ethical issues with how information was shared?

• Improving Digital Citizenship:

What can be done to enhance the understanding of data security amongst staff to ensure better practices in future crises?

• Ethical Questions:

Should individual employees be monitored more closely for security. What are the ethical implications of this? 

Tip: Mention ideas like digital footprints, confidentiality, and respectful online conduct. Consider the impact on reputation and client trust.

4. Conclusion and Reflection (Approx. 150–200 words. 15 marks)

The final section must summarise key communication issues identified in the report and the overall recommendations for improvement. The conclusion should reflect on the incident and demonstrate how lessons from the incident can inform better practices in the future.

The reflection should use the Gibbs reflective cycle and should address the following areas:

Description: A summary of what happened (with references back to section 2 for more detail).

Feelings: The outcomes of the failure in communication and how it affected the stakeholders.

Evaluation: What worked and what didn’t.

Analysis: Why communication failed.

General Conclusions: What should Fly-Tech do to ensure that it can identify that there could be a communications failure. (Note. This is not the recommendations you made in section 2, but it is recommendations that Fly-Tech could adopt to ensure that it would identify that this risk existed).

Specific Conclusions: What conclusions do you make about your own ability to undertake this task.

Personal action plan: What will you do to improve your performance on the next assessment.

5. Technical Presentation (10 Marks)

This component assesses your academic skills and the professionalism of your report formatting using Microsoft Word. Your report should demonstrate the following:

• A clear and logical structure with appropriate and consistent use of headings and subheadings 
• Proper typography, including suitable fonts, font sizes, spacing, and alignment to enhance readability
• Accurate grammar and correct use of tenses throughout, ensuring the writing is free from errors
• Inclusion of key elements such as a title page, table of contents, and a list of figures or and tables where applicable
• Academic rigor demonstrated using a variety of credible academic sources, with at least five references cited correctly
• Strict adherence to the Harvard referencing style for all in-text citations and the reference list
• A formal tone maintained consistently, reflecting professionalism appropriate to academic writing

Note: The quality of your presentation and adherence to academic conventions will be evaluated as part of this mark, so ensure your report is well-organised, polished, and meets academic standards.

Suggested reading:

Guffey, M. E. and Loewy, D. (2021). Business Communication: Process and Product (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Hyde, M.J. and Mitra, A. (1999) Communication, acknowledgment, and the morality of cyberspace. New Directions for Philanthropic Fundraising, Business Source Ultimate.

Laudon, K. C. and Laudon, J. P. (2020). Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm (17th ed.). Harlow: Pearson

Li, Y. (2023) How critical is critical thinking skill for the future of work: Developing curriculum with an AI perspective. Scholedge International Journal of Management & Development, 10(9), pp. 104–111.

Spinello, R. A. (2020). Cyberethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace (6th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Journals:

Coombs, W. T. (2015). Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding. Journal: Public Relations Review, 41(3), pp. 387–393.

Kaplan, A. M. and Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Journal: Business Horizons, 53(1), pp. 59–68.

Online resources: 

The National Cyber Security Centre   https://www.ncsc.gov.uk.

Essential Digital Communication Tools for the Modern Workplace. https://www.elcom.com.au/resources/blog/communication-tools-used-in-modern-day-business

Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666412722000137