A case study entitled, How should a company respond to a product harm crisis? The role of corporate reputation and consumer-based cues, deals with crisis management public relations in Belgium, France and Spain. In this study, it reveals how high Spain and France rank when it comes to the uncertainty avoidance dimension. According to the researchers, children in Belgium got sick from drinking Coca-Cola and Belgium, Spain, and France boycotted all products from the company. The researcher goes on to say that perhaps people from areas with high uncertainty avoidance index react more strongly and quickly in blaming the company, than having the ability to see other possibilities from where there could have been error. He is able to conclude this because other countries such as Denmark and Sweden did not completely ban Coca-Cola products. This just shows further how different cultures will react to scenarios in different ways. PR practitioners must know the country and culture they are dealing with, in order to react properly, especially during times of crisis.
Every public relations course has taught us that we need to know our target audience. This cannot be stressed enough when practicing public relations internationally. Public relations professionals must be aware how public relations differs greatly from country to country.
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