Issues management in the context of crises and conflicts is the area traditionally associated 
with issues management and which has so far dominated the theoretical and practical 
understanding of issues management (see Röttger 2001, 33). 
"The media like to take up such controversies, since journalists are looking for a story and 
hence for issues that can be followed up. This leads to development structures that 
interestingly also determine the leeway of participants and their expectations as well as those 
of the audience. The criterion of follow-up, so important for the story development, is 
ultimately based on expectations predetermined by dramaturgical schemes. John Jennings, 
former Chairman of Shell UK, emphasizes the constraints of media staging that corporate 
communication must face: 'It's a CNN world. And that means it's a show-me world, and not 
the trust-me world of the past'. (Antidote 1999, 5)." (Schulz 2001, cited in Róttger 2001, 219). 
Winter and Steger also point out that everything 1s about story, not information as many PR 
managers still assume. "What the media want 1s a good story, so rather than just providing 
good information, companies should try to tell the story." (Winter/Steger 1998, 245). 
"In any event, a crisis is a welcome occasion to talk about conflicts and controversies that can 
be followed up." (Schulz 2001, cited in Róttger 2001, 219). 
"Experience shows that enterprises try to avoid public conflicts — with the help of issue 
monitoring, crisis prevention, and background lobbying. But sometimes a 'dispute' cannot be 
prevented, and then they must show the ability to deal with conflict. Anyone who deals with 
issues management must at the same time look at capacity for public conflict." (Rolke 2001, 
cited in: Róttger 2001, 235ff). 
"Public conflicts — which tend to be dramatized by the media as well — are constitutive of 
politics." (Rolke 2001, cited in: Róttger 2001, 245). And in his long-term study, Kepplinger 
finds: "The bulk of political communication consists of journalistic conflicts, public crises, 
and scandals. In all three cases, communication is addressed both to the disputants and to the 
media and the public. This distinguishes them from private conflicts." (Kepplinger 1998, 
179). "Publicity represents a premium for politicians." (ibid. 202). But as we have already 
seen above, this publicity is not convenient for everyone. Only those looking for it or 
happening upon it fortuitously benefit from it on the surface. In any event, public conflict still 
represents one of the strongest news value factors (Rolke 2001, cited in: Rottger 2001, 247). 
"The charm of public conflict consists in the fact that change is not decreed, but rather 
provoked by visible challenges by third parties." (Rolke 2001, cited in: Róttger 2001, 249). 
The goal is also to recognize organization-relevant topics surfacing in public as early as 
possible and to react accordingly, i.e. to understand and cultivate issues management as an 
early-warning system. This can be done by participating in the public opinion-making process 
or by modifying organizational policy. Relevant in this regard is the conceptualization of 
overcoming "strategic discontinuities" developed by H. Igor Ansoff (1976). The basic idea of 
Ansoffs planning conceptualization is that "strategic discontinuities" — events difficult to 
foresee, the occurrence of which forces the enterprise or organization to take drastic measures 
— may well be difficult to foresee, but still announce themselves with various "weak signals" 
(see p. 129). The question therefore is: how can the organization recognize "weak signals" 
and make sensible use of the information contained therein regarding "strategic