Jebor, Dorothy Kandie2021-03-192021-03-192019-05Jebor, D.K. (2019). Evaluation of Students’ Perceptions of Crisis Response Strategies Used During a Crisis: A Case of Moi University: Daystar University, School of Communication. Nairobi.https://repository.daystar.ac.ke/handle/123456789/3421Master of Arts in Corporate CommunicationThe aim of this study was to evaluate students’ perceptions of crisis response strategies used during a crisis, a case of Moi University. Most of the studies in crisis communication have focused on the strategies of crisis communication but there is a dearth of scholarly work on publics’ perceptions about crisis response strategies used during a crisis especially in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to; describe the crisis response strategies used by the university during the crisis as perceived by the students; establish perceptions of the students on the university crisis response strategies used during the crisis; describe the influence of the crisis response strategies used during the crisis on attributions of the crisis by the students, and to determine the students’ perceptions of the influence of the crisis response strategies used during the crisis on the university reputation. The study adopted a descriptive survey design with a quantitative approach. The findings showed that; the response strategies deployed by the university during the crisis were; the university blamed the politicians at 69.7% and the university excused themselves by claiming inability to control the events that triggered the crisis and that they were a victim of the crisis too at 62.8%. Showing concern to the students was perceived to have minimized the damage caused by the crisis while informing the students that the politicians were behind the crisis made them feel that they should stand with the university. The findings also showed that the cause of the crisis was something over which the university had no power. Therefore, the findings of the study on the students’ perceptions and the influence of the response strategies on the university’s reputation and crisis responsibility following the crisis show how much any form of crisis response can destroy or build an organization’s reputation as well as shape the crisis attribution. Organizations should craft crisis response strategies to control reputational damage and diffuse publics’ negative feelings.enEvaluation of Students’ PerceptionsCrisis Response StrategiesMoi UniversityThesis