Drawing on the contingency theory of strategic conflict management, this study examines how the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) used Twitter to communicate during Hurricane Harvey. A content analysis was conducted on tweets (N = 273) by using stances along the contingency's continuum, finding that the USCG frequently adopted stances on both sides of the continuum's spectrum throughout the disaster event. The analysis of USCG tweets provides a real‐world case study of how Twitter is used by organizations to strategically communicate with the public during a disaster event. Like many disaster aid organizations, the USCG must balance competing goals of assisting the impacted population, while continuing to secure funding from the U.S. government. The current study contributes to contingency theory of strategic conflict management literature by applying the theory to a disaster, providing tangible evidence that disaster communication research should consider incorporating different stances across the continuum, sometimes simultaneously, that could help guide strategies, ultimately helping the organization and public being affected during a disaster.

中文翻译：

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在哈维飓风期间在Twitter上探索美国海岸警卫队的立场敏捷性

基于战略冲突管理的权变理论，本研究考察了美国海岸警卫队（USCG）在哈维飓风期间如何使用Twitter进行交流。对推文（N = 273），通过在意外事件的连续体上使用立场，发现USCG在整个灾难事件中经常在连续体范围的两侧采用立场。USCG推文的分析提供了真实案例研究，说明组织如何使用Twitter在灾难事件中与公众进行战略性沟通。像许多灾难援助组织一样，USCG必须在帮助受灾人口的竞争目标之间取得平衡，同时继续从美国政府获得资金。当前的研究通过将战略冲突管理理论应用于灾难，为战略冲突管理文学的权变理论做出了贡献，并提供了切实的证据，表明灾害传播研究应考虑在整个连续过程中，有时同时考虑不同的立场，