Abstract Drawing on interaction ritual chains theory, we conducted a multi-case study by using six companies as subjects. In general, we investigated how and why the misbehaving company interacts with consumers during crisis responses, indicating the basic idea of right time, right place, and right social interaction. That is, first, right time means that how a company responds to a crisis should depend on crisis timing, which includes symptomatic time window, acute time window, chronic time window, and cure time window. Second, right place suggests a chained effect that the situation at one time window could affect crisis response at the next time window. Third, right social interaction highlights the interactions between a company and consumers. These findings contribute to research on brand crisis and crisis communication, while also providing practical suggestions to managers regarding how to respond to crises best.
2016, Vol. 13 
