Research
The Arthur W. Page Society is a professional organization for executives in the public relations and communication industries. Named after one of the first public relations executives to work for a Fortune 500 corporation (AT&T), this organization is charged with the goal of “embracing the highest professional standards; advancing the way communications is understood, practiced and taught; and providing a collegial and dynamic learning environment” (“Vision, Mission & Goals,” n.d., para. 2). According to the Society’s website, the following principles are designed to guide public relations practitioners’ actions and behaviors and exemplify Page’s philosophy of public relations management: (1) Tell the truth; (2) Prove it with action;
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Essentially, a crisis triggers attributions of responsibility to the organization from stakeholders, along three dimensions: 1) whether the crisis has happened before or will likely happen again; 2) whether the event was controllable or uncontrollable by an individual or the organization; and 3) whether the crisis occurs within the organization or external to it. In this case, Domino’s as an organization was not directly responsible for this crisis, as the event occurred internally at the hands of employees, and this type of crisis had never happened …show more content…
In crisis situations, multiple truths or social constructions of the event(s) are vying for attention simultaneously: in general, customers, the company, its employees, and the media. In the case of Domino’s, particular watchdog organizations like GoodAsYou.org and Consumerist.com were also constructing versions of the event. The truth that Tim McIntyre, VP of Communications, wanted to convey was that this incident was “a rogue act of two individuals who thought they were being funny. That they do not represent this brand. That they do not represent the 100,000 people who work every day at Domino’s Pizza all over the world” (Flandez, 2009, para. 6). The truth that Patrick Doyle wanted to articulate was that “We didn’t do this. We’re sorry. And we want to earn your trust back” (Peeples & Vaughn, 2010, p.
Newsom, D., Turk, J., & Kruckeberg, D. (2013). This Is PR: The Realities of Public Relations
Toxic Sludge is designed to shock readers by stressing the negative side of each circumstance; even though the information presented is a left wing point of view I do believe the work is a justifiable criticism of the PR industry because the tactics used were harmful to American democracy and in some cases the health and wellbeing of the public at large. According to an analysis by Dr. Donn Tilson, accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), not all PR practitioners utilize such tactics, however, many do and that type of PR poses a threat to democratic values, he goes on to state, “it is ultimately a manifestation of the deeper contradictions in corporate America...the road back to a truly democratic society lies in educating ourselves about the power of propaganda in our lives” (Tilson, 1997). As the general public continues to educate itself about the practices (good and bad) in the field of PR it is even more important that our firm maintain professional procedures that are in-line with the PRSA code of ethics.
The company should be honest and acknowledge that they have made a mistake. On all interviews the company should express sympathy and regret for those affected and immediately promise that the company will pay all medical costs associated with the crisis. The company should also say the latest news on the crisis and ensure the public that the company has a handle on the problem. Listing places customers can ask questions and seek help about problems related to the crisis can be very appreciated by the customers knowing that the company cares about them.
In exploring the components included in a Product-Harm Crisis and the suggested strategies in the production of a Crisis Communication Management Plan, recommended that while a Product- Harm Crisis is accepted to have a low likelihood of happening, it can advance into an emergency that might be damaging to a brand. A Crisis Management Plan turned out to be important in such a pressing position as a Product-Harm Crisis event, on the grounds that a Crisis Management Plan frameworks particular systems and strategies that will help in managing media, consumer concerns, brand, recall process (if pertinent), and so on.
The crisis at the Nuance group appears to be a “Reputational” crisis. The case study states that the Nuance Group is “a successful management consulting company.” (Zaremba, 2010) In order to be successful, you must have a positive reputation, which was most likely the case with the Nuance Group. However, as Warren Buffet said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it”. (Tuttle, 2010) By publishing false information in their brochures, and distributing them to the public, the Nuance Group portrayed themselves as devious and untrustworthy, amongst other negative
They insured that their side of the story would be the first thing someone would see if searched for on Google (Crandall et al., 2013). A link on the company website was utilized to direct users to a specific site addressing the issue (Crandall et al., 2013). Other social media outlets were used to gain access to the public about the situation (Crandall et al., 2013). Ultimately, Taco Bell was prepared for the crisis before it ever occurred. Being prepared, allowed the organization to navigate the crisis smoothly while disproving the
Stauber, J & Rampton, S. (1997) Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry, London: Common Courage Press
In order to save a brand during a time of crisis, a company, organization or government must have proper crisis communication. Every brand should be prepared for a crisis and have a plan intact for when it transpires. As mentioned in the
The discipline of public relations is a modern profession which has been in existence for only close to a century; however, it has already taken an important role in the fields of business, government, entertainment and non-profit organizations including educational institutions and healthcare organizations. Public relations professionals are required to have excellent organizational, interpersonal and communication skills and have the ability to persuade the public. It is imperative for PR professionals to effectively communicate with its public in order to establish and maintain a positive relationship. Furthermore, public relations professionals must have the ability to work under pressure and effectively manage crisis which may have detrimental effect on the company and the public it serves. State purpose of paper and an overview of what will be covered in the introduction
..., Crisis communication failures: The BP Case Study, International Journal of Advances in Management and Economics, Issue 2, March-April 2013, accessed 28 March 2014,
The communication process is not something that begins when a crisis rears its ugly head rather it is a process that takes place in preparing for a crisis before it happens. While the term crisis represents a blanket term used to describe many situations, each situation is unique, thus presenting different obstacles to overcome. However, with a well-established advanced plan in place an organization places itself in a position to overcome and work around obstacles. The development of a comprehensive crisis management plan is one achieved through effective communication where each member of the crisis management team has an advanced shared understanding of his or her role and responsibility during a time of crisis (du Pr'e, 2005).
According to David Abrahams, senior vice-president of Marsh Risk Consulting Practice and an expert in brand risk, there is often a demonstrable link between the way in which a crisis is handled by a company and what happens to that business and its associated brand. 'The way in which any crisis is handled becomes a visible test of management capability,' he says. 'If that crisis arises from a fundamental breach of trust or performance, the compound effect of the bad handling can be devastating.'
The history of the career field of public relations all started when Julius Caesar hired a team to persuade the citizens that he was doing a good job running the area. Caesar’s influence led to public relations in the Unite States beginning in the 1800’s. Newspapers ran friendly columns to reward advertisers with “free publicity.” Then, in the 20th century, the official job title of “public relations specialist” came into play. Those first public relations specialists were publicity agents and mostly former journalists (Mogel). Now, having a career in public relations most nearly means that a person has the job of creating publicity for a specific brand or person (Lila B. Stair).
Today, public relations is a complex profession by thousands of thousands of people all the world to practice. Almost all large and small organizations have their own public relations department or they need to outsource their public relations to a company. Public relations practitioners work for schools and universities, companies, governments, professional and trade associations, hospitals, hotels, non-profit charities, and other else more (Grunig, 2001). Therefore, PR is an important department for organizations.
Public relations practitioners are often described as an organization’s voice, positioning messages in the media to ensure the organization is perceived as beneficial, relevant, and credible. According to Zoch and Molleda (2006), this role is defined as “media relations” and is a pivotal aspect of the public relations profession. Two theoretical frameworks, agenda setting and framing are at the core of effective media engagement. Agenda setting is the process determining which social issues dominate public discourse, and framing is the way each issue is presented to the public (Dearing & Rogers, 1996; Hallahan, 1999). First, public relations practitioners use agenda setting to garner media coverage for its organization and its stakeholders