Case Study

Michael Rodriguez

Michael Rodriguez

Discussion Questions 1. To what extent did lapses in PCA’s manufacturing practices lead to a large scale, organizational communication failure during the crisis? 2. When should large organizations such as PCA take the silent approach or a vocal approach? Why would a organization want to stay silent or voice their side? 3. To what extent were the proxy communications justified in stepping forward to communication during the crisis? 4. Were all of the organizations and agencies described in the case equally justified in assuming the role of proxy communicator? 5. What are the potential complications for proxy communicators in crises? 6. If PCA had decided to communicate during the crisis, what messages of communication would have been most important to stakeholders? What messages would have been most helpful for consumers? 7. If you were the head of a major organization, how would you handle this situation from the top to bottom of your given organization (I.E. employees, media, consumers, etc)?