Respond To Six Posts, 6 - 7 Sentences Each

Respond to two original responses thoroughly in a manner that invites an extension of the conversation. In other words, “I totally agree with you” is NOT a sufficient response. Each peer response should be approximately 6 – 7 sentences, or a paragraph in length. Response needs strong structure and a logical flow. You don't need to answer the original questions.

Part B

Original Questions

Considering the BP and other cases cited in this chapter, what are some of the key things an organization can do to respond effectively once a crisis hits? Please use specific examples from the above cases (what did BP do that was positive? what did they do that was negative?) and discuss effective strategies in general.

Student A's post

Both BP and Tylenol got associated with horrible events that occurred, as a result of them they were receiving negative comments and bad press. Tylenol was under deep critical observation with the Chicago public in 1982, when the pain relief company's product was laced with poison by some horrible person causing people in Chicago to die. Instead of staying low key and silent about the whole mess with no comments to the press, the company decided to be completely transparent with the public and media, not keeping any secrets and even became one of the first drug manufacturers to make tamper free bottles. Even though they had to go through an extensive process to remove all their products off the shelves, the company was able to maintain their brand as a trustworthy product and remained dominant. The way they handled the PR situation was the smartest thing they could have done to protect their company's name. Staying true to themselves and not coming up with lies or excuses was the best thing they could have done. Being honest about the mistakes their company made and improving them, allowed people to see they understood where they messed up and were working a great deal to make sure those problems never repeat again. This is how they managed to stay number one in the drug world and remain a reliable place to buy drug products when necessary. However, the PR that handled the oil spill in 2010 by BPs Deepwater Horizon's oil rig did not go as smoothly. British Petroleum, also known as BP, did not seem sorry or that they even cared that as a result of their oil rig explosion, they killed plenty of wildlife and 11 people. The BP company did exactly the opposite of what Tylenol did, and kept many secrets including being dishonest about how much oil was leaking. Even more so, they did not do much to try and rectify their mistake and find a solution. This angered the public of course, and the company did try to start a fund for those who faced economic challenges as a result of the spill, but at that point they were too late and already built their image of being a heartless company who only cared about themselves and no one involved in the catastrophic event of the oil spill as well as the major effects it had on peoples lives. Clearly Tylenol handled their PR crisis in a much smarter way than BP did, they knew they had to own their mistakes and empathize with their customers in order for them to have mercy on Tylenol's company, and continue to give them more business. Not only did they manage to gain their customers forgiveness and protect their brand, but were able to really make a change and found a solution to the problem. BP on the other hand, had been secretive and not only dishonest but did not take responsibility for the oil spill and huge effect it had on people; therefore, they suffered the consequences because of it.

Student B's post

Some of the key things an organization such as BP can do to respond effectively once a crisis hits is communicate to the public and be aware of all effects from the crisis that can be resolved from the organization's standpoint. As well as taking responsibility first hand before pointing the finger and causing more issues at others. The Deep Horizon Oil Spill was one of the biggest and worst oil spills in American history. It was also known as the BP oil spill. BP in response to this crisis oil spill could have been addressed in a better manner. It seemed as if BP did not seem worried about the oil spill or did not take into consideration how massive the oil spill was in fact. The oil spill, in fact, was a mistake that could have been prevented by the authorities of BP. But instead, BP pointed the finger at Transocean claiming the oil spill was their fault and their company as to blame for this disaster. Ultimately, BP failed to recognize their mistake, was ignorant to blame another company for their faults and did not communicate professionally about the issue. On the other hand, BP on the positive note of this crisis did take initiative in figuring out the initial cause of the oil spill in a conducted study. Which lead to, "the company also adopted new procedures that would be effective in crisis management such as organizational and technological improvements" (Scherer, 2012). In addition, in 2013 two years after the oil spill disaster, BP sold their company in order to recover assets. BP was in debt $40 billion dollars due to the disaster. Therefore, they resorted in another company buying them out of their debt. The debt of $40 billion dollars was accumulated because of everyone affected on the gulf coast, the clean up which has taken years to do and the major harm is caused to the marine life. Overall, BP could have handled the situation in a better way by preventing the oil spill first off and second taking fault for the situation rather than blaming another company for their mistake.