Public relations

Five communications lessons from the biggest corporate turnaround.

When a crisis forces outside directors to navigate major changes, investors and directors must adopt new roles. The case of Royal Dutch/Shell provides...

American Airlines’ recent inspection fiasco grounded hundreds of planes, caused thousands of flight cancellations, and will, according to the Dallas Morning News, cost American Airlines tens of millions of dollars. But, in the heat of the event, Amercan’s website was virtually silent about the crisis. What could American have done differently? At the very least, […]

Jim, an employee of the nuclear division of Fairway Electric, discovered a report written fifteen years ago about a flaw in the design of their Radon...

Studies have always shown that the adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity" is wrong. It turns out, though, that sometimes the saying has merit....

Three things to think about.

Greatest Southeast Community Hospital is a 494-bed acute care facility located in southeast Washington, D.C. With revenues of $145 million and 2,650 employees, it is both the largest private employer and the only medical facility in a troubled and isolated community called Anacostia. Nearly a quarter of the area’s residents live below the poverty line, […]

Today, most multinationals have a conspicuous social conscience. They publicize their internal codes of conduct, monitor labor conditions in their global supply chains, and require suppliers to meet basic labor practice standards. But despite efforts to be better global citizens, companies by themselves are unable to eliminate abuses in their supply chains. In fact, so […]

I've been on both sides of public relations. For years, I wrote a syndicated technology column for the Chicago Tribune. Now, I run a consulting firm that...

Too often it has nothing to do with the core business.

For a leader, a public apology is always a high-risk move. Understanding what apologies can and cannot do will help you avoid both foolhardy stonewalling and unnecessary contrition.

I recently heard an educational message on the radio about wet age-related macular degeneration, or wet AMD, the leading cause of blindness among people over age 50. The radio spot, which noted sponsorship by the American Society of Retina Specialists and by Genentech, provided information about the signs and symptoms of wet AMD and the […]

Reputation management is the wrong goal.

That crashing sound you hear is not an accident caused by sudden acceleration of your hybrid car; it is the continuing toppling of idols, such as hybrid...

Golf champion Tiger Woods no longer represents global consulting and technology services firm Accenture, as of December 13. Accenture is the first of Woods’ corporate sponsors to pull out of the relationship completely. A day earlier, Gillette announced a suspension of Woods’ marketing appearances for an unspecified period. For anyone missing two weeks of headlines, […]

If you want the praise for good news, be prepared to take the blame for bad news.

ReliantShare has accepted government money, and its reputation is badly dented. The bank’s leadership is deeply divided over how to restore public confidence.

Many years ago, when the idea of women in professional roles in business was much more novel that it is today, magazines were eager to profile female pioneers. As a very young managing director in one of the then-prominent management consulting companies, I received lots of requests for interviews. One of the first was from […]

Strategies for increasing local support.

After 18 months of deficit operations, Southwest Airlines stands on the brink of profitability. Selective application of discount fares has contributed...

This short case provides an update to Elon Musk's strategy and tactical moves with Tesla, Solar City, and SpaceX from 2016-2019.

Near the end of November 2013, Lululemon Athletica (Lululemon) became the subject of a viral firestorm after a series of negative events seriously ruptured...

Annalisa McGann, chair of London's prestigious Clarence Hall University, together with the university's board must make a decision about whether to return...

McDonald's decides to withdraw its polystyrene plastic packaging for sandwiches and hamburgers after years of defending itself against environmental critics....

A social entrepreneur undertakes to launch a bank with charitable status itself that could provide financial services to up to 161,000 charities. He has...

In the fall of 2015, Turing Pharmaceuticals increased the price of its recently acquired drug, Daraprim, by several thousand percent. While the short-term...

In 2015, Uber is building what may be the largest point-to-point transportation network of its kind; it is literally changing the way the world moves....

Discusses the events leading to and repercussions following the 11 million gallon oil spill in Prince William Sound off the Alaskan coast. This was the...

The case explores the similarities and differences between social media campaigns launched by Nissan and by Tata Motors to stimulate sales for models...

Since early 2015, Uber had been investing heavily in research and development for its autonomous vehicles to revolutionize the ride-hailing industry and...

Updates CEO Beers' progress two years after her initiation of a massive organizational change effort. Designed as an in-class handout.

In 2015, Toshiba, a conglomerate best known throughout the world for its electronics products, announced to the world that it has overstated profits by...

The cases describe the demise of Arthur Andersen, a firm that had long set the industry standard for professionalism in accounting and auditing. Once...

Provides details on the results of the campaign for British Airways (BA) in terms of expenditure by BA, press coverage, effect on bookings, and effect...

On April 17, 1994, Kidder, Peabody & Co. announced a $350 million charge against earnings resulting from the discovery of false trading profits. That...

Bp's green re-branding efforts began officially with the unveiling of its new bp Helios mark, named after the Greek sun god. The new logo did away with...

This case takes students through the evolution of LEGO's business model from a traditional product-centric "make and sell" model to a more customer-centric...

Case describes the testimony to the U.S. Congress of the Toyota CEO and the head of its U.S. motor sales.

In April 2014, the co-founder of lifestyle brand dpms., situated in London, Ontario, has a dilemma. Started as an opportunity to showcase her partner's...

After 18 months of deficit operations, Southwest Airlines stands on the brink of profitability. Selective application of discount fares has contributed...

Five communications lessons from the biggest corporate turnaround.

When a crisis forces outside directors to navigate major changes, investors and directors must adopt new roles. The case of Royal Dutch/Shell provides...

American Airlines’ recent inspection fiasco grounded hundreds of planes, caused thousands of flight cancellations, and will, according to the Dallas Morning News, cost American Airlines tens of millions of dollars. But, in the heat of the event, Amercan’s website was virtually silent about the crisis. What could American have done differently? At the very least, […]

This short case provides an update to Elon Musk's strategy and tactical moves with Tesla, Solar City, and SpaceX from 2016-2019.

Near the end of November 2013, Lululemon Athletica (Lululemon) became the subject of a viral firestorm after a series of negative events seriously ruptured...

Annalisa McGann, chair of London's prestigious Clarence Hall University, together with the university's board must make a decision about whether to return...

Jim, an employee of the nuclear division of Fairway Electric, discovered a report written fifteen years ago about a flaw in the design of their Radon...

McDonald's decides to withdraw its polystyrene plastic packaging for sandwiches and hamburgers after years of defending itself against environmental critics....

Studies have always shown that the adage "There's no such thing as bad publicity" is wrong. It turns out, though, that sometimes the saying has merit....