As a leader, you will face multiple crises. While you will easily weather many bad situations, there will be some that will seriously threaten your company and your reputation. How you respond to crises will determine your fate. You must use all appropriate communication tools to emerge victorious. In your course materials, Jack lists five principles for managing a crisis:
1. Assume the worst.
2. There are no secrets.
3. Your crisis management will not be portrayed favorably.
4. Your organization will undergo changes.
5. Your organization will come out of the crisis stronger.Additionally, Warren
Buffett reminds us of four simple steps:
1. Get it right.
2. Get it fast.
3. Get it out.
4. Get it over.
For this assignment, you will apply key concepts from your materials – especially from Jack and Warren – to respond to a predicament in two ways. First, you will write a brief analysis of a company that recently underwent a crisis. You will discuss what crisis the company faced, how the company responded, and whether the company’s response was successful. Second, you will then write an internal memo from the perspective of a leader within that company. This memo will be addressed to your team members, and it will communicate information about the crisis and your response.
•Review The Wall Street Journal article you found for your Week 5 Discussion Question and review your posting. Use these materials and any additional resources you have found on your crisis of choice to write a 2-3 page paper.
Use the outline below to structure your paper:
1. Describe the crisis faced by your chosen company (1 paragraph)
2. Summarize how the company responded to the crisis (1 paragraph)
3. Use Jack or Warren’s advice to evaluate how effective the company’s response was (1-2 paragraphs)
4. Provide a strategic overview of your internal email. Explain what exactly you hope your email accomplishes (1-2 paragraphs)
Imagine you are a leader in your chosen company. In a 1-2 page internal memo to your team members, explain how you personally would respond to your crisis. Make sure you cover the following:
1. The nature of the crisis
2. How the company – and you – are responding to the situation
3. What steps your team members should take, or what they should expect to do differently
Your assignment should follow these formatting requirements:
•Your paper should be typed, double spaced, with a blank line between paragraphs, using a professional font (size 10-12).
•Your paper should include headings and subheadings (to identify main topics and subtopics), with one-inch margins on all sides.
•Your paper should include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date.
•Application of course material or other resources is needed. References and in-text citations must be included and provide appropriate information that enables the reader to locate the original source.
•The length of 2 to 3 pages does not include your cover page or your references page.
•Begin your 1 to 2 page internal memo with the following headings aligned to the left:
