...CCIJ 13,4 When an icon stumbles: the Ribena issue mismanaged Tony Jaques RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia Abstract Purpose – When two 14-year-old New Zealand schoolgirls challenged the advertising claims of Ribena blackcurrant drink – owned by global giant GlaxoSmithKline – they triggered a sequence of events which led to prosecution, public opprobrium and international damage to an iconic brand. The purpose of this paper is to explore the case and identify lessons for future management practice. Design/methodology/approach – Some of the fundamental principles of issue management, post-crisis discourse and corporate apologia are to recognize the problem early, to promptly institute a strategic response plan and corrective action and, if necessary, to apologise genuinely and without delay. The paper assesses the case against the theoretical basis of each of these principles and comparable cases. A senior executive of the company concerned was interviewed about some management aspects. Findings – Despite early indications of a problem which had potential impact around the world, a major global corporation responded inadequately to a local situation and, as a result, suffered prolonged embarrassment at the hands of two teenagers and unnecessarily severe damage to its brand and international reputation. Originality/value – By in-depth analysis of a recent case, the paper underlines valuable lessons in terms of prompt management intervention, consistent strategy and effective...
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...CHOCOLATE CONSUMERS FEELING GUILTY FOR THE WRONG REASONS Steven J. Greenland and Christopher Galloway Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. INTRODUCTION New Zealanders are no strangers to taking on multinational companies when they view their actions as unethical. It was two New Zealand school girls who unearthed the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Ribena vitamin C (or lack of it) fiasco that resulted in fines and GSK having to pull misleading advertisements, not to mention a global wave of criticism washing over the pharmaceutical giant (e.g., New Zealand Herald 27th March 2007, Vasagar 2007). In 2009 the New Zealand public learned that Cadbury was substituting palm oil for cocoa butter in its chocolate (e.g., New Zealand Herald 4th May 2009). At the time many multinationals used palm oil in their products and while its use received considerable attention from conservationists, Cadbury was using only certified sustainable palm oil; a move that was part of a cost cutting exercise to help maintain pricing levels for its consumers. However, there was considerable public outcry, as well as protest by international environmental groups such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and local organisations such as the Auckland Zoo (over the potential loss of Orang-utan forest habitat to palm oil plantations). The negative publicity from the palm oil debate created damaging ‘noise’ for Cadbury’s ongoing worldwide ethical brand building efforts and its high profile announcements that...
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...degree Master of International Communication Unitec New Zealand, 2010 ABSTRACT This research project explores crisis communication in theory and practice in Australia and New Zealand with specific focus on cultural influence, strategy applicability, and stakeholder relevance. A mixed-method approach was used to evaluate crisis communication in its theoretical and practical constituents. The research project comprises of the two data collection methods of content analysis and in-depth interviews. The content analysis, the selected method to evaluate the theory, was conducted from published research studies in leading Australian and New Zealand Public Relations and Communication journals, the websites of the PRism journal, the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA), the Public Relations Institutes of Australia (PRIA) and New Zealand (PRINZ), and via the database search platform Ebsco. The content analysis provided information about the number of published articles, leading theoretical models, research methods, and research orientation. The in-depth interviews, the chosen method to investigate the crisis communication practices, were conducted with three Australian and three New Zealand practitioners and addressed the issues of cultural influence, strategy applicability, and stakeholder relevance in crisis communication. However, both methods complement each other and add different perspectives to the research subject. The findings...
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...Agatha Christie - Third Girl CHAPTER ONE HERCULE POIROT was sitting at the breakfast table. At his right hand was a steaming cup of chocolate. He had always had a sweet tooth. To accompany the chocolate was a brioche. It went agreeably with chocolate. He nodded his approval. This was from the fourth shop he had tried. It was a Danish patisserie but infinitely superior to the so-called French one near by. That had been nothing less than a fraud. He was satisfied gastronomically. His stomach was at peace. His mind also was at peace, perhaps somewhat too much so. He had finished his Magnum Opus, an analysis of great writers of detective fiction. He had dared to speak scathingly of Edgar Alien Poe, he had complained of the lack of method or order in the romantic outpourings of Wilkie Collins, had lauded to the skies two American authors who were practically unknown, and had in various other ways given honour where honour was due and sternly withheld it where he considered it was not. He had seen the volume through the press, had looked upon the results and, apart from a really incredible number of printer's errors, pronounced that it was good. He had enjoyed this literary achievement and enjoyed the vast amount of reading he had had to do, had enjoyed snorting with disgust as he flung a book across the floor (though always remembering to rise, pick it up and dispose of it tidily in the waste-paper basket) and had enjoyed appreciatively nodding his head on the rare occasions when such...
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