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Crisis management isn't just about damage control—it's about understanding how organizations navigate the critical intersection of public trust, corporate responsibility, and stakeholder communication. You're being tested on your ability to analyze response strategies, communication frameworks, and ethical decision-making under pressure. These case studies reveal patterns that distinguish organizations that survive crises from those that suffer lasting reputational damage.
Don't just memorize what happened in each crisis. Know why certain responses succeeded while others failed, and understand what each case demonstrates about proactive vs. reactive strategies, transparency, and accountability. When you see an FRQ asking you to recommend a crisis response approach, these cases become your evidence toolkit.
When consumer safety is directly threatened, the speed and sincerity of a company's response determines whether trust can be rebuilt. The key variable is whether organizations prioritize short-term costs or long-term reputation.
Compare: Johnson & Johnson vs. Odwalla—both faced genuine product contamination and responded with immediate recalls and systemic changes. The difference? J&J's crisis was external tampering (criminal act), while Odwalla's was internal process failure. If an FRQ asks about accountability, note that Odwalla had to accept more direct responsibility for its safety gaps.
Environmental crises test an organization's commitment to stakeholders beyond shareholders—communities, ecosystems, and future generations. Poor responses here create lasting reputational damage and regulatory consequences.
Compare: Exxon Valdez vs. BP Deepwater Horizon—both were catastrophic oil spills with inadequate initial responses. BP's crisis was larger in scale, but Exxon's occurred before the 24-hour news cycle. Both demonstrate how delayed accountability amplifies reputational damage. Use these together when discussing environmental crisis response evolution.
Some crises stem not from accidents but from deliberate choices to deceive stakeholders. These cases test ethical frameworks and demonstrate why short-term gains from deception create catastrophic long-term consequences.
Compare: Volkswagen vs. Boeing—both involved corporate decisions that prioritized profits over safety/compliance, but VW's deception was intentional fraud while Boeing's failures stemmed from negligent shortcuts. For ethics-focused questions, VW represents deliberate wrongdoing; Boeing represents systemic pressure overriding safety culture.
Modern crises unfold in real-time across global platforms. The viral nature of social media means response windows have shrunk from days to hours—sometimes minutes.
Compare: United vs. Facebook—both crises were amplified by social media, but United's was a single incident while Facebook's revealed systemic privacy failures. United could recover through policy changes; Facebook faced existential questions about its business model. Use United for customer service crisis examples; use Facebook for data ethics and regulatory response questions.
| Concept | Best Examples |
|---|---|
| Gold-standard crisis response | Johnson & Johnson Tylenol, Pepsi syringe hoax |
| Product safety recall execution | Johnson & Johnson, Odwalla, Toyota |
| Environmental disaster response | Exxon Valdez, BP Deepwater Horizon |
| Deliberate corporate deception | Volkswagen emissions, Boeing 737 MAX |
| Social media amplification | United Airlines, Facebook Cambridge Analytica |
| Regulatory change catalyst | Johnson & Johnson (packaging), BP (drilling), Boeing (FAA oversight) |
| CEO communication failures | BP ("life back"), United (blaming passenger) |
| Transparency as recovery strategy | Odwalla, Pepsi, Johnson & Johnson |
Compare and contrast Johnson & Johnson's Tylenol response with BP's Deepwater Horizon response. What specific actions differentiated their outcomes, and what crisis management principles do they illustrate?
Which two cases best demonstrate how deliberate corporate deception creates different crisis dynamics than accidental failures? Explain the ethical distinctions between them.
If an FRQ asked you to recommend a response strategy for a company facing false product contamination claims, which case study provides the best template and why?
How did the speed of crisis escalation differ between the Exxon Valdez spill (1989) and the United Airlines incident (2017)? What does this reveal about modern crisis management requirements?
Identify three cases that resulted in significant regulatory changes. For each, explain the connection between the crisis response failure and the specific regulations that followed.