Corporate reputations in the spotlight at course

April 3, 2014

Corporate reputations in the spotlight at course

Reputational damage to Malaysia Airlines in the wake of its handling of the missing flight MH30 will be examined at a course next week investigating organisational reputation, management and crisis.

The Massey University Professional Development Course, Reputation Management and Crisis, on Friday April 11 at the Wellington campus, addresses the reputation management issues as experienced by corporates such as Fonterra and Malaysia Airlines.

Against the background of recent crises like the airliner’s disappearance and Fonterra’s milk powder food scare last year, senior lecturer from the School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing, Chris Galloway, says the seminar explores strategies for protecting reputation while effectively addressing critical events.

“Malaysia Airlines on-going missing flight saga is the latest reminder of the importance of reputation and crisis management – and how perceptions of mishandling can create international effects. You don’t have to be an airline facing a major crisis to consider, and confront, the fact that crises often have unexpected, even unprecedented aspects,” Dr Galloway says.

With College of Business Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Ted Zorn, Senate communication consultancy chief executive Neil Green and communication director Wilma Falconer of Project Partners Limited, Dr Galloway is one of four speakers at the professional development course, which is aimed at mid to senior level communicators and managers.

“It goes beyond basic crisis communication planning and focuses directly on increasing management competency, “ Dr Galloway says. “The research shows that having a plan isn’t enough and having a plan is not necessarily an indicator of good crisis performance. It’s about a crisis-ready mind-set as much as it’s about crisis planning.”

Course organiser and Massey PhD candidate Sara McBride says the course highlights how fragile corporate reputation can be and why companies need to constantly work to enhance it.

“As a professional emergency management communicator, I’ve focused on natural effects and how to manage the communication about those. This course acknowledges the fact that a reputational crisis can be just as damaging to the longevity and trust an organisation has overall.”

To register for this one-day short course www.massey.ac.nz/?sd51c1709s on the registration page type “reputation” into the keyword search. Course fees apply.

For further information visit www.massey.ac.nz/massey/fms/pace/Documents/Reputation%20and%20Crisis%20flyer%2011%20April%20Massey%20Wellington1.pdf?604EFC44C201E26627C8DCEABE51F9FB

ENDS

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