PART 1 RISK ISSUES MANAGEMENT

1. Outside-in thinking

Who can we trust?

Consumer power and the rise of a non-governmental order

Case study: Oxfam attacks Starbucks

Dealing with risk

Case study: MMR

Handling the organizational response

The advocacy approach

Public consultation - building dialogue into the communications process

The rise of the precautionary principle

Case study: phthalates in toys

Case study: Chinese takeaways hit North American and

UK business

Summary

2.

Issues management defined

What is issues management?

What about the sceptics?

What is an issue?

Who should practise issues management?

What are the functions of issues management?

Summary

3. Planning an issues management programme -

an issues management model

Issue lifecycle

Case study: Vioxx - never ignore the warning signs

Case study: Monsanto wrecked brand and lost opportunity

Case study: Arla product boycott in the Middle East - issues management planning needs to be global

Case study: 'In the goo' - industry failing to learn the lessons

Case study: Sony and Dell Hell - prevention is better than cure

The importance of early action

Case study: Ribena found wanting

Summary

4. CSR: the new moral code for doing business

Introduction

The growing business imperative

What constitutes good socially responsible corporate behaviour

New business values

Case study: BP's fall from grace

CSR best practice policy development and management

Summary

5. An issue ignored is a crisis ensured

Case study: decommissioning the Brent Spar - implications for a global industry

Case study: the story of Bernard Matthews, his turkeys and avian flu

Case study: drug pricing in South Africa - the business perspective is not the only perspective

Case study: business response to climate change - Wal-Mart,

Exxon, Virgin

Case study: Celebrity Big Brother 27

6.

Implementing an issues management programme

Examples of issue management models and processes

Summary

PART 2 CRISIS MANAGEMENT

7.

So it hits the fan - now what?

Case study: Cadbury salmonella outbreak

Case study: the Asian tsunami and the travel industry

Business crises

Case study: Sayonara Citibank

How the mighty fall

Case study: Northern Rock on the rocks

Case study: Piper Alpha catastrophe

Case study: Paddington rail disaster

CEOs are not infallible

Case study: Marks & Spencer

Product-related crises

Case study: the Tylenol tale

Case study: what took the fizz out of Perrier

Case study: Coca-Cola

Who will have a crisis?

What kind of crisis will happen?

Case study: Mercury Energy turns off the power

Summary

8.

Perception is the reality

A tale of three sorry tankers

Case study: Exxon Valdez

Case study: Braer

Case study: Sea Empress in distress

Summary

9.

The media in crisis situations

Case study: how Total got it right

Case study: how smaller businesses survive crisis

Case study: Virgin train crash

Gaining media support

The media as an ally

Case study: Thomas Cook coach crash

Monitoring the media

Summary

10. The legal perspective

Legal pitfalls when communicating in crisis

Case study: Herald of Free Enterprise

So what is the lawyer's role in a crisis?

Compensation

Ex-gratia payments

Summary

11. Planning for the unexpected

Calm and positive thinking

Deeds versus declarations

Planning to manage the crisis

Appointing the teams

Communication hardware

Crisis prevention

Selecting team members

Putting the plan in writing

Testing everything

Summary

12. Crisis communications management

Background information to seize the initiative

Set up a press centre

Managing the press conference

Dealing with the television interview

Coping with hundreds of telephone calls

Responding to calls from relatives

Case study: misinformation over mining deaths in Virginia - in a crisis no information is more important than correct information to families

The news release

Keeping employees informed

Using your website

The role of the emergency services

When it is all over

Summary