Volume 5, Issue 6 "Serving the Needs of West Virginia Business" July 2009
WOLVES AT THE DOOR?
CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS: A Primer on Effective Response
Okay, it is 5:15 on a cold Friday afternoon. As you were leaving the office the phone rang.On the line is a reporter with the local newspaper. She wants to get a comment on the coal slurry spill from one of your company's coal mines that is polluting a stream, threatening drinking water for several thousand homes and killing fish.This is the first you have heard of the spill and there is no one around to talk to about it. Click the above link for more.
MEDIA RELATIONS: Building Effective Relationships Key to Maintaining Support
It has been more than 2000 years since Chinese general and philosopher Sun Tzu wrote "The Art of War," a treatise on military tactics that has become a classic. While the book was originally purely a collection of the author's thoughts on proper military strategy and tactics, it can be applied to everything from politics to marketing and public relations. Click the above link for more.
RULES FOR THE RADICAL: A Look at the Play Book of Your Opponent
Has your company ever been targeted by protesters?If you are part of an extractive industry -- mining or logging -- or if you are part of the chemical or power generation industries you have probably been the target of activists. If you wait until the protestors are at the gates, it will be difficult to get ahead of the game. Like a football team that is always playing on their own end of the field, it is much harder for you to score than the opponent. But what if you had a copy of the other team's play book? Click the above link for more.
SARBANES-OXLEY: Understanding the Role of Public Relations in Compliance
In the wake of the seemingly endless corporate financial scandals of the late-1990s, Congress adopted a broad reform package known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002.What is Sarbanes-Oxley and why should those of us engaged in public relations practice either as corporate counsels or consultants, know and understand its requirements and our responsibilities? The short answer to both questions is full disclosure.The scandals of the 1990s resulted from companies utilizing creative accounting to artificially inflate earnings, driving up stock prices. In many cases, corporate executives reaped multi-million dollar bonuses and made additional millions exercising their stock options. Ultimately, when the bill finally came due, the losers were the shareholders, retirees whose pensions were largely based on company stock and employees who lost their jobs as a result of layoffs and company bankruptcies. Click the above link for more.
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