Case Study Questions

Read the 2nd page!

No late papers please - I hate giving out zeros

Please read and follow the directions carefully.

Your mission is to write a comprehensive report/executive summary for Johnson &Johnsonthat experienced the crisis.Review the performance of Johnson &Johnson (J&J).

Notice how Johnson &Johnson is spelled - using the ampersand instead of the word "and." Make sure you do it this way too. Per your Writing/Style Guide, you can call the company as "J&J" after you've referred to it by full name the first time.

This is not to be done in Q&A format! Write it as a management report, critiquing what the companies did, and what they could have or should have done.

Here's a challenge - try writing this in third person only. The words "I," "you," or "we," "my," or "our' should not appear anywhere on this report.

Your paper should be 400-600 words, and thoroughly address all the questions asked.

Here are a few guidelines:

Assess the case study and how the company handled its crisis. What did they do right, and why was it the right thing to do? What did they do wrong, and why was it wrong? What could have been done differently then? Explain why.

Those questions, as well as the ones on the next few pages, are simply guidelines of what you must include in your report.Make sure that each question is answered, but do not show me the questions - I should be able to tell what they were based on the content of your report.

I'm looking for your thought process, strategic thinking, ability to follow directions, your attention to detail, and understanding of concepts covered in class and in assigned reading.

HOW TO FORMAT AND SUBMIT THIS ASSIGNMENT

• No headers or footers.

• Your margins should be one inch all around, and your typeface should be Arial 11 point.

• The paper should be double-spaced, with spacing before and after set at zero

• Skip a line between paragraphs for white space - don't indent paragraphs.

Tylenol Case Questions

1. Did Chairman Johnson &Johnson James Burke handle the media correctly? Why or why not?

2. What might have been the consequences if Johnson &Johnson (J&J) had decided to "tough out" the first reports of Tylenol-related deaths and not recall the product?

3. What other public relations options did J&J have in responding to the first round of Tylenol murders?

4. Did the company made a wise decision by reintroducing extra-strength Tylenol? Why or why not?

5. Was J&J right in quickly removing the Tylenol product when the second round of Tylenol murders occurred in 1986?

6. What can PR practitioners learn from the way J&J handled the public relations aspects of these tragedies?

7. How might a crisis like this play out in our social media age? What's so different about media now vs. in the 1980s?

8. Visit J&J's website for Tylenol , and look over the different customer care, safety, and product information sections. If new health scares surfaced today, how might J&J use this website to communicate with the public? How might J&J use social media including Facebook and Twitter?