Case Study Topic- Handling a Cyber Attack

As mentioned in class, Marketing/PR Departments at companies of all sizes will be working overtime to handle the onslaught of expected cyber security attacks in the coming months.

Students are to select a company that has been in the news recently for a cyber-related attack. Target, Michaels, EBay, Spotify, PF Changs, etc. have all dealt with some sort of breech on their information causing them to scramble in many ways. Some questions/comments you may want to consider are:

• Describe the Cyber Attack against the company you selected and how they addressed the attack. In your opinion, what did they do right? What did they do wrong?

• What ramifications happened as a result of the attack?

• How much damage (financial, employees, customers) did the cyber-attack cause?

• What was the SWOT for the company before the attack?

• What was the SWOT of the company after the attack?

• Should customers be weary of shopping/doing business with this company post attack?

• Why or why not?

• What do you recommend the company do now (post attack) from a public relations standpoint?

Approach this case study in the same way as the case studies you have done in class. While there is no universal way to write a case study, make sure you cover the basics of a case study including:

1. Brief background/Situational Analysis of the company
2. Problem Statement/Key Issues
3. Competitive Situation/SWOT
4. Alternatives/Options
5. Recommendations

A couple of paragraphs on each topic should suffice with the major emphasis placed on what you'd recommend they do from a marketing perspective.