March 25, 2024

Southwest Airlines’ Crisis Communications: Overall, a Good Job

When an engine broke apart killing a passenger April 17, Southwest faced the nightmare of all airlines.  Commenting for The Wall Street Journal's "Risk & Compliance Journal," Judy Phair observes that Southwest had years of customer good will in the bank, and that caring approach helped with public acceptance of its statements and explanations. … [Read more...]

Judy Phair Looks at PricewaterhouseCooper’s Handling of Ban in India

PricewaterhouseCoopers has been banned from auditing listed companies in India for two years because of its failure to detect a billion-dollar fraud at a company there.  In The Wall Street Journal's "Risk and Compliance Journal," Phair notes that in addressing the crisis, "PwC’s current actions neither fit nor advance its global or Indian reputation." … [Read more...]

NACAC Career Path Study Cites Concerns Over “Sales Culture” in College Admission

External and internal forces in US higher education are creating concerns among professionals about a growing “sales culture” in college admission, according to new findings by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) in its “Career Paths for Admission Officers: A Survey Report.”  The survey of nearly 1,500 admission counselors, directors, deans and vice presidents suggested that demographic trends are increasingly creating strong pressures to meet enrollment goals in order to ensure their institutions’ financial health. Judy Phair worked with NACAC to develop the online survey.  She also conducted qualitative research through interviews with a subset of those surveyed, gathered essays from other participants, and prepared the final report which was released by NACAC in late July 2014. … [Read more...]

Developing a New Generation of PR-Savvy Business Leaders (The Public Relations Strategist, January 2014)

In 16 out of 26 markets surveyed worldwide in 2013, less than 50 percent of the public trusts business leaders, with those in the financial services sector leading the "untrustworthy" pack.  Part of the problem well may be business leaders' unfamiliarity with the basic principles and concepts of effective strategic communication and reputation management.  A new PRSA program seeks to address this glaring lack of knowledge through strategic communication coursework in M.B.A. programs, with a pilot group of high-profile business schools already participating.  (The Strategist, Winter 2013,  Public Relations Society of America) … [Read more...]