|
 Managing
Risk
Hello, I'm Tim O'Leary, the new Vice President of
Communications for O'Brien's Response Management (O'Brien'sRM). As many
of you already know, I was brought onboard to launch our new Media/Public
Relations service. As part of my approach to offering our assistance to
O'Brien'sRM clients, I'd like to introduce a new product, which we're
calling Command Post Communications Notes (or CP Notes for short). CP Notes
will be published every few weeks and will provide a snapshot of news
media trends and lessons learned from the arena of public relations.
Unlike similar products in distribution by other companies, these notes
aren't a "cut and paste" of news from media publications you've
probably already read and without attribution. Instead, I will be
providing my observations on the latest underlying issues as they relate
to our industry or public relations in general. Of course I'll provide
links back to the source material so you can see the original news
coverage and attribution. The comments and opinions expressed here are
mine and those of O'Brien'sRM and are meant to be thought provoking and
challenging; but in a newsletter such as this, that's the idea. This is a
platform to provide our clients with the benefits of our insights and
observations based on our years of experience and expertise as to how the
news media-rich environment we operate in these days can affect your
business and influence business decisions.
As you read and reflect on these stories, please ask yourself - how much
time and effort has your company spent building up its reputation? Is
this an investment that you're prepared to protect? How long do you
suppose it would take for a major incident to destroy your company's
reputation if you weren't ready to respond? I'm sure that you have
controls in place to manage risk to your other investments and assets,
but have you given thought on what you could do to protect the investment
your company has made in building and maintaining its reputation?
At O'Brien'sRM, we've witnessed nearly every significant incident become
a reputation threatening event to our clients. That is why we have added
this new service. We have seen incidents damage reputations and you
should know it can affect your:
- Customer
relationships and approvals
- Financing/credit
rating/analyst reports
- Current
and future partnerships and alliances
- Ability
to obtain insurance and other financial instruments at acceptable
rates
- Future
growth potential/market share
- Treatment
by news media and increased scrutiny by government regulators
(including new regulations)
Incidents
can quickly escalate into a business crisis and a business crisis will
last as long as there is news media interest in the incident. Is your
business ready for global news media scrutiny in the event of an
incident? Does your company have processes in place and the ability to
field a team to respond to an incident and return your business
operations to normal as soon as possible? Have you managed this risk? If
you are interested in knowing more, give us a call. We are prepared to
discuss how to manage your risk and assist you with your media/public
relations needs. I can be reached by e-mail at toleary@obriensrm.com
or by calling +1 (281) 379-7173.
|
|
|
|
Alaska Response
O'Brien'sRM staff in Alaska recently responded to a ship
grounding on St. George Island in the Bering Sea. The incident management
team consisted of representatives of the Coast Guard, Alaska Department
of Environmental Conservation, insurance companies, a local
representative and O'Brien'sRM . Our staff served as the Qualified
Individual, Incident Commander, Planning Section Chief, Demobilization
Unit Lead and Environmental Unit Lead. We regularly produced Incident
Action Plans using our CommandProŽ software application that automates
ICS forms and processes.
The response was lengthy, from early March to mid-May, due to inclement
weather and minimal local resources. There was also a need to proceed
cautiously to minimize damage to a nearby historic site (an early
Russian settlement), a fur seal haul out area and the local residents'
subsistence resources. Throughout the response the Unified Command
stressed that the protection of the environment and the safety of field
personnel were their primary focus. About 19,000 gallons of fuel, oils
and refrigerant liquids were safely removed from the grounded vessel
before it was towed off the beach.
This incident did not receive much media attention-it could have easily
gone the other way. Still, this is a good example of the need for the
Responsible Party to have PR representation available to them in the
event things don't go as smooth as one would wish for. O'Brien'sRM can
provide this type of service.
|
|
Roll those cameras
Recent news out of the UK tells about
Greenpeace activists boarding a ship delivering coal to a power plant in
Kent. In addition to protestors boarding the ship, the report also talks
about people swimming in front of the ship as the ship was making its way
to the pier! Obviously working under the rule of "there's no such
thing as bad publicity", this action by Greenpeace may be a
precursor for future protest activities for ships involved in
transporting cargo that is not favored by environmental non-governmental
organizations. Needless to say, bringing a laden ship safely into port has
enough risks without adding this type of unsafe behavior by activists.
Owners and operators should watch for this type of activity carefully-be
alert-your first indication of something being not quite right may be the
TV camera crew in the zodiac keeping station off your ship's starboard
quarter. If something like this happens to you, we recommend that you
contact the local police or marine security authority as soon as possible
to request their assistance. If O'Brien's can also assist you with the
media/public relations aspects, please don't hesitate to call.
|
|
Marshall McLuhan's
"Global Village" is here, are you prepared?
Recent news out of Iran demonstrates the power of the
internet and the impact social networking applications such as Twitter
and Facebook are having. In a recent New York Times article on this subject, state
censorship is running up against ordinary people who hold in their hands
an ability to move information that previously was only wielded by news
organizations and governments. There's rapidly getting to be no such
thing anymore as a slow news day and with the proliferation of
camera-enabled mobile phones, there's hardly an "incident" that
happens now that won't find itself on the internet sooner or later. The
bar for what is considered news and distributed has become much, much
lower. The obvious implication here is that organizations should be
prepared to deal with the 24-hour news cycle and be prepared for the
potential to have an organization's most unflattering moments posted for
the world to see.
Does your company currently monitor internet news and other's websites,
as well as social media (e.g. Twitter) for mention of relevant issues?
Search engines are a powerful tool and can be used effectively to track
your internet reputation, especially following an incident. If you would
like to know more, I would be happy discuss this emerging trend.
|
|
Influenza
It's never too late to prepare for an influenza pandemic.
The H1N1 outbreak has been declared a Level 6 (the highest) pandemic by
the World Health Organization (WHO). While the WHO determination is based
on the spread of the disease and not its severity and thus far this flu
strain is generally characterized as not a serious threat to a normally
healthy person, there is still reason to be prepared. A cautious observer
will consider this a warning against future influenza, whether it is a
completely new strain or a re-emergence of H1N1 in a more virulent form.
As the Southern Hemisphere moves into its flu season, epidemiologists
will be watching carefully. We've posted on the O'Brien'sRM website
some generic flu advice you can use with employees. With a pandemic
scenario, you really can't communicate enough with employees.
If you need help with your flu plan, or you don't have a plan, please
give us a call; we can help you prepare. O'Brien'sRM has on its full-time
staff individuals with advanced degrees in epidemiology and public
health. We have assisted cities, counties, states and corporations with
their preparedness, including the development of plans, training and
exercises. Call (281) 320-9796 or email clint.ladd@obriensrm.com.
|
|
Piracy
Pirates do indeed pose a serious risk to the marine
industry. While the number of pirate attacks in the Strait of Malacca
seems to be abating, the situation near the Horn of Africa is becoming
more serious. As a NATO-led flotilla builds up in
the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to
"ride shotgun" on shipping in that region, nations are grappling with how to deal
with captured pirates.
If you have a business with marine operations in pirate-prone waters
please consider the following:
- Does
your business have a crisis management and crisis communications
plan?
- Do
you have a news media policy developed in the event one of your
ships is captured?
- Do
you have company spokespersons identified and trained?
- Have
you had preliminary discussions with your P&I club regarding
this scenario?
Having
staff kidnapped and threatened with death is a very serious event that
makes news globally. While a minimal public profile is usually preferred
in these matters, great attention must be paid to internal audiences,
especially family members of the kidnapped crew. If crew family member's
concerns are not properly addressed by owners and employers during this
stressful period, the families may vent their dissatisfaction and
anxieties in the news media, adding to the overall misery quotient
associated with of this type of lamentable event.
|
|
Thank you - Please let us know
if you have any stories or items of information that we should know and
you'd like to pass on to other readers
Tim O'Leary, Vice President, Communications
O'Brien's Response Management
toleary@obriensrm.com
|
|
|
EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION
You are receiving this email because you are a customer of O'Brien's
Response Management. If you would like to subscribe to other industry
updates, such as our Environmental Update, Health and Safety Update,
Security Update, Vessel Circulars, Communications Notes, or Training Announcements, click
SUBSCRIBE
Your contact information will remain confidential and will not be
released outside of O'Brien's Response Management
6620 Cypresswood Drive
Suite 200
Spring, Texas 77379
P. (281) 320-9796
F. (281) 320-9700
E. info@obriensrm.com
www.obriensrm.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
