Wednesday November 27, 2024

This Time Is Different

This is amusing and acrid advice to a wealthy man who has purchased a publication.  In this case, the magazine is New Republic and the owner is Chris Hughes.  Whether you agree with the writer’s view or not, there is in the opinion piece a cautionary note for PR practitioners.  That counsel:  Avoid saying, “This time […]

Poor HR = Bad PR

This is an interesting example of what poor Human Resources planning can do to an organization’s PR.  The culprit is NASA and the situation arises from exploratory missions to Mars.   The Mars sol, or day, is 39 minutes and 35 seconds longer than the earth day.  Here on earth, NASA did not plan for that when […]

Accounting And Credibility

Much of a business’ reputation relies on its numbers.  That is why accounting is the primary language of economic entities, (and why PR practitioners should be able to read income and balance sheets.)  Caterpillar has learned the hard way how accounting affects reputation with a write-down of Chinese assets.  It seems the former parent of a […]

No Easy Answer

Boeing’s crisis with the 787 Dreamliner is getting worse, although it is hard to believe it could.  Japanese authorities have now ruled out the battery as the cause of the fires in the plane.  This means something in the wiring and software control systems is wrong, a harder glitch to find.  It is not unthinkable […]

Having It Both Ways?

Whenever an organization takes both sides of an argument out of self interest, it compromises  credibility and integrity.  That is what is happening here, if the news story is correct.  A Roman Catholic hospital chain is arguing that fetuses are not people in order to avoid a malpractice lawsuit.  The Roman Catholic Church has held […]

Refreshing

While actions speak louder than words, sometimes what is said or written offers hope.  That is why this extended letter from the new president of Purdue University is refreshing in its honesty and insight.  Mitchell Daniels Jr. lists all of the criticisms against higher education in America.  He doesn’t duck them.  He says he believes […]

Words And Deeds

The pomp of inauguration day is deceptive.  It is a triumph of hope over experience.  So too a President’s words.  The essence of politics is “what have you done for me lately?”  Citizens will be looking toward Washington DC to see what the President accomplishes, and the President could be in for a hard road. […]

Martin Luther King Day

This is a conflicting day.  One would like to celebrate the advancement of African-Americans but reality slaps one in the face.  Our little town is integrated, as is the community next to us.  Racial incidents are rare.  African-Americans are solid middle-class citizens holding good jobs, mostly in Manhattan like everyone else.  But, two towns border […]

Big Numbers

If this data is right, the internet is a communications system far greater than ever known to man. The numbers are staggering: 2.2 billion e-mail users, 144 billion e-mails a day, and sadly, 68.8 percent of it was spam.  634 million web sites and 51 million added last year alone. 2.4 billion internet users worldwide. […]

Smart PR Twice Over

Here is one example of smart PR and another.  The Swissotel guide to world etiquette is not only handy but it positions the company as a global  purveyor of hospitality.  Wal-Mart’s announcement that it will hire 100,000 veterans is not only good positioning for the often- criticized company but it brings in a workforce known to be […]