BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

As part of a continuing series of Bulletproof Blog™ video interviews with thought leaders across multiple disciplines and industry sectors, I sat down with Donna Cryer, the CEO of Cryer Health, to discuss the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) and its role in helping its  more than 5,000 members better understand the  transformational issues facing the healthcare industry today. The HBA’s mission is to help women in the healthcare industry engage the key issues and individuals driving ... READ MORE

Bulletproof’s Weekly Web Wrap-Up offers a compilation of key discussions regarding social media’s increasing relevance to business. Social media’s gradual evolution into an essential business tool has morphed into a torrent that is inundating all levels of companies both large and small. In fact, a recent study shows that a 79 of the world's largest 100 companies are making use of at least one social media tool. At the same time, myriad small businesses are making ... READ MORE

Recent rules issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have set a new standard of transparency and accountability for the 2010 proxy season. But with investor confidence still reeling from global financial meltdown, the foremost challenge for public companies as annual meetings begin isn’t simple compliance; it is finding ways to go above and beyond what is required in order to articulate leadership at a time of drastic change. In this month’s edition of ... READ MORE

Microsoft announced Monday that it has forged a patent cross-licensing agreement with Amazon.com that will enable each company to mutually share proprietary technology for set royalty fees. Some critics believe the deal sets a "bad precedent" for roping other competitors into unnecessary agreements involving open source technologies that are normally shared with the public at no cost. Although the deal includes a "broad range" of products, Microsoft is quick to highlight that the agreement covers “Amazon’s ... READ MORE

The results of a Zogby poll released yesterday show that despite mounting criticism of Toyota for its handling of auto recalls, most Americans still believe that the world’s largest car manufacturer is a safe bet. The survey, conducted between February 17th and 19th, found that 85 percent of Toyota owners “believe the brand is more or equally safe as other vehicles.” When the sample size is expanded to include non-Toyota owners as well, that majority ... READ MORE

The top six social media tips to know before you leave the office. In 2009, eight percent of American companies reported that their online reputation had been damaged by employees’ social media activity. Needless to say, employers are quickly realizing the importance of harnessing their employees’ social media use. In fact, 29 percent of American companies have now developed formal social media policies for their employees. Policies vary in length and specifics, but the most important result ... READ MORE

The results of a Zogby poll released last week show that public confidence in corporations, big banks, and Wall Street remains even lower than the confidence currently reposed in big government. In a survey of 2,525 likely voters conducted in late January and early February, only 38 percent, 33 percent, and 31 percent of respondents reported high to moderate levels of confidence in corporations, national and regional banks, and Wall Street, respectively. To put those numbers ... READ MORE

Last week, President Obama promised $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees for the first two new nuclear power reactors to be constructed in the United States in more than 30 years. The announcement, spurred by a continuing turnaround in nuclear energy industry’s reputation, was cheered by supporters as a “good first step” that will allow the industry to expand more rapidly. But before the champions of an American nuclear renaissance pop the corks on all those ... READ MORE

As companies begin to successfully navigate the myriad of reputational challenges inherent in the increasingly global regulatory infrastructure, Bulletproof Blog™ presents the next in a series of video interviews with leading regulatory and compliance strategists at the 2009 Corporate Accountability Conference in Amsterdam. In today’s installment, Bruno Cova, a Partner in the Milan office of the law firm Paul Hastings, discusses the challenges that companies face in an environment of increased enforcement and the value of ... READ MORE

Bulletproof’s Weekly Web Wrap-Up offers a compilation of key discussions regarding social media’s increasing relevance to business. This week, we learned that Facebook – the largest social media platform in the United States – has overtaken Yahoo as the second most visited site on the Web. While Google still rules the roost, the meteoric rise of Facebook demonstrates the exploding popularity of social networks – even over search engines, which are the traditional gatekeepers of online ... READ MORE