BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

Last month, a largely unnoticed wrinkle emerged in the executive compensation debate that promises to take on added significance in the coming months. Soon, it won’t just be C-Suite pay practices that are under the microscope; the board members who decide executive compensation policy will be in the spotlight as well – though not for the reason many might think. In a story published by Reuters last December, directors at Nabors Industries were scrutinized not because ... READ MORE

The major players in international nuclear power plant construction now have a surprising new competitor with which to contend. The U.S., France, Japan, and Russia are welcoming South Korea to the atomic table, thanks to the nation’s recent winning bid to build four new nuclear plants in the Middle East. It’s a first for South Korea and the largest single business contract in the country’s history. But that’s not the most telling and arresting news. The ... READ MORE

The news that Gilbert Arenas has reached a plea agreement related to felony gun possession in the District of Columbia comes as little surprise. Since news first broke that guns were involved in a locker room confrontation between Arenas and teammate Javaris Crittendon, legal consequences have been all but a foregone conclusion. Of course, there’s been a hefty reputational price to pay as well – and thus far, Agent Zero has done little to stop ... READ MORE

For more than a year now, the headlines have been rife with news of employee layoffs and company downsizing. Just this week, former Internet giant AOL announced it will have to initiate up to 1,000 layoffs after voluntary buyouts failed to achieve the workforce reductions needed to meet the revamped company’s staffing goals. During the past two years, ubiquitous coffee giant Starbucks – after 16 years of solid growth – had to let go more ... READ MORE

Lost amid the recent media frenzy surrounding Tiger Woods and Gilbert Arenas is the story of Mary Anne Catalano – who, according to anonymous sources cited by The New York Times, has told the F.B.I. and other investigating agencies that her boss, Dr. Anthony Galea of Toronto, provided professional athletes in the United States with human growth hormone (HGH) and other purported performance enhancers. While Catalano’s tale might not be as sensational as reports of extra-marital ... READ MORE

As the dust settles on the Tiger Woods drama, all eyes are turning to the disgraced golfer’s long list of lucrative product endorsements. Some have dropped Tiger while others are staying the course. None appear to be willing to ignore his notorious fall from grace. It’s just the latest example of risks you take when you wrap your brand around a celebrity. When the going is good everyone wins. When something suddenly goes wrong, the brand ... READ MORE

Last week, Glassdoor.com, an online community about companies and how they operate, released the results of its second annual Employees’ Choice Awards, listing the top 50 “Best Places to Work,” according to surveys collected from U.S.-based employees in 2009. It’s an impressive list, headlined by Southwest Airlines. And lest anyone think only certain types of companies with warm and fuzzy cultures can make these lists, take another look. These companies run the gamut, from consumer products ... READ MORE

With the so-called “climate-gate” controversy putting global warming back in the news, companies with big carbon footprints might be tempted to revive the argument that global warming simply isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. They should think twice. For those who still doubt that global warming is a man made phenomenon, those e-mail messages leaked by a hacker who broke into some climate researcher’s computers make for great reading. But for big business to try ... READ MORE

By every account, the last two weeks have not been kind to Tiger Woods – not the person, nor the billion dollar brand. For days on end, new revelations emerged with every passing hour. Racy “sext messages” from alleged lovers were posted online, confusing and ambiguous statements from the golfer himself were posted to his website, and all the while the media frenzy picked up steam. As an avid golfer and someone who counts himself a fan ... READ MORE

It’s one of the most often misquoted comments in American business history. In 1953, when then General Motors President Charles Erwin Wilson faced Senate confirmation before becoming President Eisenhower’s Secretary of Defense, he was asked if he could make a decision on behalf of the country that was harmful to the company he loved – which by that time had become the largest corporation in the United States. Of course he could, Wilson answered, but he ... READ MORE