Masters of Business Administration Program

First Semester 2019/2020

Course Title: MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Course code: BUSA633

"When no News is a good News Public Relation Crisis

Case Study Solution "

Submitted to: Dr. Amal Nazzal

Students name:
Aya Rami Abd-Almajeed
1185444
I- Executive Summary and Problem Statement question

Bestbaby corporation is a manufacturer of baby equipment and furniture company which has a
strong reputation and a good supportive relationship with its Stakeholders from a long time ago also
a good tracking record with consumers had suffered from a public relation Disaster when a child of
a celebrity 3 years old called Avery Nelkin had injured because her stroller tis over and its brakes
failed to stop.
The media went viral and many disappointments get over its customers through media and websites
blaming bestbaby corporation for manufacturing low-cost brakes which caused child accidents.
The morning after the accident, Chief Executive Greg James called an emergency meeting of his
executive staff. he searched his memory, he thought about Arzep Enterprises" BestBaby's main
provider of parts and materials". He remembered his chief operating officer, Keith Sigismund,
telling him that Arzep had switched suppliers at some point to cut costs but he assured Greg that the
new material although not quite as sturdy had not affected the quality of Arzep’s Components.

When the meeting began, several employees threatened to quit, and many stories are published in
the press and on social media about other consumers who had problems with their strollers.

In the meeting, Keith Company Coo drops a bomb that he read from a year ago old memo sent to
him by an employee in manufacturing stating that the new brake fittings delivered by Arzep don't
grab the front brakes as well as the ones previously supplied.

Now we could conclude bestbaby corporation problem statement question as following :

How can bestbaby bring its Public Relation crisis under control?

This paper will give the reader the answer of the main problem statement question and what are the
best practices that bestbaby corporation should take to bring its PR Crisis under control .

The research reviewed many articles, websites, papers, and presenting some analytical tools to get
the final consideration about the possible Practices which help bestbaby corporation overcome its
PR Crisis.

II- The Structure Plan of the Paper

Because of lack information about bestbaby Corporation in the internet and do not define any
formal website for the corporation ,the research will begin presenting brief information about
bestbaby corporation then presenting information about baby product industry in Global markets
and in America market nowadays with recent statistics to get a generally overview about baby
product industry ,secondly a brief literature review about some important concepts will be used in
the research and which will contribute solving the main problem statement above mentioned , also
presenting brief story of a similar company which had PR Crisis and how the company overcome
it,thirdly discussing and analyzing some analytical tools such as SWOT analysis ,Portor
Diamond ,PESTEL, VRIO which may help to better understand the conditions surrounded bestbaby
corporation whether internally or externally during PR Crisis , fourthly suggesting possible
practices which may help bestbaby to overcome its PR crisis such as crisis management plan,
communication Strategy..etc and advices to bestbaby corporation how to overcome PR Crisis or
other future crisis fifthly Presenting Some Limitations face the research during collecting the
information and Finally ending with recommendation to bestbaby corporation toward dealing the
current PR crisis situation and some corrective and proactive procedures must take in order to limit
the risk repetition other crisis in the future .

III- Background of the case

a- Brief Summary of Bestbaby Corporation

Bestbaby corporation is one of the manufacturer of baby equipment and furniture companies
manufacturing cribs, car seats, strollers, and toys..etc, Corporation distributers and retailers were
unflaggingly loyal and its stockholders supportive also it has a good relationship with its
stakeholders from a long time ago, it established from more than 40 years ago also its tag line used
in the advertisement is “Bestbaby –Best for your Baby”.
b- The global baby products market
Nowadays people are more connected and informative than before and they are more aware about
what to adapt and what to avoid. Consumers can communicate more easily by reviewing and rating
products online and searching for how much the products are safety , comfort, ease, and
convenience, of course, take in consideration the fair price and good quality of the products and
they are influenced by word of mouth and other people experience toward the products.

The global baby products market size is expected to reach USD 16.78 billion by 2025, according to
a new report by Grand View Research, Inc . published in 2019. ¹

Increasing population in emerging economies of Asia Pacific including India and China is likely to
drive the demand for baby products over the forecast period also increased spending capacity in
developed economies of North America and Europe will also augment industry growth over the
next few years. ¹
Moreover, rising awareness about infant nutrition, hygiene, and safety in developing regions will
fuel the demand further even Continuous innovation in the field is also expected to propel industry
growth in the future. ¹
Cosmetics and toiletries segment held the largest share in the global market.¹
Asia Pacific market was the largest baby products market in the past and will expand further on
account of growing awareness about baby nutrition, hygiene, and safety¹

¹ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/baby-products-market
c- Baby product Industry Insights in the USA

The United States is a large market, full of opportunities but it is also complex and highly
competitive due to a common language and culture, the United States seems like a relatively easy
market to access. However, it is also a large, crowded, and highly competitive economy ².

The U.S. is expected to lead the North America regional market in the past on account of the
availability of high-quality items. Moreover, the rapidly expanding e-commerce sector in the baby
product industry is likely to boost sales over the coming years. Major manufacturers in the country
are engaged in developing innovative items at competitive prices to meet the local needs. This is
also expected to have a positive impact on the regional market over the next few years³

baby products market divide into two main segments:³

a- Baby Disposable Products

- Cosmetic & Toiletries such as (Skin Care, Bath, Baby Hair Care, and Other Cosmetics &
Toiletries)
Baby Food such as Milk Products, Frozen Baby Food, Juice, Food Snacks, Food Cereals

b- Baby Durable Goods (Baby Safety & Convenience )

- such as Strollers, Car Seat…etc.

in the figure below shows baby product market size prospected from 2014-2025 according to the
market research report on 2019 published from Grand view research inc³

2
. https://uktiusa.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/baby-goods-industry-report.pdf
3.
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/baby-products-market
The growth can be attributed to increasing customers awareness which created by various private
and government firms via numerous electronic and print media programs is also expected to spur
industry growth in the future.⁴

technological advancement in the manufacturing process of these foods has resulted in superior
product quality, which is expected to boost sales, particularly in developing countries.⁴

On the other hand, high manufacturing cost due to numerous quality checks may pose a challenge
for industry growth. Manufactures have to meet basic rating criteria, which is expected to restrict
the market development. However, rising demand for safety and convenience products, which
include strollers and car seats, in developed regions as a result of stringent regulations about child
safety is expected to have a positive impact on the market growth.⁴

d- Baby Product Market Share Insights

Intense competition in the baby product market has made producers focus on product
differentiation, innovation, and an affordable pricing structure. Hence, companies have been
investing in R&D to maintain their market share and for sustainable growth. ⁵

Shown below are the percentages of the overall population purchasing a particular product within a
segment and the percent of those who are already in the segment purchasing a certain product
regarding with safety product according to TABS industry report 2017 ⁵

4-https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/baby-products-market
5https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/544043/2017_Webinars/2017%20Baby%20Care%20Study/White%20Paper/TABS%20Baby%20Study
%202017%20FINAL.pdf
IV- Conceptual Literature review:

Crisis management is a critical organizational function. Failure can result in serious harm to
stakeholders, losses for an organization, or end its very existence. 6
A crisis has many definitions such as a significant threat to operations that can have negative
consequences if not handled properly. In crisis management, the threat is the potential damage a
crisis can inflict on an organization, its stakeholders, and an industry that can create three related
threats: (1) public safety, (2) financial loss, and (3) reputation loss. Some crises, such as industrial
accidents and product harm, can result in injuries and even loss of lives. Crises can create financial
loss by disrupting operations, creating a loss of market share/purchase intentions, or spawning
lawsuits related to the crisis. 6
A crisis management plan is a short term plan which also a process designed to prevent or lessen
the damage a crisis can inflict on an organization and its stakeholders. As a process, crisis
management is not just one thing. Crisis management can be divided into three phases: (1) pre-
crisis, (2) crisis response, and (3) post-crisis. The pre-crisis phase is concerned with prevention and
preparation. The crisis response phase is when management must respond to a crisis. The post-
crisis phase looks for ways to better prepare for the next crisis and fulfills commitments made
during the crisis phase including follow-up information. 6
another important concept we have to deal with in our discussion is the communication strategic
plan which defined as a method of communicating firm’s unique and valued difference by way of
compelling copy and graphic design, a communication strategy is focused on enlisting trust based
on expertise, credentials, style, and reputation. 7
Communication Strategy is also an umbrella term that describes the activities such as public
relations, management communication, and advertising, it is also increasingly recognized as a
developing subfield within the communication. Its emphasis on strategy rather than on specific
tactics as well as its focus on communications understood holistically. This approach is particularly
valuable given the increasing difficulty faced by organizations in differentiating among
communication activities (and results) appropriately "owned" by various functional groups. Further,
the increasing complexity of a global, digital society has challenged the capacity for organizations
to engage in long-term strategic planning.8
Any business, at one point, will face some sort of a public relations crisis and the way company
response can either give you a much-needed image boost or significantly damage your brand,
ultimately alienating your customer base and business partners. Especially in this day and age, when
news goes viral almost instantly, organizations need to be ready to respond to any PR crisis quickly
and efficiently, using all available platforms.9

6
- https://instituteforpr.org/crisis-management-and-communications/
7-
https://www.bekhor.ca/communication-strategy-definition/
8
- https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756841/obo-9780199756841-0007.xml
9
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/06/20/13-golden-rules-of-pr-crisis-management/#3009a6321bcf
Lessons are taken from a similar case to overcome PR Crisis

Johnson and Johnson PR Crisis Management

On October 4, 1982, Johnson & Johnson announced a nationwide recall of 31 million bottles of
Tylenol after seven people died from taking cyanide-laced Extra Strength Tylenol capsules. It was
one of the most prominent product recalls in the United States, and the company’s aggressive action
went a long way toward restoring trust in its brand. In the end, Tylenol more than survived; Johnson
& Johnson also raised the standard for consumer product packaging, crisis planning helps anticipate
risks and threats, evaluate internal crisis procedures, and draft plans as needed. Companies trying to
adopt best management practices are fine-tuned to the global consequences of their every action and
helping top-level executives communicate effectively with the public.10

V- Some analytical tools used to analyze the crisis Such as SWOT, PESTEL, VIRO
SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is defined as a set of methods used to examine both internal and external factors
that affect the performance of a company. This analysis is mostly applied in the initial stages before
the company launches any new plans, especially strategic marketing plans. In this analysis, there are
four contributing elements that need to be examined to complete the analysis, namely strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Among them, strengths and weaknesses refer to any criteria
within and under the control of a company; therefore, they are also called internal factors. In
contrast, the external analysis focuses on examining outside factors. These factors are then grouped
in opportunities and threats for the enterprise .11
Strengths
• good reputation from a long time ago
• strong relationship with its stakeholders
• wide range of products
• strong brand equity
• trusted brand and customer community and loyalty
• geographically expansion
• fairly price and good quality of its products
• brands positioning in the customers' mind
• good track record with consumers
• occupy a good market share and stability of company sales from years ago
• Excellent and qualified staff and employees and R&D expertise
• good Products review
• the company had been buoyed by strong sales from recent lines of collapsible jogging strollers
introduced in 1997 and regularly updated with trendy colors like raspberry, blueberry, tangerine
• products satisfaction guarantee and five years warranty
• work towards consolidate bestbaby supply chain
• stroller product is on mature product life cycle

10
- https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/23/your-money/IHT-tylenol-made-a-hero-of-johnson-johnson-the-recall-that-started.html
11
- https://www.mageplaza.com/blog/top-10-analytical-tools-for-business-analysis.html
 Weaknesses
• a doubt that Arzeb company is the main provider of bestbaby corporation has been providing low-
cost stroller which caused child accident
• cited under lawsuit and litigations against stroller product which hurts brand value.
• negative words of mouth will harm company products and company image
• the child Avery Nelkin injured and Mr.Nelkin continued lay blame for the incident on the
manufacturer of the stroller bestbaby corporation
•Keith drops a bomb that he read from a year ago old memo sent to him by an employee in
manufacturing stating that the new brake fittings delivered by Arzep don't grab the front brakes as
well as the ones previously supplied
• Stroller sales drop after child injured and may affect other product line sales
• Contradictions over mergers and acquisitions from a big company
• long time required for attaining actual growth in sales and consumers trust of its stroller product
•Shifting of products from normal to healthier results in extra costs and can lead to decline
company's profit margins
• Employees complaints and disappointed after PR crisis and may increase risk of a strike or
turnover
• keith authoritarian and non-sense manner and do not listen to others complaints affected other
employees especially manufacturing facility
• Two managers in manufacturing want to quit after PR crisis
• PR crisis not the fault of bestbaby corporation but it must pay extra cost to overcome or it may
increase the risk to the company collapse or disappear in the long run if it does not deal with the
crisis inappropriate matter.

Opportunities
• presenting a press release and solve public relation crisis
• Sensible mergers and acquisitions of renowned companies
• entering new markets with new products
• new suppliers with better terms and conditions and better quality than Arzep companies
• hiring an external investigator to give the company a report about the causes and solutions of this
crisis
• providing quality members extra courses about how to ensure product reliability and product
safety
• reinforcement company social responsibility after PR crisis
• try to achieve extra certificates in manufacturing such as ISO 9000,9001
• searching for better raw materials which increase product rigidity and solidity or redundancy
• integration whether backward or forward in its supply chain.

Threats

• interrupting of sources manufacturing materials

• the death of child injured
•loose customers trust of company product and probability to drop the sales after PR Crisis
• company conviction from lawsuit or court if the child injured died
• stroller provided from arzep companies not computable with product safety and liability standards
• possibility for another injuries
• intense competition from external rivals and launching competitive campaigns after PR Crisis
• negative impact on brand value due to product recall
• less expensive substitutes
• a complex supply chain, therefore failure of any of the level of supply chain can lead the business
to face particular issues

PESTEL ANALSIS 12
Factors in which bestbaby corporation must take in consideration when the company analyze
the current situation and the prospected future in order to improve its brand image and
avoid probable crisis in the future
I. Political Factors
 Political stability in USA Market could affect company through legislation and trade
laws whether moving into new markets or integration whether backward or forward
 Level of corruption - especially levels of regulation in baby product sector.
 Bureaucracy and interference Legal framework for contract enforcement and bureaucratic
leadership management style
 Intellectual property protection
 Trade regulations & tariffs related to baby product manufacturing
 Favored trading partners
 Anti-trust laws related to baby product manufacturing
 Pricing regulations Taxation - tax rates and incentives
 Wage legislation - minimum wage and overtime
 Historical Employees turn over in company after PR Crisis
 Work week regulations in baby product manufacturing
 Industrial safety regulations in baby product manufacturing
 Product labeling, liability and other requirements in baby product manufacturing

II. Economic factors

 Type of economic system in countries of operation – what type of economic system there is
and how stable it is.
 Government intervention in the free market and in baby product industry companies
 Labor costs and productivity in the economy
 Business cycle stage for company line products (e.g. prosperity, recession, recovery)
 Economic growth rate

III.Social Factors
 Demographics and skill level of the population
 Class structure, hierarchy and power structure in the society.
 Education level
 Culture (gender roles, social conventions etc).
 Entrepreneurial spirit and broader nature of the society. Some societies encourage
entrepreneurship while some don’t.
 Attitudes (health, environmental consciousness, etc).
 IV. Technological Factors
 Recent technological developments
 Technology's impact on product offering
 Impact on value chain structure
 Rate of technological diffusion

V. Environmental factors
 Weather
 Climate change
 Laws regulating environment pollution
 Air and water pollution regulations in Drug Manufacturers - Major industry
 Recycling
 Waste management in the Healthcare sector
 Attitudes toward “green” or ecological products
 Endangered species
 Attitudes toward and support for renewable energy
VI. Legal Factors
 Anti-trust law in Drug Manufacturers - Major industry and overall in the country.
 Discrimination law
 Copyright, patents , Intellectual property law
 Consumer protection and e-commerce
 Employment law
 Health and safety law
 Data Protection
C- Porter Diamond
 The threat of New Entrants:
 High cost for R&D
 High expenses involved in producing, manufacturing Baby product manufacturing market.
 High switching costs to maintain manufacturing as well as establishing a name in the
industry.
 Get a recognized brand name in which customer loyalty is high.

 The threat of Substitutes: Low-Moderate

 increase Substitutes available in Baby Product manufacturing market

 More competition with baby products, competitive brand names established

12
-fernfortuniversity.com/term-papers/pestel/nyse4/1838-johnson---johnson.php
  Bargaining Power of Buyers:
 Few suppliers with established brand name available to wholesalers or retailers.
 Switching cost for individual consumers
 Bargaining Power of Suppliers:
 Need standardized and customized suppliers so they choose suppliers carefully.
 Many requirements, compromised in Responsibility Standards for Suppliers
 Contractual agreements maintaining long term relationships.
 Brand name that suppliers want to be involved with knowing the reputation and stability of
the firm

D- VRIO analysis

is a broad variety analysis providing the organization with a possibility to get a feasible competitive
benefit versus its rivals in the baby product market 13
Valuable
The resources utilized by best baby company are important for the company or not. Such as the
resources like finance, human resources, management of operations and specialists in marketing
which are the key valuable factors of for the recognition of competitive advantage and which
activity added value and which destroy value 13
Rare
The important resources are rare or pricey. If these resources are typically found that it would be
simpler for the rivals and the brand-new competitors in the market to effortlessly relocate
competition. 13
Imitation
The imitation process is expensive for other competitors . It can be done only in two different
techniques i.e. product duplication which is produced and manufactured by bestbaby Company and
launching of the alternative of the items with changing cost. This increases the risk of interruption
to the recent structure of the market. 13
Organization
This element handle the compatibility of the company to place in the market making efficient usage
of its valuable resources which are difficult to imitate. Regularly, the development of management
is totally based on the firm's execution method and team. Thus, this polishes the skills of the firm by
time-based on the decisions made by the company for the development of its tactical capitals. 13

13
-https://casemarathon.com/chicago-booth/when-no-news-is-good-news-hbr-case-study/vrio-
analysis.php
Resources Valuable Rare imitate organization Competitive advantage
Network Yes yes Close-sharing Completely Unsed competitive
flexibility of Some same consumed advantage from other
supply chain suppliers rivals
chain
Market Yes yes challenging yes Sustainable competitive
position advantage
Leadership Yes yes no Yes Strong competitive
team advantage
Awareness of Yes Yes No yes Sustainable competitive
Brand advantage
Financial Yes No Compatible Financial Temporary competitive
resources with all rivals status is advantage
sustainable

VI.Best Practices to overcome Public Relation Crisis

There are many possible Practices to overcome the Bestbaby Corporation crisis, first of all,
recognize where does the crisis come from and diagnosis probable symptoms and put hand on the
main problem in order to take current corrective actions , secondly make crisis management plan
and strategic plan in order to overcome the crisis in all aspects and take proactive actions.

most of these possible solutions or practices collected from article below reference which collected
opinions of many professional qualified people to overcome bestbbay Crisis such as PR consultant,
director of the office of compliance, retired chairman of Ashland Incorporated in Covington,
Professor of Business Policy at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business
opinions..etc.)

1- Crisis management short term Plan and tactics :

I. Toward the Rule of CEO-Greg James

a- first of all, he should call a new Media conference as quick as possible in order to apologize
to the Nelkin family for deficiency and inconvenience fault that may have existed in the stroller
and the company’s best wishes for their daughter’s complete recovery and that the company will
cover all the medical expenses during child injured recovery whether in the hospital and after
hospital recovery. Greg’s statement to the media will have to accomplish several objectives. It’s
important to show its customers that it has nothing to hide. He should not assign blame. The
public does not care about what’s legally acceptable. It cares only about what’s morally
acceptable, which is that BestBaby is responsible for the safety of its products. 14

14
-https://hbr.org 2001/04/when-no-news-is-good-news
b- Secondly, he should have an emergency meeting for all employees stating the facts such as
the need to change suppliers and talking about the warning memo missed from an employee
because leaving them for an external reporter or police to discover later will be extremely
damaging.
c- Thirdly he must say that the company is appointing an independent privately and
confidentially outside investigator to make a full review of the accident, he also must promise
that the conclusions of the investigation will be made public upon its completion. The
investigation should include an evaluation of materials provided by all component suppliers and
report all findings directly to Greg daily.
d- Fourthly he should communicate with all interested parties, including government agencies,
the media, and the company’s customers and suppliers.
E- fifthly During press conference he should emphasize bestbaby long history as a supplier of
products for children and the company’s reputation for superior product quality (communication
Strategy) . He should state his determination to find the exact cause of the problem and to modify
the stroller to be certain that a similar incident will never occur. And finally, bestbaby must deliver
on all of Greg’s promises, down to the finest detail to emerge company stronger and healthier. 14
F- Sixthly he now faces the hard fact that he has only one real choice. He can pay once now for his
company’s mistakes or pay for them later on an ongoing basis. If he pays now, he has a much
stronger chance of controlling the damage and reviving the company’s public image. Therefore,
BestBaby must assume complete and total responsibility for the Nelkin accident and all others
involving its products.
G-Seventhly he must setting up and training a permanent, internal crisis-management team
comprising people from the operations, marketing, IT, security, and legal departments. The team will
need to meet regularly with employees and report on and address issues on a monthly basis14
H-Eighthly He should issue a voluntary recall before the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission asks for one. He should require the company’s distributors to stop selling jogging
strollers until further notice. He and Keith should also apologize to the employee whom missed
his/her memo warning signs.
I- Ninthly He should address the employees. His statement can serve as a rehearsal for the public
one. He should say something like: “I know all of you are all surprised from the Nelkin baby
accident but we have to fix it immediately, we will announce to a product recall; we will also now
moving toward developing new quality-control procedures to make sure this never happens again
also he should also tell the staff that Donna tried to alert management about the problem and that he
has apologized to her14
J- Tenthly Greg should open up questions that reporters to ask. If someone mentions the employee
memo, Greg will have to admit its oversight and emphasize that the company is investigating the
matter. If questions arise about the brakes, he should not yet mention Arzep’s name since the cause
of the accident 14

14
-https://hbr.org 2001/04/when-no-news-is-good-news
VII. The Role of bestbaby Corporation & staff members
a- after Greg, Keith, and other executives ignored or minimized early warning signs of the
memos missed sent from along time ago from inspection employees which signaled the existence of
ongoing problems and how short-sighted bestbaby the company must hire an effective crisis-
management team to pay because It is also crisis management. 14
b- Any attempt to deflect responsibility will only sink BestBaby more deeply even if the
attorney of the company was able to prove in a court of law that bestbaby isn’t at fault but the
company must diagnoses its internal structure, resources, supplier, historical data of quality reports
to know the main reasons of the crisis14
c- The company must make communication strategy In the incoming months and years in order
to repair its public image by demonstrating to the media and the public how the company has
redefined itself. Executive management should review all company business practices and key
assumptions and reject or revise those that have brought bestbaby to this pass. 14
d- The company should open its facilities to inspection, showing how it has changed its
operations for the better. The company has to make amends through some highly visible, charitable
acts to prove that BestBaby can rise to an ethical standard far beyond that of the bottom line. 14
e- Bestbaby corporation should take series of corrective actions as a complementary of its
social responsibility and immediately recall all strollers of this type or which have same Par Code
Number in order to decrease the risk of investigation and possible modification of the brakes or
other potentially affected customers Certainly, such replacements would come at a substantial cost..
14

f- Greg and BestBaby will have to accept the fact that they are likely to be sued by Nelkin and
others. The company should not allow that likelihood to interfere with its recall. Its goal should be
to prevent other injuries or potential deaths. it would serve BestBaby no useful purpose to blame its
supplier for the problem. In the public’s mind, BestBaby is responsible since it manufactures the
strollers. Legal action against Arzep can always be pursued later. 14
g- BestBaby should immediately contact the Office of Compliance and ask for help in
conducting a recall under our Fast Track Product Recall Program. Under it, a company reports its
problem to the CPSC and offers to conduct a recall. 14
h- to figure out the most effective ways to notify consumers of its efforts to remove the
dangerous strollers from the marketplace. The company can also use this public notice to alleviate
some of the negative publicity surrounding its product and the accident involving baby Nelkin. 14

14
-https://hbr.org 2001/04/when-no-news-is-good-news
 VIII- 13 Golden Rules could help bestbaby corporation dealing with PR Crisis or future
crisis 15

1. Take Responsibility
First off, don’t try to cover up the PR crisis, it will only worsen the damage. Instead, manage the
situation by taking responsibility, reacting immediately, and responding to feedback.
2. Be Proactive, Be Transparent, Be Accountable
The tenets of any crisis communication are to be proactive, be transparent, and be accountable.
3. Get Ahead Of The Story
. Figuring out the fine points of the strategy -- do that over the weekend. But start communicating,
apologizing, refunding, or whatever-ing now! - Michael Levin, BusinessGhost, Inc.
4. Be Ready For Social Media Backlash
5. Remember To Be Human
6. First Apologize, Then Take Action
7. Monitor, Plan, And Communicate
8. Seek First to Understand The Situation
9. Listen To Your Team First
It's too easy to be reactive, especially when your company's brand and reputation are at stake.
Don't comment, post, or tweet before you've conferred with your PR team on what the best, most
reasoned approach will be.
10. Develop Strong Organizational Brand Culture
Prevent the crisis. It's easy to blame frontline employees for recurring viral nightmares, but
they’re not responsible for the toxic brand culture that breeds them.
11. Turn Off The Fan
When the you-know-what hits the fan, the first rule of crisis management is to turn off the fan.
Don't fuel the fire. Step back, put yourself in the consumers' shoes and ask, "How would I feel if
this happened to me?" Looking in the mirror is the best PR advice there is when dealing with
crises.
12. Avoid Knee-Jerk Reactions
Companies, brand representatives, or influencers often provide emotional, frenzied responses.
Going silent on social is not a bad thing when you are monitoring a crisis. Freeze all external
communication until you can assess what's going on. Be sure that the first external communication
following the crisis is a well-thought-out response that resonates with your consumers.
13. Be Prepared
No one wants to be at the center of a scandal, but scrambling around because you're not prepared
to handle it takes things from bad to worse. Anticipate potentials crisis scenarios and establish
internal protocols for handling them.

15
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/06/20/13-golden-rules-of-pr-crisis-
management/#2518cc31bcf3
IX.Recommendation

a- effective the role of quality assurance department in Bestbaby Corporation to make a daily or
monthly inspection of the raw materials and take samples of production in three steps before
manufacturing, in processing, after manufacturing
b- to increase the rigidity of stroller product to avoid getting to decline in its product life cycle
after maturity
a- be update with all customers complaints in the social media or on the company website and
try to contact with affected customers
b- Searching for new qualified suppliers they manufacturing according to ISO 9000, 9001 in
order to assure that their product compatible with international standards.
c- hire new inspectors to increase the reliability of the product through best practices in
manufacturing raw materials
d- Inspect regularly company products reliability and redundancy or rigidity to ensure product
safety.
e- Update crisis management plan regularly and update to adapt to new changes.

X. Limitations

No website information about bestbaby corporation so the research does not get enough
information which is necessary to complete the analysis