The Conversation

How United Airlines broke two golden rules of marketing

Morgen Witzel, University of Exeter

But standards of service are so low across the US airline industry that United may well get away with it.

The Ford Kuga brand has been blemished in South Africa by its propensity to burst into flames which has caused a recall of over 4000 cars. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Ford still can repair its brand in South Africa but it needs to act quickly

Mlenga Jere, University of Cape Town and Raymond van Niekerk, University of Cape Town

Some considerable damage has been done to the Ford brand as a result of the Kuga fires but Ford South Africa can still make amends.

Ford South Africa reacted badly in a crisis: it doesn’t have to be that way

Owen Skae, Rhodes University

The behavior of Ford South Africa around the fires that have engulfed its 1.6-litre EcoBoost Kugas model is a classic case of how not to handle a corporate crisis.

Ford South Africa failed to protect its reputation. What it should have done

Marietjie Theron-Wepener, Stellenbosch University

Ford South Africa has made some elementary mistakes in handling the crisis caused by fire hazards in its Kuga Ecoboost 1.6 litre model.

In dealing with the repercussions of the tragic deaths of four people at Dreamworld, Ardent Leisure ought to remember the commandments of crisis management. Dave Hunt/AAP

Dreamworld owner Ardent Leisure needs a lesson in managing a crisis

David Beirman, University of Technology Sydney

Ardent Leisure’s poor crisis management skills has transformed a tragic theme park accident into a crisis affecting the reputation of one of Australia’s most popular tourism destinations.

Aerial view of the Pentagon, September 14, 2001. Wikipedia

Command under attack: What we’ve learned since 9/11 about managing crises

Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard, Harvard Kennedy School; Arnold M. Howitt, Harvard Kennedy School; Christine Cole, Harvard Kennedy School, and Joseph W. Pfeifer, Harvard Kennedy School

The National Incident Management System (NIMS), created after 9/11, has helped government agencies respond to large-scale emergencies, including mass shootings and the Boston Marathon bombing.

Mourners in London, a city that knows a thing or two about resiliency, show solidarity with Orlando. Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Terrorism and tourism: what cities should do to prepare for an attack

Lori Pennington-Gray, University of Florida

Cities and other tourist destinations are becoming more resilient to terrorist attacks, but there’s more they can do to ensure potential visitors feel safe.

Panama Papers: how Mossack Fonseca should manage its reputation crisis

Will Harvey, University of Exeter

Six steps the law firm could take to fix its public image.

While firefighters battled widespread fires in New South Wales in October 2013, hundreds of thousands of people turned to social media and smartphone apps for vital updates. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

Crisis communication: saving time and lives in disasters through smarter social media

Terry Flew, Queensland University of Technology and Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology

When disaster strikes, more people than ever are turning to social media to find out if they’re in danger. But Australian emergency services need to work together more to learn what works to save lives.

School shootings have future consequences for kids. Gun image via www.shutterstock.com

After school shootings, students fare poorly in math, English

Louis-Philippe Beland, Louisiana State University and Dongwoo Kim, University of Missouri-Columbia

What happens to kids who survive school shootings? What are some of the damaging effects they are left to cope with?

Planning for war: a guide for businesses

Andrew Coburn, Cambridge Judge Business School

__The turmoil of 2014 was a timely reminder to businesses that they need to be prepared and have contingency plans for global conflict. The crisis in Ukraine brought Russia and the West to the brink of…

Telling people not to panic doesn’t achieve its desired effect. EPA/Remko de Waal

Listen up, health officials – here’s how to reduce ‘Ebolanoia’

Claire Hooker, University of Sydney and Julie Leask, University of Sydney

An epidemic disease such as Ebola brings suffering to more than those who get ill or die. Social and economic threats can actually outstrip the medical ones. The outbreaks of SARS in 2003, for example…

Trust will out: how the financial crisis boosted the best leaders

Veronica Hope Hailey, University of Bath

Six years on from the financial crisis and still many of us feel deeply unsure about institutions and individuals we had previously revered as beacons of reliability and certainty. The need to repair that…

A company in need of a reconnection with customers. Shamshahrin Shamsudin/EPA

What Malaysia Airlines must do to survive (and maybe even thrive again)

Paul Baines, Cranfield University

Malaysia Airlines was hit with two extraordinary crises this year that have rocked the confidence of customers and left the company struggling to manage the damage. Lone passengers are posting pictures…

So many questions but few answers for Malaysia Airlines. EPA/AHMAD YUSNI

Clock is ticking on Malaysia Airlines in crisis management

Hamish McLean, Griffith University

For Malaysia Airlines, every hour counts as it deals with the loss of flight MH370 with 227 passengers and 12 crew on-board. The first 48 hours of a crisis are the most critical for an organisation as…

Holden’s latest ad campaign promises “We’re here to stay”, but it seems to have misread the market. AAP/Holden

Holden’s issue advertising campaign misses the mark

Tony Jaques, RMIT University

In the shadow of its worst ever annual sales figures – fewer than 28,000 Commodores sold in 2013 – Holden is persisting with an extraordinary advertising campaign to “explain” its decision to cease car…

Syria crisis: the violence mapped by the UN. FreedomHouse

Crowdsourced crisis mapping: how it works and why it matters

Marta Poblet, RMIT University and Pompeu Casanovas Romeu, RMIT University

Web 2.0 tools and mobile technologies have lowered the barriers not just for people to access the internet but to create and share content. Through open-source, collaborative programs such as wikis, the…

Organising the information gathered during crises is key to better responses. Lindsay Hallam/AFP

Crisis management: using Twitter and Facebook for the greater good

Hanna Suominen, Data61

With new technology comes new ways of communicating with one another in times of crisis. Platforms such as Twitter and Facebook allow important information to be shared widely and instantaneously. But…