Crisis Management in the Age of Social Media

Chapter 10

Herding Cats—The Challenge of Controlling Employees

Watch these two YouTube videos: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKUDTPbDhnA) and (http://youtu.be/1D9PikBzNNo). You will see social media crises unfold in a matter of seconds for shipping giant FedEx and pizza delivery king Domino’s.¹ What you will see dumbfounded social media users:

•A FedEx package that is supposed to be delivered with care is instead carelessly tossed onto a customer’s property.

•Two Domino’s employees videotaped themselves disgustingly violating sanitary and health codes as they prepare food at a Domino’s store in North Carolina.

Usually, it is a management decision that causes a company’s self-inflicted social media crisis. But, we are now going to examine ...