In the News–Crisis Management
Barra’s review, from those who’ve been on hot seat
Amy Haimerl, Crain’s Detroit Business, April 6, 2014
As General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra faced congressional panels last week, she may well have felt like it was a firing squad.
The members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee‘s oversight panel grilled her, demanding answers — now! — about why it took the automaker more than a decade to recall 2.6 million vehicles over a faulty ignition switch that has been linked to 13 deaths.
“Unless you’ve been in front of Congress, you don’t now how grueling it can be,” said Davia Temin, who owns New York City-based crisis management firm Temin and Co. Inc. “It is a spectacle beyond all spectacles. You might as well be in a Roman coliseum.” […read more]
Barra Seeks to Distance GM From Old Cost-First Culture
Tim Higgins, Jeff Green and Jeff Plungis, Bloomberg, April 2, 2014
General Motors Co. Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra pushed yesterday to separate herself from an old GM that weighed the costs of improved safety, insisting she’s the face of a new GM that puts customers first.
In more than two hours of testimony that was long on apologies and short on detailed answers, Barra assured members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee she’d find out why the automaker took more than a decade to recall 2.6 million cars for faulty ignition switches linked to 13 deaths.
Davia Temin is quoted regarding Barra’s lack of awareness of the safety issues. […read more]
GM Seen Needing $3 Billion Fund to Address Ignition-Flaw Deaths
Jeff Green, Bloomberg Businessweek, March 28, 2014
General Motors Co. will probably create a fund of as much as $3 billion to pay claims associated with an ignition-switch flaw the automaker said is linked to the deaths of 12 people, a Barclays analyst wrote this week. GM will probably create the fund even though the automaker is shielded, under its July 2009 U.S.-backed bankruptcy reorganization, from liabilities of the old GM, which sold the cars. Davia Temin is quoted on GM’s latest response to the crisis. […read more]
Christie’s $1 million spin-control bridge report
Dustin Racioppi, USA Today, March 27, 2014
For a pricey admission, New Jersey taxpayers now have a front-row seat to Gov. Chris Christie’s national rehab from scandal. After three months of press-dodging and largely evading public questions on the George Washington Bridge lane closures, the politically hobbled governor finally gets to tell his side of the saga, and on his own terms. The cost to state taxpayers: $1 million.
Davia Temin, who runs a crisis-management company in New York, said Christie should have ordered an investigation into the lane closure and he should have released the findings of the investigation shortly after it concluded. […read more]
GM’s Barra Showing Compassion Contrasts With Mishandlers
Matt Townsend, Bloomberg, March 20, 2014
GM CEO Mary Barra took a critical step this week in framing herself as a compassionate leader, invoking the fact she’s a mother as she said she was sorry for the lives lost in accidents linked to a defect that spurred the recall of 1.6 million cars. It was in stark contrast to the seemingly unempathetic response by Hayward to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill when he was BP Plc (BP)’s CEO and declared “I’d like to have my life back” amid the unfolding crisis.
Her next step, according to Davia Temin who shares her thoughts on GM’s latest crisis, is “to shift into action mode or at least into making statements about what she’ll do to right what’s wrong.” […read more]
GM’s Barra Saying Sorry Seeks to Limit Fallout on Recall
Jeff Green, Bloomberg, March 19, 2014
General Motors Co. Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra apologized for the lives lost in accidents linked to an ignition defect and pledged an aggressive probe into why a recall took so long, in her boldest effort yet to limit damage from safety lapses at the largest U.S. automaker. Her apology is just the start, says Davia Temin. “She will be judged on how she handles the next 95 percent of it.” […read more]
Talking about Data Security
Steve Viuker, Banking New York, March 5, 2014
The massive credit and debit card breach at Target over the 2013 holiday season was only the largest of almost two dozen similar data breaches over the past year alone. But it’s the one that finally got the attention of both the banking and the merchant world to focus on the costs and consequences of a massive payment system that’s vulnerable to smart teenagers and the lack of vigilance on the part of employees and vendors. Davia Temin shares her thoughts on the matter and what the solution to this “form of financial terrorism” might be. […read more]
Some see minimal impact on image of Maine lobster
Jessica Hall, Portland Press Herald, February 20, 2014
The Maine Department of Marine Resources announcement that it will be closing a portion of the Penobscot River to loberstering and crabbing due to mercury contamination has prompted discussion as to whether its closure will have an impact on the industry’s reputation. Davia Temin is quoted, stating that this issue will hurt the brand. […read more]
The Crisis of Trust and Rebuilding Trust After Crisis
Barbara Kimmel, Trust Across America, February 19, 2014
Reputation and trust. Disaster recovery and disaster prevention. Crisis response and the crisis of trust. Davia Temin and Charlie Green connect on these and related topics.
In this program they exchange, explore and examine these critical issues, such as: Why do organizations create their own public relations disasters? What’s trust got to do with it? What’s the connection between personal and corporate trust? Why is trust in companies down so far? What can companies do about it? What can individuals do about it? Whom should you trust? Whom shouldn’t you trust? What companies have a well-deserved (positive) reputation, and how did they get there? How can you recover from a trashed reputation, and how can you recover from broken trust? What’s the relationship between those two? […read more]
Target CEO opens up about data breach
Jena McGregor, The Washington Post, January 13, 2014
Crisis communications experts weigh in on Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel’s interview with CNBC in which he discusses the massive security breach that happened last December. Davia Temin was among those who thought it was a solid effort but also felt that the company may need to do more. […read more]
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