Burson-Marsteller is well known globally for excellence in Issues and Crisis Management. We prepare our clients to effectively manage any foreseeable and even unforeseeable developments affecting their organisation, profession or industry.
Handling an issue or crisis can be an organisation’s or an executive’s biggest challenge. It represents significant risk to a company’s image, impacts upon daily operations, affects the customer base, as well as a company’s standing in the business and other communities and its short and long term financial performance.
The stakes are high, time is short and the margin for error is very slim. B-M Australia has a depth of experience both “in the hot seat” handling real crisis situations, and in assisting corporations in planning and rehearsing their crisis response.
ISSUES MANAGEMENT
What are the issues we can influence that are important to us? What strategies can be developed that will deliver the desired outcomes?
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Am I prepared for a crisis? Do I have a plan? Has it been tested? Could I answer the tough questions from hostile media?
THE RESPONSE PLAN
A comprehensive crisis response plan is a key component of your overall preparedness to manage an issue or crisis. The plan is developed by analysing the risk potential of an organisation. Burson-Marsteller has developed a methodology that:
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Identifies key risk areas;
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Determines the likelihood of a crisis in that area; and
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Predicts the impact that crisis would have on the organisation.
TRAINING & STRESS-TESTING
Training and simulations give those involved in crisis response familiarity with the plan and the understanding and skills needed to handle a real crisis situation.
A simulation is a workshop designed as a realistic simulation of an appropriate crisis scenario. The main function of the desktop stress-test is to test the draft crisis response plan, to identify any gaps that may exist in the plan. Using the learnings from the simulation, the draft crisis plan and composition of the crisis team can be reworked where necessary to react better under crisis conditions.
The “live simulation” is the next step in the process – this simulation tests Company’s Management Team in driving the company’s crisis response. It is a full-day session that takes the desktop exercise to a larger and more dynamic scale.
For further infomation about Burson-Marsteller's capabilities and experince in helping clients manage crisis communications, please contact Brian West, Managing Director.