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THis is a continuation I have attached the previous answer to the assignment pls follow up with the same instruction and read the instrucvtion for this current one, Do not repeat what you wrote for Parts 1A & 1B in your submission for this assignment. You’re still analyzing the PR crisis that you selected for Paper 2, Parts 1A and 1B, but for this assignment you need to move on with your work to Step 2, the “Planning and Programming” stage of the Four-Step Public Relations Process. Keep track of the new sources you use. You will need to submit a revised reference list with the last stage of the project.Remember, Step 2 of the Four-Step Public Relations Process does not involve taking action; that’s what gets done in Step 3. For this stage of R.A.C.E., do further research and write about how your organization had or had not planned for and was or was not prepared to handle its PR crisis. Find out:What was involved in its communication planning?If you don’t feel the organization in your scenario conducted sufficient planning, describe what should have happened, citing credible and authoritative sources from the research to build your argument. Do not present your personal opinions or hunched; present an argument based on the research you did that supports your position. You will likely find you have addressed this step thoroughly in about two pages. Write up what you learn in a cohesive narrative and edit it carefully; excellent style, grammar, and mechanics are absolutely essential to the PR practitioner. Consult the library’s digital copy of the official Associated Press Stylebook for guidance. For an overview of all the steps of this research paper, see the instructions for Research Paper #2, Parts 1A & 1B, in the assignment portfolio posted in the Course Resources section of the Course Overview module.
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Chipotle Case Study
Olamide Olatunji
Universit of Matyland Global Campus
Jour 330
November 5, 2023
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Chipotle Case Study
Part A
Food poisoning in restaurants is a significant issue that poses a public health issue,
with Chipotle experiencing the incidences for a significant period. The incidents involved the
presence of E. coli and norovirus pathogens that had devastating consequences for the lives
of the consumers. The Chipotle brand was rapidly establishing itself as one of the best food
stores until successive incidents involving food poisoning started to plague the restaurant in
2008. In the process, a significant number of clients were affected by the incidents, raising
issues concerning adherence to food safety (Ragas & Roberts, 2009). The incidents were a
catalyst for the organization’s distorted reputation and, subsequently, its profitability loss.
Despite the integration of a plethora of measures aimed at combating food positioning and
subsequent assessment and inspection initiatives by various agencies, the organization was hit
by new, identical incidents. This disrupted the upward development of the organization, as
the clientele shunned its services for fear of food poisoning.
The issue was prevalent at various organization outlets across the United States,
raising substantial concerns about the organization’s adherence to food safety protocols. The
continued occurrence of the issue eroded public trust and reputation, resulting in plummeting
prices for various meals at the outlets as consumers retreated. The concerted efforts by the
organization’s management facilitated the implementation of various measures, with the
objective of appealing to its clientele to resume accessing their services (Walker & Merkley,
2017). Specifically, corporate communication played a pivotal role in addressing the
outbreaks through various channels, stressing their adherence to consumer safety and wellbeing. As such, despite the prevalence of food poisoning cases since 2008, Chipotle
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leveraged its corporate communication to initiate actions, ensure transparency in reporting,
rebrand, and incorporate safety protocols to address the crisis successfully.
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Part B
Carr, A. (2016, October 16). Fastcompany.com. fastcompany.com.
https://www.fastcompany.com/3064272/is-it-safe-to-eat-at-chipotle-now.
The article assesses consumer perceptions following the food poisoning incidents in
2015. The outbreaks involved the presence of E. coli, norovirus, and salmonella, which led to
significant doubts from a consumer perspective, even after the various agency inspections.
The author incorporated interviews with the public to assess the effectiveness of the incidents
on the organization’s products. The organization was seemingly struggling to establish
consumer trust and encourage the adoption of its goods by wounded consumers following an
avalanche of incidents. In the interviews, Carr found out that the consumers raised significant
issues concerning the suitability of the company to ensure safe offerings on their menu. This
was reflected in the organization’s downturn in the profit margin, as it lost almost a third of
its sales after the crisis. In his analysis, Carr found out that only 41% of the consumers stated
the eatery was safe for buying and consuming food. The co-CEO interaction with the media
asserted that consumers had lost trust in their products, and they were trying to leverage
corporate social responsibility to build reputations afresh.
Cha, J., & Cichy, R. F. (2018). Lessons From Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Foodborne Illness
Outbreaks. International CHRIE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529717556
The resource provides a comprehensive overview of the Chipotle entity as it suffered
food poisoning outbreaks in 2015 and 2016. It illustrates the foodborne incidences and their
occurrences since the first case was recorded. The author illustrates that the crisis resulted in
enormous financial losses as the reputation of the brand was immensely affected. The
majority of the interviews conducted at the time illustrated a dissatisfied public that had
adopted the brand for a sustained period. The crisis required significant intervention from the
management to ensure it was adequately managed and the organization continued to operate.
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The resource provides significant insights into the organization’s responses and the dilemma
it faced in ensuring the crisis period was navigated effectively. Besides, it incorporates the
safety procedures and practices adopted by the managers to ensure the initiatives adopted
were effective. Significant recovery strategies and management tactics were deployed to
thwart the negative publicity for the company.
Ragas, M. W., & Roberts, M. S. (2009). Communicating corporate social responsibility and
brand sincerity: A case study of Chipotle Mexican Grill’s ‘Food with Integrity’
program. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 3(4), 264-280.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15531180903218697
The resource describes the organization’s crisis and the efficacy of leveraging its
social corporate responsibility to enhance reputation and consumer trust. Organizational
strategic communication initiatives elevate brand sincerity, which resonates well with the
consumers. Chipotle was engulfed in a period of crisis following the food poisoning incident,
prompting the loss of a significant consumer base. In the process, it lost substantial profits,
leaving the management with the option of leveraging its CSR to drive up sales. This was
informed by the fact that their consumers needed sincerity from the organization to adopt the
brand once again. In such an environment, the organization is able to leverage sincerity and
initiatives through purposeful communication to resonate well with the buyers. This was
successful after the 2008 crisis, allowing the organization to grow significantly amid elevated
consumer demands.
Office of Public Affairs. (2020, April 21). Chipotle Mexican Grill agrees to pay a $25 million
fine and enter a deferred prosecution agreement to resolve charges related to
foodborne illness outbreaks. Department of Justice | United States Department of
Justice. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chipotle-mexican-grill-agrees-pay-25-millionfine-and-enter-deferred-prosecution-agreement.
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The article features a press release in the office of public affairs detailing that
Chipotle, which was California-based, conformed to the judgment where they were required
to pay $25 million due to the food poisoning outbreaks. The organization was deemed to have
violated the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by agreeing to a different persecution
agreement to erase the conviction following adherence to the enhanced food safety program.
At the time, reports indicated that the organization was involved in a number of identical
incidents from 2015 through 2018. A notable case occurred in August 2015, when the staff
and the consumers at a facility in California complained of illness. As such, the organization
was subjected to the DPA program to ensure that it continued to adopt the necessary
measures to stay operational.
Strom, S. (2016, February 3). Nytimes.com. The New York Times – Breaking News, US
News, World News and Videos.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/03/business/chipotle-food-safety-illnessinvestigation-earnings.html.
The authors detail the impacts of the organization’s financial performance following a
period of intensive investigation by federal prosecutors as they sought to establish the cause
of multistate outbreaks in the United States. After the Simi Valley incident, the government
broadened its inequity by covering the organization’s facilities located in different parts of the
country, evaluating compliance, and other relevant information that revealed the
organization’s adherence to food safety since 2013. This came at the expense of the financial
performance, which resulted in a fall in share prices compared to previous years. The
statistics involving food poisoning at the organization were devastating, with over five
hundred people affected in various states. The author provides a comprehensive overview of
the organization’s dwindling performance following the escalated efforts to assess its
adherence to safety rules and the integration of safety equipment and procedures. This
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prompted the organization to embrace open and rigorous communication that sought to
compel the consumers to understand the organization’s commitment to ensuring their
consumers were safe. According to the author, at the inception of the initiative, it was
scheduled to consume fifty million dollars in revenue to facilitate the marketing campaign.
Walker, R., & Merkley, G. (2017). Chipotle Mexican Grill: Food with integrity? Kellogg
School of Management Cases, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1108/case.kellogg.2021.000055
The resource reveals the tremendous issues faced by the company along with the
impacts of its financial performance following the crisis in 2015. The authors revealed that
over six hundred people in fifteen different states were affected by food poisoning, resulting
in the closure of the business after several months utilized by the Centers for Disease Control
to complete its investigation. The investigations were upgraded to criminal investigations,
where the organization was slapped with an enormous fine and a host of warnings to address
for their operations to continue. The organization changed its source of food and other
preparation practices amid rigorous marketing to comply with clients and exercise their brand
loyalty. This article provides a comprehensive view of the crisis that pushed the organization
to its limit.
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References
Ragas, M. W., & Roberts, M. S. (2009). Communicating corporate social responsibility and
brand sincerity: A case study of Chipotle Mexican Grill’s ‘Food with Integrity ‘
program. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 3(4), 264-280.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15531180903218697
Walker, R., & Merkley, G. (2017). Chipotle Mexican Grill: Food with integrity? Kellogg
School of Management Cases, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1108/case.kellogg.2021.000055
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