Deep water Horizon spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the largest to ever occur since the oil spill industry's inception. According to reliable estimates (Gulf Oil Spill | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), at least 4 million barrels of oil were spilled. BP (British Petroleum), led by Tony Hayward, ran the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform (Walsh).
Was the answer from BP the best?
The senior management at BP did not respond in the ideal way, according to several analysts and PR (Public Relations) image specialists. Many agree that a number of issues could have been handled differently. In the first place, the business lacked compassion for with those who were affected (at least initially). The company’s CEO, Tony Hayward was quoted in the press as saying he needed his “life back” (Watson). He made such comments at a time when many families were grieving their loved ones and thousands were counting losses to their businesses because of the spill. Second, the company seemed to have failed to prepare for a crisis of that magnitude. Even though, it might seem unwise to spend huge resources to put plans in places in case of crises of such nature, such plans could have come in handy and could have helped the company to react better (Kimberly). Third, the CEO or the company spokesperson appeared not to be sufficiently knowledgeable about the basics of the company (McClam and Weber). They gave facts that were misleading and downplayed the extent of the spill. This really affected the credibility of the company (Kimberly). These were obviously not the best PR responses to the crisis.
How could the response be improved?
The corporation should have taken its time, crafted a more accurate response to the crisis. They should have probably hired a team of PR consultants to help the management show more compassion at the press conferences. The CEO is the public image and the person people turn to for answers in such crises. Tony Hayward should have been helped to portray a better image than that which he did.
Works Cited
""Gulf Oil Spill | National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration"". Noaa.gov. Web. 9 May 2017.
Kimberly, John. ""How BP Blew Crisis Management 101 - CNN.Com"". Edition.cnn.com. N.p., 2010. Web. 9 May 2017.
McClam, Erin, and Harry Weber. ""BP’S Failures Made Worse By PR Mistakes"". msnbc.com. N.p., 2010. Web. 9 May 2017.
Walsh, Bryan. ""Oil Spill: Goodbye, Mr. Hayward | TIME.Com"". TIME.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 9 May 2017.
Watson, Deborah. ""5 Of BP's Biggest Gulf Oil Spill PR Blunders"". Prdaily.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 9 May 2017.
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