Crisis management case study
Páginas: 5 (1195 palabras)
Publicado: 19 de marzo de 2012
COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE
“QUICK CRISIS MANAGEMENT”
March 2011
Quick: an exemplary case
If we talk about crisis management, food crises are queens. Because they affect directly the customer and are refer to health issues in feeding the old fantasy of large-scale: poisoning.
The crisis in the Quick Group in early 2011 is particularly interestingbecause it covers all aspects of the food crisis. It demonstrates how a single case can shake an internationally known and respected group, forcing then to review its processes, under pain of being swept by the dispute.
The story of the crisis
Quick, the number two fast food chains in France faced a crisis management in January 2011 after Benjamin Orset; a 14-year-old boy was dead a cause ofintoxicated hamburgers in Avignon.
The night of 21st January Benjamin went to eat at Quick with his father. He ate two hamburgers even though he felt a weird taste after eating the first one. Hours later at the visit at Quick he started to feel ill and in the morning of 22nd January he finally died.
About hundred people ate the same meal as Benjamin in the hour before and after he was served, yetonly few people had reported stomach problems.
After doing an autopsy to the body, Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were found in his stomach.
Tests at the Quick Avignon restaurant found that five of the eight employees working on January 21st had traces of the bacteria and there were bacteria on food preparation surfaces. There was evidence enough to relate Benjamin’s death with the low hygienicperformance of the restaurant.
The prosecutor prepared charges for involuntary homicide to the local Manager, citing a lack of care taken in preparing the food.
After the results Quick ended its contract with the restaurant’s franchisee, which had two other sites in the Vaucluse. The Avignon burger restaurant was closed by the prefect on January 22 and reopened on February 11, only to closeagain for refurbishment.
The chain President, Jacques-Edouard Charret said that it was difficult to explain what had happened. The burger bar had served thousands of meals that weekend but this event indeed affected the company’s sales as well as their reputation.
The company said the Avignon site saw sales drop by 30 per cent since the accident. It had also seen a downturn in its 362 restaurantsacross France, although not so severe.
But the despites the magnitude of the crisis facing the death of a young boy, the team management tried to react the best way possible and moving fast in the media.
A very active week
By Monday, January 24, the group Quick reacts fast by creating a special window dedicated to the crisis on the home page of its website. This shortcut refers directly to theFacebook page, which becomes the communication vehicle of choice for leaders. Here was the desire to talk fast with the consumers (167,000 fans of the brand).
The first action of the CEO, Jacques-Edouard Charret, was the publication of a message both empathetic and proactive on January 24. This reveals the first intervention taken seriously for the event and the group's desire not to sufferthis crisis.
After informing 167,000 "fans", the group organized a press conference on January 25 in a more traditional way. The CEO then recalled the commitment of the multinational, particularly on health issues.
Wednesday, January 26, the company announced the creation of a phone line dedicated to this crisis. A very proactive moves which confirmed the mobilization of leaders.
Friday,January 28, the investigation indicates that the boy died of food poisoning without making a link with the meal eaten at Quick. However, despite these initial analyzes, the prosecutor decides on Saturday, Jan. 29, to keep the restaurant closed.
Despite this decision, Quick continues its proactive communication. The company is seeking an independent expert who confirms "there is no evidence to...
“QUICK CRISIS MANAGEMENT”
March 2011
Quick: an exemplary case
If we talk about crisis management, food crises are queens. Because they affect directly the customer and are refer to health issues in feeding the old fantasy of large-scale: poisoning.
The crisis in the Quick Group in early 2011 is particularly interestingbecause it covers all aspects of the food crisis. It demonstrates how a single case can shake an internationally known and respected group, forcing then to review its processes, under pain of being swept by the dispute.
The story of the crisis
Quick, the number two fast food chains in France faced a crisis management in January 2011 after Benjamin Orset; a 14-year-old boy was dead a cause ofintoxicated hamburgers in Avignon.
The night of 21st January Benjamin went to eat at Quick with his father. He ate two hamburgers even though he felt a weird taste after eating the first one. Hours later at the visit at Quick he started to feel ill and in the morning of 22nd January he finally died.
About hundred people ate the same meal as Benjamin in the hour before and after he was served, yetonly few people had reported stomach problems.
After doing an autopsy to the body, Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were found in his stomach.
Tests at the Quick Avignon restaurant found that five of the eight employees working on January 21st had traces of the bacteria and there were bacteria on food preparation surfaces. There was evidence enough to relate Benjamin’s death with the low hygienicperformance of the restaurant.
The prosecutor prepared charges for involuntary homicide to the local Manager, citing a lack of care taken in preparing the food.
After the results Quick ended its contract with the restaurant’s franchisee, which had two other sites in the Vaucluse. The Avignon burger restaurant was closed by the prefect on January 22 and reopened on February 11, only to closeagain for refurbishment.
The chain President, Jacques-Edouard Charret said that it was difficult to explain what had happened. The burger bar had served thousands of meals that weekend but this event indeed affected the company’s sales as well as their reputation.
The company said the Avignon site saw sales drop by 30 per cent since the accident. It had also seen a downturn in its 362 restaurantsacross France, although not so severe.
But the despites the magnitude of the crisis facing the death of a young boy, the team management tried to react the best way possible and moving fast in the media.
A very active week
By Monday, January 24, the group Quick reacts fast by creating a special window dedicated to the crisis on the home page of its website. This shortcut refers directly to theFacebook page, which becomes the communication vehicle of choice for leaders. Here was the desire to talk fast with the consumers (167,000 fans of the brand).
The first action of the CEO, Jacques-Edouard Charret, was the publication of a message both empathetic and proactive on January 24. This reveals the first intervention taken seriously for the event and the group's desire not to sufferthis crisis.
After informing 167,000 "fans", the group organized a press conference on January 25 in a more traditional way. The CEO then recalled the commitment of the multinational, particularly on health issues.
Wednesday, January 26, the company announced the creation of a phone line dedicated to this crisis. A very proactive moves which confirmed the mobilization of leaders.
Friday,January 28, the investigation indicates that the boy died of food poisoning without making a link with the meal eaten at Quick. However, despite these initial analyzes, the prosecutor decides on Saturday, Jan. 29, to keep the restaurant closed.
Despite this decision, Quick continues its proactive communication. The company is seeking an independent expert who confirms "there is no evidence to...
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