Public Relations Measurement - Managing a Crisis Managing a Crisis Essay

Public Relations Measurement - Managing a Crisis Managing a Crisis - Essay Example They may begin to show the symptoms a few days after eating at the restaurant. Once the connection is made and investigations are launched by city health officials, it is likely that the foodstuffs that carry the E-coli bacteria are the ones that will be examined. A trace-back investigation will likely be conducted where public health officials investigate the suppliers of the foodstuff for the restaurant’s franchises across the different states. The resulting image problem could actually cause the restaurant in question to shut down if it is not dealt with appropriately. In such cases, it is first important to ensure that all the produce that came along with the batch carrying the contaminated foodstuffs is disposed of. It will also be necessary for the restaurant to be shut down for a certain period of time. This will be required by the city health officials who wish to conduct their own investigations as to the sanitary practices, or lack thereof, of the restaurant. The restaurant might also want to launch its own investigations into the matter. Most of the time when such incidents occur a restaurant is forced to revise its relationships with all its contractors or suppliers. This becomes especially necessary when the source of the contaminated foodstuffs is discovered. Once the problem’s source has been discovered and dealt with, it is then prudent for the restaurant’s management to inform the public of its discoveries as well as the steps it intends to take to ensure that the problem does not occur again. The restaurant’s management should also include an apology to the public and seek to make amends to the customers who were affected. This does not mean just paying their hospital bills, but also offering foodstuffs for a particular number of days (Arduser and Brown, 2005). The restaurant can also inform the public of a number which can be used by