Threshold- the Crisis Management Event

CUCA takes immense pleasure to announce the finalists for Threshold. The teams are in order of the slots which were fixed unanimously by the CUCA.

1. Tharun and Team from 3^rd year B.Com 'B'
   
2. Akansha and Team from 1^st year B.Com 'C'
   
3. Madhumita and Team from 3^rd year B.Com 'C'
   
4. Varsha and Team from 3^rd year B.Com 'A'
   
5. Bablesh and Team from 2^nd year B.Com 'D'
   
6. Joseph and Team from 2^nd year B.Com 'A'
   

The teams have to battle out on the 17^th July, 2009 in the Main Auditorium which will decide who stands out of the rest.

The Teams are required to present a solution for the given cases addressing the press and later have a press conference where they'll be tested by our judges. Rules for the finale are as follows:

• 4+1 minutes presentation (with PowerPoint presentation)
  
• Minus 1 point for every 10 seconds. Thereafter
  
• Official Press Conference follows the presentation
  
• The Decision of the Judges is final and bounding.
  
• A written document to be presented before the press(i.e. the judges)
  
• The presentation must include the solutions and the strategies planned as well as the immediate action
  
• The cases are fixed indigenously without any bios and are allotted to the respective teams. No change whatsoever is permitted
  
• Any clarifications can be made with the Event heads- Ishwarya, Ryan or Gauthem. Neeraj and Krishna also can be contacted.
  

The Cases and respective teams are follows:

Pepsi- Tharun and team

The crisis started with claims of syringes being found in cans of diet Pepsi. On Friday, July 10^th 2009, retired salesman Sri Krishna, 54, of Bengaluru, India, and his wife, Vasanthi, 48, reported that while looking into a Diet Pepsi Can they found a syringe. They turned the materials over to their attorney, who then contacted the Health Department.

Another Pepsi-needle claim was made in New Delhi on Friday. That weekend, The FDA issued a alert advising consumers to inspect their Diet Pepsi. FDA chief Mr. Karanth told the public to empty the contents of the can into a glass or cup before drinking."

On Sunday night came a similar claim from a woman in Mumbai. By 9:30 AM Wednesday, July 15th, there was another claim. And by the time the day was over, 8 more had been made.

You are the conglomerate of PEPSICO Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of aerated drinks. That night, Pepsi crisis counselors decided to fight the media crisis with media. "If you're going to conduct your trial in the media, you've got to do it with the tools they're used to working with"

Work out a strategy to handle the media and also present your side of the story to the consumers so that you retain not only your consumers but your brand value.

Johnson & Johnson- Akansha and team

Johnson & Johnson's Tylenol medication commands 35 per cent of the US over-the-counter analgesic market – representing approx. 15 per cent of the company's profits.

The crisis is unfortunately, an individual has succeeded in lacing the drug with cyanide. Seven people have died as a result, and a widespread panic is ensued about how widespread the contamination might be.

Even though the crisis is not purely a result of your company's negligence or misadventure, the company has found out pretty quickly that it takes a huge amount of blame if it fumbles the ball in its response.

You are the conglomerate of Johnson & Johnson Inc., one of the leading manufacturers. Johnson & Johnson crisis counselors decided to fight the media crisis with media. "If you're going to conduct your trial in the media, you've got to do it with the tools they're used to working with"

Work out a strategy to handle the media and also present your side of the story to the consumers so that you retain not only your consumers but your brand value.

Snow Brand- Madhumita and team

Snow brand milk products a very famous company in milk production and related products. It was successful until the company s night mare came true.

Large numbers of people have suddenly come down with food poisoning after consuming milk or related products made by Snow Brand. As events have played out, it has transpired that over 15,000 people have been affected.

The problem is traced to bacteria on the production line of Snow Brand's Gurgaon factory that processed low-fat milk. The bacteria concerned were staphylococcus aureus, and it was located in a valve which, although it should have been cleaned regularly, had not been. Inspections of the plant condemned hygiene standards had been met as told by the company. The company's sale dipped down drastically.

You are the conglomerate of Snow Brand. Your counselors decided to fight the media crisis with media. "If you're going to conduct your trial in the media, you've got to do it with the tools they're used to working with"

Work out a strategy to handle the media and also present your side of the story to the consumers so that you retain not only your consumers but your brand value.

Dominos- Varsha and team

Domino's Pizza started in 1960 currently has about 8,500 corporate and franchised stores in all 50 states and 55 countries. On 14^th July, 2009, two employees have posted YouTube videos of themselves engaging in a number of public health law violations: putting cheese in the nose, blowing mucous on a sandwich and putting a sponge, used to wash dishes, between the buttocks. The videos went viral online, viewed by millions of people. They were identified by YouTube viewers, who alerted Domino's officials. The pranksters are already arrested.

The videos have managed to destroy the trust of the consumers and brought the entire Dominos chain to question. Even more the videos have created disgust among the consumers of Dominos Pizzas.

You are the conglomerate of Dominos and have decided to fight the media crisis through media. "If you're going to conduct your trial in the media, you've got to do it with the tools they're used to working with"

Work out a strategy to handle the media and also present your side of the story to the Dominos customers so that you retain not only your consumers but your brand value as well.

Exxon Inc.- Bablesh and team

On 14^th July 2009, the tanker Exxon Valdez, en route from Valdez, Alaska to Los Angeles, California, has ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The vessel was traveling outside normal shipping lanes in an attempt to avoid ice. Within six hours of the grounding, the Exxon Valdez has spilled approximately 10.9 million gallons of its 53 million gallon cargo of Prudhoe Bay crude oil. Eight of the eleven tanks on board are damaged. The oil would eventually impact over 1,100 miles of non-continuous coastline in Alaska, and make the Exxon Valdez the largest oil spill to date in U.S. waters.

At the moment of the collision the third mate, who was not certified to take the tanker into those waters, was at the helm. The probable cause was established that the Captain and many of the crew had been drinking alcohol in considerable quantities. The public image of the company crashed with environmentalist and public protesting against the company.

You are the conglomerate of Exxon Inc. Exxon's crisis counselors decided to fight the media crisis with media. "If you're going to conduct your trial in the media, you've got to do it with the tools they're used to working with"

Work out a strategy to handle the media and also present your side of the story to the consumers so that you retain not only your consumers but your brand value and also keep the environmentalists calm.

IPL- Joseph and team

South Africa had edged out England to be named host nation of the 2009 IPL. The decision was made after a meeting between the IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, and the Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive, Gerald Majola, in Johannesburg. The IPL also announce a final schedule for the 59 matches and the host venues for the eight franchises.

But everything did not go as planned. The sole factor that edged England out was the weather, which became a bigger problem in South Africa. Once the tournament began, only 15 of the 56 league matches were completed without reduction of overs and using the Duckworth-Lewis.

This hurt the entire IPL product with all the sponsors as well as the media criticizing the decision to shift the tournament to South Africa. The entire BCCI has come under media scrutiny.

You are the conglomerate of IPL and have decided to fight the media crisis with media. "If you're going to conduct your trial in the media, you've got to do it with the tools they're used to working with"

Work out a strategy to handle the media and also present your side of the story to the IPL fans so that you retain not only your viewers but your brand value as well.

The teams have to do as asked in their particular cases. Do contact the heads if any queries. All the very best!!