Effective Communication Case Study Analysis
Tylenol Rides It Out
Communication can be defined as “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). For communication to be considered effective information should flow back and forth between the sender and receiver. For instance, when an organization communicates to the target publics they look for feedback from their customers to ensure that everyone understands the message. Although not all feedback is verbal, sometimes the feedback may be nonverbal. When this occurs, the organizations can only measure the effectiveness by analyzing consumers’ actions. Some companies have a thorough understanding of their customers and excel with effective communication. One such company is Johnson & Johnson. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study analysis on Tylenol’s crisis management plan and analyze how effective they were with communicating to their publics.
Case Overview
In 1982 several people died unexpectedly in the Chicago area for unknown reasons (Center & Jackson, 2003). Generally, occurrences such as these would not be considered abnormal for such a large area, however; three of the victims were from the same family and they all died during the same period (Bell, n.d.). After a physician at the hospital where the family members had been taken became suspicious, it was discovered that all three family members died of cyanide poisoning (Bell, n.d.). Further research uncovered evidence the three members of the family had ingested Extra Strength Tylenol shortly before their deaths. A search of the home revealed a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol, which upon testing, revealed cyanide had been added into the capsules (Bell, n.d.).
One of the deaths prior to the three family members was also quickly linked to Extra Strength Tylenol. At this point it was determined not to be an isolated incident and was more widespread (Bell,...
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