Reading Response 3 - Hinchcliffe
The crisis that afflicted Jet Blue was obviously mishandled at first, or it would not have been blown into the problem that it was. I agree completely with the articles that point out that Jet Blue was still a relatively young company and did not have the gift of wisdom in many of the decisions it made during the weather conditions that hit the country. This of course is not really an excuse for what happened to the Jet Blue customers, but I thought it helped established why some of the decisions that were made had been made. I also think in light of this fact, the way Jet Blue handled the crisis after it occurred is all the more impressive. Jet Blue realized it needed to open the lines of communication to its customers and the general public. Despite the fact that many people probably felt David Neeleman should have metaphorically had his head served on a platter to angry passengers, the candidness he showed with his words to the press and on air seemed unprecedented. He was admitting a huge fault from Jet Blue and relating to the customers of his company. Watching the video from him, it came off so brutally honest that my sympathy shifted from the passengers on the planes to Neeleman himself. He realized his company had messed up, and he was determined to right the wrongs. To an angry customer, this is breathtaking. Ethically I believe Neeleman and Jet Blue did the right thing, holding themselves accountable rather than waiting for someone else to determine that. No court trials, simply admitting fault and doing their best to fix the situation. Hitting on the Luntz reading, I feel the actual crisis hurt Jet Blue’s credibility, but their actions afterwards helped re-establish it. Neeleman also did a great job connecting on a personal level, as did the Jet Blue Customer Bill of Rights.
Next week I plan to use the readings to help me understand and better connect with the individual people affected by the crisis. The Luntz reading taught me many things about getting my message through to the right people in the right way so that my message is heard and remembered. Ethically I hope to mimic what Jet Blue did and let the people know that the company holds itself responsible for problems it may cause and will do everything in its power to correct the wrongs.
Comments
Comment
I am in an agreement with you in that the CEO has handled the situation ethically. I know that it is very hard to alleviate the disgruntled customers, and I think he has dealt with this in a right and direct way by ensuring approximately three promises clearly. I also agree with that sympathy has moved to the company's side from the customer's after watching the video of him. Here I realize how important ethical attitude is toward public. Since there was ineffectiveness in handling the crisis, I think the company can't avoid the criticism in that aspect.
The reading for this week was very helpful for me to learn how to choose an effective and proper vocabulary in professional writing. The exercises given on the text were also helpful although it would be much better if it contained desirable answers with it.
RE: Reading Response 3 - Hinchcliffe
Something that is pretty amazing—and something that Neeleman was inherently targetting—is the American public's capacity to forgive. What the public as a group generally won't tolerate is intentional deception and lying. The notable examples are numerous. Recently, Lewis "Scooter" Libby was convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. That is to say, he was convicted not of doing something wrong, but of lying. Before him, Bill Clinton was pilloried not so much for a sex act, but for lying about it. Conversely, District of Columbia mayor Marion Barry was caught on videotape purchasing crack in a sting operation, for which he was sent to prison. Nevertheless, after leaving prison, he owned up to his acts and asked the public's forgiveness, and he was later re-elected mayor (one of his campaign slogans for a different post-conviction post was "He May Not Be Perfect, But He's Perfect for D.C."). A lesson we might extract from this is that admitting error and asking forgiveness can be an effective tactic, if nothing else. It re-asserts the order of things, and it lets the public feel that they are moral agents who have the ability to grant forgiveness.
RE: Reading Respone 3 - Hinchcliffe
I think you are absolutely correct about the American public's ability to forgive, and it's lack of tolerance for deception. I believe more public figures and company heads could take a lesson from this. It seems all too often the train of thought is "what can we do to hide this?" Your examples work perfectly to emphasize this forgiving nature. All that being said, there is probably a point where there can almost be too much truth, or at least more than the public is capable of handling. Unfortunately this is probably the reasoning used by people intent on covering up the truth and not admitting fault. It's a tricky balance but I think the public is much more willing to forgive those who admit fault willingly.
Reply Reading Response Week 3
I agree that Jetblue is a relatively young company and didn't have the gifts of wisdom to come through this matter on top.
RE: Reply Reading Response Week 3
Yes, I think the the young age of JetBlue played a very large part in the events that unfolded when the storms hit the country. If you look hard enough, I think you can find a pattern of new, younger companies that sometimes make decisions with good intent, but with a lack of experience. The results, as in this case, can be very painful for the company, and how the company reacts once the damage is done helps determine whether that company is going to be around much longer. JetBlue did a great job in addressing their blunder, and because of it, they are still a viable company in the airline industry. Being a new, inexperienced company is hard especially in the face of such large problems. Every company must make it through these times in order to mature into a success, as we all grow up and work through problems, so do companies.