INTOUCH : Reputation at risk?

With corporate crises on the rise, more CEOs worry their businesses are at greater risk of reputation damage than was the case three years ago.
That’s according to recent survey on “managing reputation” carried out by PR firm Senate Communications and Baseline Consultancy – and you only have to think Fonterra/San Lu or the Telecom/XT outage to get that they probably have point. Half the 31 survey respondents rated earning bad reputation as the biggest threat to their business, while more than 80 percent think risks that could affect their reputation have risen.
And while most (90 percent) think they’re in control of their reputation, senior journalists apparently differ and, when questioned for the survey, suggested that businesses underestimate the power of the media and don’t respond well when at fault.
Baseline Consultancy managing director Murray Campbell said CEOs were more aware of reputational risk because many of their peers had been affected.