Wednesday, February 13, 2008

New book identifies compelling reputation recovery strategies

CORPORATE REPUTATION: 12 Steps to Safeguarding and Recovering Reputation
Reveals How to Repair and Preserve Reputations After Crisis Strikes

New York (ANTARA News/PRNewswire-AsiaNet) - "As companies face unprecedented reputational risk and failure, Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross's new book sheds light on how to inoculate, salvage and restore reputations. Her 12-step recovery process will help any leader sleep better at night. A must-read!" -- Dr. Robert G. Eccles, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School

As the corporate reputation "stumble rate" continues to rise, companies need to know not only how to build reputations but, more importantly, how to protect and salvage tarnished reputations. Over three-quarters (79 percent) of the world's number-one most admired companies lost their crowns over the past five years in their respective industries. While reputation loss may now be inevitable, a new book offers a realistic roadmap to reputation recovery that can help any leader stabilize and regenerate a company's most competitive asset.

The timely new book by Weber Shandwick's chief reputation strategist Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, Corporate Reputation: 12 Steps to Safeguarding and Recovering Reputation (John Wiley & Sons; $39.95; http://www.corporatereputation12steps.com), is a practical guide for leaders interested in the long road back to reputational health after experiencing reputation damage. The book provides a 12-step model based on research and best practices that any company can customize and apply to rebuilding and restoring its good name -- and prevent it from being tarnished in the first place.

"Recent corporate crises have demonstrated that a company's reputation can be destroyed in seconds. A mishandled response, inappropriate act, product tampering, or poorly timed financial disclosure all have the power to instantly tarnish a respected reputation," said Gaines-Ross. "The well-managed andreputation-conscious company need not stand defenseless when faced with a damaged reputation. Using a step-by-step process and describing the actions taken by leading companies and theirCEOs to recover tarnished reputations, Corporate Reputation provides a research-based framework to not only rehabilitate reputation but to avoid losing it at all or at least reduce its adverse effects."

Reputation loss can strike any company or organization. The accelerated growth in the Internet, micro-constituencies, media scrutiny and public distrust make managing corporate reputation an increasingly challenging task. Relevant and straightforward, Corporate Reputation includes chapters covering:
-- Why reputation matters
-- The rise in reputation loss
-- Triggers of reputation failure
-- Monitoring reputation threats online and offline
-- Leadership's strategic role in reputation recovery
-- Building reputational immunity, and more

The book references Weber Shandwick's multi-country survey revealing that it takes companies approximately three and one-half years to recover a tarnished reputation. The book's 12 steps fall into a four-stage model ranging from when crisis strikes to achieving reputational equilibrium and success. The stages describe how to minimize damage, identify what went wrong and right, build reputation momentum and sustain reputation for the long-term.

Dr. Gaines-Ross's clear, concise and well-written prose dramatically captures the rapidly changing reputation landscape and concludes with predictions for the future of reputation in a highly transparent, extraordinarily networked and fast-moving global age.

Corporate Reputation is available in bookstores and on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
For more information, please visit http://www.webershandwick.com or http://www.corporatereputation12steps.com.

About the Author

Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross is chief reputation strategist for global public relations firm Weber Shandwick. She has been the architect behind landmark and award-winning research in the areas of CEO and corporate reputation. Her influential thought leadership and insights into reputation are featured in http://www.reputationRx.com and her blog http://www.reputationXchange.com. Her work has been featured in the Financial Times, The Times (London), The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Fortune, BusinessWeek, Wired, Advertising Age, PRWeek, Forbes, The Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Chief Executive, and Across the Board, among others. She has appeared on CNN and CNBC and is a frequent speaker on CEO and corporate reputation management.

Leslie has been named one of the "100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics for 2007" by Ethisphere Magazine.

About Weber Shandwick

Weber Shandwick is one of the world's leading global public relations firms with offices in major media, business and government capitals around the world. The firm specializes in strategic marketing communications, media relations, public affairs, reputation management, and crisis and issues management. It also offers corporate communications counseling services. The firm provides specialized integrated services including Web relations, advocacy advertising, market research and visual communications. Weber Shandwick received the highest client-satisfaction honors in the 2007 Agency Excellence Survey by PRWeek U.S. and in 2006, was named Large PR Firm of the Year (PR News U.S.), European Consultancy of the Year (The Holmes Report) and Network of the Year (Asia Pacific PR Awards). The firm also won the 2005, 2006 and 2007 United Nations Grand Award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Relations. To learn more, please visit http://www.webershandwick.com.

CORPORATE REPUTATION

12 Steps to Safeguarding and Recovering Reputation
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Publication date: January 2008
$39.95; Hardcover; 208 pages; ISBN: 978-0-470-17150-9

CONTACT: Jennifer Norton
(212) 445-8314
jnorton@webershandwick.com
CONTACT: Jennifer Norton of Weber Shandwick,
+1-212-445-8314,
jnorton@webershandwick.com
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080129
NYTU010
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Web site: http://www.webershandwick.com
http://www.corporatereputation12steps.com
http://www.reputationRx.com
http://www.reputationXchange.com
SOURCE: Weber Shandwick

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