WP: HP Stock Falters In Spying Scandal

Professor Paul Argenti via The Washington Post about how HP executives are handling the "spying" scandal.

"People will reserve judgment on the company for a few weeks, but if there isn't a big change, with someone of high credibility brought in, it's going to start to affect business," said Paul Argenti, a professor of corporate communication at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. "When a breach in ethics happens in a senior group of managers, it calls into question the management of the company."
"It takes years and years to build up a reputation and a few weeks to lose it. They're doing a very good job of losing it right now," Argenti said.

Source: The Washington Post by Yuki Noguchi and Brooke A. Masters, September 22, 2006

AP: Wal-Mart launches ads in self-defense

Professor Paul Argenti via Associated Press about Wal-Mart's right but late move to start advertising its positive image damaged by a continuous criticism from union-funded watch groups.

"Now it looks like its just a response. It's not a good position to be in, to be defensive," said Argenti, a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.

Source: Associated Press via Business Week by Marcus Kabel, August 30, 2006

Reuters: Dell turns to damage control

Professor Paul Argenti via Reuters about Dell's way of managing the recent crisis with the recall of notebook batteries.

"Initially, Dell has done exactly what I would suggest to them and the kind of thing that can make for a strong reputation going forward," said Argenti.

"One of the most amazing things about crises or dramas is it's more how you react than what actually happened," Argenti said. "People look to see whether you will stand by your product and do the right thing."

Source: Reuters via MSN Money, 18 August, 2006

BG: The little white lie about leaders' words

Paul Argenti via Boston Globe about the business leaders having no time to do their own writing such as speeches, because "they are preoccupied with other matters, such as meeting constituents or poring over financial data."

"It's unfortunate that the demands on a CEO's time mean they can't take the time to develop their own words," said Paul A. Argenti, a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Source: The Boston Globe by Robert Weisman May 5, 2006

BW: Bausch & Lomb: Crisis Management 101

Professor Paul Argenti via Business Week about how Bausch & Lomb initially managed the scandal with the infections linked to contact lens solution:

"This is a classic crisis communications problem right out of my textbook. They should be able to take out the playbook and just handle it...You don't wait five days to do something [recall the product] that you knew you had to do on Day One....
In the first days of a crisis, you should be managing communication. Figure out the problem, explain it, and apologize to customers. People will forgive you when you admit your mistakes. The problem happens when you dig in your heels and don't get out there and say: 'We screwed up.' Bausch & Lomb hasn't done that...People's memories are short and their forgiveness is large." -- Paul Argenti, professor of corporate communication at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Source: Business Week by Phil Mintz and Francesca Di Meglio April 17, 2006