By Michelle Wang and James Fitzpatrick In September 2017, the UK Government stopped Uber’s license to operate in and around the London city area. Upon hearing the news, Uber’s newly appointed CEO Dara Khosrowshahi addressed Uber employees. Instead of taking the opportunity to scream that the situation was unjust, Dara chose to take a moment to discuss self-reflection. In excerpts of the email sent to employees, he details the potential cost of a bad reputation. “Irrespective

With the G20 Summit recently taking place in Brisbane, all eyes have been on the Queensland Capital. Brisbane, a city that often takes a back seat to the bigger cities of Sydney and Melbourne, has been catapulted to global fame as world leaders including US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and of course, our own Prime Minister Tony Abbott trickle in for the Summit. Anytime world leaders come together, security and safet

There are few things less senseless than when innocent people become casualties of conflict. That was the case on 17 July when Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over a Russian separatist held area of Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board. When the news broke, the world shared a sense of outrage and sadness. The tragedy hit close to home when it was revealed that among the victims were 37 Australian citizens and permane

This week marked the end of a three week inquiry into the Hazelwood Coal Mine fire. The fire in Victoria’s La Trobe Valley burned for 45 days, costing tax payers $32.5 million. The effects on local residents, many of whom were displaced and may experience ongoing health problems, is not as measurable. Though the findings of the inquiry will not be handed down until August, there is staggering evidence that the fire was handled improperly by GDF Suez, the parent company that o

On Friday, 23 May, in what is unfortunately becoming more and more common, the world was devastated by the news of another shooting near an American university. Elliot Roger, a 22-year-old student at the University of California’s Santa Barbara campus, killed six and injured thirteen before taking his own life. Like most disasters that are perpetuated by people, the saddest part about the shooting is that it was potentially preventable. Unlike other cases where a mentally il

This week, regardless of their team allegiances, rugby fans are uniting in their concern for Alex McKinnon. The 22-year-old player for the Newcastle Knights was seriously injured during a match that left him with devastating spinal injuries. Following the tackle almost two weeks ago, Alex was put in an induced coma. Fans waited for more information, taking to Twitter with the hashtag #riseforAlex to express their support. Earlier this week, some relief came when it was announ

Two weeks ago, we discussed Malaysia Airlines’ response to family and the media following news of a flight going missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. At the time, much was unknown about what happened to the ill-fated flight. Now, after countless search hours and coordinated efforts from over 14 nations, it is alleged that the flight crashed somewhere in the Indian Ocean off the Western Coast of Australia. Though this is one piece of the mystery, much remains unknown

Earlier this month the online world was privy to a viral social media phenomenon in the form of Kony 2012(www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc). Public relations and communications people everywhere are still shaking their heads at the incredible escalation of the video online. The attention garnered by Invisible Children’sStop Kony campaign is a very clear demonstration of the powerful weapon we wield with the use of social media. What lies behind the propaganda, public re

Anyone who is serious about their work in public relations knows that measurement is a crucial part of strategic communications. Public relations professionals love to debate the issue of measurement, with opinions and approaches varying considerably depending on who you ask about it. Here we look at measuring the success of public relations strategically. There are old and new schools of thought on the matter – it’s a bit like Australia’s transition from imperial unit meas

To deliver resilient public relations, communications strategy needs to demonstrate flexibility and competent response to foreseeable change. Digital media has been on the up-and-up since the mid ‘90s, and it’s not a new notion that public relations operates in a very different environment now to that of the print media age. So, how will digital news pay walls affect your public relations plan?what do the latest media business changes mean for our strategic planning in publi

The Prime Minister’s public relations staff have worked hard for their money over the last two weeks, with the arduous Labor leadership struggle reaching crisis point, Gillard Wins Australian Leadership Clash Against Rudd: Timeline. They have certainly been challenged by the recent Labor government leadership crisis. A challenging fortnight for Labor’s public relations people began on 19th February with the viral YouTube release of embarrassing archived video outtakes depict

In the last 12 months there’s been plenty of speculation and comment about the use of social media as a crisis communication tool in emergency response. As we discussed in an earlier blog, “A world of crisis – what is the role of PR?”, crisis management is an area of public relations that is moving up the agenda as a matter of necessity. With the influx of serious humanitarian and corporate crises across the globe, emergency response and associated issues are more tangible,

The truth comes out in the end, as Elvis Presley so astutely observed: “Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.” Particularly with advancing technology – now phones, cameras and visual media devices are more accessible and less conspicuous – organisations that have something to hide would do well to remember Presley’s wise words, or risk inviting a crisis to their door. Just nine months ago, many Australians watched as an explosive F

Nowadays, the word ‘strategy’ and all its relatives are bandied about so regularly in office speak that we risk losing touch with the real meaning of the word. People like to talk about ‘developing strategy’, ‘working strategically’, ‘sticking to the business strategy’, yet they often miss some essential components that make strategy effective in practice. By undertaking a strategy planning course you can quickly develop your strategic thinking skills. The word ‘strategy’ i

You probably noticed that Australia Day 2012 proffered more for the media than the standard scenes of revelry involving barbeques, beers, and people wearing the Australian flag as a cape. Instead the news channels were awash with reports about the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader’s brush with Tent Embassy activists outside the Lobby restaurant in Canberra (Aboriginal activists attack Gillard, Abbott on Australia Day). For public relations professionals, or for those seek

The City of Melbourne is a great place, especially in summer. The Australian Open kicked off last week and has already hosted some 400,000 keen tennis fans from Australia and abroad. Last year Melbourne was rated the “World’s Most Liveable City” by the Economist Group’s Intelligence Unit, and for nine consecutive years this city has had the biggest population growth of any Australian city. Melbourne is known as well for being sports-mad as it is for being full of culture vu