Benchmarking: Global Communication Research
Tiffani Wesley
University of Phoenix
Johnson and Johnson (Tiffani Wesley)
Johnson and Johnson is a company that has 250 subsidiary companies that are and 57 countries that they are located in. One subsidiary is McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the manufacturers of Tylenol. In 1960 Tylenol was introduced to consumers and remains a leader in acetaminophen. In the 1980s a crisis arose in which cyanide was placed inside the Tylenol capsule and caused the deaths of seven people in 1982 (Johnson and Johnson, 2008). It was not detected how the cyanide was inserted into the capsule and no charges of tampering with the capsules were filed. In 1986, there were additional deaths. Johnson and Johnson were dealing with a crisis that had to be handled delicately for the company to recover from the initial loss and brand reputation. An article on the Johnson and Johnson website, praise was given to Johnson and Johnson for its timely response and honesty regarding the crisis. Tylenol was revived by the development of tamper-evident packaging, eventually retrieving its leading share of the analgesic market (Johnson and Johnson, 2008).
Johnson and Johnson as a company that displayed they have ethical values, social responsibility and care about their customers as well as the safety of their customers. The company’s stockholders could have been Johnson and Johnson’s top priority, or prepare for attacks on issues of profitability; instead Johnson and Johnson put their customer’s as their top priority. The reputation of Tylenol stood to suffer and Johnson and Johnson stood by their credibility and found the best way to deal with the crisis. Johnson believed his credibility was not only moral, but also profitable. ...