On Words and Business

The good news:  86-93% of us are employed

The bad news:  7% of us are unemployed, with up to 13.5% of us are either unemployed or underemployed

You never hear that first number in news reports or press releases.

Granted: the economy is truly struggling.

But what role does psychology play here? What about the power of words to persuade and soothe? What about finding a way to acknowledge the reality and avoid sticking our heads in the sand, while also avoiding doomsday predictions and the all-negative approach?

If you’ve ever wondered how would make use of blogs during an emergency, you could do much worse than to follow the lead of the University of Missouri Rolla. In the initial phases of a bomb scare and subsequent arrest of a student, the university simply monitored the blogosphere, adding just one comment for clarification. Later, they used a university blog to help direct visitors to the official news site, where they would find the most up-to-date and accurate information.

Interesting example of how to deal with a crisis and quell rumors in these days of instant communications.

Visit this web marketing/PR blog for higher ed to learn a bit more about the story: Collegewebeditor.com

Resilient Enterprise

This fascinating book about supply chain resiliency and business continuity is a must read for any business.

If you think a small fire four states away can’t effect your business, you may want to think again. If you think your business is safe because you have continuity plan, ask yourself if it includes your partners, both upstream and down, and if they have continuity plans. No matter how big your business is, you may be surprised at the risks your supply chains opens you up to.

This book is as relevant today as when it was published in 2005.

Visit the website for more information.