Question 1 (40 points) Read the case study in the Hint provided. Answer the following questions: 1. Identify all Stakeholders in the case study. 2. How did the general public respond to United's customer conflicts? 3. What and how were communication modes used by both the public and United Airlines? 4. Write an email to the public which should include the following (3-4 paragraphs): Describing all events that have occurred with UA An apology to public stakeholders Next steps for corrective action to win back the public's trust?

Case study

United Airlines Navigates a Social Media Storm How the general public perceives a company can have a major effect on its performance and its ability to remain in business. Most companies employ many people to help establish and maintain a good reputation. Their job is to formulate a strategy that includes, at a minimum, the careful management of the brand, interaction with the media, managing key issues that may arise, and successfully responding to any unanticipated crises. As described in the following case, however, sometimes the process of managing a company's corporate reputation goes horribly wrong. Case In 2017, a United Airlines gate agent barred two girls from boarding a flight because the teenagers were wearing leggings. Passengers boarding the flight saw the commotion and began tweeting about the incident. Social media exploded, with users calling the incident "horrendous," "outrageous," and "nonsense." Many questioned why United considered this clothing inappropriate, since many women passengers wear leggings, yoga and athletic apparel for comfort while traveling. United responded to the criticisms by quoting their policy: "United shall have the right to refuse passengers who are not properly clothed via our Contract of Carriage." It was a common industry practice to expect persons using the employee benefit privilege to dress nicer than paying passengers. United promised to review their dress code policy but indicated that they would likely remain in agreement with the industry practice regarding a dress code for passengers using company benefit travel.

7:48 AM & M ( 8 Pay k You 3 minutes ago A month later, United customers posted videos across multiple media outlets showing airport police dragging a passenger, Dr. David Dao, off a United Airlines flight. Dao appeared to have a bloodied face. The airline defended its actions, stating that it was customary practice to remove paying passengers on full flights so that off-duty crew members, needed at the flight's destination, could have a seat. United reported that passengers were asked if they would voluntarily give up their seat for compensation, and three passengers agreed. But four seats were needed, so the airline moved to its next action in their protocol-asking passengers to leave the plane. Dao reportedly was asked, and when he refused, the airline instructed airport security to remove him. United CEO Oscar Munoz immediately issued an apology, saying that it was unfortunate that sometimes "we have to re-accommodate customers." One woman reacted to this statement by posting on Twitter, Nice to know that re-accommodate on United now means 'drag you violently out of your seat." A few hours after United CEO Oscar Munoz's initial apology, the company seemed to go on the offensive when it circulated a letter in which Munoz appeared to blame Dao, saying he defied the officers. Finally, a few days later, the airline changed its position once again, when Munoz stated that "United would take full responsibility for the situation." He also pledged that the company would conduct a full review of its policies in re-accommodating paid passengers to give off-duty crew members their seats and its interaction with law enforcement agencies within a few weeks. The company subsequently issued a report stating that the incident involving Dao "was a failure of epic proportions that's grown to this breach of public trust. We get that. We let our policies and procedures get in the way of doing the right thing." A few weeks later United announced that it had reached "an amicable" settlement with Dao, although the specific terms were not disclosed. The company also reported that many of its policies related to this case were revised in the hope these actions will prevent a repeat of the public relations disaster that has engulfed the company after Dao was forcibly removed from a plane Morning Consult, a brand-tracking company, reported that shortly after Dao was dragged off the airline, United's favorability rating dropped 47 points on a scale from negative 100 to positive 100).

As the airline attempted to win back the public's trust and rebound from a major drop in the company's favorability rating, another tragic story hit social media: the news of a dog dying after being placed in an overhead cargo bin without water during a three-hour flight. According to a passenger, the flight attendant who placed the bag in the bin did not know there was a dog inside the bag. ----END-----