Communicating Bad News

Leaders and managers often have to deliver unpleasant or difficult information to other employees or other internal or external stakeholders. How well this news is delivered can affect employee relations as well as public perceptions.

Review the following scenario:

A new company claims it manufactures the best dog food in the market. It employs around 250 people worldwide. After six months in business, one of the company’s brands is found to contain harmful bacteria. Overnight, reports start pouring in from all over the country about pets falling sick, some critically. The company wants to communicate with its stakeholders through a memo before major news channels start to cover the disease.

Assume that you are an assistant to the company’s chairperson. Based on your analysis of the scenario and using the reading material covered in this module, draft two memos for the chairperson. One memo should address the board of directors and the other the company’s employees.

Make assumptions about whether it is the food product that has bacteria or if there is another explanation for the pets’ sickness.

Write a 1–2-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M2_A2.doc.

By the due date assigned, submit your assignment to the Submissions Area.

Assignment 2 Grading CriteriaMaximum PointsEffectively utilized the tips covered in the module, to write an appropriate memo addressing the board of directors to convey the bad news.40Effectively utilized the tips covered in the module, to write a suitable memo addressing the company’s employees to convey the bad news.40Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.20Total:100