Your company has been in business for more than 40 years and is a well trusted brand among consumers. Yesterday it was discovered that your company’s food products were the source of a salmonella outbreak that has caused 23 deaths and made 57 other people seriously ill. Whether they will recover is still a question. The plant has been shut down and is being investigated by Health Canada, while a broad recall has been issued for all products inspected at the plant in question. It has been determined that the contamination was a result of your company violating food safety standards - specifically related to the cleaning of equipment. As a result you will be hiring a chief food safety officer and testing of products will increase, to double the previous levels—this will take your practices above industry standard. As the CEO of the company, you are about to give your first press briefing on the situation.
Key Messages
- My sincerest condolences to the families of those that lost their lives and of those that are fighting for their lives.
- We take full responsibility for what has happened.
- This is what we know and can tell you so far. We will share additional information as it becomes available.
- We will do better. We believe it is important to take broad preventative actions to respond to this situation promptly, comprehensively, and in the best interests of our consumers.
- We know this has shaken the confidence of our consumers and want to make clear that the actions we take moving forward will be guided by ensuring the health and safety of our customers.
You are the general manager of an NHL team that has been doing poorly all year and has finished in last place overall. The good news is that this gives you a 20% chance in the draft lottery of winning the first round draft pick. This year both the anticipated first and second draft pick are stellar players, James McDonald and Steven Easterman respectively. You are fairly confident that you will be winning the first overall pick and have had your eye on McDonald all year; you’re also very excited about the prospect of building your team around him. On the day of the lottery you lose the first overall pick to a competing team and wind up with the second overall pick. The team that won the first pick has won it four years in a row. Immediately after receiving the news you find yourself in the midst of a media scrum.
Key Messages
- Congratulations to McDonald on receiving the first round draft pick.
- This draft includes some incredible talent—both McDonald and Easterman are excellent players. Easterman will be a strong addition to our line up.
You are the Executive Director of a non-profit organization that supports women who have been victims of domestic violence. Your organization offers shelter accommodation, counselling support for women and children, emergency services, outreach and education programs. It’s Domestic Abuse Prevention month and the media has contacted you for your perspective on the issue and is asking you to comment as an expert on domestic violence.
Background
- Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.
- 67% of all Canadians say they personally know at least one woman who has been sexually or physically assaulted.
- On average, every six days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner. In 2011, In 2011, from the 89 police reported spousal homicides, 76 of the victims (over 85%) were women.
- On any given day in Canada, more than 3,300 women (along with their 3,000 children) are forced to sleep in an emergency shelter to escape domestic violence. Every night, about 200 women are turned away because the shelters are full.
- Each year, over 40,000 arrests result from domestic violence—that’s about 12% of all violent crime in Canada.5 Since only 22% of all incidents are reported to the police, the real number is much higher.
- According to the Department of Justice, each year Canadians collectively spend $7.4 billion to deal with the aftermath of spousal violence. This figure includes immediate costs such as emergency room visits and future costs such as loss of income. It also includes tangible costs such as funerals, and intangible costs such as pain and suffering.
Key Messages
- Domestic violence is a serious and real issue that affects at least half of all women at some point in their life and poses significant costs to all Canadians.
- There are not enough shelters for women and children affected by domestic violence.
- Donations to our programs and services will help close the gap in services and promote prevention of family violence.
