Business

Communication

SUBMITTED BY :
Akash Bhosale B_18 Manish Joshi B_31
Banita Thakur B_14 Shrutika Kadam B_50
 2

Q1) Who are the major stakeholders to consider when developing a

communication response? Identify what is important to each of them?
Ans.
1. Nantes Fire Chief Patrick Lambert: He was present when the
locomotives' engines were shut down because of an engine fire.
2. Tom Harding, the train’s engineer: He was the final person to leave the
rail unharmed and safe, and his explanation was the most helpful in
demonstrating that the MMA employee had done nothing wrong.
3. The President and CEO of RWI and the Chairman of MMA, Edward
Burkhardt: He was the main stakeholder in the company as the company
was in his hands because it was his company.
4. Two MMA track employees: These were supposed to activate the engines
to keep the brakes' air pressure constant, but they didn't.
5. MMA dispatcher: Their responsibility was to visit the site and make sure
that the situation was under control.
6. Alex-Catherine Gagnon: He was the eyewitness of the locomotive entering
the town at guzzling speed.
7. André Gendron: A Nantes resident who lived close to the rail yard was a
crucial eyewitness to the locomotive moving from static for the first time.
8. Bernard Théberge: Had gone outside onto the terrace to smoke when she
heard the train approaching clearly.
9. Firefighters and volunteers: They were crucial in helping to evacuate the
town before the catastrophe injured more people.
10. Fire chief: From a nearby Maine town recalls traveling to Lac-Mégantic
when the blast was still out of control and the chief came to help.
 3

11. Over 1,000 people: These people were the main blast witnesses and the
most traumatized; some of them also lost their homes. These individuals were
the most significant accident stakeholders.
12. Canadian Red Cross: Set up a temporary shelter at a nearby high school,
Polyvalent Montignac: The Red Cross community acted swiftly to assist the
victims and to provide testimony about the situation in the area following the
blast.
13. Quebec Provincial Police (head- Pauline Marois): They were in charge
of ensuring the community's safety.
14. Colette Roy-Laroche: As the town's mayor, he had played a good part by
advising municipalities downstream from the blast site to carefully monitor
their water quality.
15. Canadian Federal Transportation Safety Board and Quebec
Provincial Police: These two entities made the announcement that they
would each be looking into the derailment in isolation.
16. Prime minister Stephen Harper: Prime minister of the country and was
responsible for the loss of the country.

Q2. Identify the important points that should be incorporated into MMA's
first public statement regarding the train derailment ?
Ans.
1. In the package, MMA will also include a message that expresses remorse
and compassion for the losses suffered by the whole community as a result
of the locomotive of their company derailing while hauling crude oil through
their town. The company will pay homage to those who died in the
 4

catastrophe and convey its sympathies to the families of those who lost loved
ones or property.
2. MMA should inform the public that they will personally oversee an
investigation by forming a task force to ascertain all the facts surrounding
the accident and the parties at fault. to ascertain the precise sequence in
which the events and the destruction took place. examine and assess the
town's position, the extent of the damage, and potential solutions for helping
the locals. The concern concerning water body contamination in the next
town will be addressed in addition to the mayor's problem. A committee will
be formed to analyse the situation in the community after receiving the aid.
3. Give instructions: The MMA chairman will declare his visit to the
community, his personal analysis of the situation, and his intention to
dispatch search parties to assist in discovering the missing persons in his
statement. The oil fire was kept under control, but the main issue was to put
it out. MMA will be allocating a crew to keep track of the persons discovered
or injured in order to get ahead of the efforts that locals initiated to find the
missing through Facebook. Additionally, medical aid will be delivered to the
area to support the red cross organisation, which has already set up a medical
camp to assist the injured locals. Fresh drinking water and basic food
essentials must be made available to people who have returned to their
homes. To help the community of Lac Megantic revive more quickly,
residents will be asked to collaborate.
4. Provide a defense: MMA would take all measure to help the unfortunate
people, including providing financial support as well as spiritual and
emotional support. A task force set up by MMA will watch after the town's
 5

citizens and search for any missing people. The unanticipated disaster that
affected many people's lives there is something for which MMA sincerely
apologizes.
5. Offer compensation or an apology: MMA expressed sadness for the
terrible incident and pledged to do anything it could to help the municipality
rebuild the affected areas. If assistance in the form of money, support, or
moral support is required, it will be provided, and it will be made sure that
the locals have no further difficulty.

Q3. As MMA president Edward Burkhardt, select a medium and develop

a communication response to the Lac Megantic catastrophe. Be prepared
to justify your medium choice?
Ans. The channels of communication in response would be through news
sources and social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube,
etc)
The company needs to reach out to the public through a number of avenues
since Lac-Megantic was a huge disaster that not only took lives but also had an
impact on locals.
The company should send its condolences on social networking platforms like
Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and others in addition to having a news
conference and sending messages in person. The public will see this and
understand that the company is worried about their loss. The firm also gets
access to new publications as a means of communication.
1. Press conference
 6

A press conference will convey to the public the company's success and give a
clear message. This will help to preserve the company's reputation and subtly
suggest that the corporation is actively investigating the accident's cause.
2. Social media: By interacting with the public on social media, a company
may show that it holds itself to a higher standard of social responsibility. In the
community, this will help maintain the company's reputation. Websites like
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others will help in reaching a broader
audience because social media is becoming an important medium for
communication and a vital venue for public dialogue. A Facebook group was
created immediately.
3. Newspaper: The use of newspapers as a formal medium for communication
is essential. The publishing will help with formally notifying the general public
about the incident and the company's response. By doing this, rumours will help
cease.
Press Conference Script
I, Edward Burkhardt, CEO of RWI and Chairman of the MMA, hereby
announce that In a press conference, we will give you an update on the terrible
catastrophe that has befallen us. On Saturday, July 6, 2013, at at 1:15 a.m., one
of our trains carrying 7.7 million liters—or 72 tonnes—of Class 111 tank
vehicles—of crude oil into the residential area of Lac Megantic—caused a
massive explosion. There was thus an immediate loss. Additional than 40 more
people are still missing, and 5 more have perished on nearby neighbourhood
property. A whole region has been wrecked and more than 6 million gallons of
petroleum have been spilled.
 7

The train departed from New Town, North Dakota and was bound for Saint
John, New Brunswick. Our first investigation revealed that the air reservoirs'
gradual and progressive depletion was what caused the braking system to
malfunction. To investigate the entire matter, a Joint Task Force has been
formed. Together with the Quebec Provincial Police and the Canadian Federal
Police, our teams
to assist them in their respective investigations is the Transportation Safety
Board. You may all rest easy knowing that the culprits will be punished. We
are working with volunteers and firefighters from the Montreal Fire Department
despite the fact that it has been quite difficult to rescue owing to the oil spill.
Despite the fact that we are aware that a life lost cannot ever be replaced, we
will shortly come up with a reasonable ex-gratia payment. We will also work
with Quebec's regional government and the local authorities to help rebuild the
destroyed area. We'll have another press conference later on and give further
details. All OK, bye for now.