Papers by James S O'Rourke IV
Fanning Center for Business Communication, 2002
On January 17, 2000 John H. Eyler Jr. took office as the newest Toys R Us Chief Executive Officer... more On January 17, 2000 John H. Eyler Jr. took office as the newest Toys R Us Chief Executive Officer. He was the third to hold the position in the 6 years after the founder Charles Lazarus's retirement in 1994. Eyler faced a slipping market share, declining stock price (down 53% since Lazarus's retirement), and a stagnant employee base. He was brought in to right the Toys R Us ship. For him, it was not a great time to be a Toys R Us kid. By the year 2000, Toys R Us had been in financial decline for many years. The total stock returns for the company had declined by 53% since 1994, and the company had missed fourth quarter expectations, critical in the retail business, for 14 of the last 15 years. The reputation of the company was starting to suffer. The Toys R Us brand was built on the concept of being a toys specialty store with a wide selection. If you were looking for a popular toy, you always knew you could find it there. In the last few years, that was no longer the case. Stores, in an attempt to cut costs, drastically reduced inventory levels and began to diminish the diversity of product lines they carried. Consumers were leaving stores, disappointed and with empty shopping bags in hand. Revenues were on the decline. The toy industry had become much more segmented in the last decade. The consumer shift towards high-end specialty stores like FAO Schwarz or low-priced discount houses like Wal-Mart and K-Mart had drastically changed the market. There was no longer a strong niche for Toys R Us, and by 1998 Wal-Mart surpassed Toys R Us in overall toy sales. This case was prepared by Research Assistants Susan Jurney and Melissa Burke under the direction of James S. O'Rourke, Concurrent Associate Professor of Management, as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Information was gathered from corporate as well as public sources.
Curriculum Vitae, 2024
Research Interests: Crisis Communication and its use as a principal tool in managing organization... more Research Interests: Crisis Communication and its use as a principal tool in managing organizations in crisis; (2) Corporate Communication and its integrated functions within large and complex organizations; (3) Change Communication and the processes involved in organizational transformation; (4) Intercultural Communication and its role in establishing the culture of business organizations; (5) Business Writing and Speaking, and the creation of case studies to teach these skills; HIGHLIGHTS Founded and built the Eugene D. Fanning Center for Business Communication. 1990 to 2017, designed curriculum, hired colleagues, and taught graduate and undergraduate students in the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business. Arthur F. and Mary J. O'Neil Director, Fanning Center for Business Communication 2008-2017. One of 29 endowed chairs in the business school and 161 throughout the University. Founding Director of The Conference on Corporate Communication. 1997 to present, 900+ corporate chief communication officers, distinguished scholars and consulting practitioners have met on the Notre Dame campus to discuss best practices and current issues. Published 23 college textbooks and professional books, 11 book chapters, 36 refereed articles and more than 400 case studies in business and management communication. The Notre Dame Case Collection in Management and Corporate Communication is the largest of its kind in the English language. Winner of 32 international prizes for editorial direction in case writing.
BP and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (A) and (B)
Marques, D.; Kim, J.; Mickols, J.; and O’Rourke... more BP and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill (A) and (B)
Marques, D.; Kim, J.; Mickols, J.; and O’Rourke, J.S. (Editor) – An April 20, 2010 explosion on board the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil-drilling platform killed 11 workers, injured 17 and triggered a leak that spilled more than 206 million gallons of oil over 665 miles of coastline and 4,000 square miles of fishing waters. This case discusses the events that led to the disaster and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It also outlines key figures within BP’s organization and how they factored into the long and difficult corporate communications process.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education, 2021
In 2015, DNA tests in New York State showed that 79 percent of supplements selected at retail sto... more In 2015, DNA tests in New York State showed that 79 percent of supplements selected at retail stores either did not contain key ingredients they promote or were contaminated with other materials. At Walgreens, only 18 percent of the supplements tested included the ingredient advertised. While Walgreens does claim on its website that these supplements are not FDA regulated, the company has not taken any further steps to warn consumers or protect themselves from potential litigation. With competitors taking steps to increase supplement safety and boost transparency to consumers about the steps they are taking, Walgreens has yet to follow their lead. It will soon have to decide what steps to take, and how to communicate these actions to critical stakeholders.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education, 2020
The University of Surrey has filed multiple patents in the United Kingdom on behalf of an Artific... more The University of Surrey has filed multiple patents in the United Kingdom on behalf of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Robot, Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience (DABUS). The two ideas were artificially created by DABUS without any human intervention, but for centuries, intellectual property ownership has been created on behalf of humans. With improving computing power and abilities of Artificial Intelligence, the need to copyright for non-human beings is being called to question. This case study analyses the question: should the University of Surrey, or any other entity, be allowed to apply for intellectual property protection on behalf of an AI robot or algorithm?
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education, 2020
In July 2018, luxury goods retailer Burberry's long-standing practice of destroying unsold goods ... more In July 2018, luxury goods retailer Burberry's long-standing practice of destroying unsold goods to maintain brand value became an object of public attention and disapproval. News outlets blasted Burberry for burning $37 million of unsaleable products from the previous year's inventory. Burberry CEO, Marco Gobbetti, now must decide how to maintain exclusivity and brand value without destroying reputation and goodwill.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education, 2019
Honda Motor Company, one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers, produces some of the mo... more Honda Motor Company, one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers, produces some of the most recognized passenger vehicles in the market. The brand, however, is implicated in the airbag supplier Takata Corporation's inflator scandal, threatening the lives of millions of drivers and affecting some of Honda's most popular nameplates. This case explores how a globally recognized brand mobilizes itself to react to the largest-scale recall in the history of the automotive industry.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education, 2018
Uber, the popular car-sharing company, faces internal and external scrutiny for its toxic start-u... more Uber, the popular car-sharing company, faces internal and external scrutiny for its toxic start-up corporate culture, insensitivity toward drivers and riders, and constant avoidance of legal requirements. The case discusses the events leading to the termination of Travis Kalanick, co-founder and former CEO of Uber, and the reputational damage the CEO caused the company. The case also explores collaborative consumption and the six core principles of a coherent corporate culture. How does Uber repair its reputation and get customers to come back? How does Uber "grow up" as it exits the startup phase of its operation and considers going public? Keywords: corporate culture, gig economy, executive behavior, entreprenurial start-up, corporate reputation. "Culture, more than rule books, determines how an organization behaves."
Journal of Business Strategy, 2017
Purpose
Business organizations should strive to create ethical cultures to win consumer loyalty a... more Purpose
Business organizations should strive to create ethical cultures to win consumer loyalty and thus safeguard long-term performance success. Management bears ultimate responsibility for promoting ethical behavior. By rewarding ethical behaviors and punishing transgressions, management will reinforce morally upright behavior and create a positive company culture. Successful promotion of corporate ethics, in turn, will boost employee morale, increase performance beyond bare minimums and retain employees in the long run. With a well-structured ethics code and strong reward system, management has all the tools necessary to create an ethical company culture.
Design/methodology/approach
This viewpoint paper, while advocating for a systematic approach to ethical behavior in a business organization, carefully reviews both well-established literature in this area as well as current best practices. The aim is to provide senior managers with a sense of how the best corporate ethics programs are organized and structured.
Findings
A successful corporate ethics program must involve all employees from executives to hourly wage workers, with each taking personal responsibility for his or her own performance and results. While no guarantees of success are offered, one reasonably certain path to failure is for an organization to post an ethics code and then ignore it. Ethics must be discussed, modified from time to time and actively integrated into the life of every organization that hopes to avoid ethical missteps.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education, 2016
Airbnb, a rapidly growing peer-to-peer rental property platform, faces scrutiny and backlash for ... more Airbnb, a rapidly growing peer-to-peer rental property platform, faces scrutiny and backlash for its actions after teenage guest, Jacob Lopez, claims to have been sexually assaulted by his host. The case discusses the struggles associated with a rapidly growing company in the sharing economy. To provide a proper framework for analysis, the case also details a brief history of Airbnb's responses to similar previous incidents. How does Airbnb protect its guests from harm with little to no control over the behavior of its hosts? (Or, vice versa?) What communication tactics need to be implemented to respond to future hazardous incidents?
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education
The world's largest sports organization, FIFA, is caught in a corruption scandal as the U.S. Depa... more The world's largest sports organization, FIFA, is caught in a corruption scandal as the U.S. Department of Justice leads a criminal investigation that indicts 14 of its top officials from North, Central and South America and the Caribbean on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering. How can FIFA regain the public trust? Should international organizations be more transparent?
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education
A product recall in the fall of 2013 sends Chobani, Inc. scrambling to fix the manufacturing prob... more A product recall in the fall of 2013 sends Chobani, Inc. scrambling to fix the manufacturing problem and address a flood of consumer concerns. While the company successfully identifies the problem, realls the product, and fields customers' concerns within weeks, the adverse incident calls Chobani's foundational strategy into question. The company must decide whether product quality and word-of-mouth marketing are enough to spur continued growth, combat increased competition and manage future threats associated with product quality.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education
On January 16, 2013, Boeing had its newest and most advanced aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, ground... more On January 16, 2013, Boeing had its newest and most advanced aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, grounded worldwide due to fires that started in the airplane's batteries. The Litium-Ion technology installed in the 787 was a new feature used in commercial aircraft to save weight. Several prior delays had already affected the introduction of the 787 Dreamliner, one of the most revolutionary airplanes to date. Boeing is faced with high demand, growing costs, and pressure to act quickly, while responding to both safety concerns, general industry worries, and the loss of revenue.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education
Progressive Insurance faced a widespread public relations crisis when Matt Fisher took to his per... more Progressive Insurance faced a widespread public relations crisis when Matt Fisher took to his personal Tumblr site to post a scathing account of his family's experience with the company that insured his deceased sister. The blog entry went viral overnight, panning Progressive's use of their attorney to seemingly assist in the defense of the driver who collided into his sister's automobile, taking her life. This case examines the moral, economic and legal views of business decision-making, as well as the social media consequences of a perceived imbalance between the three approaches. The question for Progressive Insurance is how to best mitigate the negative consequences of the current social media crisis and to avoid any recurrence.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Education
Marissa Mayer's decision to end Yahoo's work-from-home program sparks a firestorm of media scruti... more Marissa Mayer's decision to end Yahoo's work-from-home program sparks a firestorm of media scrutiny. Yahoo, whose business it is to connect people over the Internet, finds itself at the center of a nationwide debate on workplace flexibility -- even though Mayer never intended to make a broad industry statement about working from home. This case examines communication efforts to contain the conflict, and it may spark lively debate over where and when worker productivity and creativity are most likely to occur.
Far too many junior and mid-level practitioners in both client-side Corporate Communication and ... more Far too many junior and mid-level practitioners in both client-side Corporate Communication and Public Relations advisory agencies know too little about how their clients and employers make money. The basic problem is a lack of business acumen, much of which could be solved with business-school degree or certificate education or in-house training programs designed to give communicators insight, vocabulary, and credibility on business issues.
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Papers by James S O'Rourke IV
Marques, D.; Kim, J.; Mickols, J.; and O’Rourke, J.S. (Editor) – An April 20, 2010 explosion on board the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil-drilling platform killed 11 workers, injured 17 and triggered a leak that spilled more than 206 million gallons of oil over 665 miles of coastline and 4,000 square miles of fishing waters. This case discusses the events that led to the disaster and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It also outlines key figures within BP’s organization and how they factored into the long and difficult corporate communications process.
Business organizations should strive to create ethical cultures to win consumer loyalty and thus safeguard long-term performance success. Management bears ultimate responsibility for promoting ethical behavior. By rewarding ethical behaviors and punishing transgressions, management will reinforce morally upright behavior and create a positive company culture. Successful promotion of corporate ethics, in turn, will boost employee morale, increase performance beyond bare minimums and retain employees in the long run. With a well-structured ethics code and strong reward system, management has all the tools necessary to create an ethical company culture.
Design/methodology/approach
This viewpoint paper, while advocating for a systematic approach to ethical behavior in a business organization, carefully reviews both well-established literature in this area as well as current best practices. The aim is to provide senior managers with a sense of how the best corporate ethics programs are organized and structured.
Findings
A successful corporate ethics program must involve all employees from executives to hourly wage workers, with each taking personal responsibility for his or her own performance and results. While no guarantees of success are offered, one reasonably certain path to failure is for an organization to post an ethics code and then ignore it. Ethics must be discussed, modified from time to time and actively integrated into the life of every organization that hopes to avoid ethical missteps.
Marques, D.; Kim, J.; Mickols, J.; and O’Rourke, J.S. (Editor) – An April 20, 2010 explosion on board the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil-drilling platform killed 11 workers, injured 17 and triggered a leak that spilled more than 206 million gallons of oil over 665 miles of coastline and 4,000 square miles of fishing waters. This case discusses the events that led to the disaster and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It also outlines key figures within BP’s organization and how they factored into the long and difficult corporate communications process.
Business organizations should strive to create ethical cultures to win consumer loyalty and thus safeguard long-term performance success. Management bears ultimate responsibility for promoting ethical behavior. By rewarding ethical behaviors and punishing transgressions, management will reinforce morally upright behavior and create a positive company culture. Successful promotion of corporate ethics, in turn, will boost employee morale, increase performance beyond bare minimums and retain employees in the long run. With a well-structured ethics code and strong reward system, management has all the tools necessary to create an ethical company culture.
Design/methodology/approach
This viewpoint paper, while advocating for a systematic approach to ethical behavior in a business organization, carefully reviews both well-established literature in this area as well as current best practices. The aim is to provide senior managers with a sense of how the best corporate ethics programs are organized and structured.
Findings
A successful corporate ethics program must involve all employees from executives to hourly wage workers, with each taking personal responsibility for his or her own performance and results. While no guarantees of success are offered, one reasonably certain path to failure is for an organization to post an ethics code and then ignore it. Ethics must be discussed, modified from time to time and actively integrated into the life of every organization that hopes to avoid ethical missteps.