Here's a short video for my last JGR post! Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Ethics are Important, No Matter what the Industry
Ethics are a highly discussed topic across all industries. In the simplest form, ethics concern what is right and what is wrong. This can differ from what is legal at times. Sometimes, just because something is legal does not mean that it is ethical and vice versa.
Being ethical is not only important to keep an organization out of trouble, but it is also important to keep a good reputation overall. People feel good about themselves if they consider themselves to be ethical and therefore would not want to be a supporter of an organization who makes unethical decisions.
So, how can this relate to a NASCAR team? The goals of Joe Gibbs Racing discussed in earlier posts were centered around racing well and maintaining sponsorships and a loyal fan base. To be ethical, drivers and team members need to be following the rules and regulations of NASCAR. No cheating can ever occur, because it would permanently tarnish the reputation of JGR.
Here we can see where some things might be allowed but are unethical at the same time. For example, bump-drafting is allowed. It is a more aggressive form of racing, but permissible. However, if a JGR driver does bump-draft and wrecks a fellow competitor, taking them out of the race, is it ethical? They are following the rules: They have not cheated, they were clearly racing following the rules and they are furthering their goal of finishing in a better position. However, this does not make that decision ethical. Furthermore, NASCAR fans will not think that it is ethical, so that decision can end up hindering their goal of having a loyal fan base.
Our book makes some suggestions to help uphold ethical practices in Chapter 10 (Crandall 206). One idea is to have a code of ethics. All employees need to be familiar with this code in order for it to work. In JGR's situation, it could be possible to have everyone be familiar with the entire document. But, each area of the team should have a section of ethics that deal with their own expertise. Mechanics should have a section about what is allowed in the engine. Account managers for the different sponsors should have ethical rules about how to get new accounts and maintain existing accounts.
Having an ethical record can go a long way in any industry, so it is important to keep up with the organization's ethical standards and altering them as needed.
Being ethical is not only important to keep an organization out of trouble, but it is also important to keep a good reputation overall. People feel good about themselves if they consider themselves to be ethical and therefore would not want to be a supporter of an organization who makes unethical decisions.
So, how can this relate to a NASCAR team? The goals of Joe Gibbs Racing discussed in earlier posts were centered around racing well and maintaining sponsorships and a loyal fan base. To be ethical, drivers and team members need to be following the rules and regulations of NASCAR. No cheating can ever occur, because it would permanently tarnish the reputation of JGR.
Here we can see where some things might be allowed but are unethical at the same time. For example, bump-drafting is allowed. It is a more aggressive form of racing, but permissible. However, if a JGR driver does bump-draft and wrecks a fellow competitor, taking them out of the race, is it ethical? They are following the rules: They have not cheated, they were clearly racing following the rules and they are furthering their goal of finishing in a better position. However, this does not make that decision ethical. Furthermore, NASCAR fans will not think that it is ethical, so that decision can end up hindering their goal of having a loyal fan base.
Our book makes some suggestions to help uphold ethical practices in Chapter 10 (Crandall 206). One idea is to have a code of ethics. All employees need to be familiar with this code in order for it to work. In JGR's situation, it could be possible to have everyone be familiar with the entire document. But, each area of the team should have a section of ethics that deal with their own expertise. Mechanics should have a section about what is allowed in the engine. Account managers for the different sponsors should have ethical rules about how to get new accounts and maintain existing accounts.
Having an ethical record can go a long way in any industry, so it is important to keep up with the organization's ethical standards and altering them as needed.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Internet...Beneficial or Detrimental?
Chapter 12 in our text book discusses future trends in crisis management practices. Possible trends were given for both the internal and external landscape for each of the four steps of crisis management provided by the book.
One trend that has a an increasing prominence in the future is the use of the Internet. Internally, "the organization's website will become the chief communications tool during the crisis" (Crnadell 240). Externally, the Internet will become increasingly "more powerful in its ability to influence the outcome of a crisis" (Crandell 240).
So, how can this effect Joe Gibbs Racing? Firstly, the use of the Internet can be broken down similarly to the book's explanation, with both an internal and an external use. Starting with internal, the Internet could be quite beneficial to JGR should a crisis occur.
As described by the book above as the "chief communications tool during a crisis" the website must function as the messenger in many instances. Although important publics will still be contacted directly, the website could provide information to publics who are curious or slightly affected by the crisis.
For example, you can currently get information about all of the teams, sponsors, drivers, personnel, crews, top news stories, drivers' blogs, and so much more off of the website, which is www.joegibbsracing.com. However, during a crisis they can post constant updates about what is happening, and what the team is doing to remedy the situation. In a crisis situation, it would be more likely that a person or team would be assigned only to the task of maintaining the website.
Now let's look on the opposite end of the spectrum, which is the external landscape. Here, there is much less, if any, organizational control of what is being said. For example, if a blogger is upset with something JGR does, they can post almost whatever they like. Unless it is clearly libelous, it is out of the scope of anyone's authority. By constantly surveying the Internet and reading what has been posted about the organization, JGR can be proactive and ready to counter any possible problems in the future.
Overall, the Internet is beneficial and detrimental, depending on the situation. It can help to mitigate crisis but can also help to spark them if the organization is not paying enough attention or taking the Internet seriously.
One trend that has a an increasing prominence in the future is the use of the Internet. Internally, "the organization's website will become the chief communications tool during the crisis" (Crnadell 240). Externally, the Internet will become increasingly "more powerful in its ability to influence the outcome of a crisis" (Crandell 240).
So, how can this effect Joe Gibbs Racing? Firstly, the use of the Internet can be broken down similarly to the book's explanation, with both an internal and an external use. Starting with internal, the Internet could be quite beneficial to JGR should a crisis occur.
As described by the book above as the "chief communications tool during a crisis" the website must function as the messenger in many instances. Although important publics will still be contacted directly, the website could provide information to publics who are curious or slightly affected by the crisis.
For example, you can currently get information about all of the teams, sponsors, drivers, personnel, crews, top news stories, drivers' blogs, and so much more off of the website, which is www.joegibbsracing.com. However, during a crisis they can post constant updates about what is happening, and what the team is doing to remedy the situation. In a crisis situation, it would be more likely that a person or team would be assigned only to the task of maintaining the website.
Now let's look on the opposite end of the spectrum, which is the external landscape. Here, there is much less, if any, organizational control of what is being said. For example, if a blogger is upset with something JGR does, they can post almost whatever they like. Unless it is clearly libelous, it is out of the scope of anyone's authority. By constantly surveying the Internet and reading what has been posted about the organization, JGR can be proactive and ready to counter any possible problems in the future.
Overall, the Internet is beneficial and detrimental, depending on the situation. It can help to mitigate crisis but can also help to spark them if the organization is not paying enough attention or taking the Internet seriously.
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