They called France Telecom, Renault and Servier. Their common thread? All have recently suffered scandals at the national level: the wave of suicides among the telecommunications specialist, the case of industrial espionage for the fake diamond brand, that of health scandal for the pharmaceutical company. Despite their armadas of communicating, their leaders have been unhappy about – moved or wrong – strengthening the media attacks against their companies.A bit like Dominique Strauss-Kahn, before being arrested this weekend for a sex scandal, which was mounted in late April in the Porsche one of his advisers in communication, and which the press has field day, lamenting the return of a certain "caviar left."
Recently, France Telecom has still found in the eye of the cyclone with the immolation of an employee in the parking lot of one of its sites, falling to 58 the number of suicides by employees of the company since January 2008. However, a few months earlier, the operator welcomed the return to "normal atmosphere [...] as in any business, with its ups and downs." And Stéphane Richard, CEO of the group, calling in our columns to "prudence" of unions and the media, seeing some suicides in "the dramas of life [...] a priori unrelated to the company."
For Laurent Vibert, a specialist in crisis communications, "companies sometimes think too fast as they overcame their problems." And when a case resurfaced, "the communication team has not really tools, and is outdated or discredited." Back to the wall, Jean-Bernard Orsoni, spokesman and Press Secretary of France Telecom, is now positioned as a scapegoat, "at a time, for various reasons, it has become an emblematic case of the issue of suicide at work. But it illustrated only by France Telecom, "he says indignantly. Before advancing in comparison to the less shifted, "You know how many suicides per year in the Nord-Pas de Calais? 860! "
Bosses "disconnected from the French and their business"
According to Laurent Vibert, the leaders often have difficulty "to put in place of the listener."In general, "they are disconnected from the reality of their business." For some even their ego outweighs the advice of communications companies. Emblematic example, Jacques Servier has shocked France during his wishes for the new year, Assen: "The Pick, only three deaths." Following these comments, the agency Image 7, which was trying to catch the blow, made her apron. Anne Meaux, the head of the prestigious advertising agency, did not wish to return to this breakdown door. But according to our information, it generally deplore the lack of flexibility that agencies have to manage certain crises.
Carlos Ghosn, the Renault boss had not shot his best card, when, after twenty long days of silence that followed the bursting of the case of industrial espionage, it appeared to log 20 hours TF1, asserting that he had "multiple evidence" against three executives of its licensees. Except that shortly after the affair turned sour, making a false case. "Yet all the work of communication officers to ensure the veracity of such facts, demonstrates connecting to a large group. If they are not sure, they do not go 20 hours. " In this case, it appears that Carlos Ghosn has bypassed the 'com' "and went to seek advice from his relatives.In well-informed circles, the name of Maurice Levy, CEO of Publicis, was circulated.
In the end, though most attacks mark the minds and impacting time corporate image, "they have no lasting effect on their accounts," Judge Laurent Vibert. He stressed that "the memory of the crisis is short enough." It supports such as Toyota, including the general public "has already forgotten the massive recalls of vehicles" in the first quarter after serious technical problems. At Renault, any downturn is to be deplored. In the eyes of financial analysts, brand diamond is in a good momentum and its prospects remain promising, particularly in the power, with its strategic plan 2016.
Advice for home equity Natixis Securities, the purchase value, the espionage affair has nothing impacted earnings forecasts and the group has been the subject of any comment.Except recently: "The page is definitively turned [...], the General Meeting of April 29 was handled masterfully." With Carlos Ghosn in the role of conductor. In addition, Renault has signed an "excellent start to the year" marked by a growth in turnover of 15% in the first quarter. In the end, even if the stock has lost more than 3% in one trading day after the resignation of Patrick Pelata, number two in the group, the manufacturer has saved his feathers: action lost 5.2% since the beginning of year when the CAC 40 gained 5% and 7% Peugeot. But the gap is mainly due to the earthquake in Japan, which affects its Japanese ally Nissan.
The side of France Telecom, the title has hardly budged since 1 January, as the sector index telecommunications."While the crisis in a group does not affect supply or demand, then the impact of this will be invisible in the notes of some analysts and passed on to the stock price," says one analyst Paris. So when Toyota was living the crisis recalls of millions of cars when the BP oil platform exploded in the U.S., while production is directly affected and the immediate outlook revised downwards. As for Servier, non-listed, the case of the Mediator has not affected: the company has two billion euros in cash and no debt. Despite the compensation to be paid by the group, the Mediator crisis should not force him to sell assets. And even if the political and legal battle concerning the financial compensation to victims has just begun.
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