Tag: Good Business Eggs

The Stanley East Company

A flash survey on how New Zealand businesses reacted to the Hamner earthquake: We know where to take our business

by

A flash survey is a swift and nifty tool to capture what’s happening during real- time events and in this case to gauge corporate leadership during this turbulent period after the Hamner earthquake and areas affected.

6 eggs

We know where to take our business.

This has been the third flash survey after a major earthquake in New Zealand by The Stanley East Company since the devastating quake on February 22nd 2011 in Christchurch.

We saw then a number of major businesses had taken leadership in conveying not just business details of open/closed shops or offices but showed great compassion and provided resources for communities struck by the damage. We also mentioned those that had shown empathy in their messaging, after all we are all people.

Alas back then, one business had no mention of assisting people via their media during the terrible times that Christchurch and beyond had suffered. We spoke to them afterwards to convey our dismay, their response was “there was an intranet for their staff”, however family, friends and customers would not have been impressed.  And worst of all their main message on their website was their share market value that day! Read more

The Stanley East Company

Shake, rattle and corporate social responsibility

by

A Flash Survey of business online responses to the recent earthquakes in New Zealand.

4 good eggs

Who were the four good eggs?

After a strong earthquake in the New Zealand mid-winter people were jolted  from their lazy Sunday afternoon into heart thumping, cortisol pumping hours of worry and fear. How did business respond?

Recent history had eliminated any complacency that Kiwi’s once had, shrugging their shoulders as they happily ignored the screams of recent immigrants new to what the Tanewhas were doing as an earthquake rattled through the land.

After the February 2011 Christchurch disaster The Stanley East Company surveyed messages that companies had put online to their communities in order to check corporate social responsibility was being truly effective rather than ‘just words’.

Workers during that time had wanted workplace information, shoppers demanded to know where to buy food, mothers searched for their daughters and many needed a little dose of compassion. There were some businesses good at supplying these.

The method of communication has always been important, carrier pigeon, morse code, texts and Facebook all have their place in history. And of course a big shout to social media when these types of disasters occur, for all the reasons we appreciate; instant words and pictures, however if the message is not effective it is as useless as a penguin-in-flight.

24 hours after this recent big rumble the investigation began, 45 prominent businesses including a handful of government agencies were surveyed once again by The Stanley East Company , all of whom had the resource to administer a good social media face to see how they delivered their corporate social responsibility.

What was needed was promptness (a 24 hour response), clarity, information for customers/clients/staff, a note about safety and that little dose of compassion. These times are frightening and care goes a long way.

Public quake information advised those working in Wellington CBD to stay away until at least the midday (later extended until the next day) and this was the big message from most.

So what message did one employer show expecting their employees to turnup for work in a CBD high rise building in the morning leaving 3 people to walk up 14 stories and be left alone in an unsafe environment?

Business knows how advertising works, there is no doubt that every ad we see wants to poke our emotions and yet when this opportunity occurred to really show some heartfelt concerns for customers, clients and staff on this occasion there were too many companies unable to get out a clear message and it was astonishing to see the lack of any information on many sites.

These occurrences, traumatic and sad as they may be are a good time to show corporate social responsibility leadership, to share good information and practice some human compassion.

Who were the Good Business Eggs?  Read more