THIS IS A 2 PART DISCUSSION
PART 1
IN 225 WORDS

1. One of the strategies of the PR consultants in the first news story was getting Red Cross first-aid kits included in an episode of The Real World and Red Cross vehicles in an episode of The West Wing. The Red Cross received 60 percent of the $3.6 billion that Americans donated for hurricane relief. Millions of people saw these TV shows and the name of the American Red Cross. Was the money well spent? Should donor money be used on such efforts? What are the positives, and the negatives?
2. Hagen Daz has won numerous awards for its campaign, but, as of early 2010, there was still not a known cause for the disappearance of the honeybee. Are there other tactics Hagen Daz could take on to alleviate the crisis?
EDMG Forum Rubric 100-400 Level
The Red Cross Charged with Overspending on Public Relations

February 29, 2006

The American Red Cross was under fire a few months after Hurricane Katrina for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to boost its public image. The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the Associated Press revealed that, in 2004 and 2005, the Red Cross paid Public Strategies, a Houston corporate image, to brand chief executive officer Marsha Evans as the face of the Red Cross. The consultants were to secure at least two media opportunities per month for Evans and were to book her for public appearances before influential groups.

As the campaign continued, said the sources, the Red Cross was laying off workers in the blood-services operations. In its Washington, D.C. headquarters, employees merit pay was eliminated, and travel was limited. A Red Cross spokesperson said the consultants were instrumental in boosting donations when it booked appearances.  Evans had resigned about two months before the charges were made, citing differences with the 50-member Board of Governors.

During the same years, the organization paid nearly $114,000 to reach producers who would use the name of the charity in commercial television and film. Harvard University lecturer Peter Dobkin Hall, a specialist on non-profits, said the expenditure was not necessary. He said, When disaster happens, people turn to the Red Cross and throw money at them!

The worlds largest charity was also charged with mismanagement of funds after the September 11 attacks. Then-CEO Bernardine Healy resigned, and the organization was warned to resolve its internal problem.

A board member, in 2001, warned Red Cross chairman David McLaughlin to resolve the groups disputes and said, The worst things we could do is to gloss over the split on the board and see the whole scenario repeated 3 or 4 years from now. As he predicted, four years later, Hurricane Katrina hit, and another CEO resigned.

(Data from New York Times Online)

American Red Cross Volunteers Charged with Impropriety

March 24, 2006

John F. McGuire, interim president and chief executive of the American Red Cross, announced the organization had formed a team to investigate wide-ranging accusations of impropriety among volunteers during the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

The charges included improper division of relief supplies, use of felons as volunteers, the unauthorized possession of Red Cross computer equipment to manipulate databases, and the disappearance of rented cars, generators, and 3,000 to 9,000 air mattresses, among others.

American Red Cross Fires Key Supervisors

March 25, 2006

The American Red Cross dismissed two key volunteer kitchen supervisors for improperly diverting relief supplies. Most, 95 percent, of Red Cross personnel are volunteers. Among other improprieties, the supervisors were accused of ordering 1500 meals per day for one New Orleans neighborhood, when it was discovered that only 500 meals were needed.

(Data from New York Times Online)

PART 2
IN 225 WORDS

Based on the current threat, what is the biggest gap in the current maritime ashore security and afloat requirements? You can comment on qualifications, exercise requirements and or formal classroom work.