Wal-Mart, the largest retailor in the U.S. (Farfan, n.d.), has been the subject of a number of discrimination suits throughout its history. Ranging from sex discrimination (Goldman, 2010), to age discrimination (McElroy, 2014) and disability discrimination (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2014), Wal-Mart employees persistently allege that the retail giant engages in discriminatory employment practices. Whether or not these claims have merit is best left in the hands of our judicial system; however, through a well-developed and implemented communication plan, Wal-Mart can take steps to protect one of its most precious resources-its image (FLAKE, 2015).
A communication plan falls under the umbrella of an organization’s public …show more content…
There are multiple components of a communication plan that include: purpose, audience, content and delivery (Duggan, …show more content…
First, the message should be honest. Secondly, the message must acknowledge the issue at hand, with accurate facts. By addressing the issue head on, this can eliminate some of the embellishment/inaccuracies that may occur from secondary sources. Next, the message should include a heartfelt apology. This apology is not an admission of guilt, it is acknowledgement that something has happened, been allowed to happen or perceived to have happened that goes against the core culture of the organization. The message should explain that this type of behavior will be investigated and will not be tolerated at any of the Wal-Mart locations. The message outline specific steps Wal-Mart has taken or will take to combat the issue; if there has been a change of policy, change in leadership, change in environment, etc., these should be outlined in the message. The message should also include positive counterpoints that relate to the issue. If the issue is sex discrimination, the message should include anecdotes about women in management/executive roles or women who have worked their way through the ranks. If the issue is age discrimination, the message should show older employees who are loyal to the
A communication plan falls under the umbrella of an organization’s public …show more content…
There are multiple components of a communication plan that include: purpose, audience, content and delivery (Duggan, …show more content…
First, the message should be honest. Secondly, the message must acknowledge the issue at hand, with accurate facts. By addressing the issue head on, this can eliminate some of the embellishment/inaccuracies that may occur from secondary sources. Next, the message should include a heartfelt apology. This apology is not an admission of guilt, it is acknowledgement that something has happened, been allowed to happen or perceived to have happened that goes against the core culture of the organization. The message should explain that this type of behavior will be investigated and will not be tolerated at any of the Wal-Mart locations. The message outline specific steps Wal-Mart has taken or will take to combat the issue; if there has been a change of policy, change in leadership, change in environment, etc., these should be outlined in the message. The message should also include positive counterpoints that relate to the issue. If the issue is sex discrimination, the message should include anecdotes about women in management/executive roles or women who have worked their way through the ranks. If the issue is age discrimination, the message should show older employees who are loyal to the