The Tylenol Cyanide Incident - Johnson & Johnson's Reputational Response Deconstructed

It seems like a weekly occurrence now when a major corporation must deal with a crisis that can potentially damage its reputation.  Wells Fargo, Facebook, Target....the list goes on.  One of earliest cases of a major corporation having to navigate a crisis of reputation comes from the tampering of Tylenol Pain Relief Medicine that took place in 1982 and from a second incident occurring in 1986. Johnson & Johnson, known in the 1980's mostly as the "Baby Company" suddenly had national visibility for issues that directly challenged its core mission of providing safe and effective products to the public.  The company was thrust into reacting to a daily series of events in 1982 and developing a plan under the glare of the media spotlight.  Then, it happened again four years later.

Bill Slivka, HBS '78, will lead the discussion on the Tylenol crisis and will deconstruct J&J's response and navigation…