| Course | MAN-3760 Leadership Communication |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Module 5 application and analysis paper: organizational and public leadership |
| Length | About 495 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MAN 3760 Module 5
Putting the Public First: Leadership Communication in the 1982 Tylenol Crisis
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership, Thomas Edison State University
MAN-3760: Leadership Communication
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Putting the Public First: Leadership Communication in the 1982 Tylenol Crisis
The Crisis
In late September and early October 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after taking Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules that someone had laced with cyanide. The poisoning occurred after the bottles reached store shelves; the company was not at fault for the tampering. Tylenol was then the leading pain reliever in the United States and a major source of Johnson and Johnson's profits.
How the Company Communicated
Under chairman James Burke, the company acted quickly. It warned consumers not to use Tylenol capsules, halted advertising, cooperated with law enforcement and the media and recalled about 31 million bottles nationwide, at a cost of roughly $100 million, even though the tampering was confined to the Chicago area. Burke appeared on national television to explain the company's actions. Within months, the company reintroduced Tylenol in triple-sealed, tamper-resistant packaging, and its market share recovered substantially within a year.
Situational Crisis Communication Theory
Coombs (2007) developed situational crisis communication theory, under which the fitting response depends on how much the public blames the organization for the crisis. In a victim crisis, such as product tampering by an outsider, the public assigns the organization little blame, so it should tell people how to protect themselves and express concern. Johnson and Johnson's warnings and recall fit this guidance exactly: the first priority was public safety, and the company communicated it before discussing its own losses.
Image Repair
Benoit (1997) described strategies organizations use to repair their image, including denial, evasion of responsibility, reducing offensiveness and corrective action. Johnson and Johnson could have relied on evasion, since it did not cause the tampering. Instead, its main strategy was corrective action: the recall and the new packaging addressed the problem directly. Benoit notes that corrective action can be effective even when an organization is not at fault, because it shows concern for the public.
Leadership Communication Inside the Company
The company's credo, a statement putting responsibilities to doctors, nurses, patients and consumers first, guided decisions. Hackman and Johnson (2013) describe how organizational leaders shape culture through statements of values; in this case, employees and managers could act quickly because the credo told them what came first.
Lessons for Leaders Today
First, communicate about public safety before protecting the organization's interests. Second, act consistently with stated values, which makes communication credible. Third, the leader's visible presence matters; Burke's appearances gave the company a human face. Fourth, corrective action can rebuild trust even when the organization is not to blame. Not every crisis allows such clarity about responsibility, but the order of priorities, people first, then the organization, applies widely.
Conclusion
Johnson and Johnson's Tylenol response is studied because its leaders put the public first in both actions and words. Crisis communication theory and image repair research explain why the approach worked: it matched a victim crisis with instructions, concern and corrective action, guided by a credo that made the priorities clear.
References
Benoit, W. L. (1997). Image repair discourse and crisis communication. Public Relations Review, 23(2), 177-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0363-8111(97)90023-0
Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organization reputations during a crisis: The development and application of situational crisis communication theory. Corporate Reputation Review, 10(3), 163-176. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1550049
Hackman, M. Z., & Johnson, C. E. (2013). Leadership: A communication perspective (6th ed.). Waveland Press.
What the MAN 3760 Module 5 instructions ask for
The third application and analysis paper covers organizational and public leadership. Expect to analyze how leaders communicate with employees and the public, often during a crisis or major change. A well-documented case from business or public life works well, as does a situation in your own organization. Describe what leaders said and did, apply concepts such as crisis communication theory, organizational culture or public leadership and evaluate the results. End with lessons for leaders. Choose a case where the leaders' communication is well documented, through official statements, reputable reporting and research. Classify the situation using a theory before judging the response. Organize the paper so the facts come first, then each theory in turn, then lessons.
How the MAN 3760 Module 5 example is put together
The paper summarizes the crisis and the company's communication with documented facts. A section applies situational crisis communication theory, classifying the crisis and the response. A section applies image repair strategies and explains the choice of corrective action. A section connects the company's credo to the text's discussion of organizational values. Four lessons and a conclusion follow, with the conclusion explaining why the approach worked. The facts are kept to two short sections, and the analysis uses two theories that explain different parts of the response. The credo section links the public communication to the culture behind it. Each lesson is something a leader could apply in a smaller crisis.
Reading the MAN 3760 Module 5 grading rubric
Mentors grade this paper on accurate facts, correct application of organizational and public leadership concepts, analysis of the communication's effects and clear, cited writing. Papers that classify the crisis and match it to the theory's recommendations show analytical skill. Explaining why a strategy worked, not only that it did, demonstrates understanding. Lessons that generalize from the case show the purpose of studying it and connect the case to the writer's future work. Mentors also value attention to internal communication, since organizational leaders speak to employees as well as the public. Accurate dates and figures, with sources, support the analysis. A conclusion that explains why the response worked, not only that it worked, earns the most.
MAN 3760 Module 5 help from the desk
Students lose points by retelling a famous case without analysis, by applying theory loosely or by stating facts without sources. Others overlook communication inside the organization. Check dates and figures. Classify the situation using the theory. Analyze communication with employees as well as the public. State lessons a leader could use. Distinguish what the organization said from what it did, and show how the two worked together. If you use a recent case, note what is still uncertain. Use primary sources, such as company statements or official reports, alongside research articles. A free first sample on your own MAN-3760 Module 5 paper is available on request.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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MAN 3760 Module 5 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MAN 3760 Module 5 sample paper?
Johnson and Johnson's 1982 Tylenol crisis communication, analyzed with crisis communication theory, is the paper above.
What is situational crisis communication theory?
Coombs's theory that an organization's best response to a crisis depends on how much blame the public assigns to it.
What did Johnson and Johnson do in the Tylenol crisis?
It warned consumers, recalled about 31 million bottles and reintroduced Tylenol in tamper-resistant packaging.
What is corrective action in image repair?
Fixing the problem and preventing its recurrence, which can rebuild trust even when an organization is not at fault.
Why did the credo matter?
It told employees and managers that responsibilities to patients and consumers came first, guiding fast decisions.