Production Processes Go South, Plant Closure Processes Underway, Remediation in Progress

Production Processes Go South, Plant Closure Processes Underway,

Remediation in Progress: Relationship Management Theory Applied to a

Potential Crisis Situation

Ann D. Jabro

Robert Morris University

[email protected]

Rainier Domalski

Rutgers Organics Corporation

Abstract

Grunig, Grunig, & Dozier (2002) established the core of excellence theory as “building long￾terms relationships with strategic publics (p. 57). The nature, scope, functions and constructs

identified with healthy relationships has been the focus of academic investigation in recent

public relations scholarship. This case study highlights the communication practices associated

with the constructs of relationship management an international chemical manufacturing

company with production sites in Germany and the United States employed during a ten year

time-frame to develop and maintain a covenantal relationship.

Introduction

Deetz’s (1995) multiple stakeholder model, Grunig & Hunt’s (1984) two-way symmetric

model, and Habermas (1984, 1987) “proceduralist” view of communication espouse a common

theme: corporate behavior is judged by the interactions it shares with stakeholders in face-to-face

forums that promote relationship building. The ability to more accurately identify and maintain

niche stakeholder groups was promoted by Heath & Coombs (2006) in the markets, publics and

audiences (MAP) analysis. Haas (2003) suggests the “form of corporation-stakeholder

interaction should be commensurate with the anticipated effects of the corporation’s actions on

stakeholders” (p.612). In short, his work was influenced by Beck (1992, 1999), who suggests

that the industrial society of late has created current and future effects on humans and nature. He

cautions us to be more concerned with future rather than co-present circumstances; to

comprehend a “duality of risk” (p. 33) which can be identified as short-term and long-term. The

negative impacts are labeled distributional conflict over risk, or “bads” that correlate to chemical

waste, nuclear contaminants, toxicity, air, water, and food contamination. This paper explores

“bad” generated from the manufacturing of kepone and mirex in the late 1960’s and explores

how a specialty chemical company established a relationship with publics in the community and

grew to focus on relationship-building with community members to alter the one-way ineffective

flow of information. Ferguson (1984) injected the public relations research agenda with a shot of

adrenaline: a call for the study of relationships and relationship management. Her call infected

numerous researchers to design and execute studies generating critical research findings for use

in applied public relations settings. This paper provides an orientation to the scholarship on

organization-public relationships and moves to an analysis of a chemical plant management

team’s effort to maintain a relationship with the public during its Superfund site closure.