Product Contamination of Johnson & Johnson
Product Contamination of Johnson & Johnson
MAN 3554-1 Workplace Continuity & Contingency Planning – 1
Michelle Alderman
Everest College
June 8, 2014
The company I chose to write about is Johnson & Johnson and its crisis with Tylenol. Back in 1982 for reasons they did not know due to the “acts of a malevolent person or persons, presumably unknown, replaced Tylenol Extra-Strength capsules with cyanide-laced capsules, resealed the packages, and deposited them on the shelves of at least a half-dozen or so pharmacies, and food stores in the Chicago area. The poison capsules were purchased, and seven unsuspecting people died a horrible death” (Case Study: The Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Crisis). Johnson & Johnson is the parent company of McNeil Consumer Products Company that makes Tylenol had to suddenly and without any warning explain to the entire world why their trusted brand Tylenol was suddenly killing people. Robert Andrews, assistant director for public relations at Johnson & Johnson recalls how the company reacted in the first days of the crisis: "We got a call from a Chicago news reporter. He told us that the medical examiner there had just given a press conference-people were dying from poisoned Tylenol. He wanted our comment. As it was the first knowledge we had here in this department, we told him we knew nothing about it. In that first call we learned more from the reporter than he did from us." The chairman of Johnson & Johnson reacted by forming a strategy team of seven members. This is what the team’s strategy was “"How do we protect the people?" and second "How do we save this product?" The company's first actions were to immediately alerted consumers across the nation, via the media, not to consume any type of Tylenol product. They told consumers not to resume using the product until the extent of the tampering could be determined. Johnson & Johnson, along with stopping the production and advertising of Tylenol, withdraw all
MAN 3554-1 Workplace Continuity & Contingency Planning – 1
Michelle Alderman
Everest College
June 8, 2014
The company I chose to write about is Johnson & Johnson and its crisis with Tylenol. Back in 1982 for reasons they did not know due to the “acts of a malevolent person or persons, presumably unknown, replaced Tylenol Extra-Strength capsules with cyanide-laced capsules, resealed the packages, and deposited them on the shelves of at least a half-dozen or so pharmacies, and food stores in the Chicago area. The poison capsules were purchased, and seven unsuspecting people died a horrible death” (Case Study: The Johnson & Johnson Tylenol Crisis). Johnson & Johnson is the parent company of McNeil Consumer Products Company that makes Tylenol had to suddenly and without any warning explain to the entire world why their trusted brand Tylenol was suddenly killing people. Robert Andrews, assistant director for public relations at Johnson & Johnson recalls how the company reacted in the first days of the crisis: "We got a call from a Chicago news reporter. He told us that the medical examiner there had just given a press conference-people were dying from poisoned Tylenol. He wanted our comment. As it was the first knowledge we had here in this department, we told him we knew nothing about it. In that first call we learned more from the reporter than he did from us." The chairman of Johnson & Johnson reacted by forming a strategy team of seven members. This is what the team’s strategy was “"How do we protect the people?" and second "How do we save this product?" The company's first actions were to immediately alerted consumers across the nation, via the media, not to consume any type of Tylenol product. They told consumers not to resume using the product until the extent of the tampering could be determined. Johnson & Johnson, along with stopping the production and advertising of Tylenol, withdraw all