Tylenol Crisis
Abstract
Part 1: Crisis Scenario Development
Develop a scenario describing a crisis situation. Possible topics for your scenario include school violence, workplace violence, terrorist attack, sexual assault, or natural disasters. Your scenario must include sufficient breadth and depth in terms of the details surrounding the incident you have chosen, to include:
• Description of the crisis.
• Description of the amount of damage.
• Description of the victims (physical and psychological damage).
• Information about the perpetrator(s).
Project 1 Part 1 In October of 1982, Tylenol, the leading pain-killer medicine in the United States at the time, faced a tremendous crisis when seven people in Chicago were reported dead after taking extra-strength Tylenol capsules. It was reported that an unknown suspect put 65 milligrams of deadly cyanide into Tylenol capsules, 10,000 more than what is necessary to kill a human. The tampering occurred once the product reached the shelves. They were removed from the shelves, infected with cyanide and returned to the shelves (Mitchell, 1989). In 1982, Tylenol controlled 37 percent of its market with revenue of about $1.2 million. Immediately after the cyanide poisonings, its market share was reduced to seven percent (Mitchell 1989). Once the connection was made between the Tylenol capsules and the reported deaths, public announcements were made warning people about the consumption of the product. Johnson & Johnson was faced with the dilemma of the best way to deal with the problem without destroying the reputation of the company and its most profitable product. Following one of their guidelines of protecting people first and property second, McNeil Consumer Products, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, conducted an immediate product recall from the entire country which amounted to about 31 million bottles and a loss of more than $100 million dollars. (Lazare, Chicago Sun-Times 2002) Additionally, they halted all
Part 1: Crisis Scenario Development
Develop a scenario describing a crisis situation. Possible topics for your scenario include school violence, workplace violence, terrorist attack, sexual assault, or natural disasters. Your scenario must include sufficient breadth and depth in terms of the details surrounding the incident you have chosen, to include:
• Description of the crisis.
• Description of the amount of damage.
• Description of the victims (physical and psychological damage).
• Information about the perpetrator(s).
Project 1 Part 1 In October of 1982, Tylenol, the leading pain-killer medicine in the United States at the time, faced a tremendous crisis when seven people in Chicago were reported dead after taking extra-strength Tylenol capsules. It was reported that an unknown suspect put 65 milligrams of deadly cyanide into Tylenol capsules, 10,000 more than what is necessary to kill a human. The tampering occurred once the product reached the shelves. They were removed from the shelves, infected with cyanide and returned to the shelves (Mitchell, 1989). In 1982, Tylenol controlled 37 percent of its market with revenue of about $1.2 million. Immediately after the cyanide poisonings, its market share was reduced to seven percent (Mitchell 1989). Once the connection was made between the Tylenol capsules and the reported deaths, public announcements were made warning people about the consumption of the product. Johnson & Johnson was faced with the dilemma of the best way to deal with the problem without destroying the reputation of the company and its most profitable product. Following one of their guidelines of protecting people first and property second, McNeil Consumer Products, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, conducted an immediate product recall from the entire country which amounted to about 31 million bottles and a loss of more than $100 million dollars. (Lazare, Chicago Sun-Times 2002) Additionally, they halted all
References: (n.d.). Retrieved August 31, 2012, from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/terrorists_spies/terrorists/tylenol_murders/index.html (n.d.). Retrieved August 30, 2012, from http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/fall02/susi/tylenol.htm (n.d.). Retrieved August 29, 2012, from http://aboutpublicrelations.net/uczoulas1.htm