Reputation protection and defence masterclass

This two-day Johannesburg-based Masterclass focuses on the mitigation and management of Reputation Risk.

It provides comprehensive and practical coverage of all aspects on how to protect and defend an organisation's reputation, based on more than 25 years research and experience on how to protect business reputations.

There is an Early Bird saving of R1550 if you register and pay before the 1st November.

The title word includes the verb defend. The reason - the word defend is generally defined as to take measures to make or keep safe from danger, attack or harm, and implies the actions of protecting, safeguarding,shielding, supporting or preserving. The requirement to defend can be
associated with an individual, group, place or thing, and can be associated with honour, reputation, territory, assets and allies (stakeholders).

It offers not only international best practices but also provides coverage of implementing reputation risk management and protection frameworks.

Worldwide reputation risk is seen as the highest-order risk and most dangerous to organizations, because of its volatility and unpredictability. Part of the problem is that some regard it as a strategic risk whilst others see it as a consequence of a risk. The way an organization therefore defines it, will have a material impact on how it will be mitigated and treated.

Because reputation risk is volatile, unpredictable and often unquantifiable, it often happens that; what an organization regards as a small incident or issue, erupts and has a major impact, because stakeholders viewed it differently. Understanding the systemic interplay of factors is therefore vital in understanding this risk.

If you're responsible for ensuring that your organisation responds to and survives any form of reputation risk event - this Masterclass covers all the key steps necessary.

Who should attend:

CEOs, Directors, Executives, Departmental Heads and Senior Managers in business, government and non-profit organisations with responsibility for managing risk and evaluating potential harm to the organisation's reputation. The course will be of particular interest to those responsible for:

* Governance, Risk and Ethics
* Risk Management
* Marketing, Advertising and Communications
* Corporate Communications and Branding
* Public Relations and Corporate Communications
* Investor and Stakeholder Relations
* Corporate Affairs
* Organisational Development
* Change Management

Why you should attend:
With studies repeatedly showing a clear business case for managing reputation, there has also been a realization that damage to the company's reputation is incredibly difficult to anticipate, manage and prevent. Often it is only when a reputation incident severely damages the credibility of the organisation or one of its brands, or its standing in the eyes of key stakeholders, that the potentially catastrophic consequences of not adequately managing reputation risk becomes apparent. Unfortunately, at that point, the damage has already been done.

Studies of organisations that have badly handled reputation events or crises, have identified** long term irreparable damage to share price, market share and brand value.**

A successful reputation risk strategy should, therefore, have two simple objectives - to prevent the factors that can damage your reputation, and to minimise the impact if despite your best endeavors - a reputation crisis should occur.

This programme will provide you with a holistic, comprehensive and proven methodology for minimizing reputation risk.

Day One:

Part 1
Introduction to Reputation Risk Management

In this session, Deon will examine the fundamental definitions and business drivers of reputation risk and the need to proactively build, sustain and protect corporate reputation.

* Identifying the value to the organisation of a good reputation - and the risk of a bad one
* What drives reputation, the opportunities involved as well as the risks that emanate from these areas
* Four Ways in which to define and view Reputation Risk
* Why it is important to discern between treating it as a strategic risk on its own as opposed to seeing it only as a consequence of a risk
* Building the business case for a proactive and systemic approach to reputation risk management

Part 2
Understanding Stakeholders

In simple terms, the bigger the gap between what stakeholders expect of your company or its products and the reality of what they actually experience, the bigger the reputation risk. It follows logically therefore that in order to reduce this risk; you must first understand what your stakeholders perceptions are and make sure that their expectations are met.

In defining the different needs and desires of various stakeholders, an important consideration is that a single event can lead to multiple changes in stakeholder perception and behaviour and can have different impacts on an organization's reputation.

In this overview session, Deon will introduce you to the concept of stakeholder theory and why it is vital to understand the stakeholder management dynamic, and why learning to examine and extrapolate and view issues and incidents through the lenses of a stakeholder, opportunities, shortcomings and mitigation approaches will be revealed. The impact of a singular event and how it impacts different stakeholders will be discussed.

Part 3
Examining Reputation Risk Vulnerabilities and Tipping Points

In times of crisis, bad publicity and business turmoil, organisations run the risk of losing the support of their stakeholders, the public and key business partners. Stakeholder perceptions of the company can quickly turn from positive to negative, with long term adverse consequences for business and market performance.

The risk vulnerabilities for any organisation's reputation can be attributed to a large number of factors ranging from poor business or market performance, questionable corporate ethics, inefficient governance systems, negative media publicity, management failings and the bad experiences of stakeholders.

Part of the challenge involved in taking a proactive approach to reputation risk management is the sheer quantity and diversity of factors that can adversely affect a company's reputation. For most companies, the list of reputation risks is virtually endless, making the challenge of minimizing exposure to them particularly difficult.

In this session, Deon will conduct an overview of risk and reputation risk. He will then outline some of the most common factors and sources which can lead to a loss of reputation and share some practical tips and techniques to help predict and counteract them before the damage is done.

Part 4
Learning from Reputation Risk Examples

It is vital that companies learn from reputation risk events and conduct root cause analysis to prevent similar occurrences in the future. In this context the fastest learning occurs by learning from others mistakes.

In this session, Deon will use a number of case studies to illustrate how reputation risk manifests and impacts. Various companies' response to reputation risk and mitigation strategies will be examined.

A Model will be used to teach Reputation Risk Root Cause Analysis and a number of cases will be analyzed in group work.

In this session Deon will also start to discuss the four building blocks of a reputation risk framework, including the need for “organizational full body vulnerability scans” and the need for effective scenario planning, issue management, and risk evaluation and assessment.

Part 5
Measuring & Quantifying Reputation Risk

It is very difficult to quantify reputation risk as no clear cut techniques exist, especially when a company is not listed.

Typical questions cover loss aspects, and the issue of how to manage something that cannot always be measured. For instance how do you measure the loss of a business relationship? Situations like that cannot always be immediately quantified.

Research shows that many companies overcome this difficulty by using a 4 - pronged approach namely:

* Participating in various surveys so as to benchmark the reputational asset against peers and other industry players
* Dealing with incidents through an Enterprise Wide Risk Management approach
* Dealing with Crises through a Crisis Management and Crisis Communication approach (This process normally includes Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, Emergency Management, etc)
* Dealing with issues through a process of assessment and analysis of the current and emerging issues concerning the organization (Knowledge Management related)

In this session, Deon will examine ways and means to measure and evaluate reputation as an asset and as a risk, and explore the methods used above.

Part 6
Understanding the Difference between Reputation Incident and Reputation Event Management

Since reputation recovery is a function of proactiveness, communication and readiness prior, during and after a crisis, it is important to discern and understand the difference between reputation incident and reputation event management.

The difference between reputation incident and reputation event management as well as the importance of early warning systems and indicators will be discussed.

Day Two:

Part 1
Developing a Reputation Defence strategy

The multidisciplinary nature of reputation requires a holistic approach, integrating risk management, crisis management, public relations, marketing, compliance, ethics, reporting, internal audit, Corporate Affairs and Public Relations Best Practices.

In this session, Deon will examine ways and means to create the Defence components - From Enterprise Wide Risk Involvement to Strategic Crisis Communication Management Preplanning. The controls necessary to mitigate Reputation Risk wil be discussed including ways to embed Reputation Risk minimization in the culture of your organisation.

Part 2
The Importance of Monitoring Reputation

Constant awareness of potential issues and stakeholder demands are vital to protect corporate reputation. Knowing what stakeholders are saying, deciding about or writing about the institution is a vital part of reputation defense strategies.

In this session, Deon will examine why monitoring, environmental scanning, incident and issue management is vital to reputation protection. Ways to become more vigilant will be discussed, with special reference to issues of reporting and rapid action.

Part 3
Designing and Implementing a Reputation Risk Management Framework

To adhere to the requirements of the King Code 3, a reputation risk framework becomes a vital tool. This strategic framework document is used to spell out the strategies, protocols and procedures to be followed to protect reputation.

This framework is designed to guide the implementation of a reputation risk management process in an organization, involving the establishment of the context and the identification, analysis, evaluation, treatment, communication and ongoing monitoring of reputation risks.

The key objectives are:

* To formalize the approach for the management of an institution's reputation
* Provide guidance on the management of reputational risk including guidance on rating the impact of an incident on the reputation of the organization

In this session, Deon will discuss the requirements for an effective RRM (Reputation Risk Management) framework, and share practical examples of reporting mechanisms and analysis such as impact scales, including an outline of what should be covered in such a framework.

Part 4
Reputation Event Response Strategies

An organization may have taken all reasonable steps to anticipate and guard against potential threats to its reputation. However, if an event posing a direct threat to reputation happens, and the company is caught unprepared or responds inappropriately, its reputation may still be damaged.

On the other hand, swift and positive responses to reputation events may even its reputation, and lower the risk of triggering a crisis.

Reputation events differ in terms of the nature and level of severity. A severe reputation event (e.g. fraud losses threatening a company's survival) could be a crisis in its own right. It could also lead to other problems such as a liquidity crisis or emergency situations (e.g. disruption of normal business operations).In all such cases, a company should immediately invoke their crisis management procedures to handle the situations.

Although less serious events would not cause immediate concern, they should not be overlooked. Frequent occurrence of such events may lead to a perception that the organization is “injury-prone”.

An organization will then have to put strategies into place to reduce the likelihood that the underlying event occurs, and the likelihood and severity of reputation damage if the event does occur. One thing that will affect the likelihood and severity of reputation damage arising from an event is the firm's management of the event itself.

This session will arm you with vital information to navigate through the initial rough waters of a crisis. It covers the initial response in the field and the “do's” and “don'ts” of working with stakeholders such as the news media, with a focus on what it takes to build, sustain and protect a good reputation - or repair a bad one.

You will also gain valuable tips and techniques for dealing with stakeholders including the media during crisis situations.

Part 5
Online Reputation Risk

The change in the media landscape has resulted in major media fragmentation with the use of mobile phones, camera phones, social networking and citizen journalism. Subsequently, the potential for negative publicity like the spread of rumors, misinformation and bad publicity to escalate rapidly is now more probable.

In this session, Deon will provide insights into the role of media relations and reputation management in the cyber age.

* How is misinformation spread on the internet?
* W hat impact do new technologies have on the management of corporate reputation?
* The Importance of Policies, Procedures and Protocols

Part 6
International Best Practices on How to Protect and Defend the Reputation of your Organization - Online and Offline

In this final session, Deon will discuss and share practical tips, hints and guidelines based on the best international & local practices, designed to help you safeguard and protect your organization biggest asset and risk.

Fees

* R6950 exc. VAT per delegate ( 1 - 13 November)
* R4500 per delegate - NGO's and Associations
* R5900 for three delegates or more from the same business unit.
* Early Bird Special till 31 October - R5400 exc. VAT - Save R 1550

How to Register:

Payment must be received prior to attendance. Fees include handouts, meals, and refreshments, secure parking and benchmark information and top notch facilitation.

Registrations and payments close on Friday 13 November at 17.00 . If you are interested to attend, please note that places are on a first come, first-served reserved basis as only a limited number of participants are accommodated each time.

To register: Call 011 475 3515 or e-mail reputationeducation@icon.co.za for a registration form. Complete it and return it.

I will then send you the tax invoice for settlement. To make use of the Early Bird booking offering, please ensure that the invoice is processed and paid before 31 October otherwise the full price will apply.

I hope to meet with you and share valuable knowledge.

Other References

About your Speaker and Facilitator:
The course will be facilitated by Deon Binneman, international speaker, trainer and management consultant in reputation management.

Deon Binneman has been in private practice for the past twelve years and specializes in the building and protection of organizational reputation. He facilitates programs on managing reputation, minimizing reputation risk, crisis management and communication response and strategic communication, and has done so in more than nine countries such as South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Holland and Singapore.

See his Public Profile at http://www.linkedin.com/deonbin for more information.

I hope to see you there. NOW is the time to register and save R1550!

Venue

Date: 18 November 2009 to 19 November 2009
Location: Hotel Apollo, Ferndale, Randburg, Johannesburg
Cost: R6950 per delegate excluding VAT. See above.
More info: http://www.hotelapollo.co.za

Contact: Deon Binneman
Company name: REPUCOMM
Telephone number: 270114753515
Email address deonbin@icon.co.za