Abstract

This case regards the perils of ineffective management and design that led to an organizational crisis. The setting is an amusement park where a water slide thrill ride was created in pursuit of a world record.  Signals and warnings that should have been recognized, assessed and fixed to operate successfully and prevent a crisis were ignored. The park and stakeholders paid ultimate costs for their oversights.

Teaching
1. To imagine and generate a broad ranging list of potential crises that an organization can experience, with consideration of the nature of the organization, and its context (e.g., industry, location, stakeholders).
2. To consider how geographic setting and cross-cultural variance can impact the evolution of crises and crisis management norms.
3. To explore the roles of warnings, reporting and response regarding signals that arose during the design, testing and operation of a new product (i.e., the new water slide).
Case number:
A15-20-0019
Case Series Author(s):
Christine M. Pearson
Subject:
General Management
Business Ethics
Year:
Setting:
USA
Length:
7 pages
Source:
Public Sources