Business Communication Chapter 9 Government Relations Teaching Notes Government Relations When Wrote This

Chapter 09 – Government Relations

Teaching Notes

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Chapter 9

Government Relations

When I wrote this chapter for the first time in the Second Edition of the text, my

guess was that over the next decade government relations would become more

rather than less important as business got bigger, technology got more complex, and

both the public and private sector started to realize how critical it is to work

together in a global marketplace. Please look at the chapter on government

relations in The Power of Corporate Communication for a more managerial approach

to this topic as well as additional examples for you to use in your class.

My predictions about the increasing importance of the relationship of government

and business continue to be well founded; much has happened since the 2nd edition

of this textbook and I have since updated this chapter with new data and more

examples. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act altered the accountability of corporations by

dramatically changing the way companies must handle their financial activities.

Microsoft continued to be hounded by charges of anti-competitive behavior. Merck

A company does not have to be as large as General Motors, Microsoft, or Merck to

need to pay careful attention to their government relations. In the local communities

where you live, how does government affect business? For example, if you have a

manufacturing facility or a utility nearby, what does local government do that can

either help or hurt the company? For companies like Disney, dealing with local

government is a fact of life for any expansion plans such as the one described in the

You might also want to contact the government affairs office at both the local and

national level for a major company near your school. You will get firsthand

information from people who are used to schmoozing to get their point across. You

will find them extremely interested in helping you. Lobbyists are also sources

worth tapping for information.

Chapter 09 – Government Relations

Teaching Notes

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Teaching Note

Disney

Synopsis

In the A case, Disney CEO Michael Eisner ponders whether to go forward with his

plans for a U.S. history theme park called Disney’s America, located in Prince

William County, Virginia. The case depicts the origins of the Disney idea, one that

Eisner hoped would distinguish his personal legacy, and the company’s work with

local and state governmental officials. Alongside of these “pro–growth” efforts,

Teaching Objectives

This case may be used in a module or course on Corporate Communication,

particularly on the topic of Government and Community Relations. The case

provides students with an opportunity to:

1. Study Disney’s government and community relations through the example of

proposing the Disney’s America theme park.

2. Study the anatomy of a public controversy and citizen action.

3. Appreciate the power of rhetorical framing, visual imagery, and symbolism.

Chapter 09 – Government Relations

Teaching Notes

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Suggested Advanced Assignment

For many students the outcome of this case may already be known or could be

easily discovered, so the value in reading it is for understanding how public

controversies work and considering whether anticipating them should have an

impact on business decision-making.

1. What were the early terms of the controversy?

2. How did the terms of the controversy change following the vote in Virginia’s

General Assembly?

3. Why were the historians and journalists so invested in opposing Disney’s

project?

4. Could Eisner and Disney have anticipated or avoided this controversy?

Case Analysis and Hypothetical Teaching Plan

1. What were the early terms of the controversy?

The original terms of the controversy were economic growth versus

environmental preservation, and were relatively civil in tone. One could say

that both sides were concerned with the “commonwealth” though they had

different ideas about what the term meant.

2. How did the terms of the controversy change following the vote in

Virginia’s General Assembly?

Community activists realized they needed to broaden their base of support.

By reframing the controversy as subject of national concern could do just

that. The dominant theme changed from a local land use issue to a national

An interesting tangent might be explored here about what counts as

authentic. Possible questions might include: Who decides what is authentic?

Why is commercialism widely seen as antithetical to authenticity? Do you

buy the argument that people might use Disney’s America to bridge to the

“real thing”?

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Teaching Notes

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3. Why were the historians and journalists so invested in opposing

Disney’s project?

Some students might complain that the Protect Historic America group was

desperate, just masking the environmental issue with the historical issue.

You might point out that both the environmental and historical objections

were actually raised from the start. The difference was really a matter of

emphasis, of foregrounding and backgrounding. Others may say PHA was just

a bunch of elitists who didn’t like people invading their turf, literally and

figuratively. These views have some merit, but encourage students to dig

deeper.

Disney stepped into the middle of an on-going debate about the

representation of history, public memory and national identity. You might

remind or inform students about other squabbles that occurred in the U.S.

around the time. One was over how to present the Enola Gay exhibit at the

Smithsonian. The Enola Gay is the name of the airplane that dropped one of

the atomic bombs on Japan during World War II. Originally, the exhibit was

planned to view the event from the U.S. and Japanese points of view.

Materials that depicted the devastation wreaked on the Japanese people

At this point, the instructor might ask the class for other examples of these

kinds of historical controversies. Particularly draw out examples from

international students to counter balance the U.S.-centric nature of this case.

At another level, the Disney’s America controversy tapped into other cultural

controversies too. This controversy could be characterized as a cultural war

of low brow versus high brow treatments of history. It could also be

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Teaching Notes

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women felt that their own professional identities and reputations were at

stake.

4. Could Eisner and Disney have anticipated or avoided this controversy?

Students may want to talk about what Eisner should have done at the end of

the A case. Disney could continue on with the Disney’s America project,

continuing to work on building public support and possibly hiring more

historian consultants, while hoping that the media publicity would die down

over time. Another option would be to end the project at its current location,

This question is easier to answer with 20/20 hindsight than it was for

Disney, so ask students to speculate fairly. Students may begin to answer this

question by suggesting that Disney should have been more sensitive to the

values and sensibilities of people living in the Washington area. The company

might have anticipated that well-connected and powerful members of the

community could mount a negative publicity campaign. With a little research

Many students will probably suggest that “involving” the historians or the

people from the area early on could improve community relations. Challenge

students to be more specific about what they mean. What would a company

need to do to be inclusive and effective? What are the pros and cons? Where

does a company or the community draw limits? Some may venture that if

Disney had anticipated community response and included it in the planning

stages, the company might have changed its course or strategy to build in a

different location or to modify the concept.

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Teaching Notes

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Teaching Notes

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If students do not bring it up, prompt them to think about the consequences

of taking a multiple stakeholder and communication approach from the very

beginning. A possible result would be that the company would recognize that

this business idea, at least in its original form, was untenable, especially in

5. Distribute the B case and discuss.

Allow students some time to read the B case before resuming discussion.

What does this case teach us about creating, maintaining and protecting

corporate reputation? Draw on insights from the Carmichael and Rubin

article on oppositional crises listed below.