Paula Deen Ventures: Business Partnerships Imperiled Over a Choice of Words

Authors
Brinkley, C., Kellner, J., Zicarelli, J., O'Rourke, J. S. (editor)
Region
North America
Topic
Strategy & General Management
Human Resources & Organizational Behavior
Length
17 pages
Keywords
corporate culture
crisis management
employee relations
Food and Beverage
reputation management
workplace culture
Copyright Holder
Notre Dame
Student Price
$4.00
Target Audience
Graduate Students
Undergraduate Students

In 2012, a former employee filed a lawsuit against Deen and her brother for racial discrimination. Deen later confessed to using racial slurs in a deposition transcript that was leaked in 2013. Deen issued a public apology. But several companies, including the Food Network, elected to end their partnership with Deen. Can Paula Deen recover?

Learning Outcomes
  1. To encourage discussion regarding the responsibility of corporations when profits increase due to tragic events.
  2. To provide an example of how a brand can become associated with tragedy through no actions of the brand’s parent company.
  3. To demonstrate consumer ability to influence a brand’s image through social media use.
  4. To highlight the dangers of remaining silent when a corporation is swept into the spotlight.