A Rumor Has Been Going Around That Great Western Beef

Multiple Choice

A rumor has been going around that Great Western Beef Co., Inc., is closing its packing plant in Lincoln, Nebraska. According to the rumor, a local health department official stopped a truck on its way through the front gate of the plant and discovered that it was full of dead cats. Subsequent investigation revealed that the company had been augmenting its alleged beef products with cat meat. As president of the company, Todd knows that this is absurd-all except the part about the plant closing, which is a consequence of company restructuring. He and his chief information officer have dealt with damage control internally, but the issue still needs to be addressed with the public at large. Todd should

A) have the chief information officer address the cat rumor through a press conference and a series of television commercials.
B) hold a press conference personally, announce that the plant is closing, and explain why without alluding to the rumor.
C) do his best to ignore the rumor entirely and reply "no comment" to any questions because the plant closings are really an internal company matter.
D) arrange for one of the frontline workers to go before the media and explain that he has worked at the plant for years and never seen anything odd in the meat there.
E) put together an advertising campaign that portrays Great Western as an all-American company that has fallen on hard times and regrettably must restructure.