Pomerenke, Pj 1999, \'Class Action Sexual Harassment

Pomerenke, PJ 1999, 'Class action sexual harassment lawsuit: a study in crisis communication',

Human Resource Management, vol. 37, no. 3-4, pp. 207-219.

This research examines how the media viewed Mitsubishi Motors Manufacturing of America (MMMA) following a class action lawsuit filed against them by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). During the three months after the filing, media evolved from a mostly positive position to a highly critical attitude towards MMMA (Pomerenke 1999, p. 207).

For this study, Pomerenke read available literature on the sexual harassment case as well as literature about crisis communication. He also took documents in the form of official statements as well as the actual actions taken by the MMMA and analyzed them via the lens of crisis communication (Pomerenke 1999, p. 208).

Pomerenke found that the media's attitude towards MMMA completely changed during the three-month period following the filing of the class action lawsuit. During that period, MMMA asked employees to attend a company-sponsored march of support which would show solidarity with those in positions of authority. However, it actually had the reverse effect. This, coupled with the hard-line defense the company took against the accusers, led the media to view the company in a negative light and thus news stories took on an obvious bias in favor of the EEOC and the persons accusing the MMMA of practicing sexual harassment (Pomerenke 1999, p. 211).

4. The article is fairly simple to read and understand. The author takes care to use terminology which most people could understand, even those not directly involved in crisis communication. The author uses sources which are easily believable, such as well-known newspapers like The Chicago Tribune (Pomerenke 1999, p. 217). This adds to the author's believability and gives credit to his findings. Pomerenke also takes care to how specifically the company manipulated employees and attempted to manipulate the media. The article also makes the implications clear for other companies about the issues presented in sexual harassment cases and make them mindful of their own behavior.