10. Response to an Upcoming Disturbing Announcement. You are the public relations manager of a medium-sized company that manufactures cleaning fluid used for fabrics in clothing and other materials. Your company moved its primary manufacturing plant to Monterrey, Mexico, 10 years ago to save on labor costs. Up to now, there have never been any problems with either the manufacturing process or the product. However, today you have received a disturbing E-mail message on your computer from the assistant manager of the Monterrey plant. He says that the Mexican government has discovered massive pollution in the groundwater around the plant and is planning to make the discovery public. He wants advice immediately on how to handle the situation. You now must decide what to do. Think about who you should tell this information to and what steps you should take to control the damage. You should draft the following messages:

a. An E-mail response to the assistant manager's message telling him to wait until he hears from headquarters before talking to the government or the media

b. A message to the president of your company describing the problem When you have drafted those messages, create a plan to deal with the crisis that will control the damage, show goodwill to the area residents, and save your company from a public relations disaster.