You receive word for your chief operating officer that your company is planning to shut down one of its field operations at the end of this year. The plant is located in a smaller city and it is the primary employer for that region. More than 450 people will be terminated as a result of this closing. The company will maintain a small operations staff for a field office after the plant is closed. Only about 30 people will be retained for this operation. The remaining employees will be terminated with two week's severance. An attempt to locate other work for them will be made through contacts with other companies in the industry; however your human resources department is not optimistic for them. Closing the plant will allow consolidation of manufacturing processes and will save the company more than 15 percent of its operation budget. The plant in question was one of the company's most inefficient, but has had a good performance record. The property will be deactivated and a buyer or lease holder will be sought. The real reason the plant is being closed is due to the falling interest in your company from the Wall Street investment community. The "street" doesn't have confidence that your company has the courage to contain costs. Operation of the plant hasn't been that bad in recent times, but the chairman has decided that a sacrificial act must be taken to shore up investor confidence. These facts and the real reasons for the plant closing are not to be disclosed. Just one year ago, local community leaders were invited to a company/community appreciation day at the plant to celebrate a record breaking performance year. (The plant is inefficient, but the employees often broke productivity records even in the inefficient facility.) . Identify the stakeholders and target audience. Develop a brief plan that includes the timing of the announcement, key message, and Q&A with plant employees . How will you deliver the message to each of the stakeholder groups? . How will you answer questions about why this plant was closed when it was cited for top performance just last year? Did the board and CEO make the right decision to close the plant? Why? .