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1.4 Stakeholders

1.4 Stakeholders

    Stakeholders - Getting it wrong...

    Here's an example of a business getting it wrong and ignoring the importance of customers as key stakeholders. In 2009, "United Breaks Guitars" was released by Canadian musician Dave Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell. It was a protest song that went viral following the country musician and band's real-life experience of how Dave Carroll's custom-made guitar was broken during flight on United Airlines back in 2008, and the airline refusing to take responsibility for their actions. "United Breaks Guitars" became an immediate YouTube (with over 20 million hits) and iTunes hit. The music video has become a public-relations embarrassment for United Airlines.

    As one fan commented, "This is the most impressive complaint about poor customer service I have ever seen!". Businesses that ignore the interests of their stakeholders do so at their own peril.
    Stakeholders - Getting it right...

    By contrast, this video for Southwest Airlines (a rival to United Airlines) went viral in the following year, showing how a flight attendant took the initiative to engage passengers during the pre-flight safety checks, putting their safety at the forefront of customer care:

    InThinking Business Management resources

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