Seminar.

Corporate communication and image repair strategies

1. Comment on the image repair strategies used by the PM as described in the article:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42048479

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern 'regrets Trump story'

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern says she regrets sharing an anecdote about her recent meeting with US
President Donald Trump with her friends.

Ms Ardern met Mr Trump at the Apec summit in Vietnam earlier this month.

On Sunday, a local comedian told journalists Ms Ardern said Mr Trump had mistaken her for the wife of Canada's
leader, Justin Trudeau.

Ms Ardern denied this, and said she had merely spoken about an outside observer's impression of the meeting.

Tom Sainsbury, a friend of Ms Ardern's, had told local radio: "I don't know if I should be saying this, but she said that
Donald Trump was confused for a good amount of time thinking that she was Justin Trudeau's wife."

The interview sparked headlines in New Zealand that Mr Trump had not known who Ms Ardern was.

Ms Ardern later denied this. In a New Zealand TV (TVNZ) interview on Monday, she said: "Someone observed that
they thought that it happened, but in all my interactions, certainly President Trump didn't seem to have confused me
when I interacted with him. But someone else observed this."

She would not specify who observed the meeting, but admitted she had shared the incident with a number of friends
afterwards.

'A bit of a funny yarn'

Grilled by a TVNZ host for several minutes, she said she had told the "full story" to her friends. She said she had given
Mr Sainsbury "a shortened version" of events, but believed she had made clear it was an observer's impression of what
happened.

"I said there was some confusion over who I was," she said, adding that she could see now how it could have been
misinterpreted.

"Tom's a mate of mine. I shared a story with him, he shared it with someone else, I can see how that then spirals ... it is
a trifling matter.

It was "a bit of a funny yarn, something that I don't want to cause a diplomatic incident over", she said, adding: "I think
I should never have recounted the story."

Ms Ardern, who took office in October, has just returned from her first series of international forums as leader,
including the Asean summit in the Philippines and Apec in Vietnam.

The prime minister also caused some concern earlier, telling the website newsroom.co.nz how she had joked to
President Trump about their respective election victories.

According to the website, she recounted how Mr Trump had commented on her recent election saying "This lady
caused a lot of upset in her country".

"I said, 'You know', laughing, 'no-one marched when I was elected'," she told the website.

Ms Ardern pointed out though that the US president did not seem offended by her comment.

2. Analyse the farewell statement made by Dominique Strauss-Kahn as an example of public address:
 Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn today informed the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of his
intention to resign as Managing Director with immediate effect. Mr. Strauss-Kahn made the following statement in a
formal letter of resignation to the Board:
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board: It is with infinite sadness that I feel compelled today to present to the
Executive Board my resignation from my post of Managing Director of the IMF. I think at this time first of my wife-
whom I love more than anything-of my children, of my family, of my friends. I think also of my colleagues at the Fund;
together we have accomplished such great things over the last three years and more. To all, I want to say that I deny
with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me. I want to protect this
institution which I have served with honor and devotion, and especially-especially-I want to devote all my strength, all
my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence. Dominique Strauss-Kahn"
3. Read the information from the Volkswagen Groups Human Resourse site and comment on
organizational culture promoted within the company. Pay attention both to verbal and non-verbal
means.
Our success is based on the qualification and personal commitment of around
500,000 people (December 31, 2011) who are employed by the Volkswagen
Group. A company will only be able to survive in the face of international
competition if it has a top team, characterised by a high level of competence,
dedication, inventiveness and fitness.
Basic Principles
Top performance

To survive in the face of competition and to achieve top performance, the

Volkswagen Group needs employees who enthusiastically give their best. A good
balance between demands and ability (the so-called "flow channel") is the basic precondition for optimum performance
and results. For this reason, we do not want our employees to be overstretched, but also not understretched, so that
they are able to deliver top performance and advance the success of our company.

Leading by example

The management assumes a decisive role in this entire process. Our principle has to be "Lead, Demand and Promote".
The Group will only be able to achieve its goals with exemplary leadership and constructive cooperation between
management and workforce. This includes both targeted and continual personnel development and work organisation,
which we continue to develop with the so-called "Volkswagen Way".

Active involvement

A standard survey of employees across the Group was introduced in the form of the so-called "mood barometer". The
"mood barometer" gives employees the opportunity to anonymously voice their opinion and so to become actively
involved in the organisation of the company. The results form the basis for continually developing our strengths and
for exploiting potential that is brought to light. The high rate of participation shows that employees have positively
accepted this instrument as an expression of their esteem. In this way, they make a contribution to the continued
development of the company.

Social responsibility

Not only does Volkswagen's corporate culture focus on people, it also represents the sustainability of economic and
social goals, "corporate social responsibility". The "Declaration on Social Rights and Industrial Relations" expresses
Volkswagen's global understanding of social responsibility on the basis of minimum standards. This includes
Volkswagen's active cooperative conflict resolution between the Works Council and the company management. We
created European and Global Works Councils early and without any statutory obligation. We do not cling to traditional
questions of co-determination. Rather, we discuss the development of the company with our Works Council
representatives. This is the way from co-determination to shared responsibility.

Working and Living

The Volkswagen Group is one of the most successful automobile companies in the
world. We are internationally strong, we have a broad range of first-class brands
that is rivalled by none, and above all we have new products, new engines and
compact, fuel-efficient vehicles.

Our human resources projects are a decisive factor for the past and future
success of our company. We are able to employ various instruments that enable
us to respond quickly and flexibly to fluctuations in employment, and so secure jobs for the long term.
That is good for our customers and for our workforce, for whom we are able to provide attractive working conditions.
And it forms the basis for creating a good balance between working and living.

The goal "Volkswagen as Top Employer" is a clearly defined element of the

corporate strategy of the Volkswagen Group. For us it means:

Attractive employment

Job security

Good working climate through leadership and cooperation

Remuneration in line with performance

Personal development opportunities

Product and company image

Development Paths
Promoting development potential

It is the goal of the Volkswagen Group to recognise and uphold the performance and learning potential of each and
every member of staff, and to promote all employees in line with the company strategy and in accordance with their
personal development potential. Personnel development measures range from technical seminars in automotive
engineering and automation technology, IT, quality management and productivity, through supervisor development
programmes for the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, to interdisciplinary training in subjects such as self
management and communication. In addition, the Volkswagen subsidiaries Volkswagen Coaching GmbH, the Audi
Akademie and the Volkswagen Bildungsinstitut GmbH are able to offer a broad and diverse range of seminars. These
include, for example, modules dealing with personnel management, leadership competence or international
development programmes. Volkswagen Coaching GmbH is one of the largest providers of vocational and advanced
professional training in Germany, and is active not only for the Volkswagen Group but also on the open market.

Advancement of women

The Volkswagen Group is not able to do without the special competence and creativity of women. The specific
advancement of female talent is therefore an integral element of our personnel development strategy.