The announcement that Stephen Hester, the chief executive of RBS, was receiving a £1m bonus met with strong criticism from both public and the media. The in-house media relations team refused to speak with PR Week about the matter, issuing a general statement to the media.
Jonathan Hemus was asked to comment on the situation:
“Addressing the issue requires one of two approaches: realigning stakeholder perceptions by convincing them that the bonus is fair, appropriate and necessary. Or changing corporate behaviour so that it more closely matches stakeholder perceptions, which could be achieved by, for example, Mr Hester refusing to accept his bonus…”
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