And while the public perception of BP's crisis management may be negative, the reality of what the company has done is much different.

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One of the toughest challenges of sound crisis management is to reassure the public before the real facts are at hand.

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As is the customary standard operating procedure when it comes to crisis management for any public figure, Rodriguez has secured the services of a high profile attorney (Roy Black) and public relations firm (Sitrick and Company).

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You could pay a fortune to a public relations agency skilled in the art of crisis management--or you can take triage into your own hands.

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Crisis management experts know that customers and the general public are more likely to judge an organization by how it handles a problem than how it got into the problem in the first place.

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"Mr. Kan is a skillful politician when on the offensive, forcefully breaking through and overcoming barriers but crisis management and day-to-day communication with the public is not an offensive skill, " said Yukio Edano, Mr. Kan's chief spokesman during the height of the crisis, told reporters last month.

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The move comes on the heels of European-wide steps last Thursday to address top management pay, which has been a lightning rod for public anger across the world since the financial crisis.

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