General business

Rugby has a proud repuation for fairness and sportsmanship. Indeed it trumpets this loud over its rival "thuggish" sport soccer. However, what will this scandal do to that hard-won reputation?

The problem with Apple, as with so many public figures and businesses that court the limelight, is that it is so beloved by so many, partly because of the "magical" aura they have built up but it lacks a certain humility. So, when it does stumble, there will be plenty around to kick it when it tries to rise.

Well, the UK's sporting press got very excited yesterday when Liverpool's star striker Fernando Torres was spotted celebrating Spain's World Cup victory in a Liverpool scarf.

Ryan Air is cheap - probably the cheapest, time and time again. We'll soon have the experts trotting out theories as to why this can't work from a health and safety perspective but do you think O'Leary actually cares whether he pulls this off or not? No! It is a stunt, like so many others and the media loves it because the general public hates it.

There is no doubt that this will have been an awful and incredibly stressful time for Mr Hayward and senior BP figures personally but the problem is that he and BP keep reminding us of us this as if we should all feel sorry for them. That is just not going to fly. Nobody cares about BP - they care about the totaldevastation caused and what can be done about it.

media relations is not a one way street. It is about relationships and dialogue. This afternoon, the world's greatest golfer, the master of his own destiny and his own mind, may well find that his single-minded stubborness to accept defeat in any area of his life is not his greatest strength but his biggest weakness.

Whatever happens, Terry has caused this problem for himself. Like Tiger Woods before him he has been exposed as the antithesis of what he portrays. It is that portrayal which has, along with his undoubted talent, elevated him to where he is today. It is that portrayal which may ultimately be his downfall.

The media offers the ultimate tool to raise awareness of campaigns - be they cynical or philanthropic. PR consultants and their clients have the skills, contacts and ability to utilise this tool. Whether that be for pure commercial gain, charitable causes or a combination of both, I'd argue that the question should always be "which came first?" The PR campaign or the urge to help?

Tiger would have been better served by coming out and making a statement to the media immediately. Instead, he sat back, probably worried about saying or doing the wrong thing. The resultantvacuum of silence was then filled by a voracious media, determined to get their pound of flesh and now the leeches are forming on the underbelly of the popular press, feeding their faces at the banquet before the platters are removed.

Thanks to everyone who voted in the recent Ryan Air poll on this blog. Good news for them really. 50% of you may have not changed your opinion but a whopping 44% did and changed it in favour of the airline. Only 6% of you liked them less.