In the days after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 mysteriously disappeared en route to Beijing in mid-March, PR and crisis management experts around the world watched the news and cringed. “I’m not so sure that you stay off their airline or their brand is ruined, but right now I don’t feel too good about Malaysia Airlines because of their very weak response,” said Roger Conner, an expert in crisis management for the hospitality industry, 10 days after the flight went missing.  Conner’s expert opinion—he went through 9/11 and multiple other international terrorism incidents while vice president of communications for Marriott—was reinforced in the media. Canada’s National Post called it a “master class in crisis mismanagement,” both on the part of the airline and the Malaysian government. Malaysia Airlines was lauded for introducing a brand-agnostic website to provide crisis updates on the mysterious disappearance, but criticized for not working fast enough to determine exactly what had happened with the flight. And families of the passengers went so far as to emotionally and publicly protest the lack of information available while they waited anxiously for news in Beijing, the flight’s intended destination. With the news that the flight had been lost in the Indian Ocean, their complaints only intensified. There are many differences between the airline industry and real estate, but dealing with an unexpected crisis situation – one that could irrevocably change how the public views your brand – is a concern for any business. As the global economy expands, as dependence on technology becomes pervasive and social media saturation is a fact of life, companies find themselves with more risk factors to control than ever before. Preparation, brand management and the hopefully unneeded crisis response are now essential parts of any business toolkit. Increased Global Risk...