Voice Tone, Perception, and Salary

Researchers at UCLA and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business are discovering how voice tone affects careers.

In a Duke study, researchers found, "Women exhibiting a lowtched, creaky voice known as 'vocal fry' are considered less competent, educated, trustworthy, attractive, and hirable."

In a UCLA study, researchers found that charismatic leaders use their voice to their advantage. While some characteristics of charisma are in-born, others can be developed.

Acoustic scientist Rosario Signorella, interviewed by in a Wall Street Journal article, emphasized a leader's ability to manipulate his or her voice:

"My research shows that charismatic leaders of any type in any culture tend to stretch their voice to the lower and higher limits during a public speech, which is the most important and risky context of communication for leadership. . . . The voice is a tool that can be trained. Singers and actors train their voices to reach higher or lower frequencies. A leader-speaker should do the same."

A related Duke study analyzed 792 male CEOs in major companies and found that those with lower voices made more money, managed larger firms, and stayed in their CEO positions longer.

Discussion Starters:

• Why would male CEOs with lower voices enjoy such positive career outcomes? What's at play here?
• The UCLA study and second Duke study included only males. What, if any, conclusions might be drawn for women?

Takata Answers Questions About Faulty Airbags

After weeks of recalls, airbag manufacturer Takata was pressed to answer questions at a Senate Hearing. Senior Vice President of Quality Assurance Hiroshi Shimizu apologized: 

"Even though millions of Takata air bags have inflated properly, saving lives and avoiding serious injuries in hundreds of thousands of accidents, any failure of an air bag to perform as designed in an automobile accident is incompatible with Takata's standards for highest quality assurance. We are deeply sorry and anguished about each of the reported instances in which a Takata air bag has not performed as designed and a driver or passenger has suffered personal injuries or death. Our sincerest condolences go out to all those who have suffered in these accidents and to their families."

Shimizu took the brunt at one point from Senator Dean Heller of Nevada: "I think there was something amiss in your testimony and that was that nowhere does Takata say they take full responsibility. Does Takata take full responsibility for this tragic defect?" With an explanation about anomalies, Shimizu responded, "Yes."

The airbags have caused at least five deaths and many injuries, and the problem seems to be dragging on. It could take years for the recalled bags to be fixed, and the company hasn't yet found a solution.  

Discussion Starters: 

• Assess the Senate Hearing questions and answers. What, if any, part do you think cultural differences play in the executive's responses?
• Why isn't the CEO, Shigehisa Takada, responding to questions? 
• What's the relationship between Takada (the CEO) and Takata (the company name)? (Hint: The explanation is similar for Toyota and its CEO.)

Jerks Have No Clue How They're Perceived

A new Columbia Business School study tells us that people don't see themselves as others see them at work. The study, "Pushing in the Dark: Causes and Consequences of Limited Self-Awareness for Interpersonal Assertiveness," to be published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, concludes that people either over- or under-estimate their assertiveness. Jerks don't know they're jerks, and people who feel like jerks aren't thought of that way.

A Columbia Business School press release summarizes the results of one of the four studies to be published:

• 57 percent of people actually seen by their counterpart as under-assertive thought they had come across as appropriately assertive or even over-assertive.
• 56 percent of people actually seen by their counterpart as over-assertive thought they had come across as appropriately assertive or even under-assertive.

In other words, people have a 50/50 chance of accurately assessing how they were perceived. As the authors say, "Surprisingly, many people seen as appropriately assertive by counterparts mistakenly thought they were seen as having been over-assertive, a novel effect we call the line crossing illusion." Studies involved an online survey and MBA students enrolled in a negotiations course at Columbia. 

Image source. 

Discussion Starters: 

• Are you a jerk? Do you think you may have been overly assertive at some point without realizing it? 
• How about the opposite: Can you think of a time when you may have felt too assertive, but others perceived you as acting appropriately? 
• How do these study results help managers and employees?

Being "PC" Boosts Team Performance

When male-female groups were instructed to be politically correct, they more readily shared creative ideas. Published in Administrative Science Quarterly, a Cornell University study of 582 participants disproves what many believe about political correctness. According to Jack Goncalo, associate professor of organizational behavior in the ILR School, "Our work challenges the widespread assumption that true creativity requires a kind of anarchy in which people are permitted to speak their minds, whatever the consequence."

In the study, some teams of three were asked to be "politically correct" or "polite," while other teams received no instructions. Teams then generated ideas, and researchers tracked the number of unique ideas.

Goncalo summarized the results: 

"[Political correctness] facilitates idea expression by reducing the uncertainty that people tend to experience while interacting with the opposite sex. The PC norm, by establishing a clear guideline for how to behave appropriately in mixed-sex groups, made both men and women more comfortable sharing their creative ideas."

Discussion Starters: 

• What, if anything, about the study results surprise you? 
• How does this affect your own participation in teams? Would you do anything differently?

Arguments over a $3,750 Bottle of Wine

When a diner at Bobbie Flay Steak at the Borgata in Atlantic City heard the price of a wine, he thought it was $37.50, not $3,570. The host asked Joe Lentini to order a bottle, and here's how he explained the situation to NJ.com: 

"I asked the waitress if she could recommend something decent because I don't have experience with wine. She pointed to a bottle on the menu. I didn't have my glasses. I asked how much and she said, 'Thirty-seven fifty.'"

Lentini then tasted the Screaming Eagle, Oakville 2011, from the sommelier: "It was okay. It was good. It wasn't great. It wasn't terrible. It was fine."

Borgata executive vice president Joseph Lupo insists that protocol was followed:

"As the leading culinary destination in this region, we consistently serve as many, if not more high-end wine and spirits without incident. In this isolated case, both the server and sommelier verified the bottle requested with the patron."

Lupo also said:

"Due to these factors along with very detailed accounts from multiple sources regarding the incident, Borgata is confident there was no misunderstanding regarding the selection. We simply will not allow the threat of a negative story that includes so many unaccounted and questionable statements to disparage our integrity and standards, which Borgata takes great pride in practicing every day."

The wine list shows wines in the hundreds but plenty in the $30 - $50 range too. The Screaming Eagle was by far one of the most expensive wines in the restaurant.

Discussion Starters:

• Some believe the server should be held responsible. What do you think? Does seeing the wine list influence your thinking?
• What should guests do to avoid this situation? What should servers do?

Google Teaches Employees About Unconscious Bias

In talks and videos, Google is teaching its employees about unconscious bias. Puzzled by its lack of employee diversity, the company has identified bias as a possible contributor. SVP of People Operations Laszlo Bock is leading the effort based on research from Yale University, which found that, "science professors at American universities widely regard female undergraduates as less competent than male students with the same accomplishments and skills." 

An employee video asks, "What would the world like like if everybody were aware of the stereotypes that they have and the biases that they have?"

The initiative, further explained on Google's blog, encourages people to take four steps to reduce bias: 

• Gather facts.
• Create a structure for making decisions. 
• Be mindful of subtle cues.
• Foster awareness. Hold yourself - and your colleagues - accountable. 

Discussion Starters:

• Watch the video. What messages do you find useful, and which are not? What could improve the video for employees?
• What's your view of Google's approach? Will it help the company reach its objectives, in part, to increase the number of women in leadership positions?

Vatican's New Tone About Gays

In what sounds like a significant turnaround, Catholic bishops released a summary of their two-week meeting, including new acknowledgements of homosexuals:

Welcoming homosexual persons

     50.        Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community: are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities? Often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?

     51.        The question of homosexuality leads to a serious reflection on how to elaborate realistic paths of affective growth and human and evangelical maturity integrating the sexual dimension: it appears therefore as an important educative challenge. The Church furthermore affirms that unions between people of the same sex cannot be considered on the same footing as matrimony between man and woman. Nor is it acceptable that pressure be brought to bear on pastors or that international bodies make financial aid dependent on the introduction of regulations inspired by gender ideology.

     52.        Without denying the moral problems connected to homosexual unions it has to be noted that there are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners. Furthermore, the Church pays special attention to the children who live with couples of the same sex, emphasizing that the needs and rights of the little ones must always be given priority.

According to Mashable, "Their report also reflected the views of ordinary Catholics who, in responses to Vatican questionnaires in the run-up to the synod, rejected church teaching on birth control and homosexuality as outdated and irrelevant."

However, a TIME article tempers excitement by explaining that the document says nothing binding: no new policy has been created as a result of the meeting. Still, the quasi-inclusive language is an encouraging shift.

Discussion Starters:

• Read the full report from the Vatican. What strikes you about the tone and messages?
• Is the news premature? Should gay rights supporters be happy about the news?

Microsoft CEO Regrets Comment About Women and Raises

Don't worry about pay, women, trust that the system will work. That was Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's suggestion during an interview at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing on Thursday:

"It's not really about asking for the raise but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along. And that, I think, might be one of the additional superpowers that quite frankly women who don't ask for a raise have, because that's good karma. It'll come back because somebody's going to know that's the kind of person that I want to trust, that's the kind of person that I want to really want to give more responsibility to. And in the long term efficiency, things catch up."

In addition to backlash on social media sites, Nadella's comment caught heat from a New York Times reporter who appropriately reminded us of the research:

"Women are paid less than men, and one reason is that women are less likely to negotiate for raises or promotions. They feel more anxiety about negotiating and are less likely to consider job situations to be negotiable, according to Linda Babcock, an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon University and a leading researcher on women and pay negotiations."

In an email to employees and in a tweet, Nadella said he regretted his comment.

From: Satya Nadella
Sent: Thursday, October 9, 2014 5:24 PM
To: Microsoft - All Employees (QBDG); Retail: All FTE
Subject: RE: Empowering Others

All - Today I was interviewed on stage by Maria Klawe at the Grace Hopper Conference - I encourage you to watch the video. It was great to spend time with so many women passionate about technology. I was honored to be a part of it and I left the conference energized and inspired.

Toward the end of the interview, Maria asked me what advice I would offer women who are not comfortable asking for pay raises. I answered that question completely wrong. Without a doubt I wholeheartedly support programs at Microsoft and in the industry that bring more women into technology and close the pay gap. I believe men and women should get equal pay for equal work. And when it comes to career advice on getting a raise when you think it's deserved, Maria's advice was the right advice. If you think you deserve a raise, you should just ask.

I said I was looking forward to the Grace Hopper Conference to learn, and I certainly learned a valuable lesson. I look forward to speaking with you at our monthly Q&A next week and am happy to answer any question you have.

Satya

Update: Nadella apologizes again in an email.

Discussion Starters:

• Assess Nadella's original comment during the interview. Do you agree with him?
• Now assess his apology. In what ways does this change your thinking about his comment?

Racist Email Causes Hawks Owner to Sell

An email from Atlanta Hawks owner Bruce Levenson surfaced after a related investigation, causing him to sell his controlling stake in the team. The email is an assessment of operations written to General Manager Danny Ferry, and it includes pointed comments about the numbers of black people at games:

"Before we bought the hawks and for those couple years immediately after in an effort to make the arena look full (at the nba's urging) thousands and thousands of tickets were being giving away, predominantly in the black community, adding to the overwhelming black audience.

"My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a signficant season ticket base. Please dont get me wrong. There was nothing threatening going on in the arean back then. i never felt uncomfortable, but i think southern whites simply were not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they were in the minority. On fan sites i would read comments about how dangerous it is around philips yet in our 9 years, i don't know of a mugging or even a pick pocket incident. This was just racist garbage. When I hear some people saying the arena is in the wrong place I think it is code for there are too many blacks at the games.

"I have been open with our executive team about these concerns. I have told them I want some white cheerleaders and while i don't care what the color of the artist is, i want the music to be music familiar to a 40 year old white guy if that's our season tixs demo. i have also balked when every fan picked out of crowd to shoot shots in some time out contest is black. . . ."

Levenson is particularly criticized because he was so adamant that Donald Sterling should sell his stake in the team after he made racial comments, which were audio taped by his girlfriend. At the time, Levenson said, "I think I speak for all of my partners when I say we were all deeply offended. We all quickly spoke out against the words we heard on that tape."

Levenson apologized in a statement posted on the Hawks' website: 

"I trivialized our fans by making clichéd assumptions about their interests (i.e. hip hop vs. country, white vs. black cheerleaders, etc.) and by stereotyping their perceptions of one another (i.e. that white fans might be afraid of our black fans). By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans."

Additional statements were posted from CEO Steve Koonin and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Read Silver's full statement.

Download Bruce Levenson's email.

Discussion Starters:

• Why would Levenson make such comments in an email? What assumptions did he make? 
• Should Levenson have sold his stake when Donald Sterling sold his, back in May?

Tesco CEO's First Email to Employees

Most of us want less email, but the new CEO of Tesco, a British chain of supermarkets, wants to hear from employees directly. In his first email to the staff of more than 500,000, Lewis acknowledges issues. It's a smart move because the results are poor and obvious. Sales are down 4% through mid-August, and the stock fell 32% in the past year.

Lewis gives his background for credibility and promises to listen to customers and employees. He asks for employees' opinions: "I want to hear your thoughts and ideas. I want to hear what you think we could do differently or better." For "immediacy," he encourages employees to email him personally.

Here's Lewis' message to employees:

Dear colleagues,

Today is my first day at Tesco, and so I wanted to write to you all to tell you a bit about me, and my initial plans as I start work as your new Chief Executive.

The most important thing I want to tell you is that I couldn't be more excited to be joining Tesco. It's an honour and a privilege to be asked to lead such a world-class and important business.

As you may know, I worked for Unilever for 27 years and so I got to know Tesco well from the perspective of being one of its largest suppliers. I've always had an enormous admiration for Tesco, its people and its expertise.

I've met and worked with many Tesco people over the years, and so I know the hard work and dedication which is a hallmark of this business. I'm proud to be leading a team of half a million talented and committed people around the world. In our DNA we have always been the customers' champion, and we will be again.

You will know only too well that it has not been an easy time for our business. The retail market in all the countries where we operate has become extremely tough, and is changing faster than ever. We are losing market share in our largest market and we need to address this with urgency.

The most important thing is that we all focus on being on top of our game. We need to keep it simple and customer focused. I know periods of change can be unsettling, but we have to take our destiny in our own hands and be absolutely focused on delivering the best possible experience for our customers. She or he will reward us if we constantly put them first.

I am looking forward to getting around the business and doing a lot of listening. In my first few days I will be talking to colleagues at Welwyn and Cheshunt directly, and visiting as many of our businesses and stores as possible – listening to our customers and meeting as many of you as I can. I will also be meeting some of our shareholders and investment analysts.

I will be taking some time to get to know the business better, to understand the challenges and opportunities we face. I'll be looking at all parts of the business. Clearly we all want to see an improvement in performance, but I won't take any hasty decisions. The decisions I take will be based on what's best for customers, for shareholders, for colleagues, and hence the whole Tesco business. We have some urgent issues to deal with, but we must address these in a way which is consistent with building a long-term sustainable future.

I will always communicate openly and transparently with you and I'd like to encourage the same from you in return. I want to hear your thoughts and ideas. I want to hear what you think we could do differently or better. Hopefully we will get a chance to do this in person, but for the sake of immediacy please send any comments or ideas to me by email.

I want to pay tribute to Philip [Clarke]. Over a 40-year career in Tesco he has been a key figure in making Tesco the business it is today, and in his time as Chief Executive he has steered the business through the toughest conditions the sector has ever experienced. I would like to also thank him personally for the very professional way he has managed, and continues to manage, the transition.

These are challenging times, but we will emerge stronger. With a relentless focus on our customers and a preparedness to challenge ourselves and take bold decisions we can retain our position as the customers' champion. This is a great business made up of great people, with real expertise and I am confident that together we can succeed.

I know I can count on your support, and I'm looking forward to working with you.

Dave

Discussion Starters:

• This message was posted on Yammer, part of Tesco's intranet that is intended for employees only. What are the ethics of an employee releasing this message?
• What works well in Lewis' message, and what could be improved? If you were an employee at Tesco, how do you think you would react? What if you were an investor?
• How should Lewis respond to emails from employees? What if they become unmanageable, for example, 500 each day?

Comcast Employee Gives Customer a Tough Time

When Ryan Block tried to cancel his Comcast account, it took him 18 minutes to convince an employee to let him.  This audio starts 10 minutes into the conversation.  

Slate writer Jordan Weissman helps us understand the situation: 

"I can hardly imagine what horrible, punitive incentive structure Comcast has put in place for its employees that might inspire this sort of interaction." 

An Awl writer tells us more about the pressure the employee may be under: 

"If you understand this call as a desperate interaction between two people, rather than a business transaction between a customer and a company, the pain is mutual. The customer service rep is trapped in an impossible position, in which any cancellation, even one he can't control, will reflect poorly on his performance. By the time news of this lost customer reaches his supervisor, it will be data-it will be the wrong data, and it will likely be factored into a score, or a record, that is either directly or indirectly tied to his compensation or continued employment. It's bad, very bad, for this rep to record a cancellation with no reason, or with a reason the script should theoretically be able to answer (the initial reasons given for canceling were evidently judged, by the script, as invalid). There are only a few boxes he can tick to start with, and even fewer that let him off the hook as a salesman living at the foot of a towering org chart. The rep had no choice but to try his hardest, to not give up, to make it so irritating and seemingly impossible to leave that Block might just give up and stay. The only thing he didn't account for was the possibility the call would be recorded. Now he's an internet sensation. The rep always loses."

Comcast issued this apology:

"We are very embarrassed by the way our employee spoke with Mr. Block and are contacting him to personally apologize.  The way in which our representative communicated with him is unacceptable and not consistent with how we train our customer service representatives. We are investigating this situation and will take quick action.  While the overwhelming majority of our employees work very hard to do the right thing every day, we are using this very unfortunate experience to reinforce how important it is to always treat our customers with the utmost respect."

Management's instructions at Comcast are likely similar to those at AOL, which was criticized for a ridiculous call back in 2006. In that conversation, Vincent Ferrari did his best to cancel the account: 

"Cancel the account. Cancel the account. Cancel the account. CANCEL THE ACCOUNT. CANCEL THE ACCOUNT. CANCEL THE ACCOUNT. FOR GOD'S SAKE JUST CANCEL THE ******* ACCOUNT."

For fun, I tweeted to Vincent Ferrari and received this reply-and some unconfirmed information about Ryan Block.

Discussion Starters: 

• Why would a Comcast employee behave in this way? What's the company's responsibility? How isolated do you think this situation is? 
• Assess Comcast's statement. What's the approach, and is it successful? 
• In the statement, Comcast promises to take "quick action." What do you think is appropriate in this case?

Don Sterling Finally Apologizes but Not Very Well

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling started his interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN with a clear apology, but it was an odd showing overall. Business Insider called the interview a train wreck. The first part of the interview shown here goes well:

"I made a terrible, terrible mistake. And I'm here with you today to apologize and to ask for forgiveness for all of the people I've that hurt. I've never dreamt that this could happen."

But the interview seems to go downhill from there. Sterling said that he was hurt by Magic Johnson, and yet he was quite critical of the famous player. He said that he prayed for Johnson "when he had those AIDS," suggested that Johnson isn't a good role model, said that he "should be ashamed of himself," and questioned what he has done for the Black community.

In another interview, Sterling's estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, spoke on The Today Show. She is fighting to keep her part-ownership of the clippers and said, "I'm very angry. And I'm very hurt. And I even cried listening to that [Don Sterling's CNN interview], because I just feel bad. . . .Why am I the victim when he's the perpetrator? If somebody killed somebody, does the wife have to stand trial too?"

Discussion Starters:

• What could Sterling have done differently during the interview? Consider his preparation and delivery? Watch the full video.
• How are Sterling's own attitudes getting in the way of his attempts to rebuild his image?
• Was appearing on CNN the right decision? Why or why not?

American Airlines' "Deaf and Dumb" Note

American Airlines has apologized for writing a note about a "deaf and dumb" couple. The couple vacationed in Hawaii but had their luggage lost. When they received their baggage, they saw the note shown here.

The man's mother called the note "outrageous and cruel and unnecessary." She also said, "The public hopefully has been educated a little more to know that the term 'deaf and dumb' has no place in our society, like other derogatory labeling of other good people."

In response, the airline sent this apology:

"There was no malicious intent on the part of the baggage handler. He was trying to warn the driver delivering the couple's lost bag to text them (not call them) for they are both deaf and 'mute.' But he isn't a native English speaker and a common substitute word in many cultures (obviously, going out of practice in English) is 'dumb.' AA has reached out to the family to apologize & convey there was no insult intended. The handler, along with many other employees, will undergo sensitivity training."

Video source: ABC News.

Discussion Starters:

• What's your view of American Airlines' response? Does it adequately explain the situation?
• We haven't seen the airlines' apology to the couple. What would be an appropriate approach and message? In other words, what media should be used, who should initiate the communication, and what should be said?

Facebook's New Gender Options

Facebook is joining the twenty-first century, offering multiple options when users select "Gender" in their profile. Recognizing that not everyone self-defines as strictly "male" or "female," Facebook now provides more than 50 labels in its drop down menu:

On its diversity page, Facebook explains the change:

When you come to Facebook to connect with the people, causes, and organizations you care about, we want you to feel comfortable being your true, authentic self.  An important part of this is the expression of gender, especially when it extends beyond the definitions of just "male" or female."  So today, we're proud to offer a new custom gender option to help you better express your own identity on Facebook. (Read more.)

Users also can select the pronoun by which they would be referred on the site: he, she, or they. Students of business communication know that "they" isn't standard as a singular pronoun, although "one" is dated, "she/he" and "she or he" are clunky, and other variations haven't stuck. But considering the large number of gender labels, I wonder why more pronoun options aren't available.

Both the Human Rights Commission and GLAAD, which worked with Facebook on the change, applaud the move.

Discussion Starters:

• What's your view of Facebook's new options?
• What could opponents of the move say? What would be their rationale for limiting gender options?
• Why don't we have a common, neutral singular pronoun. If you were to invent one, what would it be?

"Whitest" Valentine's Day Ads Ever

Vice.com criticized FTD for producing stereotypical, white-only ads for Valentine's Day:

"Besides jewelers, the other big early February advertisers are of course flower-delivery companies. The biggest-Florists' Transworld Delivery-just released four new commercials, all featuring generic, white, hetero, annoying-as-humanly-possible actor-couples."

In four videos, FTD's ad agency Epsilon Chicago portrays couples arguing. 

AdWeek also criticized the ads:

"These ads don't bite-they're amusing and well acted-but they do feel dated. The rhythm and style recall late-'90s/early-'00s sitcoms, with bird-brained guys and whiny women over-obsessing about their relationship woes. And why do we get youngish white hetero couples each time?"

The Vice.com article was particularly critical of the ad agency:

"Be thankful, Hispanics, African Americans, and Gays, who you are not in FTD's target demo. Because those scripts written by the white hack copywriters from the very white Chicago ad agency Epsilon would have been wincingly awkward, and probably racist."

Discussion Starters:

• With same-sex marriage winning popularity across the country and the population becoming increasing non-white, why would FTD focus only on white straight couples?
• Do you agree with Vice.com's concern that attempts for diversity would fail? Is it better to just play it safe? What are the other options?

McDonald's Vietnamese Communications

McDonald's has entered the Vietnamese market, opening its first restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.

McDonald's also has a fledgling Vietnamese Facebook page with a mere 143 likes as of this writing. Looking at the photos, McDonald's seems to be marketing to a collectivist society, which defines Vietnam. Although we see a few product images, most of the photos are of happy people, some singles, but mostly in small and large groups. 

Graphics around the restaurant also may be tailored for the Vietnamese people. Big plastic forms surround the store, an usual image for Americans.

In a time-lapsed video, McDonald's shows the construction of its new restaurant.

Discussion Starters:

• Compare McDonald's Vietnamese communications to those tailored to other countries. Use examples from Chapter 2 of the textbook, or find your own examples online.
• Other than the obvious difference in language, what other examples in the videos seem to be targeted to the Vietnamese people?
• How does the new Facebook page compare to McDonald's restaurant pages in other parts of the world? Choose a few examples of individualist societies to draw some conclusions about intercultural communication.

Communication Director Gets Fired After "I'm White" Tweet

Who knows what Justine Sacco, IAC executive, was thinking as she tweeted before boarding a plane to South Africa. As the senior director of corporate communications of a media and Internet company, Sacco should have known better. IAC owns sites such as Match.com, Ask.com, About.com, and Vimeo.

As expected, people were furious and, using the hashtag, #HasJustineLandedYet, anticipated her arrival at Cape Town International Airport. Sporting sunglasses, she clearly knew she was getting her 15 minutes of fame. 

IAC responded via email to news sources:

"The offensive comment does not reflect the views and values of IAC. We take this issue very seriously, and we have parted ways with the employee in question.

"There is no excuse for the hateful statements that have been made, and we condemn them unequivocally.

"We hope, however, that time and action, and the forgiving human spirit, will not result in the wholesale condemnation of an individual who we have otherwise known to be a decent person at core."

The story could have ended there, but in-flight Wi-Fi provider Gogo used the incident for marketing purposes.

This, too, turned out to be a bad decision, and the company apologized. 

Discussion Starters: 

• Try to imagine Sacco's position. How would you describe what happened from her perspective? 
• I don't see an apology from Sacco. Should she write one and, if so, what should it say? 
• Not everyone agreed that Gogo's tweet was a poor choice. One tweeter wrote, "Most 'real-time marketing' is pretty weak and exploitive, but I do have to hand it to Gogo!" What's your view? 

Customers' Bill of Rights Addresses Profiling

Accusations of Macy's, Barneys, Bloomingdale's, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, and other department stores have led them to post a Customers' Bill of Rights. Created by the retailers, Reverend Al Sharpton, and others, the document begins by defining profiling:

CUSTOMERS' BILL OF RIGHTS

[Store name] prohibits profiling in our stores.

 "Profiling" is defined generally as the practice of judging and addressing people based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, ancestry, appearance, or any personal or physical characteristics.

Profiling is an unacceptable practice and will not be tolerated.

The Bill of Rights continues to define responsibilities of security guards and others involved in loss prevention and is a clear response to lawsuits by customers who say they were treated differently because they're black.

(PDF of the Customers' Bill of Rights.)

Discussion Starters:

• Read the Customers' Bill of Rights. Assess the content, organization, and writing style.
• To what extent does the Bill of Rights address customer complaints? What, if anything, is missing?

Fake Signer at Nelson Mandela Memorial Service

The man providing sign language interpretation at Nelson Mandela's Memorial Service makes no sense, according to signing experts.

Sources say the interpreter was "gesticulating gibberish." How the man got security clearance is a big question considering that he stood next to President Obama and other leaders from around the world.

The South African government is looking for the man, who seemingly has no connections to the deaf community. It's an odd mystery and not a new one: records show the same man "signing" next to President Jacob Zuma a year ago.

UPDATE: The fake signer has been found. A self-described schizophrenic, Thamsanqa Jantjie has been charged with a series of wrongdoings during the past 20 years, including kidnapping, rape, and murder.

Can Lululemon Do Anything Right?

Once again, Lululemon is facing an angry crowd. Earlier this week, the company poked fun at a not-for-profit organization. Now, after many, many complaints of declining quality of its high-end yoga clothes, the founder seems to be blaming customers. In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Chip Wilson said, "Frankly, some women's bodies just don't actually work [for the yoga pants]," and "It's more really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it."

He didn't quite say that some women were too big for the pants, but he seemed to imply that women choose sizes that are too small. Comments on Lululemon's Facebook page called Wilson's comments "insensitive" and more: 

Update: Founder Chip Wilson posted this apology video:

Discussion Starters:

• Wilson may have a legitimate point: what is it? On the other hand, how could he have expressed it differently?
• On behalf of Wilson, write an apology that he might post to the Lululemon Facebook page. How can he win back customers, some of whom are already turned off by the brand?