PowerPoint Karaoke

A Wall Street Journal article described several PowerPoint shows that challenge performers to incorporate PPT images into an impromptu presentation. Called "PowerPoint karaoke" or "battle decks," the fun happens at Twitter, Wal-Mart stores, Abode, Zynga, and other companies.

At Adobe, an employee is given a topic, such as whales, 30 seconds before she gets up to speak for nine minutes. While speaking, she and the audience see random photos, such as bare-chested men, which she tries to incorporate into the presentation. 

Sammy Wegent started a company called "Speechless" to host similar PowerPoint events. Employees from Google, Adobe, and Airbnb have competed. The improv events provide levity to office workers who often have a love-hate relationship with the software.

Image source.

Discussion Starters: 

• In some respects, these presentations having nothing to do with PowerPoint. Do you see my perspective? 
• These events are just for fun, but what skills could employees build by participating? 
• Can you imagine yourself participating in one of these events? What would be easy for you, and what would be challenging?

American Airlines Refuses Refund for Parents of Deceased Child

When a family tragically lost their nine-year-old daughter, they wanted to cash in their American Airline tickets for the vacation they had planned. But the airline refused.

The Cantrells' trip was just five months after Madison "Scout" died from an asthma attack. Her 13-year-old sister, Katie, didn't want to travel to their annual beach destination because it would be too painful. They requested a refund through the Airlines' online system and received a denial letter:

"After reviewing the documentation submitted, it has been determined the request does not meet our exception requirements. The ticket purchased is non-refundable so we cannot offer a refund, issue a travel voucher, or transfer this ticket to another person. The ticket will remain valid in our system for one year from the original date of issue, at which time it will expire and all value will be lost. [...] As a one-time courtesy, authorization was documented in your reservation to waive the change fee assessed when a non-refundable ticket is changed. [...] Your new ticket will be subject to any additional collection, if necessary, as governed by the applicable fares and fare rules in effect at that time."

The "Gulliver Business Travel" section of the Economist explains what happened next:

"By now, Gulliver readers will be able to predict with weary certainty what happened next. Which makes it all the more incredible that American failed to spot the inevitable chain of events that would follow. The mother posted the letter on Facebook, social media poured opprobrium on the airline for its heartlessness, and the carrier swiftly backtracked. As soon it started to feel the heat, American announced that it had apologised and would refund the Cantrells. But not before its reputation, such as it is, had already taken a shoeing."

According to The Consumerist, the decision is inconsistent with the airline's own policy:

"Nonrefundable tickets generally cannot be refunded. However, exceptions may be available under the following circumstances: Death of the passenger, immediate family member, or travelling companion."

Eventually, American Airlines came around:

"We extend our deepest sympathies to the Cantrell family on the loss of their daughter. We fully refunded [her] ticket last night and apologized to [the family] for not doing so immediately when she first contacted us."

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• How do you think the original decision to deny the refund happened, particularly if it's inconsistent with the airlines' own policy? 
• The Cantrell family say they heard about the refund from news sources before they were informed by the airline. Why do you think American would handle the decision in this way? Was it the right move?
• Assess the airlines' apology statement. Should the company say more, or does this suffice?

Fraternity's Facebook Posts Cause Suspension

Penn State fraternity Kappa Delta Rho has been suspended and may face criminal charges because of Facebook photos. The images, posted to two "secret" pages, showed women who are nude, unconscious, or in other compromised states. Other photos revealed drug sales and hazing.

A cease-and-desist letter from the university's Interfraternity Council explains the decision:

"This action is being taken in response to the chapter hosting two private Facebook pages where highly inappropriate photographs were posted of activities, events, and comments that are in direct violation of the standards and values of a recognized student organization and/or fraternity at Penn State University. The State College Police have shared copies of photographs and communication that were posted on these Facebook pages with the Office of Student Conduct, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the Interfraternity Council."

A statement from the university similarly condemns the action and explains the investigation.  

A New York Times article portrays student sentiment: "Students on this campus of about 47,000 were dismayed but unsurprised by the episode."

The incident brings new questions about how the University handles sex crimes. In 2011, football coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested for abusing boys while school officials, including famed coach Joe Paterno, kept silent.

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• Consider Facebook's "Community Standards," updated just this week. Which are violated by the fraternity? 
• Assess the University's and Interfraternity Council's statements. Consider the main points, tone, organization, and so on. 
• Do you find the Sandusky situation relevant? Why or why not?

Facebook's Community Standards

Facebook provided more detailed "Community Standards," which include the social network's approach to government requests. Requests for data and to restrict content were up to 35,051 in 2014.

The new guidelines specify what's acceptable and unacceptable in four categories:

• Keeping you safe (e.g., self-injury, bullying and harassment)
• Encouraging respectful behavior (e.g., nudity, hate speech)
• Keeping your account and personal information secure (e.g., authentic identity, fraud and spam)
• Protecting your intellectual property.

The Community Standards are particularly relevant this week, as a Penn State fraternity was suspended for having photos of nude women and other offensive images on "secret" Facebook pages.

Discussion Starters:

• What is the purpose of the Community Standards? Identify three or four specific communication objectives. Consider all of Facebook's many constituencies. 
• Which of the Standards do you find most and least clear? 
• Assess the video above. What's your view of the content and graphics?

Cancer PSA Shows Lumps in the Road

Cancer Research UK created a clever public service announcement to show how people ignore potentially cancerous lumps on their bodies. The group hired creative effects company Artem to design and build the lumps, which they managed in just three weeks.  

The video shows people on a busy street walking around and ignoring a lump as it grows in the sidewalk. At the end, we see the text, "It's easy to ignore something, especially when we're busy. But spotting cancer sooner could save your life."

Artem's portfolio chronicles the company's creativity and diverse work. After 12 days, the YouTube video shows about 90,500 views.

Discussion Starters: 

• How would you measure the success of this campaign? What metrics would be appropriate? Consider the costs as well as the benefits. 
• What's your view of the PSA? In what ways do you find it effective and ineffective?

Apple Apologizes for Outage

Apple has apologized for a major outage that lasted several hours. Users couldn't access iTunes or the App Store from 5 a.m. and during most of the day. Outages were reported in the United States, U.K., Switzerland, and Spain. 

Apple issued this statement to CNBC: 

"We apologize to our customers experiencing problems with iTunes and other services this morning. The cause was an internal DNS error at Apple. We're working to make all of the services available to customers as soon as possible, and we thank everyone for their patience."

As of 5:27 p.m., Apple's service status page showed all systems operating normally. 

Discussion Starters: 

• Assess Apple's apology considering principles from Chapters 1 and 5 about slang, jargon, and so on. 
• Initially, people thought the problem was caused by a server outage. How would this, if at all, have affected Apple's statement? 

Oklahoma Students Expelled for Racist Chant

Students at the University of Oklahoma are paying the price for participating in a racist chant caught on video. Two students at Sigma Alpha Epsilon were expelled for "creating a hostile educational environment for others," and the university chapter was closed. (Read letter to students.)

Students seem to be chanting the following:

There will never be a n** at SAE
There will never be a n** at SAE
You can hang him from a tree
But he'll never sign with me
There will never be a n** at SAE

Another video shows the chapter's house mother using the "N-word" repeatedly.

The national chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon issued a statement, including the following:

"In separate statements, the two men who have been expelled from the university have mentioned that the song was 'taught to us.' However, as has been maintained in previous statements, the national fraternity does not teach such a racist, hateful chant, and this chant is not part of any education or training. Our investigation has found very likely that the men learned the song from fellow chapter members, which reiterates why Sigma Alpha Epsilon did not hesitate to close the chapter completely because of the culture that may have been fostered in the group."

The incident raises issues of "serious lack of mature oversight," according to a lawyer on another case against the fraternity. In 2011, a Cornell University African-American sophomore died following a hazing ritual at SAE. George Desdunes was blindfolded and tied up. He died of alcohol poisoning. Although the fraternity was cleared of criminal wrongdoing, there were other charges, and the case is being pursued in civil court.

Attorney Douglas Fierberg said,

"By allowing teenagers to make these decisions independent of adult guidance, you can end up with a chapter gone far awry with things like this, even injury and death. Many of these chapters insist on self-management. But it's that very thing that makes them far more riskier than any other organization in the entire nation."

Discussion Starters:

• One SAE student and the parents of another wrote apologies. What else, if anything, should be done at this point?
• A writer for the The Washington Post said the expulsions are unconstitutional, based on the First Amendment. Read the article and discuss your perspective.

Hillary Clinton Discusses Personal Email Situation

At a news conference, Hillary Clinton describes how she used her personal email account while she was Secretary of State, a position she left two years ago. Clinton says she used one account (one device) for all emails for "convenience."

Her view is that work-related emails were sent to .gov accounts, so they are saved. For others, she says she followed the federal guidelines that "for any government employee, it is that employee's responsibility to determine what's personal and what's work related."

Full news conference.

Clinton says she regrets not using two separate devices but is glad that her personal email will become public. She sounds confident that no wrongdoing will be uncovered. According to The New York Times, about 30,500 personal emails have been given to the State Department in December, but another 32,000 have been deleted.

The Times article also questioned her explanation of wanting to carry just one device:

"Mrs. Clinton's explanation that it was more convenient to carry only one device seemed at odds with her remark last month, at a technology conference in Silicon Valley, that she uses multiple devices, including two kinds of iPads, an iPhone and a BlackBerry. She said then: 'I don't throw anything away. I'm like two steps short of a hoarder.'"

Discussion Starters:

• How do you think this controversy might affect Clinton's pending candidacy for president?
• What's your view of The Times' criticism of her carrying just one device, although she says she doesn't throw old devices away. Is this the same thing?

"Creepy Methods" and More in Emails

Hillary Clinton's emails are becoming public as are emails about other personal accounts potentially used for official State Department business. In a series of emails, we see Clinton's aide, Philippe Reines, show his anger, including this "Note" at the end of a message to Gawker:

"(NOTE: How about you, me and lying liar source take a trip to the polygraph store. The three of us strap in and we let the needle decide. Loser pays and issues a public apology. I don't need to know their identity until they lose.)"

The email stream started with a question from a reporter to Reines:

From: CJ Ciaramella
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2015 18:47:10
To: Philippe Reines
Subject: Comment on private email address at State Dept

Hi Philippe,

This is CJ Ciaramella, a reporter for the Washington Free Beacon and Vice. Wondering if you have any response to this Gawker article alleging that you and Huma Abedin used private email addresses to conduct official government business while at the State Dept:

http://gawker.com/source-top-cli...

As I'm sure you well know, not archiving official business conducted on a private email address is a violation of the Federal Records Act. A FOIA request for your State Dept. emails is also currently being appealed. Please email or call: [redacted]

Best,
CJ Ciaramella

Here are more quotations from Reines' emails:

• Did you attempt to verify your source's assertion of my use of such an email using the same creepy methods you did with my close friend and colleague Huma Abedin? Assuming you did, why doesn't your piece note the results of your creepy methods?
• If your lying liar pants on fire source worked with me at a federal agency as you and they contend, did you ask them to provide even a single email exchange with my using that account?
• Cockamamie Theory: Is it your belief that I orchestrated this from private life months after leaving my job at State? If yes, is it your belief that my long reach would rig something as implausibly stupid as the reply you got? That's just insulting. I mean, it put me in a worse light than if they had just ignored you.

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• Read all of the emails (if you have the time!). How is Reines both hurting and helping Clinton?
• To what extent should this email exchange reflect on Clinton personally and professionally?

McDonald's Limits Antibiotic Use in Chickens

Until now, McDonald's approach has been, yes, to offer some healthier menu items, but more so, to promote their current food. John Oliver poked fun at the company's ad campaign, "Our Food, Your Questions":

"There's something a little suspicious about the way that they're celebrating the fact that their food is made out of food."  

This week, McDonald's is taking real action: limiting the antibiotics that are used in chickens. Steve Easterbrook just took over as CEO on March 1 after a 12-year history with McDonald's in the U.K. According to The New York Times, this is Easterbrook's "first major act": 

"Mr. Easterbrook's first major act as C.E.O. was to announce that within two years all the chicken served at its restaurants would be free of antibiotics, or at least those antibiotics also used in humans. It was a big move for McDonald's, which is one of the biggest buyers of chicken, and one that pleased health officials who see overuse of antibiotics in animal husbandry - and the resulting antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria - as a serious threat to human health."

The company hopes Easterbrook will turn around failing McDonald's restaurants throughout the world as he did in the U.K. This Business Insider chart of same-store sales shows that the company has work to do.

 Image source. Chart source.

Discussion Starters: 

• Assess McDonald's announcement about antibiotics. What effect do you think this will have on suppliers, consumers, and investors? 
• Easterbook declined comment for The New York Times article. Why would he decline, and is this a good move?
• What other communications or actions should the company take to restore the image and increase revenue?

Warren Buffett's Letters

Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post covered Warren Buffett's most recent letter to shareholders. The Journal's fascination is evident in its annotated version of the letter and its description of the excitement: 

"Warren Buffett's annual letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, released Saturday, is always pored over for investing smarts, hints at who might succeed him, and folksy wisdom about life and business.

"This year's 50th-anniversary edition didn't disappoint. It offered readers a breezy and informative waltz through the history of conglomerates, and aphorisms such as "never underestimate the man who overestimates himself." It even included advice to get the giant root beer float for dessert at Piccolo's, if you happen to be in Omaha for the annual meeting that marks Buffett's 50th year at the helm. ('Only sissies get the small one,' he wrote.)"

The Journal also summarized a few leadership lessons from the letter, including these:

• Admit your mistakes and stay humble.
• Shower people who work for you with praise.
• Character is crucial. 

Buffett's previous annual letters are logged on Berkshire Hathaway's website.

Discussion Starters: 

• Explain the fascination with Buffett's letters. 
• Read the latest or an older letter. Describe the tone, messages, and organization. What are the communication objectives? Did Buffett achieve them? 

No More Elephants at the Circus

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey won't include elephants in their circus performances after 2018. The company announced a plan to phase out its 43 animals, some say because of pressure from consumer and animal rights groups, while others point to the increasing costs of maintaining each elephant: $65,000 per year. 

Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said, "These are complex, intelligent animals, and this is a lousy, lousy, dirty, cruel business, and people see that. This was purely a business decision." 

 A press release on the company's website says that the elephants will join other animals at the Elephant Conservation Center: 

"The Feld Family, owners of Feld Entertainment, Inc., the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, announced plans today to remove Asian elephants from their traveling circus performances. Under the plan, 13 elephants currently traveling with the three Ringling Bros. circus units will be relocated to the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant for Conservation® in Florida by 2018. There they will join the rest of the Ringling Bros. herd of more than 40 elephants."

Later in the release, the company mentions "changing consumer preferences": 

"'Our family has been the proud steward of the American institution that is Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, and our elephants, for 45 years. It is a legacy that we hold near and dear to our hearts, and as producers of The Greatest Show On Earth, we feel we have a responsibility to preserve the esteemed traditions that everyone expects from a Ringling Bros. performance while striving to keep the show fresh and contemporary for today's families,' said Nicole Feld and Alana Feld, Ringling Bros. producers and Executive Vice Presidents with Feld Entertainment. 'As the circus evolves, we can maintain our focus on elephant conservation while allowing our business to continue to meet shifting consumer preferences,' they added."

Image source. 

Discussion Starters: 

• How well does the company's press release explain the move? 
• What do you think is the motivation behind the change? 
• What can SeaWorld learn from the news?

Ferguson Emails Reveal Racist Attitudes

Emails among Ferguson, MO, police officers and court officers reveal racial bias. In an investigation following the shooting of Michael Brown (and the grand jury's decision not to indict the officer who shot him), the Justice Department discovered offensive emails, six of which were published.

One email, according to NPR, said that "President Barack Obama would not be president for very long because 'what black man holds a steady job for four years.'" Others compared the president to a chimpanzee and conveyed more stereotypes about African-Americans, Muslims, and people on welfare.

According a the Justice Department's report, the emails reflect the culture of the police department and court system:

"Ferguson's police and municipal court practices both reflect and exacerbate existing racial bias, including racial stereotypes. Ferguson's own data establish clear racial disparities that adversely impact African Americans. The evidence shows that discriminatory intent is part of the reason for these disparities."

In a news conference, Ferguson Major James Knowles condemned the behavior and announced that two of the three employees who wrote the emails were terminated, and a third was placed on administrative leave. 

Discussion Starters: 

• Assess the mayor's news conference. How well does he assure the public that proper actions have been taken?
• What other communications would you like to see, for example, from the police department or court system?
• How do we get people to stop writing emails that they don't want discovered? 

Twitter Adds Safety Features

Shortly after Dick Costolo promised to address cyberbullying on Twitter, the company has implemented new safety features to protect users.

A new process allows users to report "abusive or harmful" tweets with a few easy clicks. In addition to this new reporting tool, Twitter announced the following accomplishments so far:

• "...we now review five times as many user reports as we did previously, and we have tripled the size of the support team focused on handling abuse reports."
• "...we've been able to significantly reduce the average response time to a fraction of what it was, and we see this number continuing to drop."

Discussion Starters:

• Assess Twitter's announcement of the new safety features. What do you find most and least convincing?
• How well will the new features address harassment and other bullying behavior on Twitter?

Deceiving Hotel Photos

Business Insider has gathered a bunch of deceiving hotel photos and compared them to real pictures taken on site. Some may be Photoshopped, while others may have been taken at creative angles with fancy lenses.

This example shows the pool of the Los Angeles Sofitel. Is it Photoshopped, or is Macy's cut out of the picture by the angle? The Business Insider article show 17 comparisons.

  
Discussion Starters:

• Some of these show the difference between a "staged" room and one ready for guests; others show different lighting and times of day. How much creativity do you find acceptable for photos posted on a hotel's website?
• Where's the ethical line here? Which, if any, of these photos do you consider a breach of ethics? Use the ethical decision-making guidelines in Chapter 1 to support your view.

New Meanings of Punctuation

A New York Times article discusses the interpretations and misinterpretations of punctuation marks. Of course, texting has raised new issues, and this isn't the first time the topic is of interest.

Mashable published an article more than a year ago about the perplexities of marks in messages, particularly periods as aggression. Turns out, only 39% of college students use punctuation at the ends of texts (45% at the ends of instant messages). 

The NY Times writer reminds us of the history of punctuation: 

"The origins of punctuation lie in ancient oration, when marks were used in handwritten speeches to advise when and for how long a speaker should pause. A period was a part of speech that had a beginning and end, a comma indicated the shortest pause, while the colon was somewhere between the two.

"But there are no pauses or inflections in digital communication; we aren't speaking the words out loud. Which means that even within the tiniest spaces, punctuation fills in the tonal holes."

She adds spaces before some marks, for example, "Can't wait !!" She believes this can "soften the marks themselves."  

One editor says it well: "You could drive yourself insane trying to decode the hidden messages in other people's punctuation." I'm sure many people do.

Image source.

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view about periods at the ends of text messages? 
• Look at your most recent text messages. How are you using punctuation? Can any be misinterpreted? 
• Can you remember a text that had confusing punctuation? Why did it confuse you? 

Getting Too Close

NPR did a segment on physical closeness, a topic covered in Chapter 2 on intercultural communication. The inspiration was two recent incidents in the news:

• At her husband's swearing in as secretary of defense, Stephanie Carter experienced Vice President Joe Biden's hands on her shoulders while he whispered into her ear. 
• At the Oscars, John Travolta put a hand on Scarlett Johansson's waist, leaning in for a kiss. To make up for last year's embarrassment, Travolta was face to face with Idina Menzel, touching her chin. 

We know that social distance is farther in the United States than in other countries. At 3 or 4 feet, we're seen as cold: "That's just frigid; that's like an icicle," according to one Cuban immigrant.

While touching behaviors vary by culture, the NPR article speculates that coming up from behind someone, as Joe Biden did, is seldom  a good idea. 

Image source.

Discussion Starters: 

• Have you ever felt uncomfortable with someone's physical distance in a social setting? What were the circumstances? 
• Have you ever noticed someone else backing away or trying to move closer to you in a work setting?
• What's your view of touching at work?

American Airlines Loses Lots of Luggage

American Airlines mishandled luggage-and customer complaints. International Business Times joked that MIA is the code for the Miami airport and now lost luggage as well.

The airline blames the mistake on a technical issue: the conveyor belts weren't working properly, so luggage wasn't loaded onto the plane. Passengers weren't notified until flights landed.

At other airports, travelers report being on hold for an hour and waiting in line for 45 minutes before learning about their lost luggage. 

"We waited another 45 minutes to see a customer service agent to file our locator claim. That was the frustrating part -- American Airlines didn't say anything. You think they would tell us so we're not waiting. We wasted a good hour and a half."

American Airlines representative Joshua Freed gave this statement:

"The system was back online this afternoon and we are working to reunite those bags with our passengers. Should a customer have a question about their delayed bag, they can work with the baggage service office at their destination or call 1-800-535-5225."

Discussion Starters: 

• Should American Airlines have told passengers about the missing luggage before they boarded the plane, during the flight, or only when they landed? Consider the consequences of each. 
• What else, if anything, should the company do or say at this point? 

Dangers of Talking About Political Beliefs at Work

A New York Times article warns people about sharing their political leanings in business situations. Alina Tugend lost a sizable account after reacting positively to a news story about President Obama during a meal with a prospective client.

In the article, she poses these questions:

HERE'S a quiz for the coming campaign season. Which one of these actions could get you disciplined or fired?

A) Hanging political cartoons on your office door.

B) Sending emails to your colleagues soliciting support for a controversial cause.

C) Writing a blog at home stating your opinions about a local campaign and posting it on Facebook.

D) All of the above.

The answer is D. Now, that's not an absolute. It depends on whether you are a private or public employee. It also depends on where you live.

Employees in the private sector have few protections. The First Amendment protects speech from government action, not private employers.

On the other hand, you may have more protection if you belong to a union or work in New York, California, Colorado, North Dakota, or the District of Columbia, all of which protect political beliefs-as long as you don't interfere with business.

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• What are you comfortable sharing or not sharing with coworkers?
• Argue for and against protections of political beliefs or actions at work. Try to see the situation from the employer and employee's perspective.
• Should we have a federal law to protect political speech and beliefs as we do for religion? Why or why not?

Entertainment Weekly Ranks Oscars Speeches

Entertainment Weekly has ranked the Oscars speeches from best to worst. Garnering the top spot is Graham Moore, who won for the Best Adapted Screenplay, The Imitation Game. Moore's speech is a lesson in vulnerability, a topic that will be covered in the 10th edition of Business Communication.

Second best was J.K. Simmons' speech, accepting the award for Best Supporting Actor in Whiplash.

More speeches this year seemed to have a theme or message for us. These first did as well as the third and fourth ranked on ET's list:

• John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn, who won for Best Original Song for Selma, "Glory." Performer John Legend also said, "Selma is now, because the struggle for justice is right now."
• Patricia Arquette, who won for Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood. She said, "To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights. It's our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America." Perhaps more notable than Arquette's words was Meryl Streep's reaction:
  

Discussion Starters:

• Read the rest of Entertainment Weekly's list, particularly the ones at the bottom. Do you agree with the order and comments? Too harsh?
• A few years ago, I remember people getting angry about winners using the stage to promote political and other agendas. Do you think that has changed? Or, what makes these speeches different?