European Commission Official Calls for Unity
Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, called for quotas for European countries to accept more than 160,000 refugees. Juncker is encouraging consistent immigration policies and warning sanctions for countries that don't take their fair share.
Juncker used emotional appeals in his state-of-the-union address to the European parliament:
"Today it is Europe that is sought as a place of refuge and exile. It is Europe today that represents a beacon of hope, a haven of stability in the eyes of women and men in the Middle East and in Africa. That is something to be proud of and not something to fear."
When speaking of the potentially 500,000 refugees who may cross borders, Juncker gave more examples:
"Europe is the baker in Kos who gives away his bread to hungry and weary souls. Europe is the students in Munich and in Passau who bring clothes for the new arrivals at the train station. Europe is the policeman in Austria who welcomes exhausted refugees upon crossing the border. This is the Europe I want to live in."
Although Germany, France, and Italy support the plan, other EU members are reluctant. Juncker used Ukraine as an example of a country that may seek assistance in the future. But he did not convince everyone. Slovak prime minister said, "We won't bow down to Germany and France. Quotas are irrational." The plan also faces resistance from Poland and the Czech Republic, whose Europe prime minister called quotes "nonsensical."
The UK has been a notable resistor to accepting migrants. Britain's Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament chastised the prime minister's lack of cooperation:
"By refusing to take a single refugee that has arrived on Europe's shores, the UK government is shirking our international duty and lowering Britain's standing in the world. Of course we must do more to tackle the causes of the refugee crisis at source, but we cannot turn a blind eye to the human tragedy unfolding right now on our continent."
Prime Minister Cameron has defended his financial contributions and focus on resettlement.
Discussion Starters:
- What are Juncker's challenges in delivering this speech? What type of resistance does he need to overcome?
- Read the transcript of Juncker's speech. What examples do you see of emotional appeals, credibility, and logical argument? What rhetorical devices does he use?
- Assess Juncker's delivery skills. What suggestions do you have for his future presentations?
Pilot Strikes
Two pilot associations are in the news for strikes this week: Vereinigung Cockpit (a German pilots' union for Lufthansa and Germanwings) and the Independent Pilots Association (for UPS).
The Lufthansa pilots have extended their strike-their 13th in the past 18 months-to a second day, causing more than 1,000 flight cancellations. In a press release, the company stated its willingness to negotiate with the union:
"Lufthansa remains willing to resume its negotiations on all open collective labor agreement items with the VC's Group Collective Labor Agreement Committee at any time. 'Our goal is still to work with the VC to find a joint solution to all the open CLA issues through the negotiating process,' confirms Dr. Bettina Volkens, Chief Officer Corporate Human Resources of Deutsche Lufthansa AG."
The UPS pilots took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal to express their dissatisfaction with union negotiations. The ad claims, "UPS management has stalled and delayed, unnecessarily prolonging our contract negotiations."
In a statement, UPS management clarifies that, although the union is threatening to strike, it won't happen. The first three paragraphs of the statement follow:
"UPS continues to negotiate in good faith for a contract that is good for our employees, our customers and our company, and we are confident these negotiations will be completed without disruption in our service.
"Despite the IPA's announcement, there is no real threat of a strike. Such authorization votes are routine during negotiations in the airline industry, but they are legally irrelevant under the Railway Labor Act, the U.S. labor law that governs airlines.
"Under the RLA, a strike is not possible unless authorized by the National Mediation Board. Even then, there are a series of fail-safes, including presidential and congressional intervention, designed to prevent an interruption in operations. . . ."
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of the IPA's full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal? This is an expensive communication. Is it effective? Who is the audience, and what are the objectives?
- Assess UPS's full statement. Which are the most and least convincing arguments?
United Airlines Announces Executive Departures
Three United Airlines executives left the company because of an investigation into whether unprofitable flights were added to suit NY/NJ Port Authority Chairman David Samson. The question is whether United executives exchanged flights to Samson's home for funding from the Port Authority.
The company gave this statement about the departures of CEO Jeff Smisek, the vice president of communications and government affairs, and the senior vice president of corporate and government affairs:
"The departures announced today are in connection with the company's previously disclosed internal investigation related to the federal investigation associated with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The investigations are ongoing and the company continues to cooperate with the government."
The statement was also part of a longer press release, which focused on newly appointed CEO Oscar Munoz. In a message to employees, Munoz expressed his hopes for the company's future.
Discussion Starters:
- Assess United's press release and the CEO's message to employees. What are the communication objectives, and how well do these communications meet those objectives?
- How do you think employees are reacting to the news? What else should the management team communicate internally? How should they reach employees throughout the company?
Hillary Clinton Apologizes About Email
Hillary Clinton's long-awaited apology came yesterday, and it's a hot news story today. In an ABC TV interview with David Muir, Clinton said,
"What I had done was allowed, it was above board. But in retrospect, as I look back at it now, even though it was allowed, I should have used two accounts. One for personal, one for work-related emails. That was a mistake. I'm sorry about that. I take responsibility."
This is most direct apology yet. In an MSNBC interview last week, she said,
"At the end of the day I am sorry that this has been confusing to people."
Clinton is also acknowledging that she could have handled the situation better:
"I do think I could have and should have done a better job answering questions earlier. I really didn't perhaps appreciate the need to do that."
Her decision comes after an investigation found two emails to contain classified information. The Clinton campaign said no emails were marked classified at the time, and they dispute what is considered classified.
Of course, she is also trying to rebuild her image. In a recent questionnaire, respondents most commonly associated the word "liar" with Clinton ("dishonest" was second).
Discussion Starters:
- Should Clinton have apologized earlier? Would it have made a difference in her campaign?
- What's your prediction for Clinton's campaign at this point?
Arguments About Raising the Minimum Wage
Perspectives on the whether and how much to raise the U.S. minimum wage are heating up. A recent National Labor Relations Board ruling made it easier for fast-food workers to negotiate with companies, even if they are contractors or work for a franchisee. And the minimum wage in New York State will increase to $9.00 in December 2015 and likely to $15 for fast food workers.
The upcoming presidential election also has heightened interest in the topic. A New York Times Editorial Board op-ed describes some of the Republican candidates' arguments: "none of which make much sense." Popular opinions include the following, according to the article:
- States should decide (Fiorina)
- The market should decide (Bush)
- Businesses will be hurt (Trump)
- Robots will replace workers (Rubio)
The National Restaurant Association has been an active voice in the debate. In an article, the organization points to potential negative impacts on young workers and the industry.
Discussion Starters:
- Which arguments do you find most and least compelling? What evidence supports your own point of view?
- Have you worked for minimum wage? How, if at all, does that affect your position in the debate?
Commentary on Google's New Logo
When Google changes its logo, everyone seems to weigh in. Some criticism has been harsh. The author of a New Yorker article, "Why You Hate Google's New Logo," writes, "Whenever a brand wants to freshen itself up, you start hearing talk about 'clean lines,' as if a few gorgeous, old-fashioned letters were keeping us in the Dark Ages."
The new logo is sleeker, looking as though it dropped a few pounds and got a tummy tuck.
The author's disappointment continues:
The new logo retains the rainbow of colors but sheds the grownup curlicues: it now evokes children's refrigerator magnets, McDonald's French fries, Comic Sans. Google took something we trusted and filed off its dignity. Now, in its place, we have an insipid "G," an owl-eyed "oo," a schoolroom "g," a ho-hum "l," and a demented, showboating "e."
In a blog post, the company describes the logo as "simple, uncluttered, colorful, friendly" and touts its visibility on "even the tiniest screens."
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of the new logo? Love it, hate it, indifferent to it?
- The New Yorker article describes more of Google's evolution. Do you agree with the author's perspective?
SeaWorld Responds to Harry Styles
With two sentences, Harry Styles of One Direction contributed to SeaWorld's continuing decline. The trouble started with the movie Blackfish, which exposed the park's treatment of orca whales. Now, Credit Suisse analysts point to new culprits resulting in "a 400% spike in mentions and 13% increase in negative commentary month-over-month:"
"Brand impairment issues were magnified in July from allegations that a SeaWorld employee acted as an undercover member of activist group Peta, and after One Direction lead singer, Harry Styles, urged all of his fans to boycott SeaWorld during a concert in San Diego."
After Styles' performance, the company issued this statement:
"Dear Harry, we've seen a concert clip of you urging your fans not to visit SeaWorld. We want you to know we love dolphins too. We care for the animals in our parks like we would our own family.
"We are committed to making sure their lives are enriching and they are continually engaged socially, mentally and physically. And, we also care for animals in the wild.
"We invite you to see for yourself, and then decide based on facts. We are happy to open our doors, take you behind the scenes, and have our trainers and vets answer any questions you have."
New CEO Joel Manby acknowledged damage to the brand:
"We realize we have much work ahead of us to recover more of our attendance base, increase revenue and improve our performance as returning to historical performance levels will take time and investment. On the reputation side, early feedback on our campaign has been positive. However, we recognize that fully resolving our brand challenges in California will require sustained focus and commitment to correct misinformation."
Discussion Starters:
- How does a performer such as Styles have such a big impact? Do you believe Credit Suisse's assessment?
- What can SeaWorld do at this point to repair its brand image? Is it hopeless?
Auschwitz Museum Accused of Insensitivity
Management of the Auschwitz museum in Poland say they were just trying to cool off visitors from the heat, but people took offense to the sprinkler system they say reminded them of gas chambers used during the Holocaust. A visitor from Israel said, "As soon as I got off the bus I walked into the shower contraption. I was in shock. It was a punch to the gut."
A spokesperson for the museum told TIME, "Because of the extreme heat wave we have experienced in August in Poland, mist sprinklers which cool the air were placed near the entrance to the Museum. The mist sprinkles do not look like showers and the fake showers installed by Germans inside some of the gas chambers were not used to deliver gas into them."
He also said, "The safety and health of visitors are our priority during the period of extreme heat. Cooling air have been really helpful to visitors in this difficult situation."
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of the situation? Should the museum have had the foresight to avoid this controversy? Should the management handle the situation differently now? Or are people just being overly sensitive?
- Can you think of a statement that would address visitors' concerns, yet explain management's perspective in a more balanced way?
Ashley Madison's CEO Resigns
Now that the jokes about increasing divorces have subsided, Ashley Madison is in the news again because company CEO Noel Biderman will step down. Ashley Madison is the online dating site that fell victim to a computer hack along with 37 million users who were exposed for cheating on their partners and spouses. The site's tag line is "Life is short. Have an affair."
Although the company promised anonymity, it couldn't protect users from having their emails revealed in an easily searchable database. Further damaging the company's credibility, thousands of Ashley Madison emails in the system showed that many of the female profiles on the site weren't real.
In a statement, the company says decision for the CEO to leave is by "mutual agreement."
Discussion Starters:
- Analyze the statement about the CEO leaving the company. Consider the timing, content, and tone. What could be improved?
- Although Noel Biderman denied having affairs, the hack revealed communications between him and women. Do you think this factored into the decision for him to resign?
- Read additional company statements. How is Ashley Madison trying to rebuild its image?Which tactics do you find most effective?
Walmart Stops Carrying Some Rifles
Walmart will stop some selling high-powered rifles, and the company says the decision is based on sales, not politics. Although speculation links the news to Wednesday's on-air shooting of two television reporters, Walmart's announcement came first.
Spokesman Cory Lundberg said, "It [the decision] was done purely based on customer demand." He also told Forbes, "We previously carried modern sporting rifles in less than a third of our stores. Our merchandising decisions are driven largely by customer demand. In our everyday course of doing business, we are continually reviewing and adjusting our product assortment to meet our customers' needs."
At the same time, news reports question Walmart's motivation. According to a New York Times article, sales of assault rifles have not fallen (although the sales process may be slowed by background checks). Further, after the terrible church shooting in Charleston, S.C., chief executive Doug McMillon "indicated in an interview with CNN that he wanted to curb sales of such weapons."
Discussion Starters:
- Why is Walmart focusing on sales rather than political motivations for discontinuing these guns? Consider Walmart's constituencies when you answer this question.
- Walmart has not posted a news release on its website to describe the decision. Why do you think the company might avoid this?
Google Fights EU's Antitrust Allegations
In a post on Google's "Europe Blog," Kent Walker, SVP & General Counsel, focuses on the company's innovation and quality. In a previous post, Google argued against the contention that search results favor the company. Now Google is trying to reframe the argument for us to see the value the company brings.
The first three paragraphs of the post, shown here, explain the European Commission's Statement of Objections (SO), including how Google ads shift users away from shopping on other websites.
The posts ends, "We believe that the SO's preliminary conclusions are wrong as a matter of fact, law, and economics. We look forward to discussing our response and supporting evidence with the Commission, in the interest of promoting user choice and open competition."
Discussion Starters:
- Assess the organization of Walker's post, particularly the paragraph organization. What principles of business communication are demonstrated by the article?
- Assess the video included in the blog post. What works well about the interviews and examples, and what could be improved? What value does the video add to the blog post?
Candidate Word Clouds
A Quinnipiac University poll isn't good news for Hillary Clinton-or the other candidates. Sixty-one percent of voters said Clinton is untrustworthy. When asked to identify words associated with the democratic candidate, the most frequent was "liar."
For republican candidate Donald Trump, the most common word association was "arrogant" and for Jeb Bush, it was "Bush," which could mean bad news if he's too closely associated with the family, particularly George W. Bush, not a very popular president. The word cloud shows mostly negative words for Clinton, and the one below, for Trump, isn't much more inspiring.
The word clouds can be deceptive. Even if the word height is representative of sentiment, several aspects may skew visual impressions, for example, 1) the (presumably) random color choice, 2) the length of the word (number of letters), and 2) the position of the words, which may make some stand out more than others.
Discussion Starters:
- Looking at these word clouds, which words stand out most to you? Of the smaller words, which ones stand out that may be equal in height to others, but capture your attention because of color or word length?
- Does this poll influence your opinion of either leading candidate? If so, how?
Is Dr. Dre's Apology Enough?
The movie "Straight Outta Compton" about hip hop has raised questions about Dr. Dre's history of domestic violence. One victim called the film "revisionist history" because it omitted incidents of abuse by members of N.W.A.
Dr. Dre did issue this statement to The New York Times:
"Twenty-five years ago I was a young man drinking too much and in over my head with no real structure in my life. However, none of this is an excuse for what I did. I've been married for 19 years and every day I'm working to be a better man for my family, seeking guidance along the way. I'm doing everything I can so I never resemble that man again."
He added, "I apologize to the women I've hurt. I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives."
Apple, which hires Dr. Dre as a top consultant, also issued a statement:
"Dre has apologized for the mistakes he's made in the past and he's said that he's not the same person that he was 25 years ago. After working with him for a year and a half, we have every reason to believe that he has changed."
Victims and reporters have been highlighting Dr. Dre's past. And the LA Times reported that an abuse scene was in an earlier version of the movie but was cut.
The controversy doesn't seem to be affecting movie goers. Box office results show "Straight Outta Compton" leading this weekend with $26 million in sales after a $60 million opening.
Discussion Starters:
- Are you convinced by Dr. Dre's apology? Is it enough?
- Did Apple do the right thing by issuing its own apology? What are the risks?
Video Interviews on the Rise
According to a Futurestep (Korn Ferry) survey, more companies are interviewing candidates via video, and they are reporting good results. Of the 700 companies surveyed, 75% use video to interview leading candidates, and 50% use it to narrow down the pool. Respondents say video has the following benefits:
- Less time for candidates and hiring managers
- Less travel expense
- Faster process
A representative at Novartis reported, "We have had some impressive results. In the past year, 2,700 video interviews have taken place with a cost-avoidance savings of $475,000 and a reduction in manager interview travel by 220 trips."
Companies are also using set questions for candidates to respond to by video. About 25% are using this method, and another 24% have "employee testimonials or messages from recruiting managers" on their websites.
A representative at Futurestep summed up the value of video on a company's career webpage: "Day-in-the-life videos with real employees can showcase a particular job function or office location. Also, welcome videos from the CEO or hiring managers are easy, inexpensive and effective ways to personalize the job seeker's experience and communicate an organization's employer brand." Deloitte has been including videos for some time, as shown here.
Discussion Starters:
- Some of the benefits seem to focus on organizational fit. How does video contribute to this determination about a candidate and company?
- What do you see as the potential dangers of using video for interviews? What could get lost?
- Have you experienced a video interview? How did it go?
McDonald's Copies Burrito Ads
McDonald's has apologized for using photographs similar to another campaign. About a month ago, photos of a man getting engaged to a burrito were making the rounds on Twitter. Recently, McDonald's showed a series of photos of people in similar positions with its food. Compare the left and right images below, shown on Adweek.
David Sikorski, a freelance writer, told Adweek that he created the idea:
"I came up with the concept as a satirical take on the engagement photos that flood my everyday social media channels. The photos are in fact licensed. We gave permission to BuzzFeed for the first use of the photos within an article highlighting the project."
Kristina Bakrevski was the photographer for the campaign. She said, "My reaction was shock, disbelief. I was mad, even though a lot of friends told me the imitation was a form of flattery." For its part, McDonald's responded:
"This shouldn't have happened, and, with our agency partner, we're working to find out how it did. We're reaching out to David Sikorski and Kristina Bakrevski. We apologize to them, their fans and ours."
Discussion Starters:
- McDonald's statement says they will explore how this happened. What are your theories, and how could this have been prevented?
- What else, if anything, should McDonald's do? How could the company avoid a lawsuit at this point?
- Sikorski and Bakrevski said they would like to be paid. How much do you think is appropriate?
Update on Subway's Jared
Last month, Jared Fogle, who was featured in Subway's advertisements for more than 15 years, was under investigation for child pornography. At the time, the company reported that they "agreed to suspend their relationship." Now, Fogle intends to plead guilty to charges of paying for sex with minors and distributing child pornography. He is expected to serve 5 to 12 years in prison.
On its Twitter feed, Subway tried to announce the final cord-cut with a simple tweet but, 20 hours later, issued a second tweet, presumably after pressure to say more. Tweets asked, "Where are the disclosures?" and are calling for a boycott.
Discussion Starters:
- Was Subway's first tweet enough? Should the company have said more and, if so, what?
- Or, perhaps the company shouldn't have said anything at all. They had already "suspended" the relationship. What could have been the consequences of that decision?
- Did the second tweet add value? People want to hear more, but what else is there to say?
- Would you boycott Subway after hearing the news?
Amazon Responds to NYT Article
A New York Times article revealed a tough work environment at Amazon, and the company has responded. "Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace" includes examples of long working hours and little tolerance for employees' personal lives or health. Within three days, piece received more comments than any other NYT article.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos isn't happy about the portrayal. In an email to employees, Bezos wrote,
"The article doesn't describe the Amazon I know or the caring Amazonians I work with every day. But if you know of any stories like those reported, I want you to escalate to HR. You can also email me directly at jeff@amazon.com. Even if it's rare or isolated, our tolerance for any such lack of empathy needs to be zero.
"The article goes further than reporting isolated anecdotes. It claims that our intentional approach is to create a soulless, dystopian workplace where no fun is had and no laughter heard. Again, I don't recognize this Amazon and I very much hope you don't, either. More broadly, I don't think any company adopting the approach portrayed could survive, much less thrive, in today's highly competitive tech hiring market. The people we hire here are the best of the best. You are recruited every day by other world-class companies, and you can work anywhere you want."
Nick Ciubotariu, Amazon's head of infrastructure development, also wrote a rebuttal-a long piece with counterarguments for many claims in the article. He admits that some examples may have been true of Amazon in the past, but they don't reflect his experience today:
"During my 18 months at Amazon, I've never worked a single weekend when I didn't want to. No one tells me to work nights. No one makes me answer emails at night. No one texts me to ask me why emails aren't answered. I don't have these expectations of the managers that work for me, and if they were to do this to their Engineers, I would rectify that myself, immediately. And if these expectations were in place, and enforced upon me, I would leave."
Discussion Starters:
- Does the article change your opinion of Amazon? Will you still buy from the company? Would you apply for a job?
- Assess Ciubotariu's rebuttal. What are his most and least convincing arguments?
- How, if at all, should the New York Times reporter respond?
Chicago Tribune Takes Heat for Katrina Op-Ed
An opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune titled, "In Chicago, wishing for a Hurricane Katrina," has offended many who survived the devastating storm. The author's point was that New Orleans is better off today than before Hurricane Katrina. Kristen McQueary gives examples of an overthrown government, new housing, and improved schools: "Hurricane Katrina gave a great American city a rebirth."
Still, people didn't appreciate the humor:
The newspaper has changed the article title to "Chicago, New Orleans, and rebirth" and removed some of the more offensive parts. But McQueary doesn't seem moved.
Discussion Starters:
- Read the original article. What's your reaction: does it offend you, do you see McQueary's point, or something else?
- McQueary's tweet seems to imply that, if would just read the piece, we would understand her perspective and why it's valid. How is her thinking flawed?
- If she were to write an apology, what could she say to rebuild trust in herself as a journalist and for the Chicago Tribune?
Zirtual Ends Service, and Communication Is Criticized
After starting business just 18 months ago, Zirtual has abruptly announced its demise. Customers and the 400 employees of the virtual personal assistant company were surprised and angry.
Business Insider points out the irony in the shoddy communication. Just three weeks ago, Zirtual CEO Maren Kate Donovan discussed in a Fortune magazine article how important it is to keep employees "in the loop":
"My team is without a doubt my biggest asset, which is something I never take for granted. So it's vital to keep them in the loop during periods of change and consistently show support. Because what my employees don't know could ultimately hurt the entire business. The sooner your team knows about upcoming shifts in the company-the better.
"Additionally, give your employees ample time to adjust, as change in a company can often lead to people feeling unstable in their positions. And be transparent."
Zirtual has backpedaled, indicating that it's taking a "pause":
"The decision to pause operations was the most difficult message I've ever had to deliver. I have spent every waking hour over the past four years working to build the most vibrant community of empowered workers only to have to let them know at once that we could no longer service them."
The upside is that Startups.co will be taking over operations, so some service and some employees will be reinstated.
Discussion Starters:
- How, if at all, could this situation have been avoided? It's understandable that Zirtual scaled up too quickly and had to cease operations, but how could the communication have been better?
- Now that Zirtual will be bought out, what should Startups.co and the former CEO communicate?
Marriott Hires Comedian for Video Campaign
Marriott is encouraging guests to book directly with the hotel rather than through third-party sites. In a video campaign, YouTube comedian Grace Helbig tells viewers to book on Marriott.com to "get the best rates right there. It pays to book direct."
The hashtag #ItPaysToBookDirect is getting some attention. One video was favorited on Twitter more than 800 times.
A USA Today Road Warriors article identifies six reasons to book online. The best reason is to avoid rouge booking sites that inflate prices and don't guarantee a room. Guests who book directly also may get a better room and better service.
Critics say Helbig is adding a "kinda-sorta-a-little-bit funny dose of humor" to the ads. She is, after all, a YouTube celebrity, whatever that means.
Discussion Starters:
- The grammar bugs me. The campaign needs the adverb directly (book directly). I realize the standards are different for marketing. Am I just being picky?
- What's your view of the online video campaign? Do you find the ads funny? Will they encourage people to book on Marriott.com?