Apology for "Should Be Shot" Comment
The University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld has apologized for using the expression "should be shot," in this case, referring to faculty who are unprepared. An email exchange between the president and a librarian shows a respectful interaction but indicates a reluctant apology.
The librarian, Lisa Gardinier, initiated a long email, calling his use of the term "flippant" and "horrifying and unacceptable" given "the tense atmosphere of racist law enforcement violence." She also criticized his "rambling, unfocused" talk-a bit harsh, in my view, but I don't have to listen to him.
Clearly, Harreld isn't happy to hear from Gardinier, but starting a sentence with "frankly," could indicate the opposite. It's like saying "honestly"; what's the alternative?
Later, Harreld denied saying "they should be shot" but admitted saying, "I have learned the hard way that if I ever walk into a classroom without a teaching plan, I should be shot."
As usual, this criticism is not in isolation. People were unhappy with Harreld's appointment because of his business background and questions about the hiring process.
Discussion Starters:
- Read the entire email exchange, starting with Gardinier's first email. How does she successfully explain her argument? Where does her email fall short?
- Should Harreld have apologized sooner and more clearly? Why or why not?
- What's your view of the expression "should be shot"? Should it be avoided, or is it just a harmless expression?
- Does the use of "they" or "I" make a difference?
iPhones Cause an iHunch
A New York Times article by Amy Cuddy warns us about physical harm caused by the iPhone. Cuddy says our posture is taking a hit because of hunching over the phone, dubbed the iHunch by New Zealand physiotherapist Steve August.
Cuddy cites her own and others' work indicating that posture isn't just the result of our mood but could determine our mood. People slouch when they're fearful or depressed, but does slouching cause us to perform more poorly, or the opposite-does good posture improve performance? Cuddy cites several studies that indicate both.
Most relevant to business communication is probably the 2009 Japanese study of children's posture. When children were instructed to improve their posture, their "academic writing productivity increased."
To avoid posture problems, Cuddy offers this advice:
Keep your head up and shoulders back when looking at your phone, even if that means holding it at eye level. You can also try stretching and massaging the two muscle groups that are involved in the iHunch - those between the shoulder blades and the ones along the sides of the neck. This helps reduce scarring and restores elasticity.
Finally, the next time you reach for your phone, remember that it induces slouching, and slouching changes your mood, your memory and even your behavior. Your physical posture sculpts your psychological posture, and could be the key to a happier mood and greater self-confidence.
Discussion Starters:
- How could you use this information in your personal life? Which of Cuddy's suggestions could you apply?
- Why do you think posture improved writing performance in the Japanese study? How well do you think the study of schoolchildren could translate to college students and business professionals?
Yet Another Republican Debate
Once again, Donald Trump was front and center during the Republican presidential debate. The fifth of many debates to come, the CNN debate in Las Vegas focused on the two recent terrorist attacks in Paris and California.
CNN identified Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump as the winners, while The Washington Post highlighted Bush, Rubio, and Trump (but only for the first hour). Here are highlights from The Post.
Analysts credit Jeb Bush for pushing back on Trump. Calling him a "chaos candidate," Bush attacked Trump's leadership ability, according to Newsweek:
Blitzer asked Bush about his comments that Trump was "unhinged" after Trump proposed banning all Muslims from the United States after the San Bernardino attacks. "Donald is great at the one-liners, but he's a chaos candidate," Bush said, "and he'd be a chaos president, he would not be the Commander-in-Chief we need to keep our country safe."
Discussion Starters:
- No mention this time of Carly Fiorina. What happened?
- Watch more segments from the debate. What are some of the "standout" moments?
Reese's Handles Criticism Well
Several tweets showed some questionable-looking Reese's trees. In addition to this example, people wrote, "I feel deceived," and "Does this look like a Christmas tree to you??"
These photos do look more like shapeless blobs than tress.
In response, Reese's shifted the focus with a funny play on appearance. In a second post, Reese's showed four trees with the same slogan; however, all of these examples are more, may I say, shapely than the ones posted by consumers.
Inquisitr called the response "epic."
People are fussy. Critics said Starbucks' polar bear cookies look as though their throats have been cut.
Discussion Starters:
- What are other ways the company could have responded to the criticism? What are the advantages and downsides of other approaches?
- The response worked well, but I could see further criticism because the Resee's example don't quite match what people are finding. Could the campaign have backfired?
Kimpton Updates Rewards Members
Kimpton Hotels has emailed Inner Circle members to provide an update on the rewards program. Sent by the senior director of guest marketing, the email seems to respond to unanswered questions. With a conversational style, Maggie Lane promises more communication:
We know things have been a bit quiet on our end. There's been a lot of hard work behind the scenes. Our team has also been listening and we know you want more information. We get it.
Her conversational style is also evident in the email closing:
That's all I got for now. I wish you a delightful, eggnog-fueled holiday season and New Year with your loved ones.
The approach is interesting and may be a reaction to the news of Marriott's acquisition of Starwood. Much of that news has been about the great opportunities for Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest members. IHG's acquisition of Kimpton was announced in December 2014 and hasn't gotten much press since then.
Discussion Starters:
- Using principles from Chapter 4 in the textbook, analyze Kimpton's audience for this email. Who are Inner Circle members, what do we know about them, and so on?
- Assess the conversational style, particularly the word choice. How do you think the audience might react?
Generation Gap: "Offen" or "Off-ten"
A clever piece in The Chronicle analyzes current pronunciation of often. Ben Yagoda questions recent pronunciations with the t.
He starts by identifying an example in the podcast "Reply All," hosted by P.J. Vogt: "...Vogt is young (I would judge in his early 30s), and speaks with vocal fry, list lilt, uptalk, and, generally, a pronounced Ira Glass-esque lack of slickness."
Turns out, the t-pronunciation is a recent phenomenon. Early dictionaries indicate no t, but two 20th-century dictionaries indicate a shift, with one calling the pronunciation "vulgar," "certainly unnecessary," and "an affectation of refinement." Yagoda provides interesting evidence in speech from 12 "My Fair Lady" musical versions.
Yagoda concludes that younger people pronounce the t. He has seen a shift in pronunciation among his students and increasingly sees-as I do- "oftentimes" appearing in writing assignments. Good grief.
Discussion Starters:
- How do you pronounce often? Do you notice a generational difference?
- Assess Yagoda's evidence. What would strengthen his argument?
Study: Ending Texts with a Period Is "Truly Monstrous"
A Washington Post article doesn't hold back in interpreting a Binghamton University study. Published in Computers in Human Behavior, the study compared receivers' reactions to periods used in handwritten and text messages:
We ask whether punctuation-specifically, the period-may serve as a cue for pragmatic and social information. Participants read short exchanges in which the response either did or did not include a sentence-final period. When the exchanges appeared as text messages, the responses that ended with a period were rated as less sincere than those that did not end with a period. No such difference was found for handwritten notes. We conclude that punctuation is one cue used by senders, and understood by receivers, to convey pragmatic and social information.
A New York Magazine article calls the period in a text message "the 'k' of punctuation." Apparently, "k" is highly offensive, indicating a power trip, laziness, and other terrible qualities.
The text period has come up before in BizCom in the News. A Mashable article quoted a linguistics professor at the University of Pennsylvania:
"In the world of texting and IMing … the default is to end just by stopping, with no punctuation mark at all. In that situation, choosing to add a period also adds meaning because the reader(s) need to figure out why you did it. And what they infer, plausibly enough, is something like 'This is final, this is the end of the discussion or at least the end of what I have to contribute to it.'"
The Binghamton University study proves it.
Discussion Starters:
- How did we get here-where our smallest punctuation mark has taken on such grave meaning?
- What's your view of the "k" in texts? Do you share the criticism?
Trump Wants to Ban Muslims
Donald Trump is taking a bold stand against terrorism-or his version of it. In a press release, Trump proposes preventing any Muslims from entering the United States.
DECEMBER 07, 2015 -
DONALD J. TRUMP STATEMENT ON PREVENTING MUSLIM IMMIGRATION
(New York, NY) December 7th, 2015, -- Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on. According to Pew Research, among others, there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population. Most recently, a poll from the Center for Security Policy released data showing "25% of those polled agreed that violence against Americans here in the United States is justified as a part of the global jihad" and 51% of those polled, "agreed that Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to Shariah." Shariah authorizes such atrocities as murder against non-believers who won't convert, beheadings and more unthinkable acts that pose great harm to Americans, especially women.
Mr. Trump stated, "Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life. If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again." - Donald J. Trump
A Fox News article quotes Trump: "Look at what FDR did many years ago, and he's one of the most respected presidents," Trump said. "We have people in this country that want to blow up our country - you know it and so do I. They're looking at the jihad. They want a jihad." This seems like a logical flaw: how will preventing Muslims affect people already in this country?
Reactions to Trump's proposal have been mostly negative. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that most people oppose his plan.
Another lens on this issue is the perspective from Muslims on college campuses. An article in The Chronicle describes the experience of Muslim leaders: "It's like holding your breath."
Discussion Starters:
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of Trump's plan?
- Does the data about American's views they justify his proposal? Is the data from credible sources?
- Will the proposal reduce terrorism in the United States? Explain your position.
Latest Hashtag Trouble: Lane Bryant
You never know what you'll get on Twitter with a hashtag campaign. Lane Bryant's CMO Brian Beitler tried to engage customers with #AskLaneBryant, but he got a lot of tough comments. PR Daily captured many of them and complimented some of the company's approach:
To the brand's credit, Beitler addressed several concerns during the hour, and the brand's account tweeted its thanks for the "candidness" from chat participants.
Several comments criticize the plus-size retailer for product, model, and associate choices. Although some tweets were "snarky," as PR Daily calls them, Beitler could have been bolder in tackling some of them.
One of the more challenging tweets referenced a study published in the journal Social Problems. Here are the tweet and article abstract:
Drawing on participant observation at a women's plus-size clothing store, "Real Style," this article draws on the unique experiences of plus-sized women in their roles as workers, managers, and customers, to examine how mainstream beauty standards, body-accepting branding, and customers' diverse feeling rules shape service interactions. Despite branding that promoted prideful appreciation for "Real" bodies, the influence of these body-accepting discourses was constrained by women's internalization of mainstream fat stigma, resulting in an environment characterized by deep ambivalence toward larger body size. This ambivalence allowed hierarchies between women to be reified, rather than dissolved; although plus-sized employees and customers expressed gratitude to have Real Style as a "safe space" to work and shop, workers experienced gender segregation of jobs, and thinner employees were privileged with special tasks. Further, managers and white (but not black or Latina) customers used body-disparaging "fat talk" to elicit workers' emotional labor while confronting thinner workers for defying aesthetic expectations. This research offers a more nuanced understanding of the ties between aesthetic labor and emotional labor, while highlighting some of the factors that prevent stigmatized groups from successfully reclaiming status within consumer contexts.
Discussion Starters:
- Read PR Daily's compilation of tweets. To which do you think the company should have responded?
- How should Beitler have responded to the reference to the journal article.
- Once again, should companies just avoid a branded Twitter hashtag? Discuss the value and the downsides.
"They" Can Be Singular in The Washington Post
It's a sad day for grammarians everywhere. The Washington Post will allow "they" as a singular pronoun when we don't know the person's gender. A memo from Bill Walsh, the paper's style chief explains the decision:
It is usually possible, and preferable, to recast sentences as plural to avoid both the sexist and antiquated universal default to male pronouns and the awkward use of he or she, him or her and the like: All students must complete their homework, not Each student must complete his or her homework.
When such a rewrite is impossible or hopelessly awkward, however, what is known as "the singular they" is permissible: Everyone has their own opinion about the traditional grammar rule. The singular they is also useful in references to people who identify as neither male nor female.
I find Walsh's second example puzzling: why can't we write, "Everyone has an opinion..."? On the other hand, if we're talking just about the case for "everyone," I wouldn't rebel over it. I also understand using the singular they for transgender people including those who choose not to conform to a binary gender.
Of course, this is only an issue because we don't have an adequate gender-neutral pronoun. Unfortunately, none of several proposed options have stuck. The APA Style Guide provides a more reasoned approach to the dilemma.
Here's my favorite tweet on the subject:
Discussion Starters:
- What do you think of The Washington Post's announcement? Is this a big deal or not?
- How do you handle this issue in your own writing?
NRA Responds to Shooting
The National Rifle Association is shifting blame for the shooting in San Bernardino county t0 President Obama and his administration's policies. In a letter in USA Today, the executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action uses principles of persuasion to focus on the tragedy.
Chris Cox uses strong language, accusing the president of "politicizing" the "horrific crimes." His argument is that our policies have made us less safe, so we need guns to protect ourselves.
California has the strictest gun control in the nation, so Obama's politicization of San Bernardino rings sickeningly hollow.
Just when we think that politics can't sink any lower, President Obama once again proves us wrong by politicizing the tragedy in San Bernardino before the facts were even known. What we do know is that theAmerican people are heartbroken by these horrific crimes - and despite what the president would have us believe - America's law-abiding gun owners are heartbroken by these horrific crimes as well. At the same time, we are sick and tired of this president suggesting the men and women of the National Rifle Association are somehow to blame.
The National Rifle Association is not to blame. Neither is our Second Amendmentfreedom. An act of evil unfolded in California. President Obama used it not as a moment to inform or calm the American people; rather, he exploited it to push his gun control agenda. Policy discussions should be intellectually honest and based on facts, not politics. And the fact remains that California has already adoptedPresident Obama's gun control wish list: "universal" background checks, registration, waiting periods, gun bans, magazine bans and an expansion of prohibited gun categories. But those laws did nothing to prevent this horrific crime from taking place. Nothing.
Here's another fact: the president's failed foreign policy has made us less safe. And his domestic gun control agenda would jeopardize our safety even further. In California, President Obama had what he wanted - the strictest gun control in the country - and it did not prevent this evil act. The plain truth is that the president cannot keep us safe. And his policies would leave us defenseless. That's why our Second Amendment right to defend ourselves must be protected. It's not just a constitutionally guaranteed freedom. It's a natural, God-given, human right.
Unlike the president, regular citizens are not surrounded by armed secret service agents wherever they go. When we find ourselves under attack, no one is there to protect us. That responsibility is ours and ours alone. The American people - including law-abiding gun owners - are scared these days, and for good reason. As a nation, we sit helpless and watch as innocent and defenseless people are slaughtered. President Obama's response is not one of unity, but rather a condescending lecture that we need more laws to restrict us from defending ourselves. Enough is enough with the self-righteous and self-serving demagoguery.
The NRA is calling on the president to stop exploiting tragedies to push his failed political agenda. It's shameful. Given the reality that he's unlikely to listen, however, we will continue to stand and fight for law-abiding gun owners who are both disgusted and heartbroken by these heinous acts - whether committed by madmen, gang members or terrorists. The NRA will neither accept the blame for the acts of murderers, nor apologize for fighting for our right to defend ourselves against them.
Of course, it's not just President Obama who is questioning the NRA's role in mass shootings, which, this year, have resulted in 462 deaths and 1,314 injuries. At the same time, now we know the shooters also had pipe bombs and links to ISIS, so have people blamed the NRA too quickly?
Discussion Starters:
- Assess the NRA's USA Today letter. What examples do you see of pathos, logos, and ethos? Which arguments are strongest and which fall short?
- What's your view: is the NRA to blame for this and other mass shootings? Plan your argument carefully.
Trump Speaks to Republican Jewish Coalition
Donald Trump spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition in Washington, DC. He started by saying that his daughter is Jewish (she is married to a Jew and converted). He then talked about how his campaign is self funded but he hasn't spent a lot of money on ads and is still in "first place by a lot" in all polls.
Trump made some questionable comments to this audience. An MSNBC article summarizes them well: "at times [Trump] flirted with stereotypes about Jews as wealthy deal-makers":
- "I'm a negotiator, like you folks. Is there anybody that doesn't renegotiate deals in this room?. . . . This room negotiates them perhaps more than any other room I've ever spoken in."
- "You're not going to support me because I don't want your money because, stupidly, you want to give money."
Trump focused much of his speech on Hillary Clinton, how she's unqualified to be president and why she shouldn't be allowed to run.
He was characteristically confident: "I'm gonna win." "My life has been about winning." He also said that now he's dealing in trillions for the first time; he is used to dealing in billions. Trump promised to repeal "Obamacare" and criticized Jeb Bush's low energy.
Discussion Starters:
- Do you find Trump's comments offensive? Why or why not?
- What else do you find notable in Trump's speech and in the Q&A?
- How, if at all, does this speech affect your vote?
Press Conferences Following San Bernardino Shooting
A shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, CA, left 14 people dead and 17 injured. Two suspects have been killed, and their motivation for the attack at the facility for people with developmental disabilities is unclear. A holiday party was taking place in the conference room where the shooting took place.
County police have been holding press conferences, providing as much information as possible. The police chief gave an initial statement:
In this video, so many questions are unanswered that I wonder whether the conference was held too early:
As he has after other recent shootings, President Obama gave a statement:
Discussion Starters:
- Do you agree with my assessment of the police news conference? Is it too soon to offer a Q&A session if so little is known and so few answers are given?
- So far, the National Rifle Association is quiet on social media, although others blame the organization. Should the NRA respond or make a statement at this time?
- Compare President Obama's statement with his news conference following the recent school shooting in Oregon. What differences and similarities do you see?
Talks at the Climate Summit in Paris
With an impressive list of speakers, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change started on Monday in Paris. The goal is for leaders from 195 nations to agree to limit carbon emissions. As expected, leaders, such as President Obama, began their speeches by expressing condolences for lives lost during the recent terrorist attacks in the city.
Reuters selected portions of leaders' talks as "highlights," and this video shows three hours of discussion.
The Telegraph analyzed 10 claims about climate change and comments "on just how far [leaders'] fears are really justified." The claims are about rising temperatures, melting polar ice, and increasing hurricanes.
Discussion Starters:
- Read Reuters' highlights. What distinguishes the leaders' key messages?
- Choose one of the claims identified by The Telegraph. Do you find the commentary convincing? What evidence is provided? What, if anything, is missing from the argument?
Adweek Rounds Up Best Ads of 2015
Adweek has identified some of the best international ads of the past year. Topping the list are phenomenal Swedish skaters performing to the song "The Reindeer Herder's Joik" by Jon Henrik Fjällgren.
A commercial advertising organ donation uses a clever strategy:
Discussion Starters:
- Adweek identifies "fun" as a common theme of these ads. After watching more of them, what else do they have in common?
- What are your favorite commercials from 2015?
Nordstrom Excelling on Social Media
According to Engagement Labs, Retailer Nordstrom is doing a great job on social media based on three performance rankings on specific social networks:
- Engagement: how much interaction the company's posts receive
- Impact: the level of reach to constituencies
- Responsiveness: how quickly the company replies to specific users' comments
Of all the brands Engagement Labs analyzes, Nordstrom is doing the best, according to a write-up by Forbes:
"Upscale fashion retailer, Nordstrom, is a top performer on Facebook FB +0.00% and Twitter TWTR -1.20%. On Facebook, Nordstrom has the highest eValue average score on the list at 93.11. It has enjoyed fan growth of 89,536 within the one-month tracking period and attracted 380.57 likes per 1,000 fans-the highest on the entire list."
Engagement Labs also follows Vloggers and has highlighted YouTube stars PewDiePie, Smosh, Rhett & Link, and others.
Discussion Starters:
- What is your favorite brand, and how would you rate its levels of engagement, impact, and responsiveness on social media? What examples do you see of interaction?
- How, if at all, does a brand's use of social media affect your purchase decisions?
REI Makes Headlines with #OptOutside
Outdoor and sports equipment retailer REI is closing its 143 stores for Black Friday, instead encouraging people to #OptOutside. A CEO message on the company's website says employees will be paid not to work:
REI is closing on Black Friday.
You read that correctly. On November 27, we'll be closing all 143 of our stores and paying our employees to head outside.
Here's why we're doing it.
For 76 years, our co-op has been dedicated to one thing and one thing only: a life outdoors. We believe that being outside makes our lives better. And Black Friday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of this essential truth.
We're a different kind of company-and while the rest of the world is fighting it out in the aisles, we'll be spending our day a little differently. We're choosing to opt outside, and want you to come with us.
Jerry Stritzke, President, CEO
An NBC article questions whether the strategy will pay off. The move responds to criticism of increasing consumerism and from employees who want the day off, and it's a "gesture" against bigger box retailers who couldn't afford to lose the day's sales. Still, the company suffered some backlash with employees on Reddit complaining about low wages, poor benefits, and pressure to sell memberships.
Overall, its seems like a good move. After all, REI is an outdoor company-and the weather in New York at least is uncharacteristically warm for this time of year.
Discussion Starters:
- What's your view of REI's decision? How would the company decide whether the positive publicity is worth the lost sales?
- How could the CEO have handled the Ask Me Anything (AMA) questions on Reddit? Some say he didn't respond to important employee complaints, such as the pressure to sell memberships.
Nestle Addresses Worker Abuse
A non-profit organization commissioned by Nestle has exposed worker abuse in the Thailand seafood industry, which includes fish sold by the company. The report is titled, "Recruitment Practices and Migrant Labor Conditions in Nestlé's Thai Shrimp Supply Chain: An Examination of Forced Labor and other Human Rights Risks Endemic to the Thai Seafood Sector."
Business Insider explains the abuse:
The laborers come from Thailand's much poorer neighbors Myanmar and Cambodia. Brokers illegally charge them fees to get jobs, trapping them into working on fishing vessels and at ports, mills and seafood farms in Thailand to pay back more money than they can ever earn.
"Sometimes, the net is too heavy and workers get pulled into the water and just disappear. When someone dies, he gets thrown into the water," one Burmese worker told the nonprofit organization Verite commissioned by Nestle.
"I have been working on this boat for 10 years. I have no savings. I am barely surviving," said another. "Life is very difficult here."
Nestle has responded by restating its commitment:
"As we've said consistently, forced labor and human rights abuses have no place in our supply chain. Nestle believes that by working with suppliers we can make a positive difference to the sourcing of ingredients."
In an action plan posted on its website, Nestle reports on "pre-requisites achieved in 2014 - 2015" and identifies objectives for 2015 - 2016 summarized in this infographic:
Discussion Starters:
- Assess the infographic against principles in Chapter 10. Which are followed, and how could the graphic be improved?
- Do the same for the Verite report. Consider the format, design, content choices, organization, writing style, and so on.
Chipotle Addresses Spread of E. coli
Chipotle's E. coli trouble is spreading to other parts of the United States. Although the outbreak was thought to be limited to Washington and Oregon, new reports show illnesses in California, Ohio, New York, and Minnesota. For the first time since it became an independent company, Chipotle's same-restaurant sales may decline, and the stock has taken a hit.
On a page on its website under "Food Safety Update," the company explains the situation.
The CDC has informed Chipotle that it identified six additional cases in which initial testing matches the E. coli strain involved in the Washington and Oregon incident. Although one of the individuals has no known link to Chipotle, five individuals did report eating at Chipotle, including two in Turlock, CA, one in the Akron, OH area, one in Amherst, NY, and one in Burnsville, MN.
Investigators have suggested that in incidents like this, it is not unusual to see additional cases after the initial incident as the investigation moves forward. The source of the problem appears to have been contained during a period in late October. 42 of the 43 cases linked to Chipotle reported visiting one of the restaurants in question between October 13 and October 30. One person reported having eaten November 6.
Since this issue began, Chipotle conducted deep cleaning at the restaurants that have been linked to this incident, replaced ingredients in those restaurants, changed food preparation procedures, provided all necessary supply chain data to investigators, and surveyed employees to be sure none had E. coli (note: no Chipotle employees in any states have had E. Coli stemming from this incident). Similar actions are immediately being taken in response to these newly reported cases.
Chipotle is also taking significant steps to be sure all of its food is as safe as possible. Specifically, we are expanding testing of key ingredients, examining all of our food-safety procedures to find any opportunity for improvement, and are working with two renowned food safety scientists to assess all of its food safety programs, from the farms that provide our food to our restaurants.
Connections to this incident are limited to seventeen Chipotle restaurants.
The statement goes on to list the locations and provide a Q&A for concerned customers.
The company's Twitter page is active. Representatives respond personally to tweets, as shown here.
Discussion Starters:
- Analyze the company's statement on its website. What works well, and what could be improved? Particularly consider the last sentence shown above.
- Does this news affect whether you would visit a Chipotle restaurant? What, if anything, can the company do to assure you that the food is safe?
Radisson Blu Responds to the Terror Attacks
A terrorist attack at the Radisson Blu in Mali resulted in 27 deaths, and the company is responding to the news.
Radisson Blu's website features a large message: "Remember our guests and colleagues in Bamako." The message links to a statement and video from Wolfgang Neumann, president and CEO of The Rezidor Hotel Group (on behalf of the Carlson Rezidor Group).
In his video message, Neumann expresses condolences and appreciation. He also explains support services and provides a telephone line for people needing support and information.
On the day of the attack, the Rezidor website showed a statement saying the company was "closely following" the situation. Neumann created another video emphasizing safety and security.
Radisson Blu has been active on Twitter, providing peridic updates and links to statements and videos.
Discussion Starters:
- Assess Neumann's video statements. As always, we have to empathize with his position during this difficult time. Still, if you were his media advisor, what strengths and suggestions would you identify?
- How do you assess company communications so far? What are the Radisson Blu and Rezidor doing well?