Supreme Court Justice's Writing Style

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is getting so much attention for his writing that #GorsuchStyle is trending. Lauded before he joined the court, Gorsuch's writing is now criticized as a sidetrack "history lesson," "garbled," and "exhausting to read." Critics cite examples and wonder why a justice is spending time on alliteration:

“Disruptive dinnertime calls, downright deceit and more besides drew Congress’s eye to the debt collection industry.”

Another hallmark of his new style is making a pithy comment and then explaining its meaning as in this example:

"Chesterton reminds us not to clear away a fence just because we cannot see its point. Even if a fence doesn’t seem to have a reason, sometimes all that means is we need to look more carefully for the reason it was built in the first place."

A Yale student analyzed Gorsuch's court decisions. Compared to others' writing, he used more contractions (3.9 per 1,000 words compared to 0.8) and started sentences with words such as “and,” “but” and “so” more often (4.9 times out of every 1,000 words compared to 1.5). Analysts seem to agree that his style is getting less formal, but he also likes to draw attention to himself.

Image source.

Discussion:

• What is the value of alliteration and other rhetorical devices? When are they best used, and when are they best avoided?
• Gorsuch's seeming desire to call attention to himself contradicts business writing and leadership character principles. Which ones?
• Why might Gorsuch's style change over time?
• What distinguishes your writing style? Can you identify a sentence structure, phrase, or structure that you use often—and maybe too often?
• Slate writer Mark Joseph Stern analyzed another passage and identified several examples of "fat." Try to improve conciseness in this paragraph. How many extraneous words can you omit?

The Court today clears away a fence that once marked a basic boundary between federal and state power. Maybe it wasn’t the most vital fence and maybe we’ve just simply forgotten why this particular fence was built in the first place. But maybe, too, we’ve forgotten because we’ve wandered so far from the idea of a federal government of limited and enumerated powers that we’ve begun to lose sight of what it looked like in the first place.

Narrative Alternatives to PPT at Amazon and Google

In his annual letter, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wrote that he has banned PPT:

"We don’t do PowerPoint (or any other slide-oriented) presentations at Amazon. Instead, we write narratively structured six-page memos. We silently read one at the beginning of each meeting in a kind of 'study hall.'"

Nancy Duarte describes the value of a narrative or storytelling approach: "storytelling in presentations is a powerful way to grab attention, hold attention, and to change beliefs." She gives examples from our favorite books and movies, which build suspense over time. Stories are also a good way to inspire empathy and other emotional reactions. This is difficult to achieve with traditional PowerPoint bullets.

A Harvard Business Review article, "Structure Your Presentation Like a Story," provides more guidance and summarizes the approach with a graphic:

For Bezos, the narrative style means that points are connected and organized in a logical sequence with some resolution, conclusion, or outcome. GeekWire created this six-page memo in Amazon's style as an example.

At Google, CEO Sundar Pichai also emphasizes storytelling with pictures:

"Since stories are best told with pictures, bullet points and text-heavy slides are increasingly avoided at Google." 

Both executives are warning against the type of communication that is overly concise and missing context, connections, and cohesiveness. A ZDNet article summarizes some of the issues with PowerPoint and describes the now-infamous role of PPT in a U.S. disaster:

"'[B]ulletized' thinking contributed to the Challenger disaster, where 7 crew members died and a multi-billion dollar craft destroyed due to an O-ring failure. The big problem was that NASA management wasn't really listening to the engineers—and breaking issues up into bullets helped them do that."

Pichai's design approach aligns with PPT trends over the past few years. We're seeing much less text, fewer bullets, and more images, and this style follows the evolution of web design. On websites, we see many more background videos and photos and not much text, particularly on consumer websites.

Discussion:

• What are the advantages and downsides to the narrative memo? For what types of situations do you think this approach would work well? For what situations might PPT be a better choice?
• For practice, try to convert this terrible PPT presentation to one with less text and more meaningful images. Clean up the design, add charts to help your audience visualize data, and of course, correct the grammar.

Chipotle CEO Generates Excitement

After a dismal three years of food-safety issues, Chipotle saw a strong first quarter, and CEO Brian Niccol is confident about the company's future. Since the outbreaks, part of Chipotle's turnaround plan was to introduce new menu items, but they did not prove successful.

In an interview, Niccol described new plans, which may include drive-thrus, longer hours, mobile ordering, or menu items that are more thoroughly tested. But Niccol resists offering deals and breakfast, despite what Bill Ackman, Chipotle's largest shareholder, advises:

“I’ve been very clear with him: Not now, Bill and I have had a couple of really good conversations. He may have some ideas that I don’t think are the right ones now.”

Here's the earnings call webcast. In the press release, Niccol further explained the company's plans:

"While the company made notable progress during the quarter, I firmly believe we can accelerate that progress in the future.  We are in the process of forming a path to greater performance in sales, transactions, margins and new restaurants.  This path to performance will be grounded in a strategy of executing the fundamentals while introducing consumer-meaningful innovation across the business.  It will also require a structure and organization built for creativity, action and accountability.  Finally, Chipotle will have a culture that is centered on running great restaurants, putting the customer first, innovating for today and tomorrow, supporting each other, and delivering on commitments.  The future will be meaningful at Chipotle."

(Disclosure: I own a modest amount of Chipotle stock.) Image source.

Discussion:

• Assess the earnings call or press release. What business jargon do you identify? Is it too much, or is it appropriate for the situation and audience?
• Niccol is challenging Ackman's ideas, which is risky for a new CEO. How do you interpret his statement? Again, is what he says appropriate for the situation, or should he present his views differently?
• Would you say that Niccol is demonstrating courage in his statement about Ackman? Why or why not?

Tips for Navigating the New Gmail

Will the new Gmail make email easier? I'm not so sure. In this WSJ video, David Pierce describes the new design as "busier," particularly if you have special folders. A new bar on the right side indicates, next to your list of email, your calendar and list of tasks, which is useful for an "at-a-glance" view.

Pierce suggests collapsing the left side bar and shrinking other parts down. He's a fan of the "confidential note," which will automatically delete messages after a period of time. You can also unsend a message now at any time, which is also a good addition.

Other features include snoozing a message and setting high priority notifications on your phone.

Some of these features seem helpful, but overall, I'm skeptical about whether they will make us more efficient. This is the first major upgrade since 2011, and if you don't want the new features, you can revert back to the old version.

Discussion:

• Identify a few features of your email program that you believe improve your efficiency. How do you use these?
• If you use Gmail, how do you assess these new features? Which do you find most and least useful?

Layoffs at Qualcomm

A Business Insider headline puts the news and purpose right up front:

Qualcomm is reportedly laying off as many as 1,000 employees as part of a $1 billion cost savings plan

The decision comes after a hostile takeover bid from Broadcom, a competitor in Singapore. Qualcomm made a commitment to save costs to its shareholders and appears to be following through, despite that the failing takeover bid. 

A Bloomberg report reminds us that the company cut jobs in 2015, as well, in response to an activist investor's interests. A New York Times article calls Qualcomm "collateral damage" in "a looming trade war between the United States and China" that may impinge the company's growth.

The company declined to comment on news stories, and nothing related to layoffs is posted on its website.

Image source.

Discussion:

• Should Qualcomm executives be more forthright about the change? What, if anything, should they communicate to the public and how?
• How do you assess the admission that the layoffs are intended to ward off hostile takeovers and reduce costs? How do you think these reasons would be received by shareholders? the press? customers? employees?
• How are the news and the company's communication an issue of integrity for Qualcomm?

Starbucks Apologizes, Again

Two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks. Witnesses say they were just waiting for a friend and asked to use the restroom. The reason for calling the police seemed to be the same: that they were just waiting for friend. But because they didn't order anything, they were asked to leave and did not. Other customers say this is common at Starbucks, and the only reason the police were called was because the two men were black.

The company, at first, gave a weak apology using unclear pronoun references (see "this" and "these"). A longer apology came from the CEO Kevin Johnson later. In the statement, he identified steps the company would take and closed with this paragraph:

Finally, to our partners who proudly wear the green apron and to customers who come to us for a sense of community every day: You can and should expect more from us.  We will learn from this and be better.

Johnson also posted an apology video.

In a video statement, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross explained the situation from his point of view and defended the officers' actions. He also said that all officers get implicit bias training and gave an example of a police sergeant who was also denied access to a Starbucks bathroom. Ross's conclusion was that "they are at least consistent in their policy." Of course, not everyone agrees.

Image source.

Discussion:

• Analyze Johnson's statement. Who are his primary and secondary audiences? What are his communication objectives, and how well did he achieve them?
• What organizational strategy does Johnson's statement illustrate? How do you assess his tone and writing style?
• What is an unclear pronoun reference, and how are they used in the first apology?
• What's your view of the situation? Did Starbucks do wrong? If so, at what point(s)? Are you boycotting Starbucks, as some promote, as a result?
• Which leadership character dimensions are illustrated by this example?

Volkswagen Replaces Chairman

Three years after the emissions scandal, Volkswagen is replacing another chairman. Matthias Müller replaced Martin Winterkorn, who was ousted soon after the news broke in 2015. But Müller was another insider and hasn't led the turnaround the board expected.

Like Winterkorn, Müller struggled with public relations. During a 2016 NPR interview, Müller claimed the company misunderstood the American environmental law: “We didn’t lie. We didn’t understand the question [at] first.” After much criticism, VW’s communications department asked for another interview, which was granted. He delivered a better apology but blamed the first interview on “all these colleagues of yours and everybody shouting.” In other words, it was noisy. 

As is customary in corporate change announcements, Chairman of the Supervisory Board Hans Dieter Pötsch spoke positively about the outgoing executive:

“Matthias Müller has done outstanding work for the Volkswagen Group. He assumed the chairmanship of the Board of Management in the fall of 2015 when the Company faced the greatest challenge in its history. Not only did he safely navigate Volkswagen through that time; together with his team, he also fundamentally realigned the Group’s strategy, initiated cultural change and, with great personal commitment, made sure that the Volkswagen Group not just stayed on track but is now more robust than ever before. For that, he is due the thanks of the entire Company.”

The new chairman, Dr. Herbert Diess, offers more hope. Diess joined the board in 2015 and is known for having conflicts with the union and for cost-cutting. He may shake up the status quo at VW and inspire real action. The company has aggressive plans, including building greener cars—for real this time.

Image source (VW cover).
Image source (Diess).

Discussion:

• Assess the company's statement about this change. Who are the primary and secondary audiences? What are the communication objectives? How well does the statement meet those objectives?
• Why do these statements typically include positive quotes about outgoing executives, even if they are asked to leave or, as this statement indicates, they leave "by mutual agreement"?
• What lessons do you think Volkswagen learned since the scandal?
• Why would the board appoint someone who is considered divisive?

Howard University Reports on Misappropriated Funds

Howard University's investigation has concluded that $369,000 had been misappropriated by six employees who were terminated last year. A full report by the university identifies how they "double dipped" by receiving both tuition assistance and university grants between 2011 and 2016.

In a cover letter to the report, President Wayne A.I. Frederick wrote, “Howard University is committed to uncovering any impropriety in the administration of university-provided financial aid and federal student aid, to remediating all problems identified during this investigation, and to maintaining a robust compliance program to prevent any inappropriate dealings in the administration of financial aid."

A Washington Post article reports that the university tried to avoid going public before the review was completed, but an article posted online made this impossible. Student protests, which went on for more than a week, also may have sped up the timing.

Image source.

Discussion:

• What business writing principles does the report demonstrate and fail to demonstrate? How could the report be improved?
• Assess the president's cover letter. Who are his primary and secondary audiences, and what are the communication objectives? How well does the letter achieve those objectives?
• What can the university do now to restore trust?
• How well does the university take responsibility for the situation?

Nike Memo Describes Diversity Failings

The head of HR at Nike wrote a memo describing how the company has not lived up to plans to promote women and people of color. Nike has been grappling with complaints about its "boys-club culture," and the memo may have worsened the situation.

When complaints surfaced, Chief Executive Mark Parker said, “When we discover issues, we take action. We are laser-focused on making Nike a more inclusive culture and accelerating diverse representation within our leadership teams."

Weeks later, HR Chief Monique Matheson wrote in the memo that the company wants to “to create a culture of true inclusion. As part of our plan, we need to improve representation of women and people of color.” She also wrote, “While we’ve spoken about this many times, and tried different ways to achieve change, we have failed to gain traction—and our hiring and promotion decisions are not changing senior-level representation as quickly as we have wanted."

Of Nike's 74,000 employees, only 29% of vice presidents are women and, in the U.S., only 16% are nonwhite. In the memo, Matheson also reported that men, women, and people of color earn about the same, although she acknowledged, "We’ve also heard from some of you that this result does not reflect your personal experience" and promised to do more research into pay equity.

Discussion:

• How does the memo reflect both positively and negatively on Nike?
• Should Matheson have avoided putting such information in a memo, knowing that it could be made public? Or, do you think she intended for it to go public?
• How do executives balance internal communication and the possibility of messages being leaked to the press?
• In what ways does this situation demonstrate vulnerability?

Major Retailers Respond to Data Breach

Retailers Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor experienced a data breach affecting about 5 million customers. Hackers JokerStash Syndicate (also known as Fin 7) stole and resold credit and debit card information retrieved during the sales process.

Both companies are owned by Hudson's Bay Co., and we see that their customer messages have been coordinated. On both retailers' websites, text appears at the top of the page in a yellow box. When you click on the "Important Message" link, you see two statements dated one day apart and a list of FAQs.

The second message is below:

April 2, 2018 Statement

Updated Statement

We recently became aware of a data security issue involving customer payment card data at certain Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks OFF 5TH, and Lord & Taylor stores in North America. We identified the issue, took steps to contain it, and believe it no longer poses a risk to customers shopping at our stores. While the investigation is ongoing, there is no indication that this affects our e-commerce or other digital platforms, Hudson's Bay, Home Outfitters, or HBC Europe. We deeply regret any inconvenience or concern this may cause.

We wanted to reach out to our customers quickly to assure them that they will not be liable for fraudulent charges that may result from this matter. Once we have more clarity around the facts, we will notify our customers quickly and will offer those impacted free identity protection services, including credit and web monitoring. We encourage our customers to review their account statements and contact their card issuers immediately if they identify activity or transactions they do not recognize.

We are working rapidly with leading data security investigators to get our customers the information they need, and our investigation is ongoing. We also are coordinating with law enforcement authorities and the payment card companies. For further information, please visit https://www.saksfifthavenue.com/security-information/notice.html, https://www.saksoff5th.com/security-information/notice.html, or https://www.lordandtaylor.com/security-information/notice.html. To speak with a dedicated call center representative, beginning April 4, 2018, you can call 1-855-270-9187, Monday - Saturday, 8 am - 8 pm CT.

Discussion:

• Read the statements on the retailers' websites. Identify the primary and secondary audiences and communication objectives.
• How well do the statements achieve their objectives? What else, if anything, should the companies communicate at this point?
• To what extent are the retailers holding themselves accountable for the breach?

Howard University Responding to Embezzlement

Six student employees were terminated by Howard University for embezzling financial aid funds. The students made up fake scholarships and found other ways to steal what could be more than $1 million.

On Twitter, the student association unleashed its frustration with the university's response. In a statement, President Wayne Frederick expressed empathy for this frustration and for other reactions:

Hearing about the mishandling of funds at the University can be difficult to process. I can also understand how upsetting it is to feel that the University has not communicated with you regarding this incident. The goal established at the onset of this investigation was to conduct it in a confidential manner that ensured a thorough examination of the issues without jeopardizing the integrity of the findings. However, that does not mitigate the sense of mistrust that many students and members of our community feel right now. We understand that and we hear you.

The statement also describes plans for investigating the charges and ends on a positive note.

Discussion:

• The above paragraph from the president's statement raises an interesting conundrum: how do leaders ensure both privacy and transparency? The same issue is relevant to investigating sexual harassment claims. What are your thoughts? How, if at all, is it possible to achieve both?
• Assess the president's statement. Who is the audience, and what are the communication objectives? How is the statement organized? How would you describe the writing style, tone, and so forth?
• How well does the president's statement demonstrate accountability? 

Old and New Email Advice

The Wall Street Journal reports on new research that may improve business professionals' efficiency and reduce stress. We already know some of the email advice, but the article adds nuance to some decisions. For example, most people know to avoid all caps because it looks as though you're yelling. But one study shows that "AND" or "BUT," for example, can "provide emphasis, communicate urgency, or inject humor."

Older advice still stands, for example, to avoid answering too quickly and sending messages after work hours. Obsessively checking one's inbox is still a problem for many people, so closing email applications and scheduling times to check (for example, once every 45 minutes) is a better choice. Otherwise, incoming email interrupts work, and it takes people about a minute to get back to where they were.

The article also warns against using emoticons or emojis when you don't know the receiver well. Readers tend to judge these writers as incompetent. But go ahead and use them for internal communication, particularly within teams of people who know each other well.

New research about timing may help business professionals get the response they want. People respond most quickly to emails earlier in the week and earlier in the day, so sending an email on Monday between 8 am and noon may be a better choice than, say, Friday afternoon.

Image source.

Discussion:

• What are your biggest challenges with email? How have you overcome them?
• As a reader, what, if any, aspects of emails that cause you to judge the intelligence or competence of the sender?

FB Admits Mistakes and Makes Promises

After five days of silence, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is addressing new criticism about privacy issues. Recent reports describe how Cambridge Analytica used data from about 50 million FB users without their permission, possibly to influence voters during the 2016 presidential campaign. Although some users gave permission for their information to be shared, their "friends" didn't, and this gave developers enormous amount of data about people's preferences. In addition, Cambridge claimed it had deleted data in 2014, but new reports indicate it did not.

Now Zuckerberg is visible in the media and has issued a statement that included the company's responsibility and failings: 

We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you. I’ve been working to understand exactly what happened and how to make sure this doesn’t happen again. The good news is that the most important actions to prevent this from happening again today we have already taken years ago. But we also made mistakes, there’s more to do, and we need to step up and do it.

He also told CNN, "I'm really sorry that this happened." He promised to limit developers' access to data in the future.

Facebook also published a full-page newspaper ad in the New York Times on March 25.

Discussion:

• How does this situation represent issues of integrity and trust?
• Read Zuckerberg's full statement. Which parts do you find most and least convincing?
• How is the statement organized? Is this the best approach, or could other organizational strategies have worked better? 
• Assess Zuckerberg's writing style. Which principles of business writing are followed, and which are not?

Toys R Us Closes

https://www.toysrusinc.com/restructuring

Toys R Us will close its remaining 735 U.S. stores and will lay off about 33,000 employees around the country. The company tried to survive after a bankruptcy filing in 2017, but the retailer can't compete with large stores, such as Walmart, and online sellers, such as Amazon.

Critics say Toys R Us failed to generate excitement, as one analyst describes in The Washington Post article:

“The liquidation of Toys R Us is the unfortunate but inevitable conclusion of a retailer that lost its way. Even during recent store closeouts, Toys R Us failed to create any sense of excitement. The brand lost relevance, customers and ultimately sales.”

A professor of brand management echoed this theme:

“We know that customers are willing to pay more for an enjoyable experience — just look at the lines at Starbucks every day — but Toys R Us has failed to give us anything special or unique. You can find more zest for life in a Walgreens.”

New York Senator Chuck Schumer is asking for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ensure that customers aren't left "holding the bag" if they can't cash in or buy products with gift cards, particularly those recently received in December for Christmas.

Toys R Us has only a short statement on its website announcing the liquidation.

Discussion:

• Should the company leaders say more about the decision? What else, if anything, could be included in the statement?
• In addition to legal responsibilities, do company leaders have ethical responsibilities to make good on outstanding gift cards? Why or why not?
• In what ways has the company failed to learn from failure?

NYT Learns from Failure

The New York Times admitted a mistake: the paper failed to write obituaries for some extraordinary women:

Since 1851, The New York Times has published thousands of obituaries: of heads of state, opera singers, the inventor of Stove Top stuffing and the namer of the Slinky. The vast majority chronicled the lives of men, mostly white ones; even in the last two years, just over one in five of our subjects were female.

The paper has begun a collection of obits for people "who left indelible marks but were nonetheless overlooked." Write-ups are available for 15 women, including Sylvia Plath, an accomplished poet who committed suicide; Margaret Abbott, the first woman to win an Olympics game; and Ida B. Wells, who fought racism and lynchings in the South in the 1890s.

Discussion: 

• How well does The New York Times address the failure? 
• Why are they writing these obituaries now? What are the arguments for the collection and against it?

L.L. Bean: Return Doesn't Mean Lifetime Replacement

L.L. Bean has had it with customers who abuse their generous return policy. The company is making two major changes: customers must return products within one year unless they are damaged, and customers must produce a receipt.

A company spokesperson explained the decision:

"If it's been over a year and someone is able to provide a proof of purchase and if the product does not fall within one of our Special Conditions such as products damaged by misuse, abuse, pet damage, personal reasons unrelated to product performance or satisfaction and more, we would honor the return."

Although it was a small percentage of customers, some had taken advantage of the product "guarantee." The question we might ask is, Why did it take so long? Or, why now?

Discussion:

• Why do you think L.L. Bean waited until now to tighten the return policy? What are the potential consequences of the decision?
• Assess the message to customers. Who are the primary and secondary audiences? How well does the message meets its objectives?
• How do you see this as an issue of integrity? How is L.L. Bean demonstrating learning from failure?

Questions of Transparency

The long-awaited memo written by Republican staff members about potential impropriety from the Justice Department and F.B.I in the Russia investigation has been revealed. Now, The New York Times editorial board is calling, once again, for President Trump to reveal his tax returns:

Since the Republicans are now on board with greater transparency, they will no doubt push President Trump to release his tax returns, as every other major-party presidential nominee has done for the past four decades, won’t they?

How about the White House visitor logs, which the Trump administration started hiding from the public last year? Or, say, the names of all foreign governments and officials who have stayed — at their own or at American taxpayers’ expense — at Mr. Trump’s Washington hotel, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida or at his golf courses and his other businesses since he became president? Or the names of every foreign business with which the Trump Organization has a financial relationship, especially in countries where America has sensitive foreign policy interests, like China, India, Russia, Turkey or Saudi Arabia?

The reasoning sounds like reciprocity, but the argument may not get no more traction now than it did during the presidential campaign. A Pew research study in January 2017 showed that 60% of those surveyed believed Trump "has responsibility" to release his returns. Although some were adamant about the release at the time, the Wall Street Journal, for example, reported that the returns wouldn't tell us much anyway.

Discussion:

• What are the advantages and downsides of President Trump revealing his tax returns?
• Read the entire opinion piece. What other arguments do the authors make?
• Do you agree with their reasoning? Why or why not?
• How would you describe the tone? Does the approach help or hurt the argument?

Penn Removes Several Recognitions of Steve Wynn

For the first time in more than 100 years, the University of Pennsylvania has revoked an honorary degree. Following accusations of sexual misconduct against Steve Wynn, the trustees announced the revocation in addition to plans for removing Wynn's name from "Wynn Commons" and from a scholarship fund.

The message, sent by email and posted on the school's website, explained the decision and announced that an honorary degree for Bill Cosby also will be revoked. University leaders were careful to describe their decision process as well as the delay in revoking Cosby's degree. This is a good example of anticipating and addressing potential criticism.

Judging by comments on Twitter, reactions to the university's decision to take a stand seem to be neutral or positive.

Discussion:

• Did UPenn make the right decision? Why or why not?
• Analyze the message. What principles of business are followed, and how can the message be improved? Consider the audience analysis, organization, tone, and so on.
• How is this an example of courage? What risks does the university face?

How Well Can People Rate News "Credibility"?

Facebook has a solution to its fake-news problem: allow users to assess stories' credibility and trustworthiness. Stories rated more highly will get higher ranks in newsfeeds.

In a Facebook post, Mark Zuckerberg explained the plan:

Here's how this will work. As part of our ongoing quality surveys, we will now ask people whether they're familiar with a news source and, if so, whether they trust that source. The idea is that some news organizations are only trusted by their readers or watchers, and others are broadly trusted across society even by those who don't follow them directly. (We eliminate from the sample those who aren't familiar with a source, so the output is a ratio of those who trust the source to those who are familiar with it.)

Critics call the move "time-wasting stupidity":

So people get to rate the credibility of news. Based on what?

The answer is easy. People will believe any story that presents a view they want to hear.

Is there a point to this?

Sure, Facebook wants people to waste still more time on Facebook debating what is or isn't fake new [sic].

Rating news stores based on credibility is time-wasting silliness.

That's precisely why Facebook introduced the feature. Don't fall for it.

Discussion:

• Business communicators may have some questions as well. What principles of research and source credibility are in question here? What do we know about how people interact on social media that may jeopardize Facebook's plan?
• On the other hand, what is positive about the plan?
• On balance, are you more optimistic or pessimistic about Facebook's ability to reduce fake news?
• Assess Zuckerberg's writing skills in the full post. How well does he organize the message and communicate his ideas?
• Is this a good or a weak example of Facebook's accountability?

BlackRock Encourages "A Sense of Purpose"

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink is encouraging companies to be more socially responsible. In his annual letter, the investment firm CEO describes the increasing wealth disparity in the United States:

"We are seeing a paradox of high returns and high anxiety. Since the financial crisis, those with capital have reaped enormous benefits. At the same time, many individuals across the world are facing a combination of low rates, low wage growth, and inadequate retirement systems. Many don’t have the financial capacity, the resources, or the tools to save effectively; those who are invested are too often over-allocated to cash. For millions, the prospect of a secure retirement is slipping further and further away – especially among workers with less education, whose job security is increasingly tenuous. I believe these trends are a major source of the anxiety and polarization that we see across the world today."

Fink is encouraging more engagement of shareholders and a focus on creating long-term value:

"Companies must ask themselves: What role do we play in the community? How are we managing our impact on the environment? Are we working to create a diverse workforce? Are we adapting to technological change? Are we providing the retraining and opportunities that our employees and our business will need to adjust to an increasingly automated world? Are we using behavioral finance and other tools to prepare workers for retirement, so that they invest in a way that that will help them achieve their goals?"

But critics say Fink is overstepping. On Squawk Box, Sam Zell said, "I didn't know Larry Fink had been made God."

Discussion:

• What's your view of Fink's position? Is this a good idea, or should he keep his thoughts to himself?
• What are Fink's communication objectives, and how well does he meet them?
• Assess the letter in terms of organization and writing style.