CHAPTER 7
Zooming In Critical Thinking Answers
Why should you be prudent when sending or forwarding insensitive
comments, even from your personal device?
Once a message is sent, the originator has no control over who will see it.
Electronic messages can be forwarded or printed out. Students also need to
How might sending tactless messages affect a career?
Depending on the content in the offending message, an employee could be fired. At the very least, an
How effective is an apology given after an indiscreet message is revealed?
Students responses will vary. Some may say that once the offensive words have been seen, they
Ethics Checks
Hiding Blind Copies
Today’s writers should use Cc to reveal openly all recipients of a message. Violating this practice can
become quite risky in the workplace if, for example, one of the hidden recipients accidentally reveals
knowledge of the content transmitted in the e-mail. Such lapses could lead to embarrassment or worse.
Pricing Blunder Broadcast Far and Wide via Social Media
A company does not have to honor an innocent mistake, such as an obvious typo or misprint resulting in a
glaring error in pricing. Businesses make mistakes, and they generally shouldn’t have to bankrupt
themselves to take responsibility for posted errors. Legally, advertisements and other promotional
materials are generally considered invitations to bargain, and are not contracts. A few consumers take
advantage of costly mistakes and hope to extract some benefit from them. However, using strikingly low
prices and declaring them erroneous to generate publicity and viral buzz is a deceptive practice. Internet
posts suggest consensus that repeated incidents represent deceptive intent, whereas an occasional error
is most likely innocent. Companies react in different ways to potentially expensive blunders. The
immediacy and speed of today’s media heighten the problem of erroneous advertising. Someone is going
to see the mistake and can potentially broadcast it within seconds to thousands, even millions, of people.
Critical Thinking Answers
1. How concerned are you about privacy and security online? Do you watch your own privacy
settings?
Many of our Critical Thinking questions and our ethics situations could be staged as student debates.
Such debates generate considerable engagement and create greater comprehension and retention
2. Do you agree that technology diminishes personal relationships rather than bringing us
closer together? Do social media fool us into thinking that we are connected when in reality
we bear none of the commitments and burdens of true friendship?
Sherry Turkle, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, seems to argue that
technology estranges us from each other instead of bringing us closer together. In fact, she states
that technology may make us feel connected with others, but the companionship is merely illusory or
3. Consider the potential impact of gamification and wearable devices on your career. How do
you feel about the tracking of employees and the monitoring of your vital functions on the job
and outside the workplace? Can you think of other vulnerable technologies? What advice
would you give someone who is not sure how to handle invasive technologies that may
threaten our privacy and security?
Answers will vary. Ask how many students wear a Fitbit device, a smart watch, or a similar wearable
device. Do they feel any discomfort about producing so much data that could be misused or lessen
their chances of finding a job? Some students may seem unperturbed by the developments that are
Gamification may seem like fun, but students need to realize that they are always on display when
engaging on social media. Some people are not comfortable with relentless competition or the fact
that it is public. Most thoughtful students realize the enormous vulnerabilities of our connectedness
4. Computer antivirus expert John McAfee claims that technological intrusions into our
privacy degrade our humanity. Do you agree with McAfee? Why or why not?
Answers will vary. Surely the notion that privacy breaches degrade our humanity is a strong
5. Ethical Issue: Although they don’t actually pay people to act as fans on social networks and
entice their friends to do so as well, some marketers employ machines, called bots, to inflate
the number of their fans and followers online. Why do some businesses resort to such
measures? What might be the consequences of faking fans? How do you feel about
companies and their brands pretending that they have actual traffic on their sites?
Students’ attitudes toward such questionable practices may vary. However, social networking from a
marketing standpoint is about establishing relationships between brands and customers.
Relationships are based on trust. Fans of a brand want to feel that they are insiders who know more
Zooming In
Your Turn: Applying Your Skills at Sony
Students should write an e-mail or memo using the direct strategy because the supervisor has
specifically asked for the document. Any of the following would be suitable to include:
Anything of a proprietary nature regarding company strategy or products
Bigoted remarks about race, weight, age, nationality, or religion
Comments both negative and positive about the appearance or attractiveness of a coworker
Activities Solutions
7.1 Document for Analysis: Hastily Written E-Mail Needs Drastic Revision
Weaknesses
a. Fails to provide a clear subject line.
b. Does not open directly with a statement summarizing the message or with the most important
question.
Revision
To: Jackson Prewarski <jprewarski@polychron.com>
From: Camille Montano <cmontano@polychron.com>
Subject: REQ: Please Answer Questions About Starting an Intern Program
Hi, Jackson,
Should we start an internship program here at Polychron? I’m asking you and other members of our
management team to consider the following questions and come to the next management meeting
prepared to express your views.
Although we have considered such a program in the past, we did not follow through with any plans. As
our organization continues to expand, an internship program may be advantageous. However, we need to
discuss some of the following points:
What specific advantages and disadvantages would we face if we started such a program?
What are the legal ramifications of hosting interns in our state?
Should we pay them or expect that college credit would serve as compensation?
What departments would be best to pilot an internship program?
Please give careful thought to these questions and be ready to discuss them at our management meeting
at 9 a.m. on March 14.
Camille
[Full contact information]
7.2 Document for Analysis: Web Conferencing Made Simple
Weaknesses
a. Fails to include a meaningful subject line that summarizes the main idea.
b. Should have used Dear Ms. Cruz or, if the sender knows the receiver well, Dear Christina. Use full
names only when the recipient’s gender is not obvious.
Revision
To: Christina Cruz <ccruz @sagepublications.com>
From: Jeremy Harper <jeremy.harper@pcs.com>
Subject: Sending Tips for Your Web Conferencing Article
Dear Ms. Cruz:
I appreciate this opportunity to contribute to the article that you are preparing about Web conferencing for
Networking Voices.
Web meetings have become quite popular as an alternative to in-person meetings. You asked me to
provide brief advice for Web conferencing. Therefore, here are five concise tips that your readers will find
helpful:
Plan ahead. Before the conference, notify all participants of the date, time, and duration of the
conference. Provide log-ins, passwords, and necessary printed documents by e-mail.
Identify yourself. The first few times you speak, state your name. Don’t assume that attendees will
quickly recognize your voice.
Mute your phone. When you are not speaking, mute your phone. There’s nothing worse than
hearing barking dogs, side conversations, or, even worse, toilets flushing during a conference.
Sound good. Play with positioning your microphone and speakers to get the best sound. Avoid
shuffling papers, eating, or moving things while you are speaking.
Open with a lobby slide. Start your Web meeting 10 to 15 minutes early with a slide that confirms
the meeting details (start time, audio information, agenda).
Web conferencing eliminates the need for traveling to meetings, which is especially effective for global
teams and large groups. If you would like a more extensive list of dos and don’ts for Web conferencing, I
would be happy to provide it in time for your deadline.
Jeremy Harper
[Full contact information]
7.3 Document for Analysis: Lost in the Cloud
Weaknesses
a. Fails to provide a meaningful subject line.
b. Does not begin with a statement explaining why she is writing.
Revision
Date: July 10, 2018
To: Mason Razipour, CEO [Comp: Insert handwritten initials: MR]
From: Alexandra Amato, Product Manager
Subject: Report From Cloud Computing Workshop
As you requested, here is a summary of The Promise of Cloud Computing workshop that I attended on
July 8.
Lisa Moritz, the workshop leader, explained that the big workplace problem today is dispersed employees
using various incompatible devices. Software and file storage must be accessible anywhere, anytime,
rather than situated in one place. Cloud computing offers three main benefits:
Accessibility. Nearly all types of software and applications are accessible anywhere, anytime.
Efficiency. Free access to unlimited ways to provide on-the-spot solutions makes employees more
Communication. Cloud computing, according to Ms. Moritz, will transform the way work is
If you would like to hear more details or if you want me to make this presentation at the August
management council meeting, please call or write me immediately so that I have time to prepare.
7.4 Document for Analysis: Instant Messaging at a Local Auto Dealer
The flaws in this IM exchange are many. Just to name a few, Ethan is unprofessional, too informal, folksy,
and chatty. He does not show the customer respect and asks inappropriate questions or makes improper
comments—for example, by inquiring about Mr. Ree’s name and country of origin or by making a
7.5 Chatting With Citynet Mobile Customer Service
This is a transcript of an actual exchange between a company and a customer. Only slight adjustments
were made, and the names were changed. In several instances the same person sends two comments
before the other party can reply. In a chat, exchanges do not always appear in a neat ABABAB pattern.
The overall tone of the chat session is friendly although not genuine sounding or sincere. The only
sentence that sounds authentic is also one that contains a comma splice error: Yes, I understand, it was
just implemented last week on the 22nd. The other mistake suggesting a spontaneous answer is an
omitted verb: You may have the option of charging the $30 to your account. As for the remainder of the
Last, we could question the wisdom of forgoing a $180 purchase of a smartphone with accessories
instead of waiving a $30 fee that was instituted just days earlier and is added unexpectedly just before the
One organizational goal in providing live chat is to add another channel for customer contact online.
Mainly, though, the purpose of the live chat is to address customer inquiries and complaints and to
7.6 Instant Messaging: Practicing Your Professional IM Skills
This activity can also be accomplished with the help of the chat function in Blackboard or Moodle, but
AIM, Skype, and the other IM tools are often more versatile and sophisticated or have a more pleasant
You could assign specific roles, such as a customer who has a question about a product. He or she will
A question-and-answer session could serve as a group activity involving the whole class. The session
could rely on the content of a chapter in this textbook or a business article assigned to the class. The
7.7 Analyzing a Podcast
E-mail responses to this assignment would enable students to respond to the assignment more fully and
in greater detail. However, practicing professional texting or tweeting by making the messages very
If you are understandably reluctant to give away your cell phone number, create a Google Voice account,
which will provide you with a phone number you can give out and access online or forward to your home
Alternatively, consider asking the students to text to your e-mail address or to tweet to your Twitter account.
You don’t need to register to search for and view tweets in your Internet browser, but you should open a Twitter
As for the style used in the podcasts in the Quick and Dirty Tips series, they clearly appeal to young people
because they are irreverent and funny, although they do provide valuable advice.
Example of a tweet or brief text message:
(Excerpted from Money Girl, who is discussing the advantages of turning one’s hobby into a
business; using your favorite browser, search for Money Girl: How to Turn a Hobby Into a
Business for more information.)
You get the most favorable tax treatment when you have a legitimate business—you can even
deduct your overall business losses in years you don’t make a profit. (133 characters with spaces)
(Excerpted from Grammar Girl, who is attempting a quick-and-dirty definition of the object of a
sentence; using your favorite browser, search for Who Versus Whom.)
I love you. You are the object of my affection and my sentence. It’s like a Valentine’s Day card and
grammar mnemonic all rolled into one. (138 characters with spaces)
7.8 Creating a Simple Business Podcast
Answers will vary. Help students select business topics and prepare brief scripts. Some of these steps
could be done in class in small groups or as a peer editing exercise. Students could introduce a local
company, explain a business idea, discuss a new piece of legislation and its effect on small businesses,
7.9 Reviewing Corporate Blogs
This assignment allows for a variety of activities. Students could evaluate a blog verbally or in writing—in
memo form, by e-mail, or as a blog entry. Additionally, Blackboard, another course-management site, or
Facebook could be used to post the student reviews for feedback and comment by the class. Just the
7.10 Composing a Personal Blog Entry
This assignment is purposely limited to a recent survey or study to ensure academic honesty and
discourage copying from the Web. The added benefit is that students will become acquainted with reliable
sources of many useful statistics, not only for social media. The blog post could be assigned as a
7.11 Writing Superefficient Tweets
Students may enjoy this activity because it invites them to use their creativity in a familiar area. After the
7.12 What? You Tweeted THAT?
Answers will vary, but here are a few possibilities:
a. Sending hate tweets about the boss. The difference between venting around the water cooler or
b. Lying to the boss and bragging about it. Although lying to the boss may be woefully common,
c. Romancing the boss (kissing and telling). Even if the indiscreet Twitter user had a private profile,
a contact could easily retweet the message and make it retrievable. Besides, amorous relationships
d. Announcing the desire to quit. The wish to quit may come true, but prematurely so and not
e. Blocking your boss. Preventing the boss from seeing your profile is no guarantee that he or she
7.13 Creating a Twitter List
This Twitter assignment requires that students write tweets on a predetermined topic or communicate
Students need individual Twitter accounts for this activity, and you should create a Twitter list for the class
to monitor activities. The group would then function much like a bulletin board, only with a limit of 140
characters. Students practice writing professional, well-considered tweets on a topic of your choice or
freewrite within the confines of the character restriction.
How to create a Twitter list: Sign in and visit your Twitter home page. In the URL address line, type
https://twitter.com/lists. On the right you should see a button that reads Create new list. Click and
follow the instructions. Name the list, provide a brief description if you wish, and determine whether to
keep the class Twitter list public or make it private. Save the list. You will be taken to a new Twitter home
page that is showing the name you assigned to the list. You can start adding members.
7.14 The Dark Side: Hooked on Social Media?
Answers will vary, but most students will probably agree that they would consider it a hardship having to
relinquish their smartphones even for a day. In the Maryland study, students felt that giving up their
A related problem to explore is Internet gaming addiction, which is most prevalent in Asian countries.
7.15 Entrusting Your Data to the Cloud
Most students are likely to be using Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other social media networks
daily. Chances are that students are using Google Docs, Gmail, or Yahoo. They may be familiar with
When compiling a list of disadvantages, students may identify the potential dependency on providers and
their pricing as well as technical glitches. Banking data and medical files are most likely to be named as
Businesses are struggling with the security risks associated with the growing comingling of personal and
corporate apps on mobile devices. A recent Facebook snafu changed e-mail addresses in people’s
Security breaches are likely, despite encryption software and the best efforts of the hosting companies.
Ironically, if encryption is employed so that only the owner can decrypt the information, the data can be
Clearly, not all information is created equal. Family photographs leaked on the Internet are not as
Experts say that convenience and productivity will always win over security risk. Outages and potential