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week 4 post 2

Research the GPDR online privacy regulations that went into effect last Friday. Link to an official government communication from the EU or another governmental body about these new technological restrictions. Then, find an example of art or advertising in the the city you’re in (not online) that deals with similar issues of privacy or surveillance.

The EU passed the GPDR online privacy regulations last Friday, after being debated since April 14th, 2016. The regulations essentially protect people from being taken advantage of on the internet. If the companies refuse to comply they will be faced with extremely high fines.`Now the companies are forced to ask for consent, make clearer boundaries about their reach over people and their privacy. The EU also passed a law that requires companies to allow people to erase data and any personal information they do not want being used by third parties.

During the cold war, the Berlin wall was a way for East Germany to divide the country from the democratic west. There were towers and checkpoints to ensure that people could not go in or out without permission. The wall went up essentially overnight and prevented people from traveling freely in their own country. They were under surveillance, they weren’t allowed to do as they pleased because of the government control. This is a piece of the Berlin wall, a with art on it. The quote on the art comes from checkpoint charlie, which was one of the only places to cross the border.

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week 4 post 3

Dimeo, Hunt & Horbury, “The Individual and the State: A Social Historical Analysis of the East German ‘Doping System’” explores a governmental scandal about a sports/medical technology. Compare this to a contemporary sports scandal of your choice, using at least two quotes from the reading. Take a local photo to illustrate the East German doping scandal in some way, and another photo to illustrate the scandal you choose.

During the East German regime, women were forced into doping in order to supplement their performance. “the GDR organized doping alongside talent identification and development systems to establish the small country with a population of 17-19 million as a regular top-three finisher in both summer and winter Olympics.” (Dimeo, 220)The athletes were forced into doping, and they were recruited at a young age in order to build the best of the best athletes, and win gold metals for their home country. “the East German ‘regime’ has been widely written about in academic sports research and mainstream non-fiction, and often cited in media sources as the worst example of corruption in the history of competitive athletics” (Dimeo, 219). Instead of just training their athletes, the East Germans just cheated the system to come out on top. 

The athletes, (especially the females) were heavily effected by the testosterone because firstly, they were given the drugs even before they began puberty, and because women do not have high levels of testosterone in their bodies. The men were also given the drugs, but they weren’t as highly effected as the females. The east Germans won a total of 40 gold medals in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

In more recent times, there was the Lance Armstrong doping scandal. Lance Armstrong was a world renowned cyclist, who came back to cycling after a terrible cancer diagnosis. Lance was accused of doping during the second half of his career, starting as early as the 1999 Tour De France. Lance was stripped of all of his titles after he was found guilty of the doping scandal.

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week 4 post 3

At Teufelsberg this week you will see a lot of graffiti. It's a cultural phenomenon here - highly skilled artists have been allowed to paint the walls of this defunct spy station. Some murals have lasted years, while others are painted over from one week to the next. As Ledingham tells us, “Public relations is best defined and practiced as the active attempt to restore and maintain a sense of community.” How is this graffiti a function of community building/maintenance? How might this space be different in the U.S.? Would the owners of this property or the federal government be likely to allow this long-term graffiti haven to continue untouched by anyone who isn't part of the community? Post a selection of murals to illustrate your post. 

Graffiti is an active expression of community and individual views, culture and ideas. It is a way to express ideas and messages in the form of art about community issues and local problems. The actual art is a public form of communication because when they paint on structures that anyone can see on their way to work, they are transmitting their message to their community and bringing them together behind common viewpoints. 

If this space were in the US it would probably not be treated as a sort of museum, it would probably be in a bad part of town that you wouldn’t really go to unless you had to. In the United States graffiti is treated as a a nuisance, not celebrated as a form of art like it is in Teufelsberg. It is also highly unlikely that a space like this would exist in the United States, especially a “protected” space simply because of the stigma associated with graffiti. People in the US typically try their best to remove graffiti if it is on their privately owned buildings, an if I am not mistaken it is illegal to deface government property. It is highly unlikely that the government would grant protection over something they are trying to prevent.

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week 4 post 2

You have now seen the Mercedes-Benz arena & museum, the BMW Motorcycle Factory, and the VW Autostadt. How are these various locations similar in terms of stakeholder engagement? In what ways are they different? As a tourist viewing these locations (rather than as a local fan, a native German, or a customer), which was more effective in creating a compelling experience for you? Think about the Ramshaw reading as you answer, and include specific examples.

Visiting all of the automotive museums was definitely a highlight of my trip to Germany. The Mercedes Benz museum was the first museum we saw, and the only one where we didn’t have a tour guide. Instead, they gave us small devices that would connect to the exhibits and explain what was going on; you could even pick the “category” of explanation in terms of technology, history, and even a kids version. In terms of the tours themselves they were all very unique and catered to the companies visions/missions, but obviously there was some type of overlap between them.

The most obvious difference between the tours in terms of stakeholder engagement was actually the ways in which the tours were given. For example, at the BMW Factory we actually went behind the scenes and saw how and where the motorcycles were made. The tour was more technical and informative about the companies current products, rather than an interactive tour where we learned about all of the types of bikes they have made through history. The other two tours were more a showcase of all of the cars they have produced, and there were a lot more things we could interact with. The VW museum and the Mercedes museum in particular seemed more catered towards people who are interested in the history of cars, and not necessarily for people who are interested in purchasing vehicles, or the way they are produced. The BMW tour seemed more for people who are looking to buy bikes and want to know the logistics and production of what they are planning on purchasing. The tours were similar all in that they are designed to make people feel comfortable with the brand, and to increase brand awareness. They all focus on making their brand look like it is better than all the others.

As a tourist, my perspective of the museums was different than say that of a buyer because my main goal was not to learn about the functionality of a potential vehicle, or validate the reputation of a particular brand so I know what I am buying. As a tourist my main goal was essentially learning and entertainment, so I focused more on the experience than the actual content. According to the Ramshaw article, “heritage tourism as not related to a site or object, per se, but as one’s own perception of his or her heritage. In this, heritage tourism becomes about the interaction between the individual and object and/or space, and not about the particular attributes of the object and space itself. In terms of experience, heritage can also be about performance” (Ramshaw, 21). Based on my this definition, and point of view at the museum I would say that the VW museum definitely created the most compelling experience, at least for me. The VW museum had so many opportunities to interact, and essentially “experience” the brand (they even had something called the Lamborghini experience for pete sake). Between the mini bike arena, driving course, Ritz Carlton, and numerous restaurants there was literally no way you could get bored. All of the different opportunities at the museum drew me in and made me want to stay forever, and it definitely changed my perspective on VW in a positive way. They also had different buildings for the different car brands, which created a very unique and memorable experience.

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Week 4 Post 1

Capture an advertisement that you think would be ineffective in the U.S. Tell me why it would be ineffective, and then describe how you might do it differently for a U.S. market. Post a photo of the advertisement so that your classmates and I can see what you’re referring to. (Note: You cannot post something in German and say “it would be ineffective because it isn’t in English” or something similar. Think in terms of the intended message, intended audience, and how both are communicated - would the spirit of the message be ineffective? Why?) Make a connection to at least one of our readings from the program.

PS my pictures wouldn’t upload, but I will be editing this post later in order to include the photos.

I came across this advertisement when I was in the Amsterdam Airport, on my way back to Berlin. I thought the advertisement was really intriguing, especially because I noticed it has an almost insulting connotation to it. The ad basically insinuates that your current portfolio/experience is not good enough for the future, and what is to come. At this point, I became curious as to why a company would choose to use an advertisement that is insulting to their consumers, but then I realized something. I realized that the advertisement is probably not taken the way I took it by other consumers, and may just be because I am American and interpreted it in a different way.

The ad was in English, but I think their targeted market are the Dutch people that go through the airport on a daily basis, especially for business. I think the biggest misunderstanding happened when I didn’t read the advertisement in its entirety. At the bottom of the advertisement there is a saying that reads “The better the question. The better the answer. The better the world works.” This is a stark contrast to the much larger and easily read message that is insulting to consumers. I think in order to appeal to an American audience, the company should focus on the improvement of the world, and the future, and not necessarily the consumer themselves. They shouldn’t just “call out” people because sometimes people are easily offended and wont want to use their products. I think the issue would be that more Americans are likely to take thing to heart, and most of the time people (especially if they don’t like what they see) are not likely to take time out of their day to read an entire advertisement and may get the wrong message. To gravely summarize GM chapter 14, different cultures have different perspectives; sure some things are universal, but others like the interpretation of advertisements it not. One person may be highly offended by a statement someone makes, while another may think it is perfectly fine. The reason for these differing perspectives, are the differences in culture. While I am personally not offended by the advertisement I chose I could see how anyone; especially an American who has never been exposed to advertisements like this before would be offended.

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week 4 Prompt 2

Prompt #2: Museum Communication meets Metropolis: At the museum, look for two examples of science or technology to relate to the film: 1 - Find an exhibit that suggests the film was accurate in communicating the future. 2 - Find an exhibit that suggests the film was inaccurate in its vision of the future.

Today we went to the Communication Museum in Berlin, and saw many different modes of communication, and technology in action. We also watched the movie Metropolis, which makes very strange assumptions about what the future is going to look like.

There were two different exhibits that stood out to me with relation to the movie, the first was the television/multimedia exhibit, and the robot display. The movie portrays a future where humans are controlled by technology, specifically robots. The idea that technology can control humans, and not the other way around it causes what is called a “techno-panic.” The main issue is that it makes humans feel like they are no longer on control of the technology that they have invented. The exhibit in the communication museum that proves the Metropolis’ view of the future correct is the robots exhibit shown in the video below. The robots prove that technology can function independently of human interaction, but in reality the robots actually cant function without humans. This was shown to me when while i was interacting with the robots, something went haywire, and one of the workers had to come over and fix the bot. The idea of the exhibit suggests that the film is accurate in its portrayal of the future. 

The other exhibit that discredits the films portrayal of the future, is the multimedia/television through history. The television exhibit shows how humans have continued to develop and change technology overtime. This contradicts the movies view of the future because humans are still in control of technology. 

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week 3 post 3

Luke Lalor from AlphaPool Content Marketing is coming to to talk with us about his firm and what they do. For the post, you need to take careful notes during Luke’s talk so that you can go out this week and find an example of something he discusses. Specifically, you need to identify a concept he discusses, then find an example of that practice (1) done well, and (2) done poorly.

Luke Lalor, from Alpha Pool visited our class to talk about various marketing and public relations techniques. One of the techniques that stuck out most to me was their ability/willingness to change in order to reach a certain clientele. This is important because the market is forever changing, and people always want the next big thing.

Europe, atleast from what a have noticed; has a smoking problem. A while ago, (early 2000′s) the government forced tobacco companies to display realistic and gory advertisements on their packaging to try and prevent people from smoking, and cut down on the amount of people that already do. In the beginning, the advertisements were probably effective, but now almost twenty years later it is time for the government to make some changes because the campaign is just not working any more. Once people are exposed to something over and over again, they almost become immune to it, so it is not longer striking or out of the ordinary to see. I would say the government is doing a poor job of changing with the demographic because so many people are still smoking.

Now, I unfortunately broke my phone on this trip and this warranted a trip to the Apple store in Amsterdam. Although they couldn’t help me with my phone, walking into the store make me realize that Apple is the perfect example of changing with the demographic. They develop a new phone (almost) every two years, and people are always buzzing about what is going to come next. Apple is so next level, that whatever they produce sets market trends for other phones. They are ahead of the trend so they do not have to worry about people becoming immune to their products; like they have to graphic cigarette advertisements in the EU. Alpha Pool and Apple do this very well, and because of it probably have a high customer retention rate.

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Prompt 3 Extended Post

Find an example in Berlin (not TV, Online, etc.) of communication from a regional, city or national governmental body about a particular technology. Drawing on Habermas, examine it first from a public sphere perspective: What information is needed about this technology for citizens of a democracy to have an informed civic debate and deliberate about it? Then drawing on Jagnathan et al, examine it from a rhetoric of advertising perspective: what persuasive arguments might a manufacturer or distributor of the same technology want to make public.

Although the prompt says the photo should be from Berlin, all of the photos I took in Berlin I no longer have access to.

On our first tour of the city I came across an advertisement for the M5 tram on the fence outside of a museum next to the river. The advertisement is from the City of Berlin’s government, and they are encouraging their citizens to ride the M5 tram, as opposed to other forms of communication. The advertisement included animated characters with all different appearances, even a few animals. The advertisement read “everyone rides the M5″ and is extremely inclusive.  

In the very first line of the Habermas article, he defines the public sphere to mean, 

we mean first of all a realm of our social life in which something approaching public opinion can be formed. access is guaranteed to all citizens. A portion of the public sphere comes into being in every conversation in which private individuals assemble into a public body (Habermas,1).

I personally took this excerpt to mean anything that a community of people are effected by, and are entitled to have an opinion about. Public transportation, or more specifically the M5 is the perfect example of technology that a community might be concerned about. In order to have a debate about the public transportation, they need to know a few things; where the trams are manufactured, how much they cost, if there are better replacements, who the tram is reaching, and how safe they are are a few factors that would be great talking points for an uninhibited debate between citizens.

In the Jagnathan article, he discusses the way that“Advertisers have used language as a ubiquitous, contemporary and creative medium of persuasion to affect the intellect (logos), conscience (ethos) and the emotions (pathos); either by using Aristotelian or Plato‟s philosophy of rhetoric” (Jagnathan, 153). For a manufacture of the same type of technology (public transport vehicles) it might be important for them to disclose that their technology  is not exclusive, and that their technology is better, faster, more efficient, or safer than their competitors in order to gain new customers, and assure their current buyers that their tech is of the upmost quality.

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Week 3 Comm 3550 Prompt 2

Prompt 2: Capture an image from the portion of the BMW Motorcycle factory where we’re allowed to have photos – anything you like (something cool, obviously). Discuss the concept of communicating/connecting with internal & external stakeholders, and how this tour accomplishes both of those things (refer to the entire tour and to things we learn from the tour guide and the promo videos). Draw specific connections to the Zerfass reading – quotes w/ page numbers are a good way to do this.

“According to the global CCOs interviewed, there is a strong tendency for communication to be in control at corporate headquarters with communication being responsible for vision, mission, values, and other “soft” building blocks of a corporation” (Zerfass,789). With regard to the BMW motorcycle factory, this much is true. On our tour, our guide Martin made it quite obvious to us where BMW’s values lie, and how important it is to them to maintain them on a daily basis. One of the most memorable things from the guide was the sign that had all of the inspirational messages on it, and said “Who is responsible for quality”, and the question was answered by a mirror right below it as a way to say “you are responsible every step of the way.” This is one of the ways BMW manages to connect to their internal stake holders, the workers.

BMW also connects with their external share holders, the buyers by giving the actual tour and softly promoting themselves the entire time. One of the things I specifically noticed was when martin was showing us the promo video he said something along the lines of “there is a bike for anyone.” And when we actually went on the tour he kept bringing up what I assume to be his favorite bike and explaining how it is the greatest engine they have ever created and that everyone needs one. The final self promotion came near the end of the tour when Martin brought up the scooters they have, and how if you ride one you are automatically going to want one. The tour is just one of the ways the BMW motorcycle factory effectively communicates with its external shareholders, its customers.  

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Comm 3070 Prompt 2

Prompt 2: Computerspiel museum / DDR Museum: Public Communication of Sport Sciences and Technologies. Compare and contrast an example from each museum that talks about, shows, or otherwise presents a science or technology used in sports. Embed a music video of one song you would choose to play along with each sport (one for each, two songs total). Use supporting quotes from McLeod to explain why you chose those songs.

I plan to add pictures/videos of these asap, but I lost my content when I broke my phone.

At the computerspielmuseum and the DDR Museum there were multiple examples of science and technologies used in sports. Specifically at the DDR museum there was a simulation of the cars they used to drive in East Germany. Nascar drivers use driving simulations to practice and reach peak performance. The song I have chosen to play along with the driving simulation is Thunderstruck. The reason I have chosen this song is because (in my opinion) it is the epitome of rock and roll and masculinity. McLeod mentions “The rise of rock and roll paralleled the advent of a glamorous career that, particularly in the case of young men, promised a life of pleasure, adulation, and power previously rivaled only by star professional athletes.” I also chose to use this song because in East Germany they strived for better lives through socialism/communism. At the computerspielmuseum there were many instances where science and technology of sports were used in the form of games/ simulations. There were plenty of games and simulations that function like sports, AKA you play against an opponent and score points. For any multi player game like this I would suggest the song Hey Yah! because of the point McLeod makes “Crowd chants and club songs permeate European and South American football (soccer) matches, and rock, hip hop, and pop tunes are broadcast to delineate every stoppage of play during NHL, NBA, and Major League Baseball games.” Chants and competitive sports go hand in hand, and Hey Yah! is the perfect song to bring people together around any game or sport, even if it is just tetris.

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Prompt 1 (extended): Pick a concept from the chapter 14 reading on cross-cultural communication and PR that you have seen exemplified during our time here so far. Perhaps at a cafe you’ve witnessed differences in how space is used (Proxemics). Maybe on a weekend trip you’ve seen ways that people from some countries view time differently than we tend to (Chronemics). Or perhaps you’ve seen a really clever ad that bridges cultural/linguistic boundaries. Post a photo or video, and explain how it captures or illustrates the concept you choose. 

This picture is of the closed DM by our hotel. I took it as I walked towards REWE only to find out that it was closed as well. One thing that I have noticed that Germany takes to heart are their national holidays. Unlike the United States, most, if not all stores close on national holidays. While we have been in Germany there have been two national holidays. The first, Ascension Day, occurred while we were in Stuttgart. The second, Whit Monday, happened yesterday. Yesterday, many of us found it frustrating when we could not go into our local REWE due to the holiday and as well as the fact that it was closed the day prior too. Although I frown upon Walmart and other stores being open on Christmas, having limited stores open on national holidays is a major cultural difference between Germany and the United States.

In Germany, some things have more importance to people than they do in the United States. In the United States, which has a capitalistic economy, we are known for assigning money with time. It is more important for stores to stay open during major holidays than it is here in Germany. For instance,“cultures have difference attitudes about time.” (Guth 431). This is known as Chronemics. Like was said in class, money is time and time is money. Americans place such an importance on how we address time that enjoying holidays is not seen in the same way as it is in Germany. Surprisingly, the United States is placed in the middle of 31 different countries when it comes to the amount of importance placed on time.

I believe that Germany places a higher importance on the ideas and celebration of holidays than people in the United States do. In the United States, Christmas is seen as a holiday where many companies make a majority of their year’s profit. I believe that for corporations in America it is more important to make money than it is to take time off to observe a holiday. More than half of the population in Germany is made up of Christians meanwhile in the United States there tends to be more diverse amounts of different religions. It is helpful to understand “religious conventions and traditions of a culture” in order to understand why a specific country decides to place such importance on national holidays (Guth 433). I have noticed other differences as well including how Germans eat, what they eat, placement of wedding rings and personal space differences, but I think that the differences in how holidays are addressed maybe one of the more interesting ones to point out.

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Prompt 1: Computerspielmuseum / DDR Museum: Public Communication of Sport Sciences and Technologies. Compare and contrast an example from each museum that talks about, shows, or otherwise presents a science or technology used in sports. Embed a music video of one song you would choose to play along with each sport (one for each, two songs total). Use supporting quotes from McLeod to explain why you chose those songs.

The computerspielmuseum and the DDR museum both showed very different types of sports. The computerspielmusuem consisted of a variety of video games as well as the advancement of video games throughout history. The DDR museum focused completely on the history and lifestyles of East Germans during the cold war. Both museums showed different types of sports whether it was through sports gaming in video games or through actual physical sports. One fun similarity about these museums is they both were very interactive and easily kept the attention of the visitor.

The DDR differed greatly in that there were no signs of any video games being played at that time, instead, just different sports that people of East Germany played. The sports pictured at the museum consisted of soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, aerobics, handball, swimming, and table tennis. In relation to DDR’s East German athletes, I would place more of a uniform, main stream, or energizing song with the sports. I say this because in socialist East Germany many of the citizens lived in similar, uniform lifestyles as their neighbors. Unlike the United States which play “rock, hip hop and pop tunes [… during] every stoppage of play during NHL, NBA, and Major League Baseball,” the East Germans would play very simple music. So for this reason I chose Thunder by Imagine Dragons. I tried to find an extremely main stream, yet slightly catchy song to represent East German sports. 

In relation to the video game museum, I think that it would depend on the video game. For instance, a video game related to sports would have something more similar to United States physical sports music like rock, hip hop, and pop music. This scenario is what McLeod cited as happening in sports related video games saying that there “increasing presence of major label musical artists in sports-related video games” (McLeod 539). For the video game, I chose the song All I do is Win by DJ Khalid. This is a popular hip hop song that promotes a winning mentality. 

Song for video game: All I do is Win by DJ Khalid

Song for East German sports: Thunder by Imagine Dragons

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Week 2: Blog Post 2 Comm 3070 

 Prompt: 

 Briefly describe how the readings by Nebel and Stobbe and Sun relate to one of the types of miscommunication of science and technology we have discussed. Find an example of public communication of science or technology here that also evidenced one of the types of miscommunication and explain how. The readings from Nebel, Stobble and Sun all deal with similar types of miscommunication.

……..

 The Nebel paper criticizes a single study that relates SSRI’s during pregnancy to autism. This is an example of oversimplification and mistakenly believing correlation equals causation. The Stobble paper involves how a few studies showed that HRT caused a lower incidence of heart disease. This also incorrectly portrays that correlation in a few studies equals causation. Finally, the Sun paper deals with denialism. Mothers in this study believe that vaccines lead to Autism even though many studies have proved this wrong. All of the studies involve a miscommunication that can be dangerous in the health field.

 While walking in Berlin, I found another example of miscommunication in science and technology. The billboard pictured above shows an athlete drinking a beer. While the beer is non-alcoholic, it is not something that is associated with high performing athletes. The add insinuates that Krombacher alcoholic free beer can improve athletic performance. After a little research I discovered that Krombacher beer supplies Germany’s athletes in the Olympic village with many gallons of the non-alcoholic beer. A single study conducted in Munich showed that marathon runners suffered less upper repository infections after drinking the beer before a race. This single study led to Olympic athletes drinking the non-alcoholic beer. This can be viewed as a miscommunication in oversimplification and correlation equals causation. There should be more studies to decide whether the beer is actually good for the athletes.

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COMM 3070

Week 3 Prompt 1: Ecoland / Tempelhofer Feld: Public Communication of Health Sciences and Technologies. Find the community gardens at Tempelhofer Feld. Compare how they communicate sciences and/or technologies of health (such as nutrition, sustainability, etc.). What values are expressed? How are they similar? Different? Do you see any miscommunications?

The community gardens at Tempelhofer feld were beautiful to admire, but the message of the community gardens go well beyond its appearance. Tempelhofer feld, which used to be the central airport in Berlin, has been transformed into something the entire community can still go to and enjoy. The repurposing of the Berlin-Tempelhofer airport into a community park open to the public is a very good reuse of technology. As Auyang states, technology is the “scientific capacity to produce.” While Tempelhofer no longer produces as an airport, it is able to produce in another manner that ties the community together. I would also argue that the community garden represents an effective use of Okazaki and Taylor’s strategy of personal extensibility. While the city of Berlin isn’t necessarily overcoming a physical distance, they are overcoming the closure of the airport through the communication technologies that the community gardens have to offer. The public is able to see that good, sustainable growth can come from anywhere, even an abandoned airport.

The values expressed through the community gardens of Tempelhofer feld are quite similar to those portrayed at Ecoland. Just as Berlin repurposed an abandoned airport into a community park, those at Ecoland took an unwanted breed of pig and developed a world-renowned organic farm. Both situations show that sustainable growth can be found in even the least desirable of areas. The use of abandoned space at Tempelhofer serves to bring the community together through outdoor activities and admiration of the eccentric community gardens that represent a sort of rebirth and growth of the area. The use of a once-unpopular breed of pig and spices from small African villages come together to create marvelous organic food that is admired by all, even Prince Charles. Both Tempelhofer and Ecoland preach messages of sustainability, but both also serve as an inspiration to the surrounding community that great things can come from unsuspecting situations. However, they do differ in the sense that Tempelhofer is a public park open for all to enjoy at no profit while Ecoland is a business generating revenue. While one’s purpose is solely to bring the community together, there is a business aspect to the other (which is not necessarily a bad thing). 

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Week 3 Post 1

Ecoland/ Tempelhofer Feld: Public Communication of Health Sciences and Technologies. Find the community gardens at tempelhofer feld. Compare how they communicate sciences and/or technologies of health (such as nutrition, sustainability, etc.) What values are expressed? How are they similar? Different? Do you see any miscommunications?

The community garden/ “urban gardening section” at Tempelhof Feld and Ecoland have many similarities when it comes to producing foods that are of up most quality and are good for the body. Most notably the two focus on making the lives of people in tough situations better by giving them access to better nutrition, the ways they do this are entirely different though. At Ecoland farmers are given the opportunity to work for livable wages by providing nutritious and safe products for the company. This way the farmers have access to better nutrition and living situations for their families because now they can afford them. At Tempelhof, people are allowed to plant veggies and other foods at what used to be an airport, for free! This gives people who cant necessarily grow, or afford their own fruits and veggies access to healthy foods when they might not be able to get them else where. While both of these companies express values of caring for the greater good, Ecoland is a for profit organization, while the community gardens are not. Ecoland helps people by giving them money, while the community gardens give access to fresh foods both are awesome organizations looking to help people. I didn’t really notice any miscommunications when visiting the community gardens, or Ecoland, but I am sure I probably just missed something.

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week 3 prompt 1

Pick a concept from the chapter 14 reading on cross cultural communication and PR that you have seen exemplified during our time here so far. Perhaps at a cafe you’ve witnessed differences in how space is used (Proxemics). Maybe on a weekend trip you’ve seen ways that people from some countries view time differently than we tend to (Chronemics). Or perhaps you have seen a really clever ad that bridges cultural/linguistic boundaries. Post a photo or video, and explain how it illustrates the concept you choose.

Among the many differences between American and German cultures is out attitude towards food and drink. According to Guth, “For many public relations practitioners, cuisine is the reward for mastering the subtleties of cross cultural communication” (Guth, 434). I have included a picture of McDonalds as a sort of connection between the two cultures, but from here the attitudes change drastically. The German diet is typically full of very heavy and hearty foods designed to fill you up and make you “fat and happy”, while in America the current trend is healthy, vegan, and light food options. In Germany, a typical snack is something like bratwurst or currywurst, which in my experience are always served with fries and mayo; all of which are not super healthy options. (The entire thing is kind of ironic because the level of obesity in America far surpasses that of any other country when our focus is on healthy foods). Although the contents of our diets are extremely different, the real difference comes with portion size, and the manner in which our food is served.

In America, everything is gigantic, while in Germany the opposite is true. When I visited McDonalds I ordered an chicken sandwich meal where I received my sandwich, fries, and a drink. Typically, at an American McDonalds the sheer amount of french fries that comes with a meal is enough to feed two people, but in Germany the fries that came with a meal are equivalent to the American size small, the perfect amount to supplement the meal. This remains pretty standard when it comes to sizing of food and drinks in Germany, everything is much smaller/ promotional to what we should actually be eating. When I go to a restaurant I don’t feel like I need to take a to-go box every-time I have a meal. `

Another trend I have noticed is the fact that in Germany, ice is not typically included in drinks unless you order a cocktail. This is a huge contrast to America because most of the times when you order a drink half of it is actually ice. Maybe this is why we offer free refills, and they don’t? When I ordered my drink at McDonalds I expected a super cold and refreshing cola with a bunch of crunchy ice at the bottom, but the ice in my drink melted before I could even finish my drink.

Another slight cultural difference is that here in Germany you have to pay for every single thing you want, this includes water and condiments. Although it doesn’t seem like a big thing it is definitely something I have noticed. In America if we go to Chickfila and ask for fifteen ranches, twelve water refills, and a couple of mints it will not cost us a thing, but here in Germany I am pretty sure I would have to take out a small loan to have more than two bottles of water at dinner.

The final difference comes to the service of the food in Germany. In America, it is essentially a requirement for customers to tip wait staff, even if they have done a terrible job. In Germany and other places in Europe it is completely fine to tip .5 euro, or nothing at all. In fact it is considered rude to tip generously because they see it as an insult to their work.

[cecehensley-blog]

Week 2 Extended post

We visited Sachsenhausen this week. The holocaust undeniably was a crisis, and created a series of cascading crises for Germany, Europe, and the world over the following months and years. Thinking about the Guth reading, how does Sachsenhausen function as a response to that crisis? How does the organization utilize Sachsenhausen (and museums/memorials like it) to pursue healing, restoration, and a prospective vision for the future with the various publics affected by the holocaust? Make specific connections to both the Guth reading and the ECC (Effective Crisis Comm) reading - again, quotes are a good way to do this.

Sachsenhausen was a incredibly eyeopening and unique way to remind us to never forget the Holocaust and the lasting effects that is made on the world and the german society. The Holocaust was a tragedy that shook the world and touring Sachsenhausen and other concentration/work camps afford people the opportunity to see what actually happened behind closed doors, so we can make sure that it never happens again. 

Although seeing what happened during the holocaust is uncomfortable and disheartening it is important for our society to not only remember the victims, but to know what actually happened. We must “study crisis communication, so people and organizations are not enveloped in the crisis” (ECC, 4). Sachsenhausen functions as a way for people to remember the tradegy that was the holocaust in a setting that is not the classroom, and to study the crisis that shook the world. The tour guide said that the camp serves a a way of remembering the past so that people can heal, and protect the future from similar tragedy. Some people (particularly Neo-nazis) try to deny, and forget that the holocaust was a thing by burning down, and destroying the memories these museums fight to preserve.

“It is not enough to develop technical contingencies to meet the logistical needs of an organization in crisis. Developing plans for communicating during times of stress is critical to the success, if not the very survival, of organizations.” (Guth,135). In order to ensure the survival of their country and their morale, Germany must actively and openly communicate about the tragedy that practically destroyed them. Since we are (thankfully) no longer fighting in WWII, Germany now has a lot of public relations to maintain. If they tried to hide/cover-up their mistakes it would be like they were denying their role in the demise and pain of millions of people, and would ultimately lead to their downfall. Germany chooses to face their past head on and allow people to see what actually happened, and by doing this (in my opinion) they are restoring their country to its former glory.

For people whose families were effected by the holocaust directly, the museums/ camps offer a place where they can come for closure and remembrance of their loved ones because most of the time these people were not given proper burial, or able to say goodbye to their families. These people deserve the opportunity to heal, and the museums and camps give them a place to lay flowers and remember their loved ones/heritage.