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Prompt 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 seems to be a phenomenon at Teuefelsberg that maintains a community within the visitors, staff, and artists. People come to Teufelsberg to see the graffiti that is displayed here and the community that it has created. Many of the artists come back here to do more and creating new messages. I think that the wall art that is done here is some of the coolest graffiti that I have ever seen. I think that not only does the art create a community, but some of the graffiti has a certain political stance and I think that that can create another community as well. For example, the graffiti that says “the only thing that’s flatter than my hair is the earth.” Creating a joke on conspiracy theories and the intelligence of our president. I think that something like Teufelsberg could occur in America but it would have to depend on where. Coming from Atlanta, there are many spaces with graffiti that is used as art for the city. The graffiti is unique and many people enjoy the messages that are received from them. Similar to Teufelsberg, a lot of Art that I have seen in Atlanta also has a political message to it. In places where it is more conservative, I do not think that this would be as successful as it is here.

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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 city you’re in (not online) that deals with similar issues of privacy or surveillance.

As of this past Friday, the European Union has placed into effect the General Data Protection Regulation. The GDPR gives rights to individuals within the European Union to be protected from data collected from the internet. Unlike the United States which does not have any type of protection for its citizens regarding private data and information. On the website of the European Union, it links you to the General Data Protection Regulation section which it there clearly outlines the rights protected to each citizen. These rights include: “the right to information, to obtain access […] data be erased, request the restriction” ("What are my rights” 2018). Each company has to follow these rules and restrictions in order to protect the privacy of each citizen. As said in class, this includes any company, including international companies, to act in order with this. Not only did the European Union put these regulations into effect, but they also have authorities who are monitoring if these rules are being used or not. Citizens also have the right to make claims and collect money if they are caught in an issue where the company or organization does not follow the regulations and it causes problems for the person. I found two examples of art concerning privacy on the internet. The first photo is graffiti art that says “the world wide web is watching you.” The second says “fight for your digital rights.” The graffiti is older than the sticker considering one is explaining the issue while the second is something that is to come. I think it’s interesting to see now after the European Union enacted this policy because it is no longer an issue.

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Prompt 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.

Even though Mercedes-Benz Arena & Museum, BMW Motorrad, and VW Autostadt are all car companies, each experience while visiting was way different.  A commonality among all was that each product should be made with care and should provide an experience for the consumer. 

Mercedes Benz differed in that it was a self-guided tour and in addition to an arena tour afterward. The Mercedes Benz museum focused more on the history of the company and their cars and transforming to current day, while the others focused only on the current day with some explanation of the past. Mercedes Benz did a good job with making some parts of it interactive, for instance, the race simulator and the interactive futuristic exhibit, but for the most part it was really based on what interested the tourist the most since you are directing your own path. The tour of the arena was also interesting in that they engaged us to talk and ask questions while learning about their brand. It allowed us to go further than just viewing the stadium, we got to walk throughout the press rooms and the dressing rooms. It was an amazing experience being able “to cross the symbolic boundaries that distinguish the worlds of the audience and the worlds of the performer or privileged” (Ramshaw, pg. 19, 2013). Mercedes-Benz has universal recognizability of their brand, and so it was very cool to see the history of the company and what it is doing to modernize itself.

Of the three BMW had the least amount of products to show. Given this is an actual motorcycle plant rather than a museum it is hard to make the comparison. It was interesting to see the true enthusiasm of each employee over the product. They provided great explanations of their guaranteed quality care. For true motorcycle enthusiast, the BMW plant provided the pinpoint marks of the construction of the bike. In order to be more compelling, I wish that it was a little bit more interactive but because it is a plant it might be hard to do so.

In regards to interest, I think that VW did an amazing job of engaging the tourist and because the company is so big we got to see many different brands of cars like a Lamborghini, a Bugatti, and a few Porsches. VW is the only company that can show each brand while keeping concise and interesting. In comparison with BMW, we were less aware of what type of quality care procedures but especially with the very expensive cars it seemed as though that was a given. In regards to size, VW was by far the largest with almost everything needed to spend the weekend at Wolfsburg without leaving and each different brand had its own artistic touch. I think that VW provided me the most compelling experience. Our tour guide was amazing, and she showed us each brand without dragging on the conversation. What really caught my attention with VW was the video which they played at the beginning of the tour. It showed how through a large company how each separate groups works together to provide the exceptional experience for the consumer.

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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.

Throughout the years there have been many incidents relating to doping in the athletic community. One phenomenon of doping occurred during the era of the German Democrat Republic in East Germany. Quickly, the GDR rose to the top of competitors in the world through the use of steroids. Pictured above is a comparison of trophies won by the GDR and West Germany. It’s plausible to see the extent to how much the steroids helped to improve the performance of athletes. Many more awards were given to GDR athletes due to their so-called ability. At this time, the world was unaware of the mass amounts of doping going on among GDR athletes. A similar occurrence happened with Russia in the 2014 winter Olympics. Due to doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics, the country was punished with not being allowed to participate as well as a 15$ million dollar fine. ( “IOC upholds Russian doping ban...” , 2018). 

From the early 1960’s until 1989, East German athletes were heavily involved with using steroids to improve their performance. What is even more problematic about steroid use during this era, is that many athletes were not given the choice of taking steroids versus not taking them. Not only was forced steroid use unethical, but it caused health issues among many female athletes. This trend among athletes remained a secret throughout the time Germany being split. Research covering this period of time is recent because many were unaware of the trend, while it was occurring. Similarly, “East German athletes were so numerous that their individuality had been lost in the focus on politics, systems and the wider implications for the cultural significance and value of a sport” (Dimeo, Hunt, Horbury, pg. 221, 2011). The doping scandal that occurred was horrible for not only the integrity of athletes but for individuals as well.

After being found guilty of using steroids to enhance performances, Russian athletes now have to face the consequences. Athletes who were not found guilty can still participate in future games, but cannot hold the flag and wear a very simple uniform nor will the Russian national anthem be played. There are some similarities between the Russians and GDR athletes. For instance, after finding out about the issues of steroid use, the IOC looked further into and found out that they had been doing this for many years as GDR athletes had. Another similarity between GDR and the Russians is that they both quickly gain success in competition. For instance, “within only a few years of organizing and planning the doping programme, the GDR was ranked consistently in the top three for both summer and winter Olympics (1972-1988)” (Dimeo, Hunt, Horbury, pg. 221, 2011). It will be interesting to see the research that will come in later years concerning Russian steroid use in the 2014 winter games.

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Prompt 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.

This is an advertisement that I have seen over and over again during our time in Berlin. The sign is advertising a vasectomy. I think that this would ineffective in the United States because people tend to be more conservative when it comes to displays of that matter. I have also never seen a specific surgery being advertised like this one is here. Most advertisements that occur in the United States are food, medicine, etc. but never a particular operation being advertised. I also have noticed that many health-related advertisements in the United States are found either in magazines or on TV, never as a poster which directly addresses a surgery (not to mention that I was eating dinner when I saw this). I find it weird that directly outside of an Italian restaurant there is an advertisement for this. Since it is directed towards men, I am not sure if that is the best placement for it either. Just as stated in Public Relations: A values-driven approach by Guth there are differences across cultures when it comes to meanings of words, hand signals and time, there are also differences with how cultures react to advertisements. Another thing about American culture that differs from German is that we do not talk about sex or when we do it is very little and discrete. The conversation about sex is more open in Germany than it is in America. Concerning sex, at the communication museum, there were dildos at one of the exhibits. Unless you were at a museum focused on addressing sex in America, you would not typically see that on display.

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Prompt 1: 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.

The film, Metropolis, released in 1927, is a silent film that explores a dystopian society in the future. The film features the elite and the workers who keep the town running. The son of the “Master of Metropolis” come into contact with Maria, a woman who is trying to get the group of workers together to rebel against the rough living conditions. The son’s father figures out the plan and makes his “evil” scientist create a robot to represent Maria so that they do not rebel. In the end, Maria does not follow the plan and creates her own which causes the worker’s living space to flood. The main idea of the film is that technology can create more trouble than it is worth. Today, at the Museum of Communication I found examples of where technology was necessary and useful and where it was seen as negative. One exhibit I found particularly interesting was a wall of many different words. People can write their own word to add to the exhibit. The idea is that you write a word that is foreign but used in your own language. I thought this was an exhibit where what the film suggests inaccuracy. Instead of technology being hurtful, it brought people together from many different cultures and displayed them all on one wall. Another exhibit that I saw was the live update of tweets. I thought that this was an exhibit where the film was accurate about technology in the future. Although it is interesting to look at, it shows how invested people have become to social media. It showed specific regions which were hotspots for tweets in real time. I think that this display shows the negativity of technology because it shows the obsession with social media and people’s attachment to social media.

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Prompt 3: Advertising / Public Sphere: Public Communication and Democracy. 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 informed civic debate and deliberation about it? Then, drawing on Jaganathan 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 to the public?

One thing that has caught my eye through my time in Europe and in particular Germany has been the explicit cigarette warning labels placed on each box. Each time as I’m checking out of REWE, I walk past the counter with all of the cigarettes on my way out and each time I am caught off guard by the labels. I have attached below a link that shows the many different types of warning labels placed on each box. Originally, I thought that these uncensored warning labels on cigarette packs were only in Germany but after traveling to Amsterdam I noticed the same warning labels were at the local grocery stores here too. After doing some research, I found the European Union began requiring these warning labels on all cigarette packs in 2001. In reference to the Habermas reading, these warning labels have provided helpful and hopefully persuasive information to the public. As said in the reading, the government “derives its task of caring for the well-being of all citizens primarily from this aspect of the public sphere.” (Habermas, pg. 49, 1964). In this instance, the European Union is not only trying to protect their citizens by informing smokers but also it is trying to prevent issues caused by secondhand smoke. Some of the warning labels, for example, say “your smoke harms your children, family, and friends” as well as “smoking causes heart attacks.” Alongside these facts are pictures relating to each fact. They range from showing the lung of a smoker or to a person being placed in a body bag. Both the facts and the pictures in the warning labels are trying to persuade the potential buyer to not actually buy the product. Although as I have seen in comparison from America to Europe, Europeans smoke much more regardless of the warning label on each box than Americans who don't have cigarette packs that display graphic images. I think that in this instance, the place where the product is being sold will affect a person’s reasoning to buy or not buy it more because of the labels. The laws set for American companies are much more relaxed than those set by the European Union. As said in Rhetorical Syllogism in the English and German etc.…, “the language of advertising influences the purchasing behavior of its customer by providing information and persuading them to buy a certain product” (Jaganathan, pg. 151, 2014). In America, where the warning labels are not as extreme I think that it will not deter a person from buying a pack. In Europe, it is necessary for each box to be sold with this label on it and because there is information provided it does deter some from smoking cigarettes.

Link to Warning labels:

Warning Labels

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Prompt 3: Luke Lalor from AlphaPool Content Marketing is coming to talk with us about his firm and what they do. For this 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. 

This past Thursday, Luke Lalor from AlphaPool, visited our class. During his presentation, he talked about the company that he works for and what they do. AlphaPool is a public relations and marketing firm that works with many different people including other organization/businesses, celebrities, and athletes to name a few. In his discussion, Luke mentioned that his job is fifty percent proactive and fifty percent reactive in dealing with relations between organizations and their identified wanted persons. An example of proactive work is a commercial that is generally well accepted and liked by many different people. For the most part, super bowl commercials are often highly liked and effective. One example of a well-liked advertisement was the Bud Light commercial for this past Superbowl. The “dilly dilly” phase is so popular that people bought shirts with Dilly Dilly on the front. By having proactive work, a lot of work goes into the creative thinking, organization, and financing of the commercial prior to the commercial being released. An example of a poor commercial is the commercial which Heineken released this past March. The commercial they released was blatantly racist, and because of this, it was necessary for Heniken to be reactive with public relations to save the mess that they created due to this advertisement. Reactive work includes fixing the mess created from the original product. It is important for companies to work proactively instead of reactively not only because it usually has a negative connotation but also because it usually infers that something bad happened in order to need to work reactively.

Below are links to both commercials: 

Bud Light commercial  &  Heineken commercial

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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?

Both Tempelhofer Field and Ecoland communicate the importance of local and sustainable, community-based gardening/farming. Ecoland focused majorly on supporting communities near and far, like those where they retrieve their spices from in India or Zanzibar. Tempelhofer field differs from Ecoland in that it is more local community based than Ecoland is. It was interesting to see the promotion of sustainability in another place in Germany. I have noticed Germany, as a whole, is very focused on sustainability, promoting clean eating and good air quality and recycling. Another difference between the two is that Ecoland is placed far into the countryside of Germany while Tempelhofer is found in an abandoned airport runway. I think that it is interesting that both nature to their advantage by either using the local pigs like in Ecoland or the land in Tempelhofer. In reference to both, I did not pick up on any miscommunications at either Ecoland or Tempelhofer field.

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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. 

During our tour of the BMW Motorcycle factory, we were able to learn a lot about the company and in particular the motorcycle group of the BMW family. It was interesting to learn about the values of BMW. It is evident to interested buyers as well as our group that BMW genuinely cares about the customer experience. BMW wants to ensure that each customer can enjoy the experience and receive an authentic, personalized motorcycle. Throughout the tour, we were reminded of the excellent customer service that BMW strives for. There are many different quality checks throughout the assembly lines to make sure that the motorcycle is perfect for the consumer. Our guide eluded to the fact that customers get what they pay for and by buying from BMW people will have a well-made motorcycle ready for use. By providing quality care and work, organizations can “[manage] communication and relationships” (Zerfass 2015). From this standpoint, people return to BMW to buy more vehicles because of the positive experience that they had while buying their first BMW product.

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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.

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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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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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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 3: Briefly describe how the readings by Nebel and Stobbe and Sun relate to one of the types of miscommunications 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 miscommunications and explain how.

The three readings all happen to have a miscommunication about technology. In Nebels piece, she is discussing a paper that was published which advertised the negative relationship between taking antidepressants and autism. In the piece published there is a miscommunication of technology because they believe that by taking antidepressants while pregnant you will have a higher chance of having a child with autism. However, doctors found a correlation but that does not mean that antidepressants are the cause for having a child born with autism. 

Stobbe’s article also discussed the relationship between correlation and causation. In this article, Stobbe explains the misuse of the word causation when referring to a study. The study looked at the effect of taking HRT with lowering numbers of cases of coronary heart disease. Again in this article what is trying to be understood is that correlation does not mean there is a causation. Sun’s article again looks at miscommunication of technology. This article discusses anti-vacciners and the disastrous result of not having vaccines. One woman faced it the hard way when her daughter caught measles, and changed her point of view on vaccines. This article is another example of how correlation does not equal causation.

While walking around Berlin, I found this sign being held in the middle of a busy square. Each name above is a place where there has been a nuclear meltdown. After doing research, I found that France has 58 nuclear power plants throughout the country. I believe that this is a miscommunication of technology because these people are holding a sign without reason to believe that there will be a nuclear meltdown at one of the places in France. I think this is seen as a technopanic when discussing types of miscommunications of technology. People are nervous over the possibility of something bad happening when in reality it is highly unlikely.  

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Prompt 3: 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? 

Although there is nothing that Germany can truly do to make up for the horror of the holocaust, Germany can commemorate the lives that were lost. Sachsenhausen is the place of a concentration camp that housed prisoners of war and political figures during the holocaust. While visiting Sachsenhausen I found this sign above on one of the walls. It is a quote by someone who had been a prisoner of Sachsenhausen during the holocaust. Sachsenhausen serves as a memorial for all of the lives lost during that time. People are able to visit Sachsenhausen and tour it to learn more about the holocaust but also to remember people who had been killed in Germany at this time.

As discussed in the piece written by Guth, a crisis can cause “threatening the legitimacy of an industry, reversing the strategic mission of an organization and disturbing the way people see the world and themselves” (Guth 125). The holocaust caused similar effects and was a horrible crisis where Germany had to fix what they had done. I think that not only does Sachsenhausen serve as a memorial for the lives that were lost but it also teaches people. People learn history in hope to not let it repeat itself so by showing people what had happened it helps to remind us. I also believe that this quote does a good job of explaining the necessity for museums like these in Germany. By Sachsenhausen having this sign there, it shows that they are tying to commemorate lives lost.

Our tour guide did a very good job at explaining Sachsenhausen and its history. It was obvious that she believed it is necessary for Germany to memorialize all the victims of the holocaust. She pointed out that at the opposite side of the statue/memorial stood the entrance. She explained the meaning of the statue by saying it stood taller than the entrance and that Germany had come together to remind those of Germany’s new found allegiance of all citizens. Germany stands together to honor the people affected by the holocaust and is stronger than its past. Germany realized its mistakes and has done its best to commemorate the people affected by the holocaust. 

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Prompt: How is the Mercedes-Benz Arena utilized for public relations? Who are the key publics here, how are they engaged, and what types of relationship management strategies are employed to engage with these publics?

The Mercedes-Benz Arena is employed in that it unites the whole city for their love of soccer. It creates a common ground for people to enjoy the team, their love for soccer and their pride for the city of stuttgart. Key publics include the general public (citizens of Stuttgart) or whoever is a fan of the Stuttgart soccer team. The publics would also include sponsors because they are interested in achieving something through the relationship with Stuttgart soccer team which includes promotions. During the tour, our guides discussed Stuttgart’s club which over 60,000 fans are a part of. People involved in this club are die hard Stuttgart soccer fans. The Stuttgart soccer team runs the club for people interested in soccer so that they can coordinate colors for games (in the standing section) or get together to watch an away game. It creates a relationship between the club and the organization and provides a common space for soccer enthusiasts to gather. Another relationship is between the soccer organization and the sponsors. The organization manages the sponsors by having sponsors pay for their company’s logo to be used in the back of interviews and in other paces. Another way that the organization can manage the relationship is by choosing to sell products or not in the stadium or use it for gear. In this spot the organization has the power to decide whether or not to sponsor a business.