case study

MEMO (format, Findlay & Locker, 2015) Date: October 29, 2016 To: Adrienne Vanthuyne, Logistics and Supply Chain Manager From: Jane Smith, Logistics and Supply Chain Officer CC: Charlene Brown, Assistant to the Supply Chain Manager Subject Line: Mrs. Sacco’s Twitter Dispute Analysis During her personal travels to South Africa, Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Justine Sacco, had posted several twitter messages throughout her layovers. Some of these messages contained information deemed inappropriate, and had twitter followers outraged within the span of a few hours. By the time Mrs. Sacco’s flight landed at her destination, tens of thousands of twitter users had weighed in on the subject, particularly about one statement in which Mrs. Sacco jokingly commented about the correlation between race and the AIDS pandemic (Ronson, 2015). Twitter users responded with anger and hate towards what they perceived to be a racist comment made by Mrs. Sacco (Ronson, 2015). While Mrs. Sacco later made a public apology, and expressed that the intent of her messages was misunderstood, her name and tweets had already become known all across North America (Ronson, 2015). Since the incident, Mrs. Sacco has been receiving numerous hate messages and even threats. Consequentially, her association with CGL has provoked additional media outrage. Her ability to act as the Senior Director of Corporate Communications has come under question, with twitter followers suggesting that Mrs. Sacco should be let go from her post. Analysis The case of Mrs. Sacco and her social media dispute is conflicting in many ways. The main issues that affect CGL as a company are as follows:

• Mrs. Sacco holds a very high level position at CGL • Mrs. Sacco is responsible for the companies’ communication which feels ironic

to many people, as her comments were perceived to be careless and offensive

RE: Twitter Dispute Analysis October 29, 2016 Page 2

• Followers believe that she must surely be aware of the negative consequences that can come from posting on social media, considering her position

• The twitter dispute has resulted in a lot of attention on CGL • Through association, CGL has been put in a difficult position, and is at risk of a

bad reputation as a result of Mrs. Sacco’s actions • There is a lot of pressure from social media followers to terminate Mrs. Sacco

Author Jon Ronson describes the incident as a case of “social media shaming” (2015, p. 3). He explains the feelings of power, and righteousness while drawing comparisons to the way public shaming was commonly used in the 18th and 19th century as a form of punishment (Ronson, 2015, p. 7). Becoming a “public” figure in such a short time, and for the most negative reasons, has affected Justine Sacco not only in her career, but also in her family and personal life. As Ronson discovers, the effects of social media shaming have been detrimental to “victims” causing job loss, PTSD, the inability to find and/or keep a new job, relationship, and in some cases, has had very negative repercussions on a person’s ability to gain back their normal life. It is clear that Mrs. Sacco’s tweets offended many people, however, it is also certain, that the conversation quickly turned from shock into a form of entertainment for followers. While Mrs. Sacco is to be held responsible for making comments without thoroughly considering the repercussions of her actions, and how her words might be perceived by the public, social media is additionally to blame for the way this situation has been taken out of proportion. It is true that any statements made on social media must be carefully considered. By posting thoughts, opinions, and especially jokes online, one has got to consider that people could misinterpret the message, and possibly use it for their own personal gains. However, my argument is that social media has made it very conducive to engage in social disputes and cyber bullying. Attacking someone via social media, without having to look them in the eyes, has become a form of entertainment for some people, and seems much easier to do than confronting a person face to face. This idea applies to those who post initial comments or statements, as well as those who respond in a negative, and hateful way. While social media can be a very useful tool for business, it can also be incredibly harmful. Information posted on social media is accessible by the global society, and must be used carefully by employees and employers alike, now more than ever. In fact, this type of situation, and there are many similar instances to Mrs. Sacco’s case, sheds light on a much bigger issue. Social media policies are present in some companies, but not all. While social media might not have been a big trend, even 10 years ago, today, individuals’ personal social media engagement calls for concern. In order to avoid these type of situations, and make employees fully aware that their personal participation in social media can have negative repercussions on their employer, it should be up to the company to implement social media engagement policies, or re-assess their existing policies.

Conclusion & Recommendations In the case of Mrs. Sacco, it is clear that the majority of those who know about the dispute believe CGL should terminate her. If no action is taken, the companies’ reputation could be even more wounded. Conversely, one could argue that a few careless comments that never meant to hurt anyone, should not ruin a person’s life. Additionally, legal consequences must be considered if the company decides to let Mrs. Sacco go. She might have grounds for a lawsuit again CGL if proof cannot be provided that she acted against company policies. It is my recommendation that CGL try, as much as possible, to turn this negative situation into a positive learning experience. The attention is on CGL, and this could be used to our advantage. The following are recommendations for CGL going forward:

1) Discipline: Disciplinary action should be taken, possibly in the form of a formal warning, and a public apology issued by Mrs. Sacco, with the support of CGL. It should be made clear that her intentions were not to make racial remarks, but rather that she was humoring the “bubble” she feels we live in, in [North] America, as she put it, and the privileged life that has created a huge gap between the developed and the developing world (Ronson, 2015, p. 6; Findlay & Locker, 2015, Vanthuyne, 2016b).

2) Supporting employees: Supporting and standing employee could after all allow for a very positive image of CGL. It might even show, despite the common misconception that large corporations do not care about the people who have brought them success, a very human face (Brown, 2012; Findlay & Locker, 2015).

3) Bulling Awareness: CGL can use this opportunity to shed light on bullying, and convey the message that whether in person, or using social media as a tool, it is never acceptable to bully someone (Brown, 2012; Findlay & Locker, 2015).

Kind Regards, Jane Smith Jane Smith

References: Brown, F. (2012). Socia media & the workplace, Journal of Business Media 22(3), p. 22-

32. Findlay, I. M., & Locker, K. O. (2015). Business Communication Now (3rd ed.).

Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. Ronson, J. (February 12, 2015). How One Stupid Tweet Blew up Justine Sacco’s Life.

New York, NY: The New York Times. Vanthuyne, A. (2016a). Module 2 – Chp7 The Business of Writing [PowerPoint Slides].

Retrieved from https://www.fanshaweonline.ca/d2l/le/content/753727/viewContent/4647632/View ?ou=753727

Vanthuyne, A. (2016b). Module 7 – Social Media in Business Communications [PowerPoint Slides].

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