Law Students Put Their Education to Work and Sue Their Schools

Law school graduates are seeking class-action status in a suit against their alma maters Thomas Cooley Law School and New York Law School. The plaintiffs claim the schools defraud applicants by overstating job placement rates. Apparently, included in some schools' employment rates are people in part-time jobs, temporary jobs, jobs that don't require a J.D., and fellowships sponsored by the school. The plaintiffs are seeking tuition refunds and changes in how employment numbers are reported.

To defend its data, Cooley issued a report (download) claiming, "Study Shows Lawyers Have One of the Highest Employment Rates of All Professional Occupations." Cooley has also responded with a lawsuit of its own against the plaintiffs' attorneys claiming defamation because of ads such as this:

Discussion Starters:

• Read more about the debate over statistics here. How do you assess the law schools' communication to students? Based on this information, do the plaintiffs have a case?
• Read the employment report issued by Cooley. What parts of the report do you find most and least convincing? 
• After reading the Cooley report, are you more or less sympathetic to the plaintiffs? In other words, how effective is the report in making the school's argument about employment? 
• Beyond the legal questions, and based on what you know from reading, do you believe these law schools are communicating ethically to applicants? Why or why not?

Strike at Verizon: A Look at the Data

Verizon is asking for concessions from the Communications Workers of America (CWA), and so far, management isn't getting any. The company claims that poor performance in its landline division makes costs unsustainable, but the unionized employees don't agree. To change the cost structure, Verizon wants to implement a pension freeze, reduce the number of sick days, and raise employee contributions to health care insurance.

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam sent a letter (download) to all employees explaining the company's position.

In its statement, CWA says that Verizon's initial list of concessions hasn't budged since June 22, when union bargaining started. 45,000 employees are now on strike and cite the following "Verizon Financials" to support their case:

• 2011 annualized revenues are $108 billion and annualized net profits are $6 billion.
• Verizon Wireless just paid its parent company and Vodaphone a $10 billion dividend.
• Verizon's top five executives received compensation of $258 million over the past four years.

According to a New York Times article, management and the union disagree about benefits payouts to employees:

Union officials dispute the company's estimate that each employee receives $50,000 worth of benefits each year. In that number, the company includes $14,700 for medical and dental insurance, $10,900 for retiree health care and life insurance, $10,800 for pension and $7,500 for time off.

Union officials say total benefits average $25,000 a year. Mr. Kohl, the union official, disputed the $10,800 yearly figure for pensions, noting that Verizon's annual report said the company's 2010 contributions to the union's defined benefit plans "were not significant." Verizon officials said the $10,800 was an average annual amount.

Mr. Kohl also said the $10,900 retiree health care figure was greatly exaggerated, asserting that many retirees had worked years to pay for that care so the cost should not be attributed to current employees.

Mr. Kohl also quarreled with Verizon saying the value of time off - vacation, sick days and personal days - was $7,500. He dismissed that as double-counting because that number was already counted in wages.

Discussion Starters:

• Looking at the argument over employee benefits, whose version of the data do you accept?
• How convincing do you find the union's list of "Verizon Financials"? Do these numbers influence your thinking about whether the union should make concessions?
• The CWA refers to Verizon's annual report to defend its position that pensions should not be frozen. How do you interpret the note "were not significant" in the report? Is this a convincing argument?
• In CEO Lowell's letter to employees, what is his strongest argument? What is his weakest?
• What ethical issues do you see in this dispute? Do you side more with management or the employees in this case? Why?

Following Complaint Letter, No "Mystery Shopper" Study of Doctors

The Obama Administration had planned a survey to test how difficult it is for Medicaid and Medicare patients to get appointments with doctors. But following criticism about the cost of the study and the "proposed clandestine method of collecting information from physician offices," the study has been canceled.

For data collection, the study called for mystery shoppers, who would pose as patients. In a letter, Senator Mark Kirk emphasized the "stealth" nature of the plan and his belief that the purpose of the study -- to prove a shortage of doctors -- has already been documented.

Watch a related video: President Obama's discussion of Medicare.

Video source.

 Discussion Starters:

• What research was the Obama Administration trying to gather that they believed could only be obtained through mystery shoppers? In other words, what was the value of using mystery shoppers for this study?
• From reading Senator Kirk's letter, do you consider the original study with mystery shoppers to be ethical for this purpose? Why or why not?

Will Graphic Images Encourage People to Quit Smoking?

The U.S. government is using more visuals to help people get healthier. Shortly after revising the food pyramid, federal health officials have selected nine graphic images to appear on cigarette packs. If you're strong, you can see all of the new images here. As we might expect, the major tobacco companies are disputing the images, claiming, among other issues, infringement of their right to free speech. Read the government's news release.

Discussion Starters:

• Which, if any, of the images might convince someone to quit smoking? Do you find some images more effective than others? Why?
• Why do you think the government is using pathos (emotional appeals) in this campaign rather than logical arguments, for example, providing data about life expectancy?
• The Truth campaign has used graphic videos to encourage young people not to start or to quit smoking. How effective do you find this video, for example?

"Facebook Fatigue" or a Poor Source of Data?

One report indicates that Facebook lost millions of users in May: 6 million Americans, 1.5 million Canadians, and 100,000 Britons. Of course, Facebook still enjoys great success with almost 700 million users worldwide, but the company's goal is to reach 1 billion, and this is a step in the wrong direction.

While critics say that people are tiring of the social networking service and have increasing concerns about privacy, Facebook has responded with optimism. The company has questioned the data (apparently pulled from the reach of Facebook ads) and maintains that it is "very pleased" with its overall growth, claiming that "50 percent of active users log on to Facebook on any given day."

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• Do you buy Facebook's argument about the data source? Why or why not? 
• What is your personal view of Facebook? Have you ever felt "Facebook fatigue" or known others to quit?

USDA Replaces Food Pyramid Graphic

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is trying a new graphic to help people understand healthy food choices. The pyramid graphic was thought to be confusing (well, yes, we see a person climbing a mountain with a pile of food at the bottom). The USDA's revised graphic is much simpler, showing just a plate with words to represent portions of food. To accompany the new communication, the USDA has a new website.

Discussion Starters:

• In what ways is the new graphic more effective than the old? How do you think people will react to the image?
• Read the USDA's summary of messages about nutrition. How effective do you find this summary for combating obesity? What ideas do you have for improving these messages?

Low-Salt Diet Study Stirs Up Debate

The Story

Contradicting previous research, a new study found that consuming less salt increased the likelihood that people die of heart disease. The study drew criticism from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with one official saying, "At the moment, this study should be taken with a grain of salt." Ha.

Image source.

Discussion Starters

• According to critics, the study was flawed, partly because of the small sample size and relatively young subjects, who, at an average age of 40, "did not have high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease." In what ways do you see these issues affecting study results?
• If you were a doctor, would you change your previous advice to patients and now encourage them to stop their low-salt diet? Why or why not? If not, what else would convince you that people should change their diet?

Assignment Ideas

• Working independently, find the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on May 4, 2011, through your school library. In class, be prepared to discuss your search process: what tools did you use to find the article? As a group, discuss the search approaches that proved to be most successful.
• Read the full study. Identify what, if any, caveats the authors provide to temper their conclusions.
• Write a letter to the authors of the study to describe criteria for identifying subjects for primary research. What recommendations do you have for their future research?

Department of Homeland Security Scraps Beloved Five-Color Terror Alerts

The Story

The federal government is finally scrapping its five-level, color-coded terror alert system in favor of a simpler, friendlier approach. The previous system, often mocked, as in the example below, will be replaced by a National Terrorist Advisory System. Through the new system, "alerts will include a clear statement that there is an 'imminent threat' or 'elevated threat'" and will be communicated through the Department of Homeland Security website and through social channels, such as the DHS Facebook page and Twitter.  (The Twitter page had no tweets as of this writing, which, I suppose, is a good thing.) Mocking continues, for example, in the PC World article, "Tweet if you see Osama." This article refers to a 2009 April Fools' joke at Info World, which said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would start allowing people to report emergencies through Twitter. Although not quite the same as this announcement of reports from the government on Twitter, the article is close enough to be funny.  

Discussion Starters

• What has been your view of the previous five-color system? How does this system compare to other visual approaches, such as those discussed in Chapter 9 of the book? 
• In what ways is the new system an improvement?
• Assess the government's use of social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. Would you visit the new sites to find emergency information? Why or why not?

Assignment Ideas

• Write a report assessing the successes and failures of the previous five-color system. Read about the original intent of the previous system here. Also research articles about the system to get a comprehensive perspective of what has worked and what hasn't. In your report, recommend a new approach for the Department of Homeland Security, which may include the new plan as well as other ideas you have for communicating important information about threats.
• Imagine that you work for the Department of Homeland Security and have identified a threat: a potential terrorist attack in your hometown. Write a tweet (140 characters or less) to convey the threat to the public. You can invent whatever details about the situation you would like. Just be sure to balance seriousness with reassurance -- you certainly don't want people to panic unnecessarily.

New Study: Ninety Percent of Teens Drive While Distracted

The Story

A survey published this week by AAA and Seventeen magazine reported that teenagers understand the dangers of distractions while driving, but they multitask anyway.  Read the full story here.

Discussion Starters

• In Chapter 1, we talked about distractions as a barrier to communication. Which other communication barriers could affect driving ability?
• What data presented in the article would most influence you to stop texting while driving? Why do you find this statistic most persuasive?

Assignment Ideas

• Convert the following paragraph from the article into one or more charts.  How can you turn the numbers into graphs that are easier to read? 
  "Aware of the dangers, 73 percent of teens admit they have adjusted their radio/CD/MP3 player, 61 percent have eaten food, and 60 percent said they've talked on a cell phone while driving. Teen drivers justified their actions and said they think it's okay to engage in these distractions because: 41 percent think their action will only take a split second; 35 percent don't think they'll get hurt; 34 percent said they're used to multitasking; and 32 percent don't think anything bad will happen to them." 
• Write an email to convince a teenager you know well-your little brother or sister or another relative-not to drive while texting.  Knowing this teen, which data from the survey would most likely encourage him or her to stop driving while texting?  See more data here.  What other principles of persuasion (from Chapter 7) will you use in your message?
• Write a report to your local PTA or PTO that includes the survey data.  The purpose of your report is to encourage parents and teachers to create a new promotional campaign against driving while distracted. 

BP Adversary Fakes a Twitter Account

The Story

Someone has been having a lot of fun mocking BP and the oil spill disaster.  Posing as BP Public Relations, the writer has over 180,000 followers as of July 2010 (compared to BP's real Twitter page, which has only 16,000). 

Source: http://twitter.com/bpglobalpr

Discussion Starters

• How do these tweets affect BP's credibility and its own efforts to manage its reputation?
• Can BP stop this Twitterer?  If not, should the company respond in some way?  What are the risks of responding? 
• How can BP use its own social networking presence to combat this site? 

Assignment Ideas

• Address the fake Twitter account.  Decide whether you'll write a public news release, write an article for the BP web site, create a video, or respond in some other way.  Produce your response.
• Write a recommendation report to BP's lead Twitterer with your analysis of the company's real Twitter page.  First, research how to use Twitter successfully.  You might look at online articles to start.  Next, plan, draft, and revise your report to reflect your analysis: what works well, and what would you suggest the Twitterer change?
• Write a few new tweets for BP's real Twitter page.  How would you communicate with people during this crisis?