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CEO Mike Jeffries has surprised and disturbed people with his alleged comments about customers in 2006, which just became public: "We go after the attractive all-American kid...A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes] and they can't belong. Are they exclusionary? Absolutely." The comment has been interpreted to mean that plus-sign people aren't welcomed in the store, and this may be substantiated by the retailer's inventory: no pants size is larger than 10. Public reaction has been strong. As of yesterday, about 1,000 people signed an online petition to boycott Abercrombie. And a nine-year-old in Plano, TX, altered her T-shirt to express her feelings: Discussion Starters: As yet, the company has not responded to requests by ABC news. Should the corporate communication people say something? If so, what? What's your reaction to the CEO's alleged comment? Do you find it offensive, his right to define his customer, or something else?

Beer brewer Tui posted a billboard in response to New Zealand's legalization of same-sex marriage. It's meant to be funny but has caught a negative reaction. Controversy is brewing (sorry) on the Tui's Facebook page , but the company is defending the ad. Tui's marketing manager said that "Yeah right" ads have been around since 1994: "There have been a fair few 'Yeah Right' lines which have made it to the billboards over this time, all of which have been generated with the intention of delivering a smile to New Zealanders. "Given the duration of this campaign and the quantity of 'Yeah Right' lines, occasionally there is the odd... line, which doesn’t hit the mark in generating a smile for all. "Our intention with the current Tui Yeah Right billboard 'Dad’s new husband seems nice' was to highlight the common situation or uncertainty experienced when someone’s parent remarries. "Given the recent passing of the Same Sex Marriage Bill in Parliament, this 'Yeah Right' line is a topical spin at the age-old situation of a parent's new partner." It's true: Tui has a long history of edgy "Yeah Right" ads. Here are 16 others . Discussion Starters: What's your view of Tui's ad: tasteless, insensitive, funny, or something else? Look at Tui's other "Yeah Right" ads . Do you find them funny? Does this context change your perception of the gay-marriage ad?

Hyundai is apologizing for an ad that pokes fun at a failed suicide attempt. Proud of its new ix35 model that uses water rather than carbon monoxide emissions, the company played on a way that some people end their lives. But the ad didn't go over well, particularly for one woman, who lost her dad to this method of suicide. Holly Brockwell wrote a touching blog post about her father's suicide and how the ad affected her. As a creative advertising director, Brockwell has good credibility for her reaction: "I understand better than most people the need to do something newsworthy, something talkable, even something outrageous to get those all-important viewing figures. What I don’t understand is why a group of strangers have just brought me to tears in order to sell me a car. Why I had to be reminded of the awful moment I knew I’d never see my dad again, and the moments since that he hasn’t been there. That birthday party. Results day. Graduation." Brockwell also posted her father's suicide note, which has gone viral. A week before Brockwell's blog post, AdWeek had criticized the ad . Apparently, a reporter contacted Hyundai but received no response. That was a warning the company should have heeded. Now, after more bad press, Hyundai has pulled the ad from YouTube and issued these statements : Hyundai Motor America Statement: "We at Hyundai Motor America are shocked and saddened by the depiction of a suicide attempt in an inappropriate European video featuring a Hyundai. Suicide merits thoughtful discussion, not this type of treatment." Hyundai Motor Company Statement : "Hyundai Motor deeply and sincerely apologizes for the offensive viral ad. "The ad was created by an affiliate advertising agency, Innocean Europe, without Hyundai’s request or approval. It runs counter to our values as a company and as members of the community. We are very sorry for any offense or distress the video caused. More to the point, Hyundai apologizes to those who have been personally impacted by tragedy." Discussion Starters: Hyundai's defense is similar to McDonald's, which was criticized for the subway ad mocking mental illness: the ads were created "without Hyundai's request or approval." Do you buy it? We haven't seen a response from Innocean, the ad agency. What, if anything, should they do?

An article by Augie Ray, director of social media for a Fortune 100 company, describes the ethics of social media marketing , and gives us several interesting examples from the Boston Marathon tragedy. In contrast to these companies that perhaps crossed an ethical line, recall El Pelon Taqueria , the restaurant that offered help and asked for nothing in return. Calling it a "desperate attempt to trade on people's feelings," Ray described an NBC Facebook picture of a boy in a hospital bed. The post asks people to "'LIKE' this to wish him a continued speedy recovery." Ray points out that "liking" a post does nothing to help the boy recover. In another example, Ray criticizes Ford for muddying a message with its products. According to Ray, "Ford's use of brand imagery not only reduced the sincerity of the message but demonstrated questionable ethics." For comparison, Ray presents Ford's actual post, at right, next to one without branding, at left. The difference is fairly obvious. Individuals made mistakes as the tragedy was unfolding, too. Author Guy Kawasaki was criticized for continuing to post promotional tweets, as others were suspending theirs. Clearly, he didn't agree with the criticism. He responded, "Loving how people with less [ sic ] than 1,500 followers are telling me how to tweet." Discussion Starters : How do you assess these three situations? Do you agree with the criticism of each? Augie Ray offers a sound suggestion for modifying the Ford post. Can you think of something similar for the NBC post? What might make this one more acceptable (read: more compassionate)?

Like many high school seniors, Suzy Lee Weiss is receiving her share of college rejection letters. Disappointed—and clearly more than a little peeved—Weiss published a letter in The Wall Street Journal , " To (All) the Colleges That Rejected Me. " Weiss claims that her 4.5 GPA, 2120 SAT score, and experience as a U.S. Senate page weren't good enough. Partly, she blames her lack of diversity: "For starters, had I known two years ago what I know now, I would have gladly worn a headdress to school. Show me to any closet, and I would've happily come out of it. 'Diversity!' I offer about as much diversity as a saltine cracker. If it were up to me, I would've been any of the diversities: Navajo, Pacific Islander, anything. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, I salute you and your 1/32 Cherokee heritage." Jokingly, Weiss also blames her parents and uninflated job titles. A student who claims " I took your spot at Harvard ," wrote a snarky response to Weiss, including, "But when my parents got divorced and my mom came out of the closet and hooked up with the ¼ Navajo lady neighbor, I closed my textbooks and put down my pen. I figured—why bother? I’m a black female from the inner city with divorced parents, a gay mother, and a part-Native American stepmother. Every college was going to recruit me like I had a great jump shot. . . . "As for me—I’m set for life. Obama is president, racism has ended, and law schools have already come a-callin." Discussion Starters: Although Weiss says it's just satire, some people read the piece as cynical and bitter. Are you with the 53% of Today Show viewers who said the letter was whiny? What's your view? Watch Weiss on the Today Show . How, if at all, does this change your opinion of her?

An NYU professor's email response to a student is going viral . The dispute started when a student walked into Scott Galloway 's brand strategy class an hour late, and the professor dismissed him based on a policy of not allowing students who arrive more than 15 minutes late to stay in the class. The student wrote an email to Prof. Galloway, explaining his position: Prof. Galloway, I would like to discuss a matter with you that bothered me. Yesterday evening I entered your 6pm Brand Strategy class approximately 1 hour late. As I entered the room, you quickly dismissed me, saying that I would need to leave and come back to the next class. After speaking with several students who are taking your class, they explained that you have a policy stating that students who arrive more than 15 minutes late will not be admitted to class. As of yesterday evening, I was interested in three different Monday night classes that all occurred simultaneously. In order to decide which class to select, my plan for the evening was to sample all three and see which one I like most. Since I had never taken your class, I was unaware of your class policy. I was disappointed that you dismissed me from class considering (1) there is no way I could have been aware of your policy and (2) considering that it was the first day of evening classes and I arrived 1 hour late (not a few minutes), it was more probable that my tardiness was due to my desire to sample different classes rather than sheer complacency. I have already registered for another class but I just wanted to be open and provide my opinion on the matter. Regards, xxxx — xxxx MBA 2010 Candidate NYU Stern School of Business xxxx.nyu.edu xxx-xxx-xxxx In response, Prof. Galloway took the opportunity to teach what sosome may call a life lesson: From: scott@stern.nyu.edu To: "xxxx" Subject: Re: Brand Strategy Feedback xxxx: Thanks for the feedback. I, too, would like to offer some feedback. Just so I've got this straight...you started in one class, left 15-20 minutes into it (stood up, walked out mid-lecture), went to another class (walked in 20 minutes late), left that class (again, presumably, in the middle of the lecture), and then came to my class. At that point (walking in an hour late) I asked you to come to the next class which "bothered" you. Correct? You state that, having not taken my class, it would be impossible to know our policy of not allowing people to walk in an hour late. Most risk analysis offers that in the face of substantial uncertainty, you opt for the more conservative path or hedge your bet (e.g., do not show up an hour late until you know the professor has an explicit policy for tolerating disrespectful behavior, check with the TA before class, etc.). I hope the lottery winner that is your recently crowned Monday evening Professor is teaching Judgement and Decision Making or Critical Thinking. In addition, your logic effectively means you cannot be held accountable for any code of conduct before taking a class. For the record, we also have no stated policy against bursting into show tunes in the middle of class, urinating on desks or taking that revolutionary hair removal system for a spin. However, xxxx, there is a baseline level of decorum (i.e., manners) that we expect of grown men and women who the admissions department have deemed tomorrow's business leaders. xxxx, let me be more serious for a moment. I do not know you, will not know you and have no real affinity or animosity for you. You are an anonymous student who is now regretting the send button on his laptop. It's with this context I hope you register pause...REAL pause xxxx and take to heart what I am about to tell you: xxxx, get your *** together. Getting a good job, working long hours, keeping your skills relevant, navigating the politics of an organization, finding a live/work balance...these are all really hard, xxxx. In contrast, respecting institutions, having manners, demonstrating a level of humility...these are all (relatively) easy. Get the easy stuff right xxxx. In and of themselves they will not make you successful. However, not possessing them will hold you back and you will not achieve your potential which, by virtue of you being admitted to Stern, you must have in spades. It's not too late xxxx... Again, thanks for the feedback. Professor Galloway The professor told Business Insider that he's "getting an email about every three minutes from people (all over the world) voicing support/anger (about an 8:1 ratio)." Discussion Starters: This email exchange is three years old. What took so long for it to go viral? What's your reaction to each email? How could both the student and the professor possibly have changed their behavior, language, or perspective?

Lawyers should know better than to send joke emails they want to keep private. Emails among attorneys at DLA Piper, the world's biggest law firm, have become public in a lawsuit about overbilling . The suit is a counterclaim by an energy executive who has $675,000 in unpaid bills with DLA Piper. In the suit, Adam H. Victor accuses DLA Piper of inflating billable time by performing unnecessary tasks and taking too long to complete them with too many staff. The emails seem to confirm his claims. Here are two examples, captured by The New York Times . In the first, an attorney says that "random people" were working on the case "for whatever reason" to "churn that bill, baby!" In a second email, an attorney gloats about going $200,000 over the firm's estimate. Read more emails . Discussion Starters: Describe what you perceive to be the working environment that supports these types of emails. In other words, what makes these acceptable—perhaps even encouraged? How do emails become public in such situations? Aren't they private—just sent to one or two people?

Hyundai Motor Company has apologized for a social media post linking car safety to a murdered two-month-old baby. The baby was abducted from an SUV and then strangled and buried in the snow. Of course, people were horrified by the event and took to Weibo, China's microblogging site for consolation and updates. A post on Hyundai's Weibo account referenced the new Santa Fe SUV's safety features. The company says it was posted by a non-employee and has since deleted the post: "A few thoughts following the Changchun stolen car and child incident: When buying a car it’s completely okay to choose brands with better technology. Tianhe Buicks carry the OnStar GPS system, which can track down the location of a stolen vehicle at any time and automatically report it to the police. Feel at ease, have peace of mind, if you’re going to buy a car, why not choose a completely safe Buick!!!. Sales Hotline: 024-86547880 86547881 QQ:521279389 2523275273 www.inthbuick.com" In an email to Bloomberg , Hyundai apologized: "We pledge to be more vigilant in managing our social networking service accounts, while we send our deepest condolences to the victim’s family. Hyundai Motor is a responsible corporate citizen that is not in the practice of taking advantage of tragic incidents." According to Bloomberg, GM has been more reluctant to comment: "Dayna Hart, a Shanghai-based spokeswoman for GM, which owns the Buick brand, said the U.S. automaker is monitoring the situation and isn’t ready yet to comment." Aside from the egregious overuse of exclamation marks, the post does what other brands have regretted: "newsjack"—take advantage of news for the purpose of sales. Some strategies work well, such as Oreo's tweet during the Super Bowl. But many others have failed because of poor taste and inevitable backlash. Discussion Starters: What other companies have tried newsjacking and failed? If you were consulting for a company, what criteria would you identify to help the management team decide whether to hook into something trending on Twitter or Weibo?