Taking Food Fights Online: Analysis of Chipotle’s Attempt to Cultivate Conversation with \u3cem\u3eThe Scarecrow\u3c/em\u3e Video

This study examines Chipotle’s use of The Scarecrow, an animated YouTube video, to initiate conversation about food sustainability issues. Results illustrate publics were highly engaged in conversation with one another, even though the organization did not directly engage with publics or employ principles of dialogic communication. We highlight the importance of network approaches to studying online interaction between stakeholder groups for public relations scholars interested in dialogical theory frameworks

Understanding Dialogue and Engagement Through Communication Experts’ Use of Interactive Writing to Build Relationships

Dialogic communication is an important public relations theory, yet scholarship has found few organizations using it to its full potential. Meanwhile, multiple overlapping definitions exist for related terms like engagement, interactivity, and responsiveness, causing potential confusion for researchers and professionals. This research reports the results of in-depth interviews with top digital public relations professionals regarding how they use interactive writing, a form of social media engagement, to build relationships. Through their own unprompted words, the research also describes how professionals use terms such as dialogue, engagement, interactivity, and responsiveness, and corresponding definitions, to refer to their daily work. Our model clarifies relationships between similar concepts and recommends areas of future research to advance theory informed by practic

Farmed and Dangerous? A Case Study of Chipotle’s Branded Entertainment Series and Polarized Reactions to its Satirical Depiction of Farming and Agribusiness

This study follows Chipotle’s innovative strategy of using branded entertainment and satire to enhance its brand image and positive consumer perceptions, while negatively portraying an entire industry. The study explores audience reactions to Chipotle’s satirical Farmed and Dangerous program, part of the company’s broader “Food with Integrity” campaign. Increasing agricultural literacy and understanding among the general public is a priority (Doerfert, 2011). Yet marketing communication campaigns—and responses or reactions to those campaigns—that simplify issues into distinct “sides,” or focus on attacks, prevent deep discussion of the complexity of our food system and efforts to collaborate on solutions. Research presented uses a case study, supported by focus group methodology and in-depth survey responses of YouTube commenters, to examine consumer and stakeholder reactions to Chipotle’s content. Findings reveal sharply divided reactions and significant anger and frustration within the agricultural community toward Chipotle for its satirical portrayal of the food production industry. Findings also reveal generally positive attitudes toward Chipotle from those without agricultural experience, and clear perceptions of “sides” in the food debate. Discussion of Chipotle’s marketing strategy explores whether the negative sentiment the company has generated among agricultural stakeholders through efforts like its Farmed and Dangerous webisode series is worth it for the brand, considering the broader positive image the company has gained among much of the general public, as well as related implications for the company linked to more recent struggles with food safety issues and attacks from political groups

Work-Life Balance 2.0? An Examination of Social Media Management Practice and Agency Employee Coping Strategies in a 24/7 Social World

This study examines the work experiences of public relations agency professionals who specialize in social media and digital strategy for clients and those who manage employees tasked with monitoring, updating and responding to social media content. Building upon existing literature focused on work-life balance dynamics for strategic communicators, the research draws from a series of in-depth interviews and correspondence conducted with 26 agency professionals, representing a brand range of the industry. Participants were asked to describe how social media has impacted the nature and volume of their job responsibilities over the past five years, and to discuss how social media management duties have influenced career satisfaction within the industry. Interviewees were also asked about strategies their agencies are using to help employees respond to client needs and the 24/7 nature of social media. Common themes among responses were identified, as well as noteworthy anecdotal evidence. While interviewees expressed mixed emotions related to social media and its impact on their careers, personal lives and the broader industry, participants agreed the rise of social media has dramatically altered agency practice and client expectations, especially related to the speed of the workflow. Participants discussed issues of employee burnout and reported specific challenges related to keeping pace with quickly evolving technology, and the perceived need to maintain a personal brand conveying cutting-edge expertise. Others highlighted opportunities and unique challenges social media has created for more junior agency employees. Interviewees also described family dynamics and the distinct work-life challenges faced by parents, especially mothers, in juggling care-giving roles with agency responsibilities. Findings include identification of best practices and potential strategies for addressing contemporary work-life balance challenges

Institutional signals of inclusion: Increasing perceptions of possibilities available for the self and others in STEM

Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) face systemic barriers due to the prominent masculine culture that has been established within the field. The present research aims to examine strategies for improving the experiences of women in STEM by exploring the benefits that institutional signals of inclusion can have on perceptions of what is possible for the self and others at work. Across four studies, participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions where we manipulated the extent to which the company policies at a fictitious technology development company were gender-inclusive. Studies 1 through 3 assessed the impact of gender-inclusive policies on beliefs regarding how possible the work culture of the described organization would make it to behave inclusively (Study 1), be your authentic self (Study 2), and achieve professional goals (Study 3). Results revealed that gender-inclusive policies led individuals to anticipate a warmer interpersonal climate and possess a stronger belief that it would be possible to behave in an inclusive manner, authentically express themselves, and achieve professional goals. In Study 4, participants rated their preferences between job candidates and selected who they would hire for a position in STEM from an array of candidate profiles. The findings demonstrated that gender-inclusive policies result in a significant preference for qualified women candidates and increase the likelihood of hiring qualified women in STEM. This research suggests strategies to improve experiences in STEM by expanding perceptions of what is possible for the self and others in male-dominated domains

Apart yet Still Together: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of How Coparents Navigate Conflict Post-Divorce

This study explored the experiences of parents choosing to coparent after divorce in an effort to understand the challenges and conflicts they encountered and how they managed those conflicts. The qualitative study included the experiences of 18 individuals, 9 mothers and 9 fathers through semi-structured interviews. Participants ranged in age from 31 to 52 years old. While all shared custody, they varied in custody arrangements. The number of years divorced ranged from one year to fifteen years. Parents had anywhere from one to four children between them. At the time of the divorce, children ranged in age from seven months old to 18 years old. The narratives were analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological analysis approach. Using this approach, the shared experiences were summarized using emergent themes which correspond to the central research question: How is conflict managed between parents who are divorced and continuing to coparent? The analysis conducted summarized the commonalities among their narratives. By continuing a coparenting relationship after divorce, these parents encountered the challenges of redefining their roles as they transition from spouses to post-divorced coparents, establishing new boundaries in reorganizing families, and managing conflict and communication as it applied to their coparenting goals. This study explored an important issue impacting many families in a world where divorce is prevalent, and the reorganization of families is necessary. Results from this study contribute to the field of conflict analysis and resolution by offering additional insight into how policies, social workers, judges, lawyers, and educators may better support parents mitigating the negative implications of the inability to manage the complexities of this process. Recommendations for future research are included

Copy Number Variation in the Porcine Genome Detected from Whole-Genome Sequence

Copy number variations (CNVs) are large insertions, deletions, and duplications in the genome that vary between individuals in a species. These variations are known to impact a broad range of phenotypes from molecular-level traits to higher-order clinical phenotypes. CNVs have been linked to complex traits in humans such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, nervous system disorders, and early-onset extreme obesity. In this study, whole-genome sequence was obtained from 72 founders of an intensely phenotyped experimental swine herd at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, Nebraska. This included 24 boars (12 Duroc and 12 Landrace) and 48 sows (Yorkshire-Landrace composites) for a total of 72 swine animals. Copy number variations were identified and analyzed using next generation sequencing and bioinformatics software. A total of 4566 copy number variations regions (CNVRs) were discovered in this study, covering 3.02% of the swine genome. A total of 593 genes were overlapped by CNVRs. These genes were further analyzed to determine function and relevance. Enrichment analysis determine function of CNVRs included sensory perception of smell (OR4D10), G-protein coupled receptor signaling pathway, cellular response to stimulus, and cell communication Quantitative trait loci (QTL) that were discovered included carcass weight (hot), average daily gain, fat-to-meat ratio, estimated carcass lean content, and birth weight

Effects of Gatekeeping on the Diffusion of Information

This study proposes a theoretical model of information diffusion using the conceptual framework of Gatekeeping Theory (Shoemaker & Vos, 2009). Diffusion is a process by which elements are distributed through a social system (Rogers, 2003; Kadushin, 2012). This model builds on previous diffusion research and incorporates constructs of authority and vivid information, novel to the domain. To test the fit of the model, Twitter data derived using data mining techniques are utilized. Specifically, messages posted to Twitter relating to the 2013 Consumer Electronics (CES) conference are mined. Essentially, this study focuses on the diffusion of technology information through a popular social medium, Twitter. From these messages, the network was be visualized and diffusion paths were determined using network analysis. A test of the model was conducted to determine fit using structural equation modeling

Sublethal Behavioral and Physiological Effects of the Biomedical Bleeding Process on the American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus

The hemolymph of the American horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, is harvested from over 500,000 animals annually to produce Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), a medically important product used to detect pathogenic bacteria. Declining abundance of spawning Limulus females in heavily harvested regions suggests deleterious effects of this activity, and while mortality rates of the harvest process are known to be 10%–30%, sublethal behavioral and physiological effects are not known. In this study, we determined the impact of the harvest process on locomotion and hemocyanin levels of 28 female horseshoe crabs. While mortality rates after bleeding (18%) were similar to previous studies, we found significant decreases in the linear and angular velocity of freely moving animals, as well as changes in their activity levels and expression of circatidal behavioral rhythms. Further, we found reductions in hemocyanin levels, which may alter immune function and cuticle integrity. These previously unrecognized behavioral and physiological deficits suggest that the harvest of LAL may decrease female fitness, and thus may contribute to the current population decline