Analyzing Nike's Accommodation

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Although the assumptions and reasons for accommodation are not fully demonstrated in Nike’s decision to produce a new garment, it strongly applies to another component of the theory. Giles and other CAT researchers divide the theory into two components: convergent and divergent communication. Convergent communication is defined as “a strategy whereby individuals adapt to each other” (West & Turner, 2014, p. 499). Accommodation is argued to be both conscious or unconscious depending on the situation, yet communicating convergently is done actively. It is described as a strategy, meaning thought the sender puts in thought when converging. Convergent communication accommodation is implemented to reach a goal. With Nike’s new product, the company …show more content…

The study relies on CAT in an examination of how individuals who are minorities are making a choice to emphasize their identities in their desire to show belonging the hip-hop community. Social Identity Theory and CAT observe that minorities in society must make a decision to either blend in with everyone else or to maintain their own identity. Cutler (2010) observed that youth had high value for hip-hop, and wanted to project their passion instead of assimilating to the majority. The people in the study are exhibiting divergent communication because they want to show their individuality and passion for hip-hop, which not many other people can claim to have. Results of the research state that there is a type of “accommodation that emphasize[s] the role of attitudinal orientation toward a target group” (Cutler, 2010, p. 267). Such accommodation is divergent, because the person is accommodating not toward the message receiver, but toward a group to which he or she feels belonging. In a similar way, Muslim women are exhibiting divergent communication because they are a minority, but value their religion and aim to express their affiliation with Islamism. Additionally, Muslim athletes value sports and want to show that athletics is important to them, something that makes them unique from the rest of society. Wearing a hijab that is branded Nike makes it possible for athletes to do

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