Week 11 Critique

This week i critiqued Michaela's blog. It can be found here.

Week 11 Blog - Research and Evaluation

Research and evaluation…..after doing much research this week I’ve evaluated that PR students are happy to be finally finishing their public relations blogs. Chapter 6 highlights the increasing importance of research in public relations. The text argues that management is concerned with accountability. Organisational budgets invested in public relations activities must be justified, monitored and accounted for, often with the prospect of achieving funding for future products depending on the cost effectiveness of the previous campaign. The text sited Seitel who adds weight to this argument, he stated “management requires more facts and statistics from PR professionals to show that their efforts contribute not only to overall organisational effectiveness but also to the bottom line.” I found this interesting in that it provides an understanding of how practitioners can achieve and persuade management to allow them to pursue campaigns.

In saying this, the text argues that research should be undertaken at all stages of public relations – in that it makes practitioners accountable for the decisions they make. Research in public relations is used to identify the requirements for a communication program to assist in establishing that program, to check progress and to evaluate the effectiveness as such the text argues that research needs to be ongoing and throughout this research three components are essential. These being inputs, outputs and outcomes. Inputs are those that provide information into the initial planning phases of the communication process. Outputs are the research that is undertaken during the development and implementation stages of a strategy. And outcomes are the research that is conducted at the end of a communication process.

While these are noted in the text as being the stages of research that should be undertaken in a PR campaign the text states that public relations practitioners must be aware of the range of methodologies, available and the ones that will be most appropriate in the planning and development. The text noted that methodologies may be quantitative or qualitative, formal or informal. And the chosen method of research is only limited by the imagination of the practitioner – a concept stretched across the field as the same has been stated for tactics, event management, campaigns etc. While the text covers a long list of the various research methods available to practitioners, including surveys, mail, the internet, focus groups and testimonials, I did not find any of them unfamiliar or uncommon today and therefore there was no need to cover them in this blog, rather just mention they do exist.

The final aspect of this chapter that I found interesting was regarding the ethical considerations that must be considered in research and evaluation in public relations. The text states that “the practitioner must be conscious of coercion, dishonesty, hurtful manner and manipulation of data to meet any other ends than the stated objectives or hypothesis”. For this reason I find it important to note the standards/guidelines that the text provides for practitioners. The text states that the practitioner must:
Give full disclosure of the research procedure
Make sure results are accurately reported and distributed freely and widely
Keep respondent information confidential
Do not promise clients or sponsors what cannot be delivered
Do not harm

This concludes the blogging component of introduction to public relations course. In saying this it has all come together neatly, what I take from this is that the practitioners ability to maximise their success, achieve goals, is only limited by their imagination. The tactics they choose, the research methods they may take depend on the practitioner – there is no set of guidelines that will guarantee a practitioner success, they can only be wise as to the decisions they make and be aware of the options and opportunities available to them.

Week 10 - Critique

This week i critiqued Alex's blog you can find his blog and my critique here.

Week 10 - Strategy and Tactics

This weeks readings discussed the relationship between strategy and tactics. The text highlighted that while these are often used interchangably by students - and while the two are "inextricably linked" it is important to understand the differences between the two and how they fit together. Strategy has been covered in the readings and was blogged about in week 5 - however it would be naieve to ignore it through this weeks readings and therefore shall be discussed in regards to its relationship with public relations tactics.

The text states that there is no guarenteed set of tactics that will ensure the successful implementation of a PR campaign. Once again success relies on the analytical and creative ability of the practitioner and the creative ability is limited only by the practitioners imagination. The text emphasises (as state above) that tactics must relate back to strategy - they are the link between how it is executed or delivered to target audiences. Therefore i will highligh a key point from week 5's readings that a strategic PR campaign is proactive, careful and as always in PR planning is needed to maintain direction and focus.

I found it important to note that tactics can be broken into two major groups controlled and uncontrolled. the text sites that controlled are those that the practitioner maintains control of EVERY aspect, from message creation to crafting the final distribution. For example advertising. On the other hand uncontrolled tactics are those that can be altered or even blocked. For example media release - or the creation of a media release - i nthis case as to whether the material is used at all liew only with a news gatekeeper. I found it most interesting regarding this that the impact of a piece of editorial distributed by uncontrolled means will generally have a higher impact then that of an advertisement. However after considering this for some time this is not difficult to see why. In regards to the delivery of communication the text states that it is critical that practitioners consider this as being of key importance.

In conclusion the text argues that best practice communication relies on consistency and this extend beyond messages to design and production, as these to sends impressions particularly relating to the professionalism of the organisation.

References:

Allert, J and Zawawi, C. (2004). Strategy, planning and scheduling. In Johnston, J., & Zawawi, C. (Eds.), Public relations: Theory and practice.(2nd ed.)(pp.169-197). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.

Hudson, M. (2004). Tactics. In Johnston, J., & Zawawi, C. (Eds.), Public relations: Theory and practice.(2nd ed.)(pp.169-197). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.

Week 9 Critique!

Hey this week i critiqued Abby's blog you can find it here.

Blog Week 9 - Sponsorship and Event Management

This week’s readings considered sponsorship and event management. The text states that the larger the event the more likely it is to require some form of sponsorship often requiring the two tactics to be used together.

Sponsorship was listed as being the purchase of specific rights and benefits associated with an event, organisation or individual. When an organisation enters into a sponsorship deal they expect a return. Most interestingly the text explored the idea of emerging organisational partnerships in regards to sponsorship and stated that these “true partnerships” are seen as being the direction in which the industry is heading.

The text details the importance of being able to write a sponsorship proposal – and as seen from last weeks readings being able to write for a variety of mediums is very important in the field of public relations. When writing a sponsorship proposal the text provides a number of helpful hints. It states that when writing a practitioner must consider the motives and goals of the target audience – and a generic sponsorship document will not generate support.

When writing an organisation is most interested in what’s in it for them but the practitioner must be comprehensive about what is being offered and therefore the following should be included: a covering letter, information regarding the background of the event, sponsorship benefits, pictures of past events and specific request of what you are asking from the organisation.

The text explored some the key aspects of event management and stated that the sky is the limit or the practitioner’s imagination is! The text argues that through successful event can achieve a large number of public relations goals and objectives. The text states that reasons for staging an event include the generation of media coverage, creating a platform for product demonstration, corporate/client entertainment and revenue generation.

In regards to media coverage I found the following quote from Ryan and Lemmond very interesting, “cynical consumers are zapping commercials and ignoring printed ads and are more receptive to the editorial message. The “third party endorsement” allows advertisers to sell a new product while enveloping the commercial message in a credible environment.”

I found this weeks readings very interesting – it built on knowledge of the field – providing tactics and what not that will be used in the day to day business of public relations. Once again it highlighted the importance of good writing and planing skills, whilst developing the fabric that is this broad arena.

References

Boyd, S. (2004). Sponsorship and event management. In, Johnston, J. & Zawawi, C. (Eds). Public relations: theory and practice. (2nd ed).( pp. 345- 374). Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.

weeek 8 - and another critique!

This week i also critiqued Kellie's blog you can find this here.

Week 8 - Critique!!

This week i critiqued Taegan's blog, you can find this here.

Week 8 - Media Writting

These weeks readings focussed on the importance of practitioners being able to write to the highest standard – not just when writing the media release but also when writing letters to the client. These articles emphasise that if a student can write to high standards for different mediums and publics they will enhance their success as practitioners – also developing relationships with journalists.

The first of the readings studied the inter-relationships of journalists and public relation practitioners. The concept of framing theory was particularly interesting in this article. This theory suggests that “practitioners familiar with media processes can most effectively frame a story for targeted journalists; the closer the correspondence between the practitioner’s subsidy and the journalist’s story expectations, the greater the probability of placement.” This was seen as key in the article in that it states that research suggests that practitioner’s success in placing subsidies with news media to influence the media agenda - in turn influencing public opinion – and the public agenda.

Interesting points that the study raised was journalist’s view of the field of public relations. For instance within the interviews conducted by students journalists complained that public relation practitioners lack news sense and values, accuracy, timeliness and style of presentation. In addition to this the article noted that practitioners are “unabashedly biased” and have a “poor quality of writing”.

The article establishes that stereotypes surrounding practitioners have not diminished within journalistic circles. Journalists perceive practitioners to spread misinformation and withhold detrimental information. Over all this article indicates that practitioners – particularly those wishing to enter the field must work harder to sharpen their framing skills to maximise the benefits of framing theory. In doing this they must consider and adhere to both PR and journalistic standards to take enhance the success for their organisations.

The following readings discuss the standards of writing necessary in the field of public relations, so that students can develop and shape their writing before they enter the field. The first article titled “The Importance of Writing” – and explores this concept in regards to those practitioners who work for an agency. The article argues that in order to be employed by the client practitioners need to be the best there is to work for an agency. It argues that a practitioner’s ability to communicate messages clearly and concisely is what differentiates practitioners.

This article was interesting in that it highlights the different type of writing that students need to develop skills in, in order to make them stand out from other job applicants. Wise suggests that when studying public relations – university’s over emphasise the importance of writing a media release – where in fact skills in regards to writing for the client should be developed as this is equally –if not more important. In addition to this the article also suggests that writing for the web is also important in the new world of public relations – Wise states this requires a different style of writing than other types – including the traditional press release.

In addition to this I found it important that what sets apart practitioner’s is their ability to write for different mediums and audiences equally well. Those practitioners who can change audience or the medium they are writing for whilst still maintaining a high quality of writing will always be more successful in the field. In saying this the article does suggest that this level or quality of writing – while not being properly developed at university’s is developed throughout on the job – and quality of writing increases with experience.

The final article provides a checklist and a how to guide for writing a successful or ‘perfect’ press release. It in effect highlights the key point of both the previous articles in that it highlights how to write a press release in such a way that it meets the needs of the journalist and the final result is written to a high standard. While all ten points are useful there were two that I found particularly useful and worthy of being noted within this blog.

Point two is simple and states that within the press release a practitioner should avoid blatant commercialism – in doing this practitioners may avoid some of the stereotypes suggested by journalists in the first article and bring a sense of credibility to the field. The other point worth mentioning was point three – Don’t think one size fits all. This links in well with the second article – practitioners should always take note of the varying styles between the different formats and that practitioners should consider alternative versions of the news release in order to penetrate the different media – this should be an interesting point for the debate 3 topic.

After these readings it is evident how important writing is within the field of public relations – however students should not focus solely on writing news releases but rather develop writing skills in a variety of forms in order to maximize their success in the field.

References:

How To...Ten Steps to Press Release Perfection.( 2006). PR News. Potomac: Mar 20, 2006. 62, (12), 1.

Sallot, M. & Johnson, A. (2006). To contact … or not?: Investigating journalists’ assessments of public relations subsidies and contact preferences. Public Relations Review. 32(1) 83-86

Wise, K. (2005). The Importance of Writing Skills. Public Relations Quarterly. 50(2) 37.

Week 7 Critique

This week i also critiqued Michelle Hogan's weeks 7 blog this can be found here.

Week 7 -Critique!

This week i critiqued Lauretta's blog - my comment and her post can be found here.

Week 7 Blog – Media Relations

This week’s readings were far practical in comparison to the theoretical readings of the past few weeks. I found it really interesting studying the relationship between the media and practitioners. The chapter states that “media relations is one of the best known elements of public relations because the work is seen to be done – that is we can see the outcomes every day in the media” – page 259.

I found the relationship between the media and public relations to be particularly important – where it is evident that the demands of the press have enhanced the growth of public relations. It is interesting to note that in a study of newspaper stories 30% of 2500 newspaper articles were wholly based on press releases.

I also found it interesting the concept of media monitoring – this complemented previous week’s readings where practitioners have cited that monitoring of news papers occurred on a daily basis. Media monitoring is said to be a vital form of research – its about being up to date with issues, events and changes that occur in your town or industry as well as nationally and globally.

The concepts of deadlines and framing PR works to suit their intended medium was also interesting. The text stressed the importance that practitioners become familiar with all styles of media and their deadlines and work within them. This type of practice will ensure the maximum exposure for the organisation.

An important aspect of maximising the effectiveness of media campaigns is to be always aware of he target audience. When doing this the text most interestingly stated that while the internet provides opportunities to reach large audiences – it should not be considered as the only alternative because it is both cheap and accessible – Page 270.

The last interesting fact I would discuss appeared on page 267 where the text states “a key factor in successful media relations is getting to know the journalist by name”. the text argues that if a practitioner develops a relationship with a journalist, it is a good starting point in keeping negative publicity to a minimum.

Overall I thought these readings gave a practical insight into the methods and relationship between public relation practitioners and the media. It is evident that in pursuing media coverage the practitioner must consider ways of targeting the intended audience – while considering ways of making campaigns appealable to gain maximum media coverage. In doing this I recall week 6 and the previous week’s readings. As I develop an understanding of PR I feel as though I am creating a checklist of dynamic features that must be considered when practicing public relations – litigation, ethics, and appropriate media relations – whilst attempting to maximise the effectiveness of the campaign for the organisation. It sounds a little daunting but I find myself curious about the variety of avenues the field can take you. I wonder what’s next???

Week 6 Critique

This week i critiqued Emma's blog - it was really good and worth a look if anyone struggled with this weeks readings. you can find her blog here.

Week 6 Blog

This week’s readings explain two key aspects that are important in the practice of public relations, the legal environment and ethical practice. As each of these chapters is significant I will consider each of them separately.

Chapter 4- The Legal Environment

To ensure quality public relations outcomes, practitioners need to take a role in development strategies to minimise the legal risks associated with the functions and roles they perform. The chapter argues that public relation decisions must be made in the context of the legal environment, practitioners must take an active role in assessing and responding to legal risk. As a part of their day to day jobs practitioners must negotiate with lawyers on the strategies employed to minimise harm, otherwise public relation outcomes could be compromised.

I found the Mc Donald’s case study on page 77 was particularly interesting in that it demonstrated that in particular legal situations it may be better to negotiate a settlement or seek some alternative means of resolving conflict then to expose clients to public scrutiny, as in the Mc Donald’s case where both company’s were defamed. In this particular case it was evident that legal issues can affect both reputations and relationships.

Key litigation that should probably be noted is the tort of negligence, the tort of defamation, copyright laws the trades and practices acts, real property law, intellectual property law and copyright law.

Chapter 5 – Ethical Practices

Chapter 5 defines ethics as the personal values which underpins the behaviour and moral choices made by an individual in response to a specific situation. In public relations practice ethical behaviour relates both to the practitioner and to organisations. Practitioners therefore need to be concerned with their own personal and professional ethics as well as with the institutional ethics of the organisation for which they work.

I found it interesting that the text cited empirical evidence which shows that practitioners who base their decisions and recommendations to management on ethical principles are more likely to have a greater role in management and organisational activities.

In public relations most ethical challenges stem from social responsibility issues or from relationship issues with a client or employer, the news media, stakeholders or colleagues. They usually result from poor relationships, inadequate corporate standards and conflicting obligations in certain situations where the values of a client, employer and society may not be easily reconcilable with a practitioners own values.

Ethics are now becoming more important in public relations and organisational strategy. Organisations are adopting a broader more socially conscious view of their company’s responsibilities to employees, customers and the communities in which they operate.

Conclusion

After yet another theoretical reading it’s apparent that when developing campaigns and the like in public relations there is a variety of issues that need to be considered so that the role of the practitioner while being strategic as noted in week 5’s readings is still ethical and legally responsible.

Week 5 Blog- Strategy

Another week down and another public relations blog to write. This week’s readings Chapter 7 of Public Relations; theory and practice - ‘strategy, planning and scheduling’. The text was highly theoretical and builds on the knowledge I have gained in previous weeks – but I guess that is the point of this exercise.

The text is forever exploring and expanding the definition and field of public relations in this chapter it stresses that public relations practitioners need to understand what they need to know and do it strategically in order to achieve its PR goals. In order to do this the organisation needs to be clear about its mission, direction values and objective and must be certain that what it says is consistent with that it actually believes. This idea was explored in tutorial four.

Chapter 7 explored the concept of strategy and how when used effectively it can maximise the success of the public relations practitioner. Public relations strategy is defined in the text (p.171) as being a process by which the leadership of an organisation deliberately manages its communications proactively so that they are open, candid and primarily focused on the marketplace and the customer as the first cause. The text outlines how public relations strategy encompasses a variety of techniques and skills that the practitioner must consider and master in order to maximise the effects of their campaigns.

It further developed ideas established in week four’s tutorial, where we viewed organisational structures and the role of public relation practitioners within them. I found the study by Professor James Grunig explored on page 172 of the text very interesting in that it established that organisations tend to value PR practitioners more highly that a regular department within an organisation as the practitioner deals with major social issues. However the study showed that the success of the practitioner was proportional to whether it was in a strategic management role – as explored last week in the observation exercise - most practitioners were high in the organisational chain of command.

This led to a line of though instigated by the text where it encourages the reader to consider the following: “you are only likely to be as good as a public relations practitioner as your CEO will allow you to be”. I am not entirely sure I agree with this, while in principle it makes sense, I believe that practitioners are responsible for the success and effectiveness of their campaigns and strategies. However in saying this I acknowledge that I have a highly limited knowledge and this will surly be rectified and reflected upon in future weeks and courses.

As stated previously the chapter outlines a variety of skills and techniques that are used in public relation strategy, for example budgeting, checklists, gantt charts, flow charts and calendars. In particular I found budgeting to be interesting and its two dominant types – financial and operating budgets, where previously I had only been aware of financial budgeting. The text cites a particularly useful definition of budgeting on page 180, by McElreath “a budget is a plan for coordinating resources and expenses over a period of time by assigning costs to goals and objectives for specific activities.”

Yet again this is a very long blog but finally I think that it is important to note that while I understand the chapter lays a good foundation for our future careers, I could not help but think as I read it of week three’s readings. The interviewees in the text all explained that while the theory they learnt in completing their degree’s were useful it is the hands on experience that is most beneficial in the training of practitioners. I believe that it is only once we apply this theory in a practical approach that we will fully understand the importance of it for effective and successful public relations strategy.

Critique Week 4

This week i critiqued Sara Shanahan's blog - it was brief but can be found here

Week 4

I thought this week’s readings were really appealing not to mention motivating. Although they maintained (as has all the readings so far) that public relations is a very broad field that can take you anywhere I found the interviews that appeared in Public Relations by Melanie James, the most interesting of the readings thus far. It provided what I felt was real information regarding the field – type of jobs, flexibility, tasks - both bad and good, job location, salary, resume style and interview technique – all of which I believe will be beneficial when pursuing future careers.

Each of the interviews had there appeal however I thought that with Carolyn Verey (pg.47) to be particularly significant. The government sector is a personal interest of mine, and I have often considered it being an avenue I may one day pursue. In all honesty this interview perhaps diminished some of this ambition, while I found Verey to be very engaging I found other interviews and area’s far more interesting for instance the interview with Carson White (pg.51) or Melissa Sawyer (Pg.43). While the positions held by both are not the highest paying of those people who were interviewed, it is obvious they love and are very dedicated to what sounds like fascinating careers.

Throughout all interviews there were common themes in each. Most people believe their work is flexible, and hours vary depending on the amount of work they have at any given time as Angela Scrymgour answers; “I wish someone had old me before I started that this is definetly not a 9.00 to 5.00 Monday to Friday job.” It is evident from the reading that work changes on a day to day basis and the practitioners interviewed all say that the variety is part of what they enjoy about the job. As well as this event management and is a commonly listed job that people enjoy.

The second reading from chapter 11 in Johnston and Zawawi (2004) emphasises the importance of the internal public within the organisation. The essence of the reading is best summarised on page 292 where Sison states:

“It is in a company’s best interest to keep its staff happy, loyal and safe. Keeping them informed, communicating with them, consulting with them and developing relationships with them are some of the ways that show the organisation respects them not just as ‘workers’ but as ‘thinking individuals’”

I can understand the benefits of this line of thought, even in my own line of work in hospitality being treated as an equal always motivates staff members to work hard and are therefore loyal to the organisation.

The concept of the organisation is also explored in the reading. William Scott (cited in Johnston and Zawawi, 2004, pp.289) defines the organisation as “a system of coordinated activities of a group of people working cooperatively toward a common goal under authority and leadership.”

Within this concept of the organisation the text explores it’s internal publics, and as gathered from Sison’s quote, the importance of maintaining positive relationships with this public. These internal publics consist of organisations employees and association members. These positive relationships with the employees are evident when reading the interviews, in the first reading. The Practitioners who are interviewed are satisfied with their job, and all are loyal to the firm they work for.

What I take from these readings is an increased understanding of the field of public relations. The interviews drove home the understandings gained in previous readings. As stated in previous blogs it is evident that it is a broad arena with many career opportunities in many sectors, this week specifically highlighted was the role of the practitioner in the organisation and the increased importance that positive relationships are maintained with its internal publics.

Week 3 - Comments

This week i commented on John Hanlens blog, it gave a good overview of chapter 1 of the text. you can find his blog and my comment here

Week 3

Public Relations Research at the Crossroads

Gower (2006) Public Relations Research at the Crossroads, Journal of Public Relations Research, pp.177-190

I found this article really interesting and informative about contemporary public relations. The authors thoughts regarding the direction and future of the field were particularly engaging especially recommendations for the development of public relations theory to match the changing environment.

The article sets out to define contemporary public relations and in doing so advises the future development of theories to adapt to the changing world of the field. But more specifically the article attempts to discern WHY we practice public relations. It argues that while the two-way symmetrical communication is how we should practice public relations it along with the PR literature does not provide a rationale for why an organisation engages in public relations and therefore theorists should adapt a definition to encompass why public relations is important in the contemporary corporate world.

The article states that the latest trend in public relations is for practitioners to report to the legal department. Gower argues that who we report to is important because who defines our role determines how public relations will be practised. I found this argument particularly interesting and can see Gower’s point of view. And from this point on the article questions different ideals that attempt to answer what the role is of the public relations practitioner.

Another aspect of this article that I found interesting was the inclusion (-even if it was only a small part of the article)- of globalisation. Gower states “a global approach is needed because everything is becoming globalised. This is particularly important in today’s integrated society and should be addressed in future public relations literature. The effects of globalisation will be significant and should be examined in order to attempt to determine the future of the field.

My understanding of this article was complemented by the additional weekly readings – chapter 3 “Theoretical Perspectives”. This chapter outlined the various theories that relate to public relations practices.

It forced the reader to consider the effect and influence that public relations practitioners can have on the media evident through the explanation of agenda setting theory.

The combination of both readings clarified that theories are simply the set of assumptions about how the world works so that we can predict and make conclusions. And while public relations theorists have developed and borrowed theories from other disciplines – we need to consider the current and future environment to realise our purpose and maximise our full potential in the corporate world.

WEEK 2

Blog 1: Week 2 Chapter 1 and 2, Public Relations: theory and practice, Johnston and Zawawi (2004)

These readings provided a good outline of what to expect from the field of public relations. The opening chapters of the text book set out to establish the broad field of PR where students can pursue careers in various arenas, where both the role and function of the practitioner can vary greatly. The text emphasises that public relations is not “spin doctoring”, nor should it be confused with marketing or advertising it is however the management of communication and relationships to develop image and reputation. As Chapter 2 establishes the field developed within the entertainment profession where PR practioners were known as press agents. However as the field developed public relation practioners were increasingly wanted by many areas, including business and politics.

The text gives the reader an insight into the various aspects of the daily activities, roles and functions of a public relations practitioner, and demonstrated their relationship with it’s publics – be it internal or external, and the mass media.

Johnston and Zawawi (2004) clarify the differences between public relations, marketing and advertising. A clarification that is useful when determining the parameters of each profession in society and the organisation. It is important to note that marketing has a profit focus, and advertising is the means that marketers send this message. Both fields are linked to public relations however each have distinctly different roles and functions.

The text highlighted the various areas of public relations and it was a useful tool as it advised students of practical methods of study to further their future careers – as well as listing the various skills and techniques that are useful while pursuing this as a career. For instance the advice of taking a combined degree was particularly useful and would be beneficial graduates in that they will increase their options and appeal to employers at the conclusion of their degree. As well as doing this the text also outlined the broad areas that the field may take you.

Chapter 2 increased the reader’s knowledge of the field in that it developed the history of public relations in Australia. It was interesting to see how the field developed, and became an important aspect of the Australian business, political and entertainment areas. This only served to develop key concepts and ideas generated in the first chapter and increase the reader’s understanding of the field of public relations.

Introduction to Public Relations

This is my Introduction to Public Relations blog where i will express my thoughts and key points regarding the text and readings over the next semester. I am currently studying social science and taking this course as an elective however i would like to transfer into a bachelor of communications - we might just see how this semester goes first.