Assignment 3

1. What was the PR mission of Tharoor?

      The PR mission of Tharoor consisted mainly of 2 things:

            1. To coordinate the UN’s external message, which was being slightly lost in the routine.

            2. To report directly to the Secretary General about the way in which the world saw the UN and to help put the secretary general's own point of view across to those conveying the message of the organization.

 

2. Identify the PR problem of the UN

      The UN is criticized for being a talking shop, a glorified debating society.

 

3. How did Tharoor solve the problem?

      Tharoor solved the problem by (1) making more systematic used of op-eds, by (2) having more press conferences, and by (3) issuing media guidelines which authorized every single UN official to speak to the press, on the record within his or her area of competence.

 

4. What are the main publics of the PR campaign?

      The main publics of the PR campaign are:

            + External

               + Opponents

               + The media

 

5. What are the main components of Tharoor PR strategy?

            + Setting the following PR objective: demonstrating that the UN is not merely a talking shop.

            + Adopting the Public Information PR model with the goal of informing the PR campaign's publics.

            + Using extensively the media to reach the publics.

            + Thanks to the interventions of the UN officials, Tharoor aimed to use facts as evidence to persuade the opponent publics, and therefore, influence the public opinion.

6. Identify Tharoor's definition of PR?

      According to Tharoor, PR is: "telling the truth, often to people who don't have the time to hear it. It's also about using the public to help shape what you really are doing, because the fact is that the public ultimately is why you're doing it".

 

7. Critics

      In the whole interview with Mr. Shashi Tharoor, it appears that there is a focus on the use of top-down or hierarchical models in the communication of the UN.

      First, he was recruited to convey the secretary general's own point of view to those conveying the message of the organization, and there was no emphasis on the other way around. Second, Mr. Tharoor's PR strategy is based on one-way flow of information that goes from the UN officials to the external publics, without the introduction of any technique that guarantees the feedback's delivery in the opposit way.

      The publics, whom I believe should be the first concern of the UN, appear only in the fancy definitions and the polished bla bla bla of Mr. Shashi Tharoor, who just happens to be the forger of the UN's PR and communications.

Chapter 8

Chapter 7

Assignment 2

Chapter 6

1. Facts, Data, Knowledge and Information

  . In reality, data does not exist. Only facts appear in the real world. In this sense, data are the conscious records of a particular part of reality that a researcher observes.

  . According to Daniel Bell, knowledge is "a set of organized statements of facts or ideas, presenting a reasoned judgment or an experiment result, which is transmitted to others through some communication medium in some systematic form".

  . According to Machlup, information is "the communication of knowledge".

2. Research 

. Research is the systematic collection and interpretation of information to increase understanding.

  . Research is conducted to do 3 things: describe, explain and predict.

  . Research must be essentially the first step in any project because it enables realizing management's goals.

3. The Four Step Research Model

  It is simply the RACE model suggested by John Marston.

4. Principles of PR Research

  In 1997, the Institute for Public Relations Research and Education offered six guiding principles to set standard for PR research.

  1. Establishing clear program objectives and desired outcomes tied directly to business goals.

  2. Differentiating between measuring PR outputs generally short-term and measuring PR outcomes usually more far reaching.

  3. Measuring media content as a first step in the PR evaluation process.

  4. Understanding that no one technique can expect to evaluate PR effectiveness; a combination of research techniques should be used:

  + Media analysis

+ Cyberspace analysis

+ Focus groups

+ Polls

+ Survey

  5. Being wary of attempts to compare PR effectiveness with advertising effectiveness.

  6. The most trustworthy measurement of PR effectiveness is that which stems from an organization which clearly

+ Identifies key messages

+ Targets audiences

+ Selects channels of communication

5. Types of PR research

  a. Primary research

            1. Applied research resolves practical problems.

  + Strategic research is used primarily in a program development to develop program objectives, message strategies, and to establish benchmarks.

                  + Evaluative research is conducted primarily to determine whether a PR program has accomplished its goals and objectives.

  2. Theoretical research aids understanding a PR process.

  . It is more abstract and conceptual than applied research.

  . It helps build theories in PR work about:

  + why people communicate

  + how public opinion is formed

  + how a public is created

  . The typical sources of theoretical research are encyclopedia, handbooks, books, academic journals, online resources, magazines and newspapers.

  b. Secondary Research

  . It is desk research that uses data that have been collected for other purposes than your own.

  . It enables saving time and money.

            . Among the typical sources of secondary research: census data, public records, governmental websites, informal contacts, etc.

6. Methods of PR Research

Three primary forms of PR research dominate the field:

  1. Surveys

  There are 2 types of surveys:

+ Descriptive surveys: offer a snapshot of a current situation or condition.

                  + Explanatory surveys: these are concerned with cause and effect. The purpose of these surveys is:

                       . To explain why a current situation or condition exists.

  . To offer explanations for opinion and attitudes.

  Surveys generally consist of 4 elements: sample, questionnaire, interview and analysis of results.

  2. Communication audits

  . Communication audits are typically used to analyze the standing of a company with its employees or community neighbors to assess the

routine communication vehicles such as: manual reports, news release, examine an organization's performance as a corporate citizen.

  . CA present a complete analysis of an organization's internal and external communications, designed to determine:

  + communication needs

  + policies

  + practices

  + capabilities

  . The results are used by management to make informed decisions about future communication needs and goals.

  . Typically, audits are used to provide information on issues such as:

  + Objectives and short/long-term goals

                        + Existing communication vehicles and publications

  + Bottlenecked information flows

  + Conflicting and non-existing notions about what the organization is and does

  . Methodology

  + CA is a straightforward analysis

1. Pertinent literature review

  2. Competitive literature is then reviewed for purposes of comparison and contrast

  3. Interview with top management

  4. Recommendations

  + The most effective CAs start with a researcher who:

  1. is familiar with the public to be studied

  2. understands the attitudes of the target public toward the organization

3. recognizes the issues of concern to the target public

4. understands the relative power of the target public vis-à-vis other publics

  3. Unobtrusive methods

  a. Fact-finding

                        . The most widely used unobtrusive method of data collection in PR.

  . Most essential data can be filed in publications.

  b. Content analysis

  . Its primary purpose is to describe a message or a set of messages.

  . Content analysis might be organized according to the following specific criteria

  + Frequency of coverage

  + Placement within the paper

  + People reached

  + Message conveyed

  + Editing of release

  + Attitude conveyed

  c. Readability study

  . It is about investigating about whether the written messages fit the right educational level of the targeted audience or not.

Chapter 5 - Public Relations Ethics

1. Introductory Statements

  . The practice of PR is all about gaining credibility, and credibility begins with telling the truth.

  . The cardinal rule of PR is: "to never lie"

   . The heart of PR counsel is: "to do the right thing"

2. About Ethics

  a. Definition

  "Standards of conduct that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues"

  b. Ethics or Moral Philosophy

  The field of ethics, or moral philosophy, aims to differentiate between the concepts of right and wrong behavior. It involves systematizing, defending and recommending.

  Nowadays, philosophers distinguish between 3 general subject areas:

  1. Metaethics

  2. Normative Ethics

                        Normative ethics aim to define moral 

                  standards to regulate right and wrong 

                  conduct.

  3. Applied Ethics

  Applied ethics focuses on examining 

                      specific controversial issues such as 

                  abortion and homosexuality.

      c. PR Ethics

  PR people must be ethical in terms of:

  + Professional ethics

  + Applied ethics  

            This suggests a commonly accepted sense of professional conduct that is translated into formal codes of ethics, which are monitored, assessed and enforced through actions taken against those who deviate from norm.

3. Ethics across disciplines

a. Ethics in Government

  Ethics has never had a perfect reputation when it comes to politics

  b. Ethics in Law

  PR counselors are strictly mandated by law to register the foreign entities they represent.

  c. Ethics in Business

  For many people today, the term business code is an oxymore.

  PR industry is linked in collective minds to ethical slipperiness and deceptive communication.

  d. Corporate Social Responsibility

  1. Categories

   + Marketing Price (e.g. fair price)

   + Corporate philanthropy

   + Environment activities

                  + External relations (e.g. support of minorities)

   + Employee safety and health 

            2. Tasks

                  Social responsibility discipline focuses on doing the following:

   + Analyzing the issues

   + Evaluating the performance

   + Setting priorities

   + Allocating resources to the priorities

   + Implementing programs

  3. The Pyramid of Social Responsibility

Chapter 4 - Public Relations Management

1. Associative Statement 

  Managers insist on results. 

      Without a realistic budget, no organization can succeed.

2. Management of Process of PR

  PR is much more a planned, persuasive social managerial science.

  The best PR programs can be measured in terms of achieving results in building the key relationships on which the organization depends.

  The boundary role: when PR managers function as a liaison between the organization and its internal and external publics. They have one foot inside

the organization and one outside. They help their colleagues to communicate across organizational lines both within and outside the organization.

  PR professionals should think strategically in terms of the strategic process element of their own roles. Their mind-set is directed at communication key

messages to realize desired objectives to priority publics.

3. Reporting to Top Management

  Public relations should be the corporate conscience and it promotes the entire organization. To perform this function effectively, it needs to report 

to top management. 

4. Conceptualization of the PR Plan

a. Definition

  "Strategic planning the organization's overall game plan, has a longer planning horizon (typically three to five years) and is performed at the 

corporate and business levels of the organization."

b. Why planning?

  Strategic planning for PR is an essential part of management:

  + It is critical to win the support of top management.

  + It gives accounts for PR actions.

  c. Important axes

  PR practitioners must consider:

   + Objectives

   + Structure

   + Planning

   + Budget

   + Research

   + Evaluation

d. Organizing the PR program

  Environment -> Business Objectives -> PR Objectives and Strategies -> PR Programs

  The environment must dictate overall business objectives. These, in turn, dictate specific PR objectives and strategies.

  The PR plan must include

           + Clear-cut objectives to achieve org. goals.

           + Targeted strategies to reach those objectives.

           + Specific tactics to implement the strategies.

  All planning requires thinking. Planning for short-term PR program may require less thought than planning a long-term campaign to win support for a public policy issue.

5. Creating the PR Plan

  The PR plan must be spelled out in writing, and should answer management questions and concerns about the campaign being recommended.

  Here is a way it might be organized:

   + Executive summary 

   + Background

   + Situation analysis

   + Message statement

   + Audiences

   + Key audiences messages

   + Implementation

            + Budget

   + Monitoring and evaluation

6. Activating the PR campaign

  The plan specifies a series of what's to be done and how to get them done.

  The four-part skeleton of a typical PR campaign plan resembles the following:

  1. Backgrounding the problem

   + Situation analysis

   + Background

   + Case statement

  -> specify the major aims of the campaign.

  A PR planner should divide the overriding goal into several subordinate objectives

  2. Preparing the proposal

  It sketches broad approaches to solve problems at hand. It generally includes the following:

                        + Situational analysis

                        + Scope of assignment

                        + Target audience

                        + Research methods

                        + Key messages

                        + Communication vehicles

                        + Project team

                        + Timing and fees

  3. Implementing the plan

  It details the operating tactics. Specific activities are defined, people are assigned to them and deadlines are established in a time chart specifying when each action will take place.

  4. Evaluating the campaign

  This aims to find out whether the plan worked or not. It is achieved through answering these method questions:

  + Did we implement the activities we proposed?

  + Did we receive appropriate public recognition for our efforts?

  + Did attitudes change?

7. Setting PR objectives

  PR professionals are managing by objectives (MBO) and results (MBR) to quantify the value of PR in an organization.

  The key to using MBO effectively is to follow these 7 steps:

  1. Defining the nature and mission of the work.

  2. Determining the results in terms of time, effort and personnel.

  3. Identifying measurable factors on which objective can be set.

  4. Setting objectives.

  5. Preparing tactical plan.

  6. Establishing rules and regulations to follow.

  7. Establishing procedures to handle the work.

  Two questions are most frequently asked:

  + How can we measure PR results?

  + How do we know whether the PR program is making process?

8. Budgeting for PR

  In recent time, PR budgeting has increased due to media placement, media monitoring and special events.

9. Implementing PR programs

Community Relations	Investor Relations	Consumer Relations
PR Research	PR Writing	Special PR
Institutional Advertising	Graphics	Website Management
Media Relations	Philantropy	Internal Communication

10. PR Departments and agency

Department	Agency
. Staff professionals	. Line professionals
. Support the primary business of the organization	. Help organization to earn
. Inside looking out	. Outside looking in
. Subjectivity	. Objectivity
. Report directly to the CEO	. Managers listen more carefully . Less flow of information