McDonald’s Use of Corporate Social Responsibility November 18, 2009

I found an article titled, “Why McDonald’s is Marketing Nutritional Value of its Fast Food,” and it was a great example of a company taking part in corporate social responsibility.  http://www.helium.com/items/1444029-mcdonalds-marketing-strategy-and-marketing-mix

McDonald’s is a famous and extremely successful fast food restaurant, and their current marketing strategies and business operations are very much in line with the ideas and principles of the concept of corporate social responsibility.  McDonald’s is addressing both their strengths and weaknesses, and taking responsibility for ways to improve their business as well as customer satisfaction.  By taking all aspects of their company into consideration and realizing the impact that their practices and products have on these components, McDonald’s is using corporate social responsibility to better their position in the fast food industry.  One thing the company is focusing on is their goal to be the best employer for every community that they are located in, thus focusing part of their attention on employee quality of life and satisfaction.  Also, McDonald’s wants to deliver the best service to their customers, paying attention to the needs and desires of those who spend money on their products.  Lastly, McDonald’s is looking to increase profits, which is something very pleasing to shareholders.  By considering the interests of all components of the company from customers to shareholders, McDonald’s is practicing corporate social responsibility.

The Role of a PR Practitioner in Corporate Social Responsibility November 18, 2009

Before going into the role that a public relations practitioner plays in corporate social responsibility (CSR), it is important to make it clear what exactly CSR is.  CSR is a concept that is vital to a successful organization.  It is the concept in which organizations and companies carefully and earnestly consider the interests of society.  By utilizing CSR, the organization takes full responsibility for the influences that their activities and practices have on all factors of their operation.  This includes employees, stakeholders, surrounding communities, and the environment in which the organization exists.  I feel that after becoming familiar with the concept and what it actually is, it is easy to see why public relations practitioners have a major role in corporate social responsibility.  PR practitioners are the people who maintain good and beneficial relationships between the different components and participants of an organization.  So, when it comes to CSR, it is crucial that PR practitioners understand the importance of taking responsibility for the companies practices and policies.  PR practitioners must value the social responsibility that they are given and uphold the main purpose of CSR, which is to improve relations and quality of life among all those who are a part of an organization.  When it comes to PR practitioners role in CSR, they are usually presented with the option of choosing the right and ethical way or the opposite, and for the success of their organization they would be wise to always go with the first.

Culture in PR November 11, 2009

Today, cross-cultural communication is becoming more and more important in the business world.  People from different countries are becoming more interactive with one another, as well as beginning to depend on multiple nation’s for success.  It is important for public relations practitioners to direct their attention to thei business partner’s from other countries and understanding their diversity and each individual nation’s identity.  International public relations is becoming a new industry in itself, in which practitioners attempt to create harmonious relationships with other cultures.  An important part of cross-cultural communication in public relations is exchanging of messages from one culture to another in a way that is clear to both cultures.  I was able to draw an obvious conclusion that for public relations practitioners to be successful in communicating their messages with other cultures, they must alter their words or displays in a way that is appealing and understandable to the other culture.  To show the importance and progress in international public relations, here is a link to the IPRA website, http://www.ipra.org/

Committment and research are two crucial parts of successful cross-cultural communication.  PR practitioners must be committed to their goal and then do the necessary research to enhance interaction among different cultures.  I found an interesting website about the International Public Relations research Conference, where many practitioners, students, and other intellectuals come together to devote themselves to discuss the research involved in public relations. http://www.instituteforpr.org/bss_info/iprrc_main/

 

 

Public Relations and the Law November 11, 2009

This chapter of Guth and Marsh’s textbook was one of the more interesting and informative ones for me.  I never thought to relate the public relations industry to the law and legal matters, but in fact there is a huge connection between the two.  Speech and expression is what public relations is all about, and I came to the realization that the degree to which public relations practitioners can express themselves has everything to do with the First Amendment.  A website for a Texas Advertising and Public Relations firm had a whole page of their website devoted to the law and ethics of PR, specifically addressing the First Amendment and its role in the industry.  http://advertising.utexas.edu/resources/law/PROD75_016501.html 

When it comes to PR and the law, there are also many ways in which practitioners can get themselves or their companies into trouble.  One way is through libel, which is false communication that unfairly harms a person or an organization’s reputation.  Schillings, a London law firm was accused of taking part in the practice of libel in the attack of the part owner of Arsenal’s character.  Schillings was said to have blogs with defamatory criticisms of this man, thus being involved in libel.  Here is an article addressing this issue http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2007/09/24/schillings-and-schadenfreude-defamation-lawyers-now-have-a-public-relations-problem/

Crisis Communication November 10, 2009

Crises are unpredictable issues and events that unfortunately can happen to anyone.  As Guth and Marsh (2009) put it, “bad things do happen to good people”.  What is important for organizations and public relations practitioners to understand is that in order to resolve and move forward from crises, communication is key.  One part of the chapter that I think is crucial and I would like to address are the four steps to crisis communications planning.  The first step is risk assessment, in which the threats and hazards within an organization are identified.  The next step is developing the plan, which is where strategies are created to handle any of these potential threats.  Step three is the response step, where these plans are executed and used to tackle any crises that arise, and step four is known as recovery.   The recovery step includes looking back at the way the crises was handled and move forward from the lessons learned. 

What I found most interesting about crisis communication is that it truly is so important to the smooth operation of organizations.  Crises and bad things do occur, and all organizations can do is be prepared and react in an effective and efficient way.  This site I found is devoted solely to crisis communication and offers crisis communication plans to organizations in need. http://www.tmtww.com/index_CRISIS.php?gclid=CNiP9riUgZ4CFSa0sgodQhcjqQ 

This next link is to an example/template for a crisis communication plan that I found very helpful and informative.  It was nice to get a general idea of what a plan consists of http://www3.niu.edu/newsplace/crisis.html

Cyber Relations in the Digital Age October 7, 2009

As I started to read this chapter, I found that I could immediately relate.  It is all about the use of the Internet, World Wide Web, and other forms of current technology when it comes to public relations and social media.  There is no other way to put it than that digital technology has completely transformed our society.  As the authors of our textbook put it, in today’s society, everyone has the ability to “join the conversation”.  I am an avid user of both Facebook and Twitter.  I find myself on these two websites much more often than necessary.  I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, see what is going on in other people’s lives, and even learn about upcoming events and activities that I may be interested in attending.  Organizations and companies are able to create pages, as well as events, to promote what they stand for and get their name into the social network.  Here is a link to an event that a fraternity on campus is promoting on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=138501955746&index=1

I find Twitter interesting because it is a site that is all about knowing what other people are doing at all times.  I tend to follow both my close friends, as well as celebrities.  There are also organizations and businesses that I follow in order to find out what is new with their products or causes.  While these two social media sites are the most widely known, there are many other facets available to the public, organizations, and PR practitioners.  Another way that digital technology is influencing our society is through blogging.  Whether you are a CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation or a 2nd grade teacher, you have the ability to post blogs about whatever you desire.  All of these media outlets provide new ways for organizations and their publics to communicate with one another.  Here is a link to one of the most influential technology companies in the world’s blog, Google. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/

The Tactics of Public Relations September 30, 2009

The success of the public relations industry relys heavily on the tactics used by public relations firms and practitioners.  Tactics can be defined as the processes and actions that public relations practitioners use to influence the relationship of the company or organization and its specific publics.  The use of tactics allows the company to highlight the true values of their business.  Messages and channels are both tactical, but most public relations practitioners use channels as their means of influence.  The key factor in the success of the tactics being used is that they are consistent with the certain publics’ needs and desires. 

I would like to discuss the concept of using a special event as a tactic to influence the relation between an organization and its publics.  I came to the realization that I myself have taken part in a special event as a tactic in promoting an organization that I am a part of, Kappa Kappa Gamma.  Each year, we put on a philanthropy event called Kappa Kickoff to benefit our two charities, Multiple Sclerosis Society and Reading Is Fundamental.  By hosting this event we are influencing the relationship we have with our charities as well as the way observers, the Greek community, and potential future members see us.  By using this special event tactic, our sorority is able to better our relationships with multiple important publics.  Here is a link to our sororities philanthropic website, http://chapters.kappakappagamma.org/epsilonmu/pages/philanthropy.php

When it comes to the how the message gets out there, there are two possibilities.  It can get to the public eye by controlled media or uncontrolled media.  With controlled media, public relations practitioners have the ability to choose what words and images will be presented to the public, while messages and portrayals from uncontrolled media lie in the hands of television and radio networks.  An important controlled media source that is used as a tactic to influence a company and its publics relationship is the news release.  The news release has a goal of presenting an unbiased perspective on an issue or aspect of the company, product, or message being conveyed.  Here are two links to examples of news releases.

http://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/index.php?s=43&item=8538

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=16470

Planning is Prominent in PR September 24, 2009

It is hard to put into words how important it is for those working in the public relations industry to engage in the process of planning.  Without a precise plan, those who work in the PR industry will not be able to successfully reach their end goal.  Promoting products, conveying messages, and maintaining positive relationships are all aspects of the industry that require planning.  If a PR practitioner who is helping a company promote a product and create brand identity does not have a plan to do so, how do they expect to make it happen?  I found a website that has a very useful tool for anyone who is interested in constructing a public relations plan.  This site breaks down the planning process into what I believe are six appropriate steps. http://marketing.about.com/cs/publicrelations/a/prplan6steps.htm.

I would also like to touch on the topic of the written public relations plan and the different parts of it, which include goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics.  When put together, these four elements create a plan for carrying out any task.  First there must be a goal, which is something you wish to achieve.  The goal is what I would like to focus on, because the more I research PR firms and look at other PR related material, I realize how clear they make their goal.  By doing so, I feel that clients and publics can feel confident that the PR firm has a direction and an endpoint in their sight.  The following link is to a page on Porter Novelli’s website titled Services.  I feel that within this description, Porter Novelli is conveying their overall goal.  The firm explains what it believes in and its purpose for existing.  http://www.porternovelli.com/services.html

Research, Research, Research! September 24, 2009

The public relations industry is putting a lot of effort into introducing what they call “hard numbers” into the practice of PR.  Research is so important when it comes to validating the field and making people see that it is in fact a valuable industry.  Sufficient research in public relations allows practitioners to figure out whether or not assumptions about the field are true, as well as what aspects of the industry we still need to focus on that are missing.  The way to begin this process is by creating a research strategy, which will assist in figuring out what needs to be known as well as the processes that will be necessary to take in obtaining this knowledge.  PR firms are realizing how important it is to let their clients and publics know that they are taking the time to do research.  The following link is to a site for the firm Misukanis & Odden, specifically the page of their site that addresses research. http://www.misukanisodden.com/research.php.  If you take a look at their abstract on the research procedures they take part in and what they offer to their clients, they make an effort to convey that they are here for “you,” and that they will do the necessary and proper research to carry out whatever the task may be. 

Another thing I would like to touch on is something that I found on Weber Shandwick’s website, http://www.webershandwick.com/Default.aspx/Capabilities/SpecialtyServices/Research.  This PR firm had a very detailed page on their research strategies.  The PR firm actually partners with  KRC research firm in order to keep up with the latest research strategies so that they can provide them for their clients.  The investment in research in PR firms today is immense and rightfully so, because without research there is no validation.  Whether it be client research, stakeholder research, or evaluation research, all research assists in the success of the public relations industry.

The Publics in Public Relations September 23, 2009

To start off this blog post I would like to define what exactly a public is.  A public is any group whose members have a common interest or common values in a particular situation.  It is crucial that companies and publics maintain a balanced and interdependent relationship.  The Resource Dependency theory asserts that companies and their PR practitioners must be aware of which publics contain the resources that the company can benefit from.  It sounds kind of selfish at first, but think about it…In order for a company to be successful they must be in tune with publics who actually care about what the company produces, sells, or conveys. 

I stumbled across a very interesting paper that supports the idea that research dependency theory is in fact important to a public relations firms success http://smib.vuw.ac.nz:8081/WWW/ANZMAC2004/CDsite/papers/Chin1.PDF

There are many categories of publics, such as traditional vs. nontraditional, latent, aware, and active publics, and internal and external publics.  I would like to focus on Intervening publics.  Intervening publics refers to the news media as a way of sending a message.  Guth and Marsh (2009) state that “if the local newspaper can help you send that message, it is an intervening public”.  What is more true in the fast paced world we live in today is that we must go beyond the traditional meaning of intervening publics.  With blogging and all the other social networks and technology available, the public itself becomes part of the media.  This link is to a popular political blog, proving that ordinary people and the public are becoming important and influential to the media.

http://weblogs.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=weblogs&cdn=compute&tm=7&gps=217_221_1276_547&f=00&tt=13&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//dailykos.com/