Week 6- Chapter 13- Communities and PR

This week was all about communities and public relations and highlighted the importance of communities, but also highlighted the negative side of communities- something which to be honest I didn't think existed until I read this chapter. When I think of community I think of a group of people striving together for a common cause. How can that be negative?

Well, sometimes campaigns cannot penetrate through the ideals of a cohesive group- which would result in negative consequences as the goal wouldn't be met! Furthermore, lack of understanding on a community group generally means a campaign is destined to fail from the beginning. Power problems within communities is also raised, which may result in lack of communication or debate. It is for these reasons that community engagement is hugely important and essential for the field of public relations and those who work within it.

Johnston and Zawawi recognise the social impact of PR and the importance of community, stating:

“It does not mean that responsibility for decision making is delegated to the community, but rather that community perceptions. Values and concerns will be considered and addressed by the organization”.

As for the topic of social capital, I found it really quite difficult to grasp. I felt like the gist of it was based on a mutual level of trust or commitment. I still don't quite have my head wrapped around it though, so I may have to cut this one short!

- Johnston, J & C Zawawi, Public Relations: Theory and Practise. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2009. 3rd ed.

Week 5- Ethics

Johnston & Zawawi (2009) state that ethics "refers to the personal values or deeply held belief systems that underpin the behaviour and moral choices made by an individual in response to a specific situation" (p. 111).

There are three basic ethical doctrines:
1. Deontology- ethics is duty-based and relies on moral obligation to tell the truth or keep promises.
2. Teleology- outcome based, where the 'ends justify the means'.
3. Aristotle's Golden Mean- based on what is best for the majority. (Generally the system used in a democracy where the minority sometimes has to sacrifice something of value if it is best for the country as a whole).

Upon reading this chapter (although I obviously was aware of this previously) it became apparent that ethics play a huge role in public relations. When it comes to PR, ethics relate to not only the practitioner themselves, but the organisation for whom the work is being carried out for.

Seib and Fitzpatrick (1995 as cited in Johnston and Zawawi 2009 p.113), explain this in terms of public relations practitioners having five duties in order to be as ethically sound as possible. These include yourself, the client, employer, the profession, and society.

Ethical dilemmas do indeed occur in the field of PR, and mostly on the following levels:
- Interpersonal (occurs between a practitioner and peers or superiors in the workplace).
- Organisational (arises between practitioners and an organisation's internal policies and protocols).
- Stakeholder ( between organisation and publics- such as activists or regulators).

Ethics within the field of public relations are represented in both the culture of the organisation, as well as in codes of conduct. Ethics are of course a personal belief system, however in conclusion it is important that practitioners are committed to embracing ethics as part of day-to-day behaviour and decision making. The chapter concludes:

"When practised properly, public relations encourages social resonsiblity and a greater contribution to society. This gives the profession the opportunity to be a leader in ethical practise, not as a follower".

(p. 132).

- Johnston, J & C Zawawi, Public Relations: Theory and Practise. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2009. 3rd ed.

Week 4- Chapter 9

This weeks textbook reading was all about media relations, with an extra reading thrown in regarding the SARS epidemic in Singapore.

Chong (2006) made me realise that public relations practitioners need to focus on building strong relationships with the media. It was this that enabled PR practitioners to provide news for the media, which is why there was such widespread coverage of the SARS epidemic. This in turn turn raised awareness and enabled the global community/public arena to help out or donate.

The article also raised the issue of trust, and more or less emphasised that the truth should be told by the media in order to create a trustful relationship with the public, to ensure that in times of a major event, they will be confident that they are not being fed propaganda. (Correct me if I am wrong though...that felt like the general gist!)

The closing paragraph of Chapter 9- Process and Application of Public Relations sums up the issue nicely, stating:

"Despite what is sometimes seen as an uneasy alliance between the media and the public relations profession, there is a growing interdependence in the two industries. This can be developed and enhanced through a mutual understanding of, an respect for, each other's roles and responsibilities".

(Johnston & Zawawi, 2009 p. 261).

- Chong, M (2006) A crisis of epidemic proportions: What communication lessons can practitioners learn from the SARS crisis in Singapore. Public Relations Quarterly; Spring 2006; 51; 1; ABI/INFORM Global.

- Johnston, J & C Zawawi, Public Relations: Theory and Practise. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2009. 3rd ed.

Week 3- Chapter 7

This weeks reading was all about applying theory to practice- strategy and planning. The two are inter-woven and integral to the other one's success. While designing plans and developing strategies may seem time consuming, they should be considered as a recipe for success as opposed to a necessary evil.

Mintzberg 2003 as cited in Johnston and Zawawi, 2009) suggests that strategy should follow the five P's- Perspective, Position, Ploy, Plan and Pattern.

Broken down into these five fundamental aspects, they can be adapted in a contemporary public relations situation to create success. It's sort of like writing an essay. Yes, the essay plan/draft is long and tedious, but once you're typing you just need to follow the outline and YES- you're finished. In order for a strategy to become a success, there needs to be a plan behind it. And for a plan to be successful, there must be a strategy. Think of them as Corona and lime. You can't have one without the other.

The graphs in the chapter such as the PERT network shed some light on the practicalities practitioners face daily in regards to time management and task setting- which again, relates back to strategy and planning.

The chapter also emphasised the importance of practitioners to 'check back', and constantly be aware of how the strategy and plan has worked or hasn't worked for the client. It closed with an interesting statement that resonated with me, as it made me realise that there is a lot more to public relations than what meets the eye- a good practitioner is the unsung hero of any successful event or campaign. "Getting to grips with the sometimes imprecise science of strategising and the flexible nature of planning are crucial skills for public relations practitioners who want to operate more frequently at the new managerial, rather than the old technical, levels".

If you want to get to the top you need to work haaaard!


- Johnston, J & C Zawawi, Public Relations: Theory and Practise. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2009. 3rd ed.

Week 2- Chapters 1,2,3.

Chapters 1, 2, and 3 provided an overview, a brief history, and theories surrounding public relations- making me realise that there is much more to the field than meets the eye.

Few key points that I realised...
- PR has certainly come a long way to be the multi-faceted career that it is today, and it is safe to say that a PR practitioner's roles and key activities can overlap (including the roles of public relations and marketing).

-Public relations is a mix of art, science, and business. With these powers combined, they summon the earths greatest hero- a dynamic PR practitioner. In all seriousness, I was a little bit happy when I read this part. As a career choice I think public relations provides a good balance of creativity and business, with room for hypotheses and healthy decision-making along the way.

- The readings also emphasised how important blogging has become...I'm beginning to realise why this blog is a mandatory assessment item. According to Marken (2005) as cited in Johnston and Zawawi (2009), blogs have given organisations a 'fast, effective, and economic means' of engaging publics, and that they are becoming so entrenched in contemporary culture that public relations practitioners must understand them. Fellow PR students, take note.

- While areas of practise and skill may have changed over the years in the field of public relations, the principles (ethically and professionally) stay the same. Its essence, 'managing communication between an organisation and its publics' (Johnston & Zawawai, 2009 p. 43) also remainds the same.

I found Chapter 3 (theories) a bit hard to grasp. I've never been good with theories to begin with, and found it a bit too much. I did conclude however, that despite the varying theories, there will always be exceptions to the rules- particularly with such a changing professional climate due to growing technologies.

* Johnston, J & C Zawawi, Public Relations: Theory and Practise. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2009. 3rd ed.