SHEM203 Project: Public Relations Strategies
Annotation:
Public relations professionals today should enhance their role not only with the traditional communication and management skills, but also with the capability to research and understand various problems which might affect the corporation they are working for. It is expected however from a practitioner today to be able to develop public relations plans, to create and diffuse appealing and effective messages using both the traditional and the new media, and at the end to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs. The unit analyzes the operation of public relations in the context of modern organizations and its impact on the various publics – internal and external. The unit also focuses on the professional development on the field as well as on core issues and principles such as corporate social responsibility, media relations, planning, employee relations, consumer relations, etc.
The unit aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop practical skills in the complex field of public relations. Through workshops, case studies, and real life examples, the students will be able to acquire a real sense of the strategic importance of public relations as well as be exposed to the practice of the profession.
Lecturers:
Assist. Prof. Evelina Christova, PhD
Course Description:
Competencies:
Students who complete this course:
1) will be able to:
• Be able to develop tools such as press releases, press kits, press conferences, etc.. necessary for diffusing information to various stakeholders.
• Be able to recognize and discuss the development and current application of significant public relations principles associated with business areas including media, community, and internal and external public relations.
• Develop confidence in presenting work and public speaking or writing.
• Be acquainted with new Learning Technologies, such as on-line presentations and screen casts.
Prerequisites:
Students are required to have the following knowledge and/or skills:
• Public relations strategies
Types:
Full-time Programmes
Types of Courses:
Project
Language of teaching:
English
Topics:
- Workshop 1: Defining the target audiences Industry interaction: Exposure to actual PR tools, samples of brochures, company newsletters, company profiles, event programs, yearbooks; discussion & evaluation.
- Workshop 2: The nature of Public Relations: “Designing the Job Description of a PR practitioner” Industry interaction: Implications and uses of PR theories in corporate world Case study 1: Understanding the functions of public relations “Doing Public Relations” Case study 2: Understanding and applying Issue Management: “Neighbours”
- Workshop 3: Developing the PR objectives and strategies for a vendor. Industry interaction: Samples of questionnaires, and surveys; Comments and critical discussion. Case study 3: “The National Tennis Association case” Case study 4: “University Blood Drive” Case study 5: “Starbucks: Public Relations Plan”
- Workshop 4: Acquiring Publicity” How to compile a Press Release and increase publicity” Industry interaction: Samples of Media Kits and Press Releases; Critical discussion Case study 6: “Toxic shock syndrome”
- Workshop 5: Enhancing teamwork and communication Industry interaction: Samples of employee communication tools (newsletters from various companies, posters, announcement boards).
- Workshop 6: Drafting out the CSR plan Industry interaction: a) Coca Cola and Olympic Games; Analysis and discussion of their plan. b) Implication of community relations theory in a professional football team: The research; The plan; The implication; The evaluation (the outcomes). Case study 7: “The Coca Cola corporate social responsibility plan” Case study 8: “We are the society”: community relations for a professional football club
Bibliography:
• Lattimore Dan et al. (2012). Public relations: The Profession and the Practice, 4th edition, London, McGraw-Hill Higher Education
• All material used in this unit's classes are available in electronic form through CITY's E-Leaning Management System (MOLE) with enrollment password: THESSALONIKI
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING FOR FURTHER STUDYING
Additional Suggested Books
• Gregory, A., Willis, P., (2013). Strategic Public Relations Leadership. 1st ed. Routledge.
Suggested Journals
• Public Relations Journal (Public Relations Society of America)
• Journal of Public Relations Research
• Public Relations Quarterly
• Public Relations Tactics
• Journal of Business Communication
• Journal of Marketing Communications
• Journal of Business Ethics
Other Key Resources
• http://comprehension.prsa.org/
• http://www.prsa.org/
• PR Newswire
• www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/
• The Chartered Institute of Public Relations/ UK With over 9,000 members involved in all aspects of the public relations industry, CIPR (UK) is the largest professional body of its type in Europe. Useful career and jobs section. www.cipr.co.uk
• Institute for Public Relations IPR carries out valuable PR research, education programs, and makes data widely available to improve the profession. The research topic section is very useful particularly the new technology and social media research. http://www.instituteforpr.org/research/topics/
Assessment:
Report 100%