Management Process:
Step 1: Defining PR Problems
Step 2: Planning & Programming
Dr. Iccha Basnyat

• Step 1: Problem Definition
  • Problem definition >> Judgment about a situation
    • -- subjective value
  • Judgment >> Understanding current situation
    • -- objectively & systematically
      
      
      
• Step 1: Understanding Current Situation
• What is the nature of the Problem/Issue?
• What has been happening that this is unsatisfactory?
• What factors seem to have caused this problem?
• What kinds of information is needed to access the situation?
• Who is affected by the problem?
  
  
  
• Research in PR
• Research:
• Lays the groundwork for effective PR via evidence
• Should be used in every phase of the management process
  • -- Primary or Secondary Techniques
  • -- Critical for problem solving and/or issue management
    • -- Likelihood something will affect the organizational objectives
• Increase credibility of the profession
• Good information - good decision making
• Helps with appropriate strategies
• What kind of information is required should help you chose your research method
• Systematic Situational Analysis
  • Internal Analysis:
    • -- SWOT
  • External Analysis:
    • -- Informal
    • -- Formal
      
      
      
• (Internal) Research in PR
  
  
  
  
• (External) Research in PR
• Informal:
  • Personal contacts
  • Key Informants
  • Community Forums
  • Advisory Committee/Boards
  • Call in/Mail Analysis/Online
• Pros/Cons:
  • Detecting
  • Applicable
• Formal Methods:
  • Secondary Data
    • Content-Analysis (quantify or meanings)
  • Surveys
    • -- Mail, Face to face
  • Focus groups
  • Interviews
• Pros/Cons:
• Cost/Time
• Training
  
  
  
• Research in PR
• Quantitative (survey)
  • -- Interested in numbers
  • -- Generalizing from sample to population
• Qualitative (Interviews)
  • -- Discovering opinions, experiences, expectations
• Qualitative (Focus Groups)
  • -- Often forms the basis for survey questions
  • -- Pre-testing questions
  • -- Market Research
    
• Research in PR: Discussion question:
  • Company XYZ is located in a town of 500,000 people. The company has 6,000 employees making it the largest in town. Despite this, the management believes that the company doesn’t have a strong identity & visibility in the community.
  • You are asked to conduct research to determine exactly what the company’s image is in the community.
    • What method of research would you use? Formal? Informal? Why?
    • What kinds of information about the company’s image should be researched?
      
      
      
• From Step 1 to Step 2
• Through research, at the end of step 1:
  • 1. Issue Identification
    • --Understood & defined the nature of the PR problem
  • 2. Issue Analysis
    • -- Assessed that this is important to the organization and its publics
      
      
      
• Step 2: Planning & Programming
• Strategic & Systematic Approach
  • -- Strategically addressing the problem about program objectives, key publics,
  • -- Strategic:
    • -- Carefully planning for a desired end based on the information collected
    • -- Requires lots of information for informed strategy (i.e. research)
      
      
      
• Strategy vs. Tactic
• Strategy:
  • -- Overall plan of what you intend to achieve
  • -- Long term direction for how in concept (broad statements) objectives will be met
• Tactic:
  • -- Activities specifically created and selected to carry out the strategy
  • -- Assess which tactic is most appropriate & can be done (within time frame & budget)
  • -- Theories can determine tactics
    
    
• Example: Strategy vs. Tactic
• Ex 1:
  • Objective: Increase brand awareness to increase sales
  • Strategy: Develop many story angles around the key message OR Use media to reach prospective customers
  • Tactic: Hold events, Contact all media outlets
• Ex 2:
  • Objective: Publicize new product
  • Strategy: Mount media relations campaign
  • Tactic: Press conference, Press releases
    
    
    
    
• Step 2: Planning & Programming
• Strategic & Systematic Approach
  • Systematically establishing goals and direction, i.e.
    • -- What is the program objective?
    • -- How will the appropriate strategy be selected?
    • -- Who will be targeted?
  • Systematic:
    • -- Approaching the strategic planning in a structured manner
      
      
      
• Strategic & Systematic Thinking
• --Who will this be targeted towards
  • -- information >> campaign
  • -- Often relies on a theory for campaigns
• --What might be done to solve the problem/issue?
• -- What are the relative merits of our possible solutions (i.e. benefits and consequences of each proposed solution?)
• -- Is behavior always rational? Intentional?
• -- What about cultural influences?
  
  
  
• Step 2: Planning & Programming
• Strategic & Systematic Planning:
  • Improves effectiveness
  • Encourages long-term view
  • Assists pro-activeness
  • Minimises mishaps
  • Allows informed decision making
• Going back to the earlier case:
  • After your research you find out for a fact that there is a negative image in the community about the organization XYZ
    • a. Come up with an objective for your plan to build &/or restore organizational image
    • b. Based on your objectives come up with possible strategy/strategies to address your objective (of your plan)
    • c. What tactics would you utilize to achieve these strategy/strategies
• Example:
  • Issue Management
    • Issues >> affect strategic direction of the organization
      • -- i.e. Internal or External Issues
  • Strategic Thinking to address issues
    • -- Pretesting of ideas, strategy, tactics, messages
      
      
      
• Strategic Issue Management
• Issue Management:
  • Ability to direct all strategies towards achievement of objectives
  • Strategic planning beforehand
• Research >> Identification & Tracking of issues
  • Priority to respond to issue
  • High: Crisis
  • Medium: Risk
    
    
    
• Crisis Management
• Issue vs. Crisis
  • -- Unmanaged issues turn into crisis
  • -- Issue management (proactive & strategic planning)
• Crisis: Actual vs. Perception
  • -- Think (i.e. public)
  • -- Expectation (i.e. public)
  • -- Exxon
  • -- Lucozade
    
    
    
• Crisis
• Immediate crisis:
  • Unexpected, little time for research & planning (i.e. reactive)
• Emerging crisis:
  • Allows time for research & planning >> corrective action before reaching critical stage (i.e. proactive)
• Sustained crisis:
• Remains overtime (i.e. speculation)
  
  
  
• Strategic Crisis Management
• Coco-Cola’s Dasani Crisis:
  • -- Clear focused objective
  • To protect the global reputation of Coke-Cola
    • -- Came up with appropriate strategy to deal with issue
      • -- Avoid media speculation
    • -- Acted Quickly w/following tactics
      • -- Narrowed down the issue to specific mineral
      • -- Conducted media interviews\
    • -- Incident Management and Crisis Resolution Team
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
• Risk vs. Crisis
• Risk:
  • Something that can affect the outcome of the organizational objective
  • i.e. Launching new product
• Anticipating, minimizing & preventing loss
  • i.e. Informing public of risk
    • Mad cow disease (UK Beef)
    • SARS
      
      

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