PRL1003 Reputation Management

Contents

• Staffing
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Assessment notes
• Other requirements
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

SYNOPSIS

An organisation's most valuable commodity is its reputation. The effective management of that reputation is one of the most pervasive and persistent challenges of contemporary organisations. The boundary spanning role of the public relations professional demands the knowledge and skills to understand, embrace and effectively communicate the strategic thinking of the organisation's management together with the directions and aspirations of its internal and external stakeholders. Within the theoretical foundations and frameworks of contemporary public relations practice the student will be introduced to the cross section of the specialist areas which constitute the practice of public relations. In addition to the course's primary focus, reputation management, these include financial or investor relations, government relations, public affairs, marketing communications, community relations, employee relations, and special interest group communications. The concept of public relations as a management function is explored.

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1.

Comprehend the basic concepts and principles of public relations as a management function, and the role of the public relations professional as boundary spanner.

2.

Define reputation management

3.

Critically analyse the core concepts of applicable organisational theories and their application to reputation management .

4.

Demonstrate information literacy skills appropriate to the discipline, and apply research strategies to identify and integrate information into a formal communication product.

5.

Demonstrate written and oral communication skills by researching, planning, and submitting communication products appropriate to a professional setting.

6.

Show initiative as part of a set assignment task through the development of a learning activity for others.

7.

Comprehend the variety of specialist public relations practices undertaken in corporate, consultancy and government environments which are essential to reputation management.

8.

Communicate in writing by preparing and submitting a learning portfolio.

9.

Demonstrate oral communication skills by preparing a class presentation.

10.

Demonstrate academic and professional literacy skills by reflecting on their own learning.

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Course PRL1003 Selected Readings

Lattimore, D, Baskin, O, Heiman, S, Toth, E & Van Leuven, J 2007, Public relations: the profession and the practice, 2nd edn, McGraw-Hill, Boston.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Baines, P, Egan, J & Jefkins, F 2004, Public Relations: contemporary issues and techniques, Elsevier/Butterworth-Heineman, Boston.

Cutlip, S M, Center, A H & Broom, G M 2006, Effective public relations, 9th edn, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Doorley, J 2007, Reputation management: the key to successful public relations and corporate communication, Routledge.

Dowling, G 1994, Corporate reputations: strategies for developing the corporate brand, Longman Cheshire, Melbourne.

Fearn-Banks, K 2002, Crisis communications: a casebook approach, 2nd edn, Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.

Fombrun, C J 1996, Reputation: realizing value from the corporate image, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Mass.

Grunig J (ed) 1992, Excellence in public relations and communication management, L Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ.

Guth, D 2006, Public relations: a values-driven approach, 3rd edn, Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, Boston.

Harrison, S 2003, Strategic public relations: a practical guide to success, 3rd edn, Century Ventures, Perth, WA, Australia.

Haywood, R 1994, Managing your reputation, McGraw-Hill Book Co, London & New York.

L'Etang, J & Pieczka, M 1997, Critical perspectives in public relations, International Thomson Business Press, Boston.

Lesly, P 1997, Lesly's handbook of public relations and communications, 5th edn, NTC, New York.

Macnamara, J R 2005, Jim Macnamara's public relations handbook, 5th edn, Archipelago Press, Broadway, NSW, Australia.

Newsom, D 2004, This is PR: the realities of public relations, 5th edn, Wadsworth, California.

Theaker, A 2004, The public relations handbook, 2nd edn, Routlege, New York/London.

Tymson, C 2006, The New Australian and New Zealand public relations manual, 5th edn, Tymson Communications, Manly, NSW, Australia.

Walsh, T 2002, The reputation vortex: online reputation management, Spiro Press, London.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

Written components for the Learning Portfolio will be due 12 September 2009. A schedule for in-class presentations will be provided at the beginning of semester.

2.

Exam to be end of Semester 2 ACTUAL DATE TO BE CONFIRMED.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   It is the student's responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. For this course, normal class attendance consists of one 1 hour lecture and one 2 hour tutorial per week.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To successfully complete an individual assessment item, a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. This statement must be read in conjunction with Statement 4 below.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without extenuating circumstances and without prior approval, then a penalty of a maximum of 5% of the assigned mark may apply for each working day late, up to a maximum of 10 working days, at which time a mark of zero can be recorded for that assignment.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   The exam for this course is a CLOSED examination, and candidates are allowed to bring only writing and drawing instruments into the examination.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   Given the details under (6) above, there are no deferred exams for this course. However, if any deferred/makeup work is granted, it would have to be submitted by a date set by the examiner.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. If assignments in the course require the use of surveys, interviews, etc., students should be aware of the University and Faculty of Arts ethical requirements/guidelines. (The course syllabus distributed to students in the first week of teaching provides this information.)

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.