COMM11110: Monitoring & Evaluation

(Ch4llenge n.d)

Measuring the effectiveness of a public relations campaign provides new direction and emphasis for an ongoing program. Even when the project being evaluated does not continue, the lessons learned concerning its effectiveness will be useful in numerous future activities. Knowledge gained through meticulous evaluation is an important payoff to prevent future mistakes.  Evaluation is simply a critique of the plan and identifies any strengths or weakness that has been developed from the campaign. Thus, systematic measurement of successful efforts will help reproduce positive fundamentals in future program (Coffman 2012).The following information provides an outlook of how evaluation is used in a review:

Questions to consider when evaluating the campaign:

1) Did the campaign reflect the goal?

2) Was the campaign educative, informative or persuasive? 

3) Did the goals include enough information and motivation?

What to measure when evaluating:

1) The exposure

2) Knowledge and understanding

3) Message retention to the public

In addition, evaluating the effectiveness of public relations involves the measurement of changes in attitudes, beliefs and behavior which can frequently be subjective and up to analysis. This stage of monitoring occurs during the campaign were the public relation profession can adapt and change any problems as some things don't always go to plan (Wilcox 2014).Therefore, practitioners must be open on the criteria that will be used to evaluate success in achieving objectives.

References:

1. Ch4llenge n.d, Monitoring and Evaluation, viewed 29th December 2014, <http://www.sump-challenges.eu/content/monitoring-and-evaluation>.

2. Coffman, J. (2002). Public communication campaign evaluation: An environmental scan of challenges, criticisms, practice, and opportunities.Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project.

3. Wilcox, Cameron, Reber and Shin (2014) Think Public Relations, Pearson Education Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, United States of America. Chapter 6 pp.127-135.

COMMS11110: Ethics & Law

  (Manzian, B 2011)

It is imperative for the industry that Practitioners develop a good reputation and act with social responsibility.  This is because Public Relations organisation has a code of ethics which the employees are expected to abide the guiding principle and to learn how they will conduct in their professional lives (Sadowski, J 2014).

If the Code of Ethics cannot be legally enforced, what is the point of having one?

 F

First of all, the code of ethics is a written set of guidelines issued by a company to its workers and management to help them perform their actions in accordance with its key values and ethical standards.  This guide of principles is designed to help professionals conduct business honestly and with integrity. A code of ethics document may outline the mission and values of the business or organisation, how professionals are supposed to approach problems, the ethical principles based on the organization's core values and the standards to which the professional will be held (Swadowski 2014).

Since the Code of Ethics cannot be legally enforced to the organisations it is still important to implement this code of practices because it clearly lays our the "rules" for behaviour and provides a preemptive warning (Hill & Rapp 2014). Without this guidelines there will be no strong work placement the operations at work will not succeed or last in the future. Therefore, by breaking the code of ethics it can lead to termination or dismissal from the organisation. 

Additional Information of Ethics for campaign:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isAJ_x4X4jI  

This video examines some of the ethical challenges facing the PR as a profession, and explores corporate social responsibility.

References:

1. Hill, R, & Rapp, J 2014, 'Codes of Ethical Conduct: A Bottom-Up Approach', Journal Of Business Ethics, 123, 4, pp. 621-630, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 29 January 2015.

2.Sadowski, J 2014, 'Leaning on the Ethical Crutch: A Critique of Codes of Ethics', IEEE Technology & Society Magazine, 33, 4, pp. 44-72, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 29 January 2015.

3.  Manzian, B 2011, New: Codes of Ethics Adopted, viewed 29th December 2014,   <http://www.abidjanlivenews.com/Press-New-Code-of-Ethics-adopted_a407.html>

COMM11110: Planning

(JNB Publishing n.d)

Implementing campaigns are an important part of the public relations practitioners and must be carried out with thorough planning and comprehensive management. Detailed step-by-step procedures must be taken when planning a PR campaign in order to meets the objectives set and achieves what needs to be accomplished. However, when developing objectives, research should be conducted to set measurable targets and ensure the objectives are realistic and achievable. While this may include formal research, insights may also be gained from informal and desk research, including undertaking a situation analysis and reviewing past or similar campaigns.

 The following structures are prepared for PR Plans: (Wilcox et.al 2013)

·        Overview

An executive summary of the marketing challenge you’re facing that the PR campaign is designed to help you meet.

·        Goals

What you want the PR campaign to achieve for your firm.

·        Strategies

The methods by which you will achieve your goals.

·        Target audiences

The types of people you want to reach.

·        Key target media

The specific publications and programs toward which you will direct your PR efforts.

·        Recommendations

Which PR tactics you will use; other ideas you have; and the theme, hook, or angle for each tactic.

·        Next steps

                An action plan for who does what and when.

Practitioners need to focus on the importance of good planning to focus on the objectives when working on a campaign. By drawing up a detailed plan with clear outlined targets it will keep the team on track as well forming long term plans for the future.  Furthermore, this format builds an effective teamwork, so that everyone involved in a campaign feels a sense of ownership (Clark 2012). This also circumvents individuals pursuing their own initiatives that do not fit in with the strategy.  Likewise, by putting high-quality research and analysis at the centre of the operations, all the work will be backed up and open to investigation.  .

Additional Information of Planing:

Youtube:
Campaign Planning is a Key: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLYFyd3k2x4 

References:

1. Clark D 2012, ‘A Campaign Strategy for Your Career’, Harvard Business Review, Vol.90, No.11, pp.131-134

2. JNB Publishing n.d ,Campaign Planning, viewed 08th December 2014, <http://www.jnbpublishing.co.uk/campaign-planning.php >.

3.Wilcox, Cameron, Reber and Shin (2013). Think Public Relations (2nd). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, United States of America: Pearson Education Inc.