Week 3 Reading

Week 3 Readings:
Public Relations Theory and Practise, "Research and Evaluation" Edited by Jane Johnston and Clara Zawawi.
'Conflict, Strategic Management and Public Relations' By Kenneth.D Plowman and
Website workshop-http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/brief.html

I believe the key messages from this week's readings were:
The key messages from the Plowman reading were that it is becoming increasingly important for Public Relations Practitioners to be an effective and essential component of the strategic planning and problem solving team. Public Relations Officers need to show their organisation that communication is key to their overall success as a company and that their implementation of such communication and goal-setting will achieve overall success for the company. PR officers need to show that they are an essential part of the organisation.

The 'Research and Evaluation' reading emphasised the importance of research as well as how to evaluate a Public Relations campaign. Research can lead to a more successful program that effectively achieves its outcomes. It also highlighted the fact that research is an ongoing part of a successful program. This reading also outlined the various methods of research and what each of these technique's strengths and weaknesses are.

'The Internet Detective' website emphasised the best way to use the Internet, utilizing its strengths and avoiding the pitfalls, such as hoaxes and parody web pages. It provided hints on how to spot whether a site is genuine or not and the best places for academic information.

The Key Points in the Readings could be applied to my group's work in that they:
Provided practical information in how to apply Public Relations in a 'real' world situation.

The 'Research and Evaluation' reading explained in a step-by-step manner how to achieve an effective campaign and the best research to use depending on the kind of goals you are hoping to achieve.

The 'Internet Detective' website described the best places to look for academic information and this will be helpful as we begin our research into for our assignment, as well as advising us on how to avoid inaccurate and false information that can be found on the Internet.

The Readings made me think more about Public Relations Practise in that:
The 'Plowman' reading was effective in helping me understand that Public Relations can be under valued in the workplace and therefore it is important for practitioners to use skills such as communication, strategy and problem solving to assert ones self in their organisation, to ensure that they are seen to be a vital party of the organisation.

The 'Research and Evaluation' theory made me realise how much planning work goes into an effective PR campaign and that this needs to be successfully balanced with your campaign budget. An important skill is accessing what is going to be helpful research, and also whether this willl be cost-effective.

The Readings related to the other readings I've done in previous weeks:
The 'Research and Evaluation' reading related to the previous textbook reading on 'Strategy, Planning and Scheduling'. Research and Strategic Planning are linked together as part of an effective campaign. An effective strategy is based on sound research, as it will help you achieve your outcomes.