Chapter/Week 1

Question 1

What is the ultimate goal or outcome of public relations for an organization?

Answer 1

Have all stakeholders believe their organization has an impeccable REPUTATION

Question 2

How do reputational consequences develop?

Answer 2

not managing issues
not communicating about risks
not preparing for and managing crises

Question 3

What do Issues, Risks and Crises have in common?

Answer 3

all have different historical roots
People tend to group them together but that simplifies their differences
No agreed definitions of these terms
are commonly called
“practice areas” or “specialties”, but some practitioners would
disagree
There are many different processes to manage them

Question 4

Definition of Issues Management

Answer 4

Issues management focuses on “anticipating, planning
and proactively managing issues to minimize negative
commercial (organizational) impacts and create
competitive (or other) opportunities.

By doing issues management, you don’t actually
manage the issue, but rather you manage your
organization’s responses to the issue in an effort to have
the issue resolved to the satisfaction of your
organization

Example: Has the Alberta government done enough to prevent
future river flooding in southern Alberta?

Question 5

Definition of Risk Communication

Answer 5

Risk communication[s], narrowly defined, can be
understood as a purposeful, iterative exchange of
information among individuals, groups, and
institutions related to the assessment,
characterization, and management of risk

[Risk communications] allows consumers to make choices about
their health and safety and the protection of the environment

Question 6

FIX

Definition of Crisis Communication

Answer 6

You can’t transform the personality of your institution or its
corporate culture just because a major news story is about
to break. But you can be pragmatic in developing a
strategy for disclosing what has happened and for
providing background information and visuals, updating
the media, and protecting the privacy of the participants
from the reporters and television crews who will be at your
door within minutes.

Question 7

IRCCRI

A communication Preparation TImeline (6 steps)

Answer 7

1. Issue Identified (IMP created)
2. Risk COmmunication (to avoid a crisis)
3. Crisis Communication (A crisis event)
4. CMP or IMP
5. Risk Comm. Tactics
6. Issue Resolved

Question 8

What is an Issue?

Answer 8

1. A contestable difference of opinion
2. a gap between the action of an organization and the expectations of its shareholders
3. An issue as an event, trend or condition which creates, or has the potential to create, a significant impact affecting the organization

Question 9

What is a RISK?

Answer 9

A risk is a measure of the adverse affect of an issue.

Question 10

Characteristics of risk communications:

Answer 10

1. lengthy preparation time
2. using understanding to drive behaviour
3. focusing on consequence
4. Lower audience involvement or belief

Question 11

Risk is a possibility that…

Answer 11

1. a significant negative development will occur
2. organizational legitimacy will be tested
3. will be mitigated through public cooperation
4. interpreted on an individual level

Question 12

What is Risk Analysis and what are some examples

Answer 12

A risk analysis assesses both external and internal dangers. The intention is to understand, monitor, minimize, and control potential dangers to resources and the campaign in order to maximize the opportunities

• negative media coverage
• lawsuits
• loss of sponsors
• decrease in sales
• loss of goodwill
• store closures/layoffs
• reduced research and development opportunities
• slashed budgets
• Salary and wage cuts
• downsizing
• high staff turnover
• Bankruptcy

Question 13

What is a crisis?

Answer 13

a situation where an organization’s normal control
measures have passed beyond a responsible point of
stability because of a catalyst that puts it past the tipping
point for effective management, altering the way an
organization does business

An event that…
1. is unexpected (but NOT unanticipated)
2. decreases sense of control
3. increases public scrutiny/judgement
4. Incites stakeholder uncertainty/panic
5. Has high potential to adversely affect reputation

Question 14

Characteristics of Crisis Communications

Answer 14

1. decreased reaction time
2. focus on communicating the situation and control elements
3. satisfying expectations of accountability

Question 15

MWORTTNC

8 Different types of crisis

Answer 15

1. Natural (disaster)
2. Technological (a computer glitch)
3. Confrontation (activism, boycotts, protests, riots, or sit-ins)
4. Malevolence (a violent act, kidnapping, terrorist act)
5. Organizational Misdeed (skewed management values, deception, management misconduct)
6. Workplace violence
7. Rumors
8. Terrorist attacks or disasters caused by human error

Question 16

RAT PITI

What is Values-Driven PR?

Answer 16

Reputation
Accountability
Transparency
Performance through Actions
Influence
Trust
Integration

Question 17

Compare Values Driven PR to other theories

Answer 17

In document

Question 18

Ch. 1
What is the most effective way to develop a comprehensive crisis management plan (CCMP)?

Answer 18

base your choices on practices and policies that have proven to be effective not just speculation as to what MIGHT work

Question 19

Ch. 1
When creating a comprehensive crisis mangement plan (CCMP) what types of groups/knowledge is needed?

Answer 19

small group decision making, media relations, environmental scanning, risk assessment, crisis communication, crisis plan development, evaluation methods, disaster sociology and reputation management

Question 20

Ch.1
Definition of crisis

Answer 20

some breakdown in a system that creates shared stress

Question 21

Ch.1
Disasters defined

Answer 21

large in scale

require response from multiple governmental units

Question 22

Ch. 1
Public Health Crisis Defined

Answer 22

threat to public health that exist across multiple geographical areas and have the potential to overwhelm the routine community capacity to manage it

Question 23

Ch.1
Organizational Crisis Defined

Answer 23

perceived violation of salient stakeholder expectations that can create negative outcomes for stakeholders and/or the organization.

Question 24

Ch. 1
Key points about crisis management

Answer 24

Crisis are considered dangerous to organizational reputations

it is designed to ward off or reduce threats by providing guidance for properly handling crises

A crisis is unpredictable but not unexpected

was originally developed in part to limit disruptions to operation because an organization loses money when not operating at full capacity

Question 25

Ch. 1
Key points about Paracrises

Answer 25

paracrisis are situations when crisis managers must manage a crisis risk in full of its stakeholders

Reflect the reputational, social evaluation focus of many crises

Para means resembling or protection from something

does not require the activation of the crisis team and does not disrupt the organization. Still a paracrisis warrants attention because neglect or mismanagement could escalate into an operational crisis.

digital communication channels and platforms increase the visibility and number of paracrisis because the internet can highlight the stakeholder concerns that drive paracrises

Question 26

Ch. 1

Reputation is also known as social evaluations. What are the three evaluative dimensions of social evaluations?

Answer 26

1. Rationale: uses an analytical approach to assess an organization’s worth and capabilities
2. Emotional: emotional reactions that have long-lasting consequences
3. Moral: The degree to which an organization meets or violates commonly held stakeholder or societal values

Question 27

Ch. 1
Definition of Digital Naturals

Answer 27

Someone who is comfortable and motivated to use social media.