Unit 2 exam Flashcards
Which of the following is at the heart of the ethical practice of public relations?
doing the right thing
Mill’s approach to ethics recommended
doing that which brings the greatest happiness for the greatest number
Which of the following is NOT a basic value that the PRSA code of ethics addresses?
authenticity
Ethical scandals continue to occur in fields from government to business to education to public relations: true or false
true
By posing the critical question “Are we doing the right thing” to management, public relations practioners become the “conscience” of an organization: true or false
true
Which principle established in the U.S. Constitution often leads to conflicts between lawyers and public relations practitioners?
freedom of speech
Which of the following is not true about the First Amendment?
Public relations practitioners should disregard it as they go about their business.
The overriding concern the SEC has is that
All investors have an opportunity to learn about material information as promptly as possible
Normally, lawyers suggest that the less said by an organization prior to its day in court, the better: true or false
true
Cybersquatting and “click fraud” are just 2 examples of legal issues surrounding the World Wide Web: true or false
true
Similar to other top-level managers, public relations managers need to
all of the above
plan, budget, set objectives
Which of the following is not a “coveted ability” in the practice of public relations?
to be glib
Professors James Grunig and Todd Hunt said public relations practitioners perform what organizational theorists call a(n) ______ role
boundary
Quick response to crises is important, but the ability to think strategically and to plan are just as important in the practice of public relations: true or false
true
When a public relations department reports to the director of marketing or advertising, the department’s focus is still on the entire organization and not just on promoting or selling a particular product or service: true or false
false
From plotting a political campaign to promoting a product to confronting a crisis, the first step in solving any public relations challenge is _______.
to conduct research
The word research commonly conjures up methods, including all except
intuitive information
Which of the following is not a characteristic of secondary research?
It is very expensive
Research is the systematic collection and interpretation of information that increases understanding: true or false
true
Descriptive surveys are concerned with cause and effect: true or false
false
Responsibilities of the CEO
protector of the brand
image, strategy, etc
PR Management Roles
need direct line of communication with management
SYSTEMS MANAGERS: knowledgeable about and able to deal with the complex relationships inherent in the role
Boundary Role
function at the edge of an organization as a liaison between the organization and its external and internal publics
Business Objectives
- segment market targets
- analyze audience preferences and dislikes
- determine which messages might not be most effective
Public Relations Objectives
-has to be in line with the -business objectives
should be clearly defined and specific, practical and attainable, and measurable
Elements of a PR Plan
- defining the problem or opportunity
- programming
- action
- evaluation
PRSSA Ethics Code
- advocacy
- honesty
- expertise
- independence
- loyalty
- fairness
Ethics and What Shapes It
- standards of conduct that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues
- values that guide a person
- cultural, religious, educational
Applied Ethics
- professional ethics
- a commonly accepted sense of professional conduct that is translated into formal codes of ethics
- honesty and fairness lie at the heart of PR
- Are we doing the right thing???
Corporate Social Responsibility
- how companies manage the business it processes to produce an overall positive impact on society
- any social institution is responsible for the behavior of its members and may be held accountable for their misdeeds
Legal Advice
- the less an organization says prior to its day in court, the better
- lawyers advise clients on what they must do within legal requirements, to defend themselves in the court of law
PR Advice
go public early on, especially if the organization’s integrity or credibility is being called into public question
-public relations advisors counsel clients on what they should do to defend themselves in the court of public opinion
PR and the First Amendment
- free speech
- interpretation varies
- where does one’s freedom start and another’s end?
Defamation
- umbrella term for libel (printed falsehood) and slander (oral falsehood)
- to be proved, plaintiff must convince court that certain requirements have been met
The New York Times vs Sullivan
Supreme court nullified a libel award of 500,000 to an Alabama police official, holding that no damages could be awarded “in actions brought by public officials against critics of their official conduct” unless there was proof of actual malice. Hard to prove in some cases
Libel
printed falsehood
Slander
oral falsehood
Trademark
basic protection for a word, symbol, slogan that identifies a product or its sponsor
Copyright
- grants the creator/owner of the copyright exclusive rights it its use and distribution, for a limited time, with the intention of enabling the creator to receive compensation for their intellectual effort
- exclusive right to reproduce and authorize others to reproduce the work, prepare derivative works, perform and display the work publicly
Research
the systematic collection and interpretation of information to increase understanding
Primary Research
original
is either applied or theoretical
Applied Research
- solves practical problems
- designed to answer specific and practical questions
Applied Research (Strategic)
used in program development to determine program objectives and develop the message
Applied Research (Evaluative)
- summative research
- conducted to determine whether a PR program has accomplished its edits goals and objectives
Theoretical Research
- more abstract
- helps build theories in PR work about why people communicate, how public opinion is formed, and how a public is created
- framework for persuasion and a base for understanding why people do what they do
Secondary Research
- desk research
- allows you to examine/read about and learn from someone else’s primary research
- data that has already been collected
Reliability
the extent to which results would be consistent, or replicable, if the research were conducted several times
Validity
the extent to which a research project actually measures what it is intended, or purports to measure
Sampling Error
differences or distinctions detected by the survey may not be sizable enough to offset margin of error
Objective of PR writing
- your primary skill as a public relations professional is writing
- discussing public relations writing in general and the staple of that writing (news releases), reviewing writing for reading, and briefly discussing writing for listening
Inverted Pyramid
paragraphs are written in descending order of importance
Lead
- first 1-2 paragraphs of a story
- includes the most important facts
News Release
- document of record to state organization’s official opinion
- influence publication to write favorably about material discussed
