Week 14 – Cross-Cultural Communication

Week 14 – Cross-Cultural Communication

Chapter 14 covers Cross-Cultural Communication. It talks about communication with other cultures through advertising, marketing and even PR. Slogans and sometimes even company names can have the translation skewed, which can sometimes offend other cultures. This chapter explains that there are also three values that must be considered when communicating with another culture—psychographics, demographics and geo-demographics. The steps to achieving this goal with potential clients are: commitment, research, local partnership, diversity, testing, evaluation, advocacy and continuing education. The content of this chapter is of the utmost importance to anyone of will be using communication as a living. At some given point down the line, anyone in the communication industry will encounter this and it is important to know what to do in that type of situation, or how to best remedy or even avoid it all together when working on a specific campaign or working with any clients.

Week 13 – Chapter 13 helpful Definitions

Week 13 – Chapter 13 helpful Definitions

Blogging about these definitions will provide me with help, thus I am doing so as a wrap-up of the chapter reading.

Advertising is the use of controlled media.

Marketing is the process of researching, creating, refining, and promoting a product or service and distributing that product or service to targeted consumers.

Public relations is the values-driven management of relationships between an organization and the publics that can affect its success.

Integrated Marketing Communications is “planned, developed, executed, and evaluated with affecting one specific consumer behavior in mind, the process of making purchases now or in the future.

Four Ps of Marketing:

Product

Price

Place

Promotion

Week 12 – Crisis!

Week 12 – Crisis!

Defining a crisis is important. The difference between problems and crises are more than just spelling of a word. According to the text, problems are common place occurrences and are fairly predictable and can usually be addressed within a limited time frame. Crises, on the other hand tend to be less predictable. They require a considerable investment of time and resources to resolve and often bring unwanted public attention. Crises are also usually able to be seen because of the advance signs of trouble. The four stages of crisis dynamics that should be considered when identifying such an even are the warning stage, point of no return, cleanup phase, and when things return to normal. The section of this chapter on the tale of two shuttle disasters is a good example because both Challenger and Columbia exhibited all four stages of a crisis and fit with the cyclical crisis dynamics model.

Week 11 – The New Revolution

Week 11 – The New Revolution

Chapter 11 focuses on the Digital Age which we have entered and where we are going with it and how it affects the public relations practitioner. With the explosion of digital media, the way we send messages has changed. No longer are we stuck with telephones and newspapers or even television, but we are in the age of computers and wireless technology. Email takes the places of typical mail, making long distance written communication lightening-fast. Instead of spending hours on the telephone attached to a wall in our house or office, we can do the same with a phone in our cars, or moreover, we can use online messaging or text messaging. Much of these are examples of convergence of media that is taking place as we speak. A dramatic convergence of media we usually see as distinct (i.e. audio, visual, and text) is now put together to create what is called hypermedia. Much of this will assuredly change before the next century rolls around, but it is fascinating to see the changes which have already taken place and how they have become such an important part of our culture.

Week 10 – Lead Paragraph

Week 10 – Lead Paragraph

DALLAS, Nov. 20, 2006 – In the event of a pandemic flu catastrophe, Southwestern Energy Matrix has released a plan of action to protect its employees and ensure continued energy generation and distribution should an emergency situation arise.

Week 9 – Fact Sheet

Week 9 – Fact Sheet

Pandemic Flu Preparation Fact Sheet

• After six months of planning, Southwestern Energy Matrix’s pandemic planning committee has come up with the list of policies and guidelines listed on this fact sheet.
• Southwestern Energy Matrix has enacted direct deposit of paychecks for all employees to help reduce the amount of travel time outside of pandemic-safe environments.
• A list of essential and non-essential employees has been created by Southwestern Energy Matrix to help ensure that only those employees necessary for the company to function are called upon during an emergency situation.
• Southwestern Energy Matrix has realigned worker sick leave and disability guidelines in case of pandemic.
• Glass-enclosed booths have been erected for customer-contact employees to help protect them from potential contact with pandemic flu carried by customers.
• Southwestern Energy Matrix is working with the company’s health insurance provider for special services should a pandemic situation arise.
• All employee emergency contact listings have been updated for the safety and efficient communication between everyone.

Week 8 – Business Continuity Plans / Isolation versus Quarantine

Week 8 – Business Continuity Plans / Isolation versus Quarantine

Continuity Plans:

Contingency (continuity) planning includes the following phases:

1. Establish Organizational Planning Guidelines
2. Business Impact Analysis (the Risk Assessment)
3. Develop detailed Contingency Plans
4. Validate
5. Communicate the Plan

An example I found online of a corporation with a continuity plan for emergency situations is Deloitte Finance:

http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/article/0,1002,sid%253D119735%2526cid%253D129871,00.html

NASD Rule 3510 requires that a member firm disclose to its clients how its Business Continuity Plan addresses possible business disruption in various scenarios and its response to those scenarios.

Deloitte & Touche Corporate Finance LLC (“DTCF”) has identified the provision advisory investment banking services to its clients as its critical task with respect to its corporate finance engagements. DTCF has a contingency plan in place for various scenarios which may cause a significant disruption of DTCF’s business, and which may affect the firm, the buildings in which the firm resides, or the city or region in which the firm maintains its offices. Types of disasters include but are not limited to:

• Natural causes
  fires
  hurricanes
  earthquakes
  floods
  tornadoes
• Technical causes
  hardware/software failures
  prolonged loss of utility service
• Human causes
  riots
  strikes

Isolation vs. Quarantine:

"Isolation refers to the separation of persons who have a specific infectious illness from those who are healthy and the restriction of their movement to stop the spread of that illness. Quarantine refers to the separation and restriction of movement of persons who, while not yet ill, have been exposed to an infectious agent and therefore may become infectious. Both isolation and quarantine are public health strategies that have proven effective in stopping the spread of infectious diseases."

Week 7 – Chapter 6, Questions 2 and 5

Week 7 – Chapter 6, Questions 2 and 5

Chapter 6, Question 2:

I don’t think that any of them would have liked it. It was unethical. Boo.

----

Chapter 6, Question 5:

Only if the front organization is clearly working for the greater good and is operating ethically.

Week 6 – Starbucks Case Study

Week 6 – Starbucks Case Study

For some reason, the link to the Homeland Security Warning system wouldn’t open, so I’m blogging on the Starbuck’s case study in Chapter 6.

Starbucks Coffee Company ran into some trouble when an employee of the company sold a bottle of water to a paramedic in NYC on September 11, 2001. It was intended by the company that the bottles of water be given away to rescuers. When news of this got back to the company, they immediately issued a statement responding to this incident and apologizing for the miscommunication. The company also took the time to track down the paramedic and have the person reimbursed for the error. The employees in New York continued to reach out into the aftermath and provide assistance by giving away water, coffee, and other products even when they were told they could stay home along with the rest of the Starbucks employees across the nation. The ethics inspired in these employees is commendable and should be recognized by companies all across the world. By looking at the 6 guiding principles Starbucks has which are listed in the text, you can see that they are a company to be modeled after.

Week 5 – Communication Theory and Public Opinion

Week 5 – Communication Theory and Public Opinion

According to the text, “Aristotle said that persuasion takes three forms: logos, or an appeal to reason; pathos, or an appeal to emotions; and ethos, or an appeal based on personality or character.” This simple statement might be the most important of all statements regarding public opinion.

By definition, public opinion is what the public believes and if you are to change public opinion, you need to understand persuasion. By providing solid reasoning (logos), you can change opinion by appealing to a person’s reason and understanding about a topic.

By evoking emotion (pathos), you can change opinion by striking at the heart of someone’s feeling about a subject- I believe the morality of this can be in question sometimes, considering humans are known to have trouble applying reason over the emotions they are feeling at the time. Rallying people behind a cause due to intensity they are feeling temporarily seems like it could lead to a tricky situation if done wrong.

Then there is appealing to the personality or character of a person (ethos). To me, this seems to be a combination of both logos and pathos. If you are appealing to a person’s character, you are appealing to what makes up that character. Emotion certainly drives it, and with even the moderately educated, character involves reasoning and what a person believes in. In my opinion, applying to a person’s ethos has to be the most appropriate way to change public opinion.

Aristotle… fascinating stuff.

Week 4 – Chapter 4: Is the customer always right?

Week 4 – Chapter 4: Is the customer always right?

Brilliant! This QuickBreak discusses bizarre requests on the behalf of customers. After giving a few examples of completely ludicrous requests by one, Ted L. Nancy, this article shares the fact that companies who retain just 5 percent more of their current customers a year can expect to see between 25 and 100 percent more profits. I always wondered why, besides good manners, a manager of a restaurant for example, would go out of their way to appease a horribly rude old man. Fact is, if you make that man happy, he can turn into your next repeat customer who comes in for that most expensive steak every Sunday afternoon at 3pm, like clockwork.

Week 3 – Chapter 3: Red Cross

Week 3 – Chapter 3: Red Cross

The American Red Cross was charged with raising blood donations after the September 11^th attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Donations flowed in with amounts never seen before by the American Red Cross, so much so that there was in fact too much blood for the organization to handle. The Red Cross had the unfortunate task of telling the American people that approximately twenty percent of their donations were wasted and thrown away. Red Cross President at the time, Bernadine Healy however sparked of a furious debate after forming a Liberty Fund which raised $547 million—none of which went to Red Cross chapters across America as normal donations usually do. The positive provider image of the Red Cross was brought into question. Through the implementation and use of a new programs called Donor DIRECT and Donor Intent Recognition programs, faith in the Red Cross was restored. In times of tragedy, even good ideas and seemingly harmless actions can lead to outrage due to sensitivity swelling in people at the time. Being super aware of your surroundings and action is needed in situations like these, as is shown by this case study.

Week 2 – Friendly Interviews

Week 2 – Friendly Interviews

Starting with Chris, He stated that public relations to him is about making things seem better than they are to people outside any given company. He listed “anyone on the corporate level of any company” as having a high-profile PR job. He said that anyone who is on that level must have good communications skills, thus they are in a PR job of high caliber. After sharing the textbook definition with him, he blinked, and said that he believes that is just what it is—a “textbook” definition. “PR is more about smoothing the edges out and schmoozing.”

Next, I interviewed a person from another one of my (non-journalism) classes, Sara. She said that being Public Relations is about communicating ideas to people who normally wouldn’t have any insight on a certain topic. She immediately named the White House Press Secretary as a PR person of high-profile. “The White House is the best example of where Public Relations is needed,” she said. After telling her the textbook definition, she agreed saying “that’s what I meant, only using better words.”

Finally, I interviewed my mother. She said that public relations was about having a figurehead to communicate to the masses about what is going on within a certain organization. She named any President of the United States, as a high-profile PR professional. Upon telling her the textbook definition, she said that the definition equates perfectly to any President of the US. “Think about it, the President must manage the communication between his country and others at any given time in order to ensure success for his country… and his presidency.”

Week 1 - Definition of PR

Week 1 – Definition of PR

Upon entering this class, I knew that Public Relations was much about how the public at large views any specific company, person, or organization, but I did not have a solid textbook-style definition. Luckily, that’s what textbooks are for. Ours defines public relations as “The management of relationships between an organization and the publics that affect its success. The term to describe the emerging profession was first used in 1923 by Edward L. Bernays in Crystallizing Public Opinion.” Upon further research, I found Bernays quoted as saying “Public Relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures and interest of an organization by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.”

To me, public relations is relating to the public in an ethical and positive way that gains a certain entity success with those whom they are working with.

I am looking forward to learning more in this class. Public relations is extremely interesting.