MCH8060 : Strategies and Management in PR
- Offered for Year: 2020/21
- Module Leader(s): Miss Ramona Slusarczyk
- Other Staff: Ms Laurel Hetherington, Mr Jonathan Ward
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
Aims
• To develop in students specialist knowledge, analytical skills and critical understanding of the values and culture of public relations and its variations in commercial, public, private and voluntary sectors
• To enable students to develop and deploy established techniques of writing and campaign planning in public relations
• To develop a critical awareness of the role of crisis management in a PR context
• To develop advanced communications skills in the production of creative ideas and proposals necessary in crisis management
This module will build on the key concepts and skills acquired in semester one in MCH8065 and will enable students to develop and experiment with a wide range of professional skills with the focus on strategic planning and crisis management Through a series of online teaching sessions, supervised exercises, and small group discussions, you will be introduced to the theories of campaign planning and crisis management . At the end of the semester, you will produce a debate report evaluating a crisis response from a private, public or voluntary sector organisation and you will plan and produce a PR campaign aimed at restoring and promoting their reputation.
Outline Of Syllabus
• Review of the purpose and nature of public relations
• How to write effective press releases
• How to manage relationships with print and broadcast journalists, bloggers and online influencers
• Owned & Shared Digital media
• How to plan and deliver events and PR campaigns
• The stages of a crisis
• How to use PR effectively in a crisis situation
• How to construct a crisis management plan
• How to protect a company’s brand and identity
• Reputation and trust in PR context
Teaching Methods
Please note that module leaders are reviewing the module teaching and assessment methods for Semester 2 modules, in light of the Covid-19 restrictions. There may also be a few further changes to Semester 1 modules. Final information will be available by the end of August 2020 in for Semester 1 modules and the end of October 2020 for Semester 2 modules.
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 40:00 | 40:00 | Independent preparation for the assessment task |
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 9 | 4:00 | 36:00 | Interactive non-synch lecture materials delivered online. Each hr of lecture = 2 hrs student time |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 9 | 2:00 | 18:00 | Independent reading |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 9 | 1:00 | 9:00 | PiP sessions |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 88:00 | 88:00 | Guided engagement with readings, videos & podcasts related to module learning & assessment |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 9 | 1:00 | 9:00 | Group online synchronous learning consolidation |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The online interactive materials will introduce and develop through discussion, investigation and analysis of case studies the concepts, theories, issues and skills involved in public relations and crisis management in the private, public and voluntary sectors. The small group teaching sessions and consolidation sessions will allow the students to practice the skills necessary to apply these theories in real life situations. The module aims to help students enhance their employability, develop their career or continue into advanced professional study.
The assessment strategy will be presented to the students as an opportunity for them to demonstrate their knowledge of and skills in PR through a project-based assignment task – assessing a crisis management strategy and devising a creative PR campaign.. This will enhance their analysis and communication skills.
Assessment Methods
Please note that module leaders are reviewing the module teaching and assessment methods for Semester 2 modules, in light of the Covid-19 restrictions. There may also be a few further changes to Semester 1 modules. Final information will be available by the end of August 2020 in for Semester 1 modules and the end of October 2020 for Semester 2 modules.
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 2 | A | 100 | Briefing paper assessing current crisis response strategies and a subsequent PR campaign plan incl press release. 3,500 words total |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The assessment method relates closely to key elements in the module’s outline of work and intended learning outcomes (above). The assessment is designed to allow students to demonstrate their specialist knowledge, analytical skills and critical understanding of the values and culture of public relations and its variations in commercial, public, private and voluntary sectors and to develop and deploy established techniques of writing and campaign planning in public relations.
The assessment wordcount will be 3,500 words in total:
Crisis report 2,000 words
PR plan 1,500 words
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MCH8060's Timetable