Week10 Readings - Focus on Asian PR Management

This entire reading explains briefly the different perspective and practices of PR in each of the Asian countries mentioned. A distinct difference between PR in Asian and Western countries lie in the government intent. As stated in the reading, "governments in Asia control economic and political activity far more than governments do in Western democracies". For Asian countries with strong government control and supervision, PR practices is limited and constrained.

PR is generally established in Singapore, with the majority using English as its first language and a large number of businesses requiring engaging PR practices. However, the reading stated that in Singapore, "the primary purpose of PR is government propaganda". This comes to show that strict control by the Singapore government has limited Singapore's progress as a leading nation in the practice of PR. It is further complicated by the fact that "any media relationship must first be developed as a matter of public affairs with government." In my opinion, all these constrains have restricted the development and potential of PR in Singapore.

We shall explore PR in China, since China is emerging as an economic powerhouse in the world. The 2008 Beijing Olympics opened up the floodgates for the development of PR in China. We are all aware of how how politically strict and closed up the Chinese government is in the history of China. The reading stated that in view of the Olympics, "Chinese corporations engage vast numbers of experts from the West to train them in effective public relations and media techniques". This definitely helped the growth of PR in China. In my opinion, this could only further China's growth as a nation, both economically and in the field of PR practices.

Overall, I believe that different nations differ in culture and languages. PR practices and management should be in accordance with these factors in developing methods and relationships. PR personnel should also take into strong consideration the government influence and control over the PR and media in individual nations.

Week9 Readings - New Media and PR

The emergence and powerful influence of new media has changed the face of communication. According to the reading, communication has shifted from a "one-to-many to a network paradigm of many-to-many" form. It is impossible to ignore the impact new media has on our society. Hence we shall explore the new avenues of PR practices using new media, as well as the challenges awaiting PR personnel.

An advantage the web brings to PR is the possibility of "information sharing, collaboration, social networking and relationship building among web users". In my opinion, this is an advantage and strength that PR practitioners can tap upon. This form of interactivity allows faster and effective communication forms between the organisations and publics. The speed in which information is spread should not be underestimated. The manner in which messages influence another person, especially in social networking sites such as twitter, is definitely more significant than the traditional form of word-of-mouth communication.

However, according to the reading, "anyone is a producer of information and such information cannot be controlled or managed in a top-down approach". While new media enables participative contribution from public audiences, these voices do not necessarily reflect 'corporate objectives and messages' intended. In my opinion, blogs are definitely less credible in terms of the accuracy and reliability of sources. The general public view blogs as opinionated and informal. It acts as an avenue for people to make generic comments, or express biased views. Hence, "corporate messages in blogs can be viewed with suspicion and seen as propagandistic".

All in all, PR practitioners should keep up technological advances that are constantly changing our form of communications, exploiting its strengths while limiting its weaknesses. PR practitioners should make new media work for them, rather than being constrained or controlled by it.

- Andy

Week8 Readings - An Issues-Crisis Perspective

This chapter is particularly insightful and useful in dealing with real-life situations. Crisis happens inevitably; it is how we manage them that matters the most. Proper handling can lead to minimal losses but conversely, bad management to crisis can further tarnish an organisation's reputation.

According to the reading, "the first stage of crisis, the detection or prodromal stage, is when organisations experience events that could trigger a crisis. These events are identified as issues that, if managed in a proactive manner, can prevent crisis escalation". In my opinion, anticipation is key in this stage. If a company is proactive in identifying and responding even to the slightest hint of a crisis, chances are high that the issue will not worsen further. This would save plenty of time and resources spend in crisis management.

In the event when the media picks up news of a crisis, a "lack of message management by the organisation relinquishes control to the media who will retain control throughout the remainder of the crisis and drive it towards their own agendas." It is therefore important for PR personnel to monitor the media coverage closely as well as providing them with accurate and up-to-date information. It would be disastrous if the media were to have an inaccurate or biased point of view towards the organisation.

An example of a local crisis management I can recall is the case of Prima Deli causing salmonella poisoning to 204 customers. This is an abstract of the steps they undertook.

"From the looks of it, it seems they have (as they rightly should) a crisis management plan in place to deal with such incidences. The visible steps include:
- Stopping further production
- Recalling similar products
- Set up hotlines for public enquiries
- Cooperate with health authorities on investigations and inspections"

In my opinion, the key element was openness to the media and public about their mistakes and taking deliberate steps to place public interest as their top priority. As such, all is forgiven and Prima Deli remains a strong and profitable business.

- Andy