Public Relations Principles and Stakeholder Relations

Introduction

Public relations (PR) is the planned and sustained management of communication and relationships between an organisation and the groups that affect, or are affected by, its decisions. It is more than publicity and more than the distribution of press releases. Effective PR helps an organisation listen to stakeholders, explain its purposes, build legitimacy, manage expectations, respond to concerns and protect or restore reputation.

In contemporary organisations, reputation is created through the interaction of communication and conduct. A company may describe itself as environmentally responsible, but stakeholders judge that claim against its actual products, employment practices, supply chain and responses to criticism. PR therefore has both a communication function and a management function. Practitioners must understand organisational strategy, stakeholder interests, media systems, ethics, risk and evaluation.

This chapter examines PR roles, reputation, corporate identity, relationship management, two-way communication, excellence theory, stakeholder mapping and media relations. It also applies these ideas to internal, community, government, investor and customer audiences.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Explain the purpose, scope and professional roles of public relations.
2. Distinguish corporate identity, corporate image, reputation and brand.
3. Apply two-way communication and excellence theory to PR planning.
4. Identify and prioritise stakeholders using a stakeholder-mapping framework.
5. Develop appropriate relationship strategies for major stakeholder groups.
6. Plan ethical media relations and respond appropriately to reputational issues.
7. Evaluate PR activities using communication, relationship and organisational outcomes.

1. The Nature and Role of Public Relations

1.1 Defining public relations

Public relations is a management discipline concerned with establishing and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships between an organisation and its publics. A public is a group that recognises an issue, shares some concern or has a potential relationship with the organisation. The term stakeholder is broader: it refers to any individual or group that can affect, or be affected by, the organisation.

PR includes research, planning, communication, relationship management and evaluation. Its activities may include employee communication, community engagement, government relations, investor communication, media relations, crisis communication, public affairs and reputation management.

PR differs from advertising in several important ways. Advertising normally involves paid media space or time and gives the organisation substantial control over the message and placement. PR uses a wider range of communication channels, including earned media, owned media, interpersonal communication, events and organisational action. The organisation has less control over how journalists, employees or community members interpret and discuss its messages. PR is therefore strongly dependent on credibility and relationships.

PR also differs from sales promotion. Sales promotion uses short-term incentives such as discounts, coupons, competitions or samples to stimulate immediate action. PR seeks broader outcomes, including trust, legitimacy, understanding, cooperation and long-term support. The disciplines can work together, but they should not be treated as interchangeable.

1.2 Major professional roles

PR practitioners perform several connected roles:

• Communication technician: prepares news releases, speeches, newsletters, websites, social content and briefing materials.
• Communication facilitator: helps an organisation and its publics exchange information, interpret issues and resolve misunderstandings.
• Relationship manager: monitors stakeholder expectations and develops programmes that sustain trust and cooperation.
• Issues and risk adviser: identifies emerging concerns, assesses their implications and advises management before problems escalate.
• Strategic counsellor: contributes communication and stakeholder perspectives to organisational decision-making.
• Reputation manager: coordinates messages and actions that influence perceptions of organisational competence, integrity and responsibility.
• Boundary spanner: connects the organisation with its external environment and brings external knowledge into management discussions.

At diploma level, it is important to recognise that technical communication skills are necessary but insufficient. A practitioner who writes excellent content but does not understand stakeholder interests, organisational behaviour or ethics may produce communication that is polished yet ineffective.

1.3 PR as a management process

A useful PR process consists of four linked stages:

1. Research: identify stakeholders, issues, perceptions, risks and communication needs.
2. Planning: establish objectives, audiences, messages, channels, responsibilities, resources and evaluation methods.
3. Action and communication: implement programmes while ensuring that organisational behaviour supports the messages.
4. Evaluation: assess outputs, audience responses, relationship changes and organisational outcomes.

This process is not strictly linear. Evaluation may reveal the need for additional research, and stakeholder feedback may require a change in organisational policy rather than a new message.

2. Identity, Image, Brand and Reputation

These concepts are related but should not be used as synonyms.

2.1 Corporate identity

Corporate identity includes the organisation’s name, visual design, language, symbols, physical environment, products, employee behaviour, leadership style and stated values. Visual identity systems can create consistency, but identity is not merely a logo. If an organisation claims to value openness but hides material information, its behaviour contradicts its identity.

A strong identity usually contains three elements:

• Distinctiveness: stakeholders can recognise the organisation and understand what makes it different.
• Consistency: the organisation expresses its purpose coherently across channels and locations.
• Credibility: actual behaviour supports the stated identity.

2.2 Image and reputation

Image is often audience-specific and relatively immediate. A company may have a positive image among customers but a poor image among employees or regulators. Reputation develops more slowly through accumulated experience, third-party discussion and perceptions of past performance. Reputation is therefore an intangible organisational asset, but it is also vulnerable: a single incident may not create a poor reputation by itself, yet a crisis can expose earlier inconsistencies or weaken confidence rapidly.

Reputation has cognitive and emotional dimensions. Stakeholders may judge whether an organisation is competent, honest, fair, innovative, responsible or responsive. These judgements influence behaviour such as purchase, employment applications, investment, cooperation and regulatory tolerance.

2.3 Managing reputation responsibly

Reputation management should not mean manipulating perceptions while ignoring performance. Responsible reputation management involves:

• aligning claims with evidence;
• correcting inaccurate information without suppressing legitimate criticism;
• reporting problems honestly;
• giving stakeholders accessible routes for questions and complaints;
• ensuring senior leaders accept accountability; and
• embedding reputation considerations into operational decisions.

A useful practical test is: “Would the organisation be comfortable if this message, together with the underlying evidence, were publicly examined by an independent stakeholder?” If not, the problem may be organisational conduct rather than communication technique.

3. Two-Way Communication and Excellence Theory

3.1 One-way and two-way models

One-way communication moves information from an organisation to an audience. Examples include announcements, posters and some forms of publicity. It can be efficient when the purpose is to provide clear factual information, but it provides limited evidence that the audience has understood or accepted the message.

Two-way communication includes feedback, dialogue and adjustment. It recognises that stakeholders possess knowledge and interests that may improve organisational decisions. Two-way communication can be symmetrical or asymmetrical:

• Two-way asymmetrical communication uses research and feedback mainly to persuade stakeholders to accept the organisation’s position.
• Two-way symmetrical communication seeks mutual understanding and is willing to change both stakeholder perceptions and organisational policies.

Symmetrical communication does not mean that every party receives everything it demands. It means that the organisation treats dialogue as a basis for negotiation, learning and fair adjustment rather than as a performance designed only to secure compliance.

3.2 Excellence theory

Excellence theory, associated especially with James E. Grunig and colleagues, presents PR as most valuable when it operates as a strategic management function rather than merely as publicity. Excellent communication departments participate in organisational decision-making, understand senior management concerns, maintain professional expertise and use two-way communication to manage relationships with strategic publics.

The theory is commonly discussed through four models of PR:

1. Press agentry/publicity: one-way communication designed to attract attention, sometimes with limited concern for complete accuracy.
2. Public information: one-way dissemination of accurate information, often through news releases, reports or public notices.
3. Two-way asymmetrical communication: research-informed persuasion that benefits primarily the organisation.
4. Two-way symmetrical communication: dialogue and negotiation aimed at mutual understanding and balanced relationship outcomes.

The models are analytical categories rather than a claim that every programme fits one model perfectly. Public information may be appropriate during a service interruption when people urgently need verified instructions. Two-way symmetrical communication is more appropriate when the organisation is consulting residents about a proposed development or negotiating with employees about workplace change.

3.3 Practical implications of excellence theory

The theory implies that PR practitioners should:

• have access to decision-makers;
• conduct formative research before communicating;
• advise management about stakeholder consequences;
• represent stakeholder concerns internally;
• establish feedback and dialogue mechanisms;
• coordinate communication across departments; and
• evaluate relationships, not only media coverage.

The theory has limitations. Organisations do not always possess equal power to negotiate with stakeholders, and “mutual benefit” can be difficult to define. Stakeholders may also have conflicting interests. Nevertheless, the theory provides a strong ethical and managerial standard: organisations should listen seriously and be willing to modify conduct where legitimate concerns are demonstrated.

4. Stakeholder Relations and Mapping

4.1 Stakeholder categories

Stakeholders may be internal or external, primary or secondary, supportive or opposed, active or passive. Common groups include:

• employees, managers and trade unions;
• customers and prospective customers;
• suppliers, distributors and business partners;
• local residents and community organisations;
• regulators, elected officials and government departments;
• investors, lenders and analysts;
• journalists and content creators;
• professional associations and non-governmental organisations; and
• activist groups and online communities.

Stakeholder categories should not be treated as homogeneous. Employees may disagree with one another, and a community may include residents who benefit from an organisation and others who experience its negative effects.

4.2 Stakeholder mapping

A practical mapping tool assesses stakeholders according to power and interest. Power refers to the ability to influence organisational decisions or outcomes. Interest refers to the degree to which the stakeholder is affected by, or concerned about, the organisation’s activities.

Mapping is not a once-only exercise. A low-power group can become influential through media attention, legal action, coalition-building or social media mobilisation. A previously uninterested investor may become highly engaged after a financial or governance controversy.

4.3 A systematic mapping procedure

A PR team can use the following steps:

1. List all groups affected by the issue or decision.
2. Identify each group’s interests, expectations, resources and likely concerns.
3. Assess influence, legitimacy and urgency.
4. Examine the quality of the current relationship.
5. Identify desired outcomes and possible conflicts.
6. Select appropriate channels, frequency and participation methods.
7. Assign responsibility and review the map as conditions change.

Power-interest mapping is useful but incomplete. Ethical planning should also consider vulnerable people who may have limited power but significant exposure to organisational harm. A purely power-based approach risks ignoring those who most need protection.

5. Relationship Management with Key Audiences

5.1 Internal communication and employees

Employees are both an internal stakeholder group and a public communication channel. Their experiences influence service quality, word of mouth, recruitment and external credibility. Internal communication should explain organisational direction, provide relevant operational information, recognise contributions and allow employees to raise concerns safely.

Suitable channels include team briefings, intranets, email, internal social platforms, town-hall meetings, manager cascades, surveys and confidential reporting systems. Channel choice should reflect the message. A sensitive organisational change may require face-to-face explanation and opportunities for questions, not only an email.

Internal communication fails when leaders communicate slogans without addressing workload, pay, safety, job security or fairness. Employees compare official messages with lived experience. Managers therefore need briefing, training and authority to answer questions consistently.

5.2 Community relations

Community relations concerns the organisation’s relationship with local residents, community leaders, schools, civil society groups and local institutions. It is especially important when an organisation affects employment, traffic, land use, the environment, public health or local services.

Effective community relations begins before a decision is final. Consultation after an irreversible decision can appear symbolic. A sound programme explains the proposal, identifies likely impacts, makes technical information understandable, records concerns, responds to them and reports how feedback influenced the decision. Organisations should not promise that every objection will be accepted; they should promise a fair process and accurate information.

5.3 Government and public affairs

Government relations includes communication with regulators, public officials and policy stakeholders. It may involve licensing, compliance, public consultations, industry policy and crisis coordination. Ethical public affairs requires transparency about organisational interests, respect for legal processes and accurate evidence.

Practitioners must distinguish legitimate advocacy from improper influence. They should disclose relevant affiliations where required, avoid deceptive grassroots campaigns, comply with lobbying and political-finance rules, and ensure that technical claims can be independently supported. Government communication should not become an attempt to bypass public accountability.

5.4 Investor relations

Investor relations communicates with shareholders, potential investors, analysts, lenders and financial media. Its central requirements are accuracy, timeliness, consistency and equal access to material information. Investor communication includes financial reporting, annual meetings, results briefings, governance explanations, risk disclosures and responses to legitimate questions.

PR professionals working in investor relations must understand the difference between positive framing and misleading omission. Selective disclosure, exaggerated forecasts or undisclosed conflicts can damage both reputation and legal compliance. Communication should be coordinated with finance, legal and senior management, while preserving the organisation’s obligation to provide fair and reliable information.

5.5 Customers

Customer relations connects PR with marketing, service management and complaint handling. Customers expect useful information, responsive service, privacy protection and honest claims. A customer complaint is not merely a communication problem; it may identify a product, delivery or policy failure.

Effective customer communication uses plain language, accessible channels and realistic response times. Organisations should acknowledge mistakes, explain remedies and avoid defensive language. Online responses should protect customer privacy: personal account details should not be requested publicly.

6. Media Relations

6.1 The role of media relations

Media relations involves building professional relationships with journalists and providing accurate, newsworthy and timely information. It is not the practice of demanding favourable coverage. Journalistic independence means that an organisation may offer information, experts, data or access, but cannot guarantee the final story.

A credible media programme requires a current media list, understanding of each outlet’s audience and deadlines, trained spokespeople, accessible background information and a clear approval process. A media release should identify the news angle early, use evidence, provide relevant quotations and include reliable contact details.

6.2 Working with journalists

Good practice includes:

• respond promptly, even if the full answer is not yet available;
• distinguish confirmed facts from preliminary information;
• provide documents and data that support claims;
• avoid jargon and unsupported superlatives;
• never fabricate a source, quotation or statistic;
• respect deadlines and agreed background arrangements; and
• correct material errors quickly and transparently.

A spokesperson should understand the organisation’s position, likely questions, areas of uncertainty and lawful limits on disclosure. “No comment” may be necessary in some legal situations, but it should be explained where possible. A better response may be: “We cannot discuss the individual case for privacy reasons, but our general procedure is…”

6.3 Crisis media relations

A crisis is an event or issue that threatens important organisational goals, stakeholder safety, legitimacy or reputation. Crisis communication should prioritise people and facts rather than image alone. Initial communication should state what is known, what is not known, what action is being taken and when the next update will occur.

A basic crisis sequence is:

1. Detect and verify the issue.
2. Activate the response team and assign responsibilities.
3. Protect people and comply with emergency or regulatory requirements.
4. Prepare a holding statement based on confirmed facts.
5. Brief staff and relevant stakeholders so they are not surprised by public information.
6. Provide regular updates through suitable channels.
7. Investigate causes, correct failures and report lessons learned.

The appropriate tone depends on responsibility and harm. If the organisation caused or contributed to the problem, an apology should be sincere and accompanied by corrective action. A denial should be used only when evidence supports it. Aggressive attacks on critics often intensify attention and appear evasive.

7. Planning and Evaluating PR Programmes

A PR plan should connect organisational needs with stakeholder outcomes. A concise planning structure is:

• Situation: What is happening and why does it matter?
• Stakeholders: Who is affected, influential or necessary to the solution?
• Objectives: What specific change is sought?
• Strategy: What broad approach will guide the programme?
• Tactics: What actions and channels will be used?
• Resources: Who will do the work, when and with what budget?
• Evaluation: How will progress and outcomes be assessed?

Objectives should be specific and measurable where appropriate. For example, “improve employee understanding of the new safety procedure” is more useful than “communicate the procedure.” Evaluation could examine briefing attendance, knowledge-test results, reporting behaviour and safety outcomes.

PR measurement should distinguish:

• Outputs: activities delivered, such as releases issued, meetings held or website visits.
• Outtakes: what audiences understood, remembered, felt or intended.
• Outcomes: changes in behaviour, relationships, trust, cooperation, policy or organisational performance.

Media coverage volume is an output or intermediate indicator, not proof of a successful relationship. A large number of negative articles may indicate failure, while a small number of highly relevant, accurate articles may support an important objective. Evaluation should combine quantitative evidence, such as survey results and response times, with qualitative evidence, such as interviews, complaints analysis and stakeholder feedback.

8. Ethics, Governance and Digital Practice

PR professionals have responsibilities to the organisation, stakeholders, society and the integrity of information. Ethical practice includes truthfulness, disclosure of relevant interests, respect for privacy, fairness, accountability and avoidance of discrimination.

Important governance risks include astroturfing, undisclosed sponsored content, fake reviews, manipulated images, selective statistics, impersonation, harassment of critics and misuse of personal data. Practitioners should maintain approval records, source-checking procedures, correction protocols and clear authority for crisis communication.

Digital platforms make communication faster but do not remove professional obligations. Social listening can identify emerging concerns, but monitoring should respect privacy and applicable data-protection law. Artificial intelligence can assist with transcription, issue classification, translation and draft generation. However, AI-generated content may contain fabricated facts, biased language, confidential-data risks or an inappropriate tone. Human review, source verification, disclosure where appropriate and protection of personal information remain essential.

9. Illustrative Case: Riverside Foods and the Community Water Concern

Background

Riverside Foods, a fictional regional food-processing company, planned to expand a plant near a residential area. The expansion promised 120 jobs but was expected to increase vehicle movements and water use. The company initially published a short announcement on its website and placed a technical document in a municipal office.

Problem

Residents argued that consultation had been inadequate. A local environmental group claimed that the plant could reduce water availability during dry periods. Employees were uncertain about the expansion’s effect on shifts and safety. A journalist contacted the company after receiving conflicting information from residents and a local official.

Analysis

A stakeholder map identified the municipality and environmental regulator as high-power stakeholders, residents and employees as high-interest stakeholders, and customers and investors as groups requiring credible updates. The company’s initial approach was largely one-way public information. It had communicated the proposal but had not created meaningful opportunities for dialogue.

The issue was also a reputation risk. The company’s corporate identity emphasised “responsible local production,” but the absence of accessible consultation weakened the credibility of that claim. The central problem was therefore not simply negative publicity; it was a mismatch between stated responsibility and engagement practice.

Approach and solution

Riverside created a cross-functional team involving operations, environmental specialists, HR, legal advisers and PR staff. It:

1. published a plain-language summary of water-use data and acknowledged uncertainties;
2. arranged independent technical review of the water assessment;
3. held public meetings at times accessible to shift workers and residents;
4. established an online and telephone question service;
5. briefed employees before external media interviews;
6. met with regulators and municipal officials through documented channels;
7. revised the project to include water-efficiency equipment and a drought operating plan; and
8. provided monthly progress updates, including unresolved questions.

The chief executive apologised for the inadequate initial consultation but did not promise that every project feature would change. The organisation explained which proposals were adopted, which were rejected and why.

Outcome

The independent review found that the expansion could proceed if specified water controls were implemented. Some residents continued to oppose the project, but meeting attendance, question response and survey evidence indicated improved understanding and greater confidence in the process. Employees reported better understanding of operational changes. Media coverage shifted from claims of secrecy to reporting the review and mitigation measures.

Learning points

The case demonstrates that reputation is shaped by behaviour, not only message design. Stakeholder mapping should consider interest and vulnerability as well as formal power. Two-way symmetrical communication can lead to operational changes, not merely improved publicity. Finally, disagreement does not necessarily mean that PR has failed; a fair, transparent process can improve legitimacy even when consensus is impossible.

Challenges and Limitations

PR practice faces several persistent challenges. Stakeholders may demand incompatible outcomes, making mutual benefit difficult to achieve. Organisations may ask practitioners to defend decisions that are ethically weak or operationally incomplete. Measurement of reputation and trust is complex because many factors influence attitudes. Digital misinformation can spread faster than verification, while algorithmic platforms may reward outrage rather than accuracy.

Stakeholder maps can also oversimplify power. A community with limited formal authority may possess moral legitimacy or the ability to mobilise public attention. Two-way communication can become tokenistic if decisions are already fixed. Finally, transparency must be balanced with privacy, commercial confidentiality, legal restrictions and personal safety. The answer is not secrecy or unrestricted disclosure, but clear explanations of what can be shared, what cannot be shared and why.

Best-Practice Checklist

Before implementing a PR programme, ask:

• Have we identified affected groups, including vulnerable stakeholders?
• Is the organisation’s conduct consistent with its claims?
• Have we researched stakeholder concerns rather than assuming them?
• Does the plan allow genuine feedback and organisational adjustment?
• Are messages accurate, understandable and appropriately evidenced?
• Are spokespeople trained and authorised?
• Have privacy, accessibility, legal and ethical requirements been considered?
• Are we measuring outcomes and relationship quality rather than publicity alone?
• Can we explain what was learned and what changed as a result?

Chapter Summary

Public relations is a strategic management function that builds and maintains relationships between organisations and their publics. Its work includes research, planning, communication, engagement, issues management, media relations and evaluation. Corporate identity concerns how an organisation expresses who it is; image concerns current audience impressions; reputation is the longer-term judgement formed through experience and evidence; and brand refers to the meanings associated with an organisation or offering.

Two-way communication is central to effective relationship management. Excellence theory positions PR as a strategic function that should participate in management decision-making and use dialogue to achieve mutual understanding. Its four models—press agentry, public information, two-way asymmetrical communication and two-way symmetrical communication—help practitioners analyse the purpose and ethics of communication programmes.

Stakeholder mapping supports prioritisation, but power-interest analysis should be supplemented by attention to legitimacy, urgency and vulnerability. Internal, community, government, investor and customer audiences require different information, channels and relationship approaches. Media relations depends on accuracy, responsiveness and respect for journalistic independence. Crisis communication should protect people, provide verified information and connect words with corrective action.

Finally, ethical PR aligns communication with organisational conduct. Effective evaluation examines outputs, audience responses, relationships and organisational outcomes. In a digital and AI-assisted environment, human judgement, source verification, privacy protection and accountability remain essential.

Key Terms

Public relations: Planned management of communication and relationships between an organisation and its publics.

Public: A group that recognises or is affected by an issue involving an organisation.

Stakeholder: An individual or group that can affect, or be affected by, an organisation.

Corporate identity: The organisation’s expressed identity, including values, symbols, behaviour and communication.

Corporate image: The current impression of an organisation held by a particular audience.

Reputation: The accumulated judgement of an organisation based on past conduct and communication.

Brand: A set of meanings and associations linked to an organisation, product or service.

Relationship management: The planned development and maintenance of mutually valuable stakeholder relationships.

Two-way communication: Communication involving information exchange, feedback and possible adjustment.

Two-way asymmetrical communication: Research-informed communication designed mainly to persuade stakeholders to accept the organisation’s position.

Two-way symmetrical communication: Dialogue and negotiation aimed at mutual understanding and balanced relationship outcomes.

Excellence theory: A theory presenting PR as a strategic management function based on professional practice and stakeholder relationships.

Stakeholder mapping: The classification and prioritisation of stakeholders according to characteristics such as power and interest.

Media relations: Professional communication and relationship-building with journalists and media organisations.

Crisis communication: Communication intended to protect people, manage uncertainty and preserve or restore legitimacy during a serious issue.

Output: A PR activity or product delivered, such as a meeting, release or briefing.

Outtake: What an audience understands, remembers, feels or intends after communication.

Outcome: A change in behaviour, relationship, policy or organisational performance.

Astroturfing: The deceptive presentation of organised advocacy as spontaneous public support.

Corporate social responsibility: Organisational responsibility for social, environmental and economic impacts.

Review Questions

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the difference between public relations and advertising?
2. Distinguish corporate identity from corporate reputation.
3. What is meant by two-way symmetrical communication?
4. Name the four main categories in a power-interest stakeholder map.
5. Why is media coverage volume an inadequate measure of PR success by itself?

Long Answer Questions

1. Explain the major professional roles performed by PR practitioners and show how they contribute to organisational decision-making.
2. Discuss excellence theory and compare its four models of public relations.
3. Explain how an organisation can manage relationships with employees, communities, government, investors and customers.
4. Describe the stages of an ethical crisis communication process.
5. Explain the differences among outputs, outtakes and outcomes, giving one evaluation example for each.

Analytical / Application Questions

1. A manufacturing company plans to build a facility beside a residential area. Construct a stakeholder map and recommend different engagement approaches for residents, regulators, employees, investors and journalists.
2. A company claims to value transparency but refuses to answer repeated questions about a product-safety complaint. Analyse the reputation risks and recommend a two-way communication response.
3. A misleading social-media post about a service failure is spreading rapidly. Design an initial media and digital response that protects customers, respects privacy and maintains credibility.

Multiple Choice Questions with Answers

Question 1

Which statement best distinguishes reputation from corporate image?

A. Reputation is limited to visual design, while image concerns employee behaviour.

B. Reputation is an accumulated judgement over time, while image is a current impression held by an audience.

C. Reputation is paid media coverage, while image is unpaid media coverage.

D. Reputation concerns products only, while image concerns organisations only.

Correct Answer: B. Reputation is an accumulated judgement over time, while image is a current impression held by an audience.

Question 2

Which PR model primarily seeks mutual understanding and is willing to adjust organisational conduct?

A. Press agentry/publicity

B. Public information

C. Two-way asymmetrical communication

D. Two-way symmetrical communication

Correct Answer: D. Two-way symmetrical communication

Question 3

In a power-interest stakeholder map, a group with high power and high interest should generally be:

A. Monitored with minimal contact

B. Managed closely

C. Ignored unless it becomes hostile

D. Contacted only through mass advertising

Correct Answer: B. Managed closely

Question 4

Which is an example of an outtake measure?

A. Number of media releases issued

B. Number of attendees at a briefing

C. Employees’ understanding of a new safety procedure

D. Reduction in workplace accidents

Correct Answer: C. Employees’ understanding of a new safety procedure

Question 5

What should a crisis holding statement primarily do?

A. Speculate confidently about causes before facts are verified

B. Attack critics and discourage further questions

C. State confirmed facts, actions being taken and when further updates will occur

D. Promise that no negative consequences are possible

Correct Answer: C. State confirmed facts, actions being taken and when further updates will occur

Question 6

Which practice is most consistent with ethical media relations?

A. Inventing a quotation to make a release more attractive

B. Providing accurate information and correcting material errors promptly

C. Demanding that journalists publish the organisation’s preferred headline

D. Withholding all information until every detail is known

Correct Answer: B. Providing accurate information and correcting material errors promptly

Question 7

Why should stakeholder mapping consider vulnerability as well as power?

A. Vulnerable groups always control organisational decisions

B. Low-power groups may still experience significant harm and deserve ethical attention

C. Vulnerability makes a group legally responsible for the organisation

D. Power and vulnerability are identical concepts

Correct Answer: B. Low-power groups may still experience significant harm and deserve ethical attention

Question 8

Which activity is most directly associated with investor relations?

A. Designing a consumer discount coupon

B. Preparing accurate financial results communication for shareholders

C. Writing a staff rota

D. Organising a product sampling event

Correct Answer: B. Preparing accurate financial results communication for shareholders

Question 9

What is the main risk of astroturfing?

A. It makes communication too transparent

B. It presents deceptive organised advocacy as spontaneous public support

C. It prevents all stakeholder participation

D. It guarantees independent media coverage

Correct Answer: B. It presents deceptive organised advocacy as spontaneous public support

Question 10

A company changes its water-use plan after receiving evidence and concerns from residents. Which principle does this most clearly demonstrate?

A. One-way publicity

B. Two-way symmetrical communication

C. Press agentry

D. Sales promotion

Correct Answer: B. Two-way symmetrical communication