Public Relations Management

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject examines the practices of public relations management. Topics include an introduction to public relations, the evolution of public relations, public relations theory, ethical issues in public relations, public relations strategies and tactics, the various stakeholders/publics that organisations interact with and the issues that they face with their major stakeholder relationships, crisis management, and also an examination of the difference between marketing public relations (MPR) and corporate public relations.

This subject aims to provide students with an introduction to the major theories and models that apply to public relations in an organisational setting. On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Describe and analyse the basic theories and models that underpin public relations;
• Identify an organisation's key stakeholder groups;
• Provide an overview of some of the main tools used by public relations;
• Identify and analyse the ethical issues affecting organisational/stakeholder relationships;
• Integrate conceptual frameworks with selected management practices.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion of this subject, students should have improved the following generic skills:

• Intepretative and analytical skills, through the application of the conceptual and theoretical frameworks presented in the seminars to the class discussion questions and assignment questions
• The ability to critically evaluate an argument and present a point of view
• Team work skills and collaborative learning techniques, through the group work conducted throughout the semester
• Oral and communication skills, through seminar discussions and presentations
• Written skills, developed through the completion of the two assignments
• Research skills, through accessing relevant information from a range of sources for successful completion of the class assignments.