QUESTION 1

Public Relations At Work. Please respond to the following:

Communications professor John Marston proposed a four-step model of the process through which public relations can influence public opinion. These steps include research, action, communication, and evaluation. Explain in detail how Marston's four-step approach can be used to shape public opinion on the story you researched for the first e-Activity.

Businesses choose celebrities to endorse their products for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, some of these celebrities act in ways that generate a lot of negative publicity for themselves and, by extension, for the sponsors who pay them. In the case of the celebrity you researched in the second e-Activity, explain in detail what actions you would take in this situation and why you would take them.

QUESTION 2

Professors Marstons four step model is spot as it pertains to public relations. For a company to understand the publics they are trying to sway they must know them and to know them they research them to understand the wants and desires of each public both internal and external. Then the public relations department can implement the plan or action to try and bring the best opinion possible to the company from those publics. this could be a very big job because sometimes people do stupid things that could shed a bad light on the company and its the duty of the public relations to change that mind set. Then comes the communication part of the model this is what allows the publics to make an informed decision of the information given. This also allows the businesses to receive feed back and allowed to adjust policies or procedures to bring society around to its way of thinking. Lastly evaluation this step allows both the publics to look past all the talk to see that what they are being told is in fact the truth or not and it allows the company or business to see whether their public relations plan is effective or not.

QUESTION 3

The History of Public Relations. Please respond to the following:

Ivy Ledbetter Lee believed public relations should focus on providing honest and accurate information to the public. Using the company or celebrity you researched for the third e-Activity, list and explain in detail at least two factors that contributed to why you think the company or celebrity was successful or unsuccessful in following Lee's formula.

Public relations came of age due to five general factors in our society. Choose one of these factors (listed below) and explain in detail how it contributed to the development of public relations as we know it today.

The growth of large institutions

Heightened public awareness and media sophistication

Increasing incidence of societal change, conflict, and confrontation

Growing power of globalization

Dominance of the Internet and growth of social media

Question 4

Ivy Ledbetter Lee believed public relations should focus on providing honest and accurate information to the public. Using the company or celebrity you researched for the third e-Activity, list and explain in detail at least two factors that contributed to why you think the company or celebrity was successful or unsuccessful in following Lee's formula.