I’ve blogged my butt off.

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4460

Blog Fifteen

I cannot believe I have written 15 blogs for this class. It didn’t really sound too terrible when it was “just” one blog per week. But holy cow, weeks go by fast. Before I knew it, it was Friday again.

This class has been quite an experience. It was nonstop PR. It was hard and challenging but it taught me that I know what to do with this profession. Sort of. I may not be the absolute best at it yet but I feel like PR is something you continue to learn as you go. Ethical decisions will arise and I will have to make some choices. Hopefully good ones.

Thanks to this class my portfolio is bursting with examples of my work. You name it, I’ve got it. (please limit the naming to PR items only.)

If it weren’t for this class, or 4470 or 4210, I would have never started blogging. And while I do think I may take a break from it for a bit because my brain is fried, I think I will try to keep up with it.

I realized more and more every day how tough PR can be. Clients are dumb and say dumber things. I think they enjoy making our jobs hard. But the challenge is fun. I hate but when I hit a wall and don’t know what to do because it sucks but it makes me think more creatively about HOW I will handle the situation at hand.

When we were working on our project for the City of Denton and I said to put flyers in everyone’s shopping bag, I thought it was a shady way of making sure everyone got a copy, whether they wanted it or not. Then we I got the graded copy back and saw that it was a great idea I was shocked. It made me realize that not every idea I have is a bad one, ha.

While the world of PR still terrifies me, I really do feel prepared for it. I may have to cross my legs super tight because I have to pee so bad from being extra nervous while my boss looks over my communications plan that I just put together. But at least I know how to write one. I know how to develop brochures, newsletters, flyers, campaigns, surveys, and more. I know how to do it. And it’s all thanks to my PR Communications class. And the other courses I’ve been taking for the last two years.

So here I go…off into the real world. Fingers crossed.

US Dept. of Labor regulates kids working on farms

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4460

Blog Fourteen

When I was growing up, there was nothing in this world that made my heart race like a country boy working on the farm. I could just stare for hours watching them load up trailers with hay bales, The sun shining on their back. Sweat beads slowly rolling down their chest hitting every chiseled ab on its way down. Don’t even get me started about what went through my head when I watched them drive a tractor. Oh dear Lord.

My parents only had one son and even though my two sisters and I were raised to work on the farm, the three of us together were barely as strong as my brother. So to make up for the loss of not having another son, my parents paid my brothers friends to work on the farm.

It was a way of life where I grew up. Most of the parents in my town didn’t believe in giving kids an allowance. If they wanted money to buy things, they had to work for it. Some kids even worked on the farm because they needed to help support their family. And because it is pretty much impossible to get any sort of job before you’re 16, maybe even 15 depending where you live, kids in my town worked on a farm.

Well, apparently the Department of Labor is trying to take away the fond memories of the farm boys that I had as a young girl. That’s right; they are trying to regulate “kids” working on a farm.

“United States Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis rolled out the proposal which calls for preventing anyone under 18 from handling raw materials on a farm, including most types of livestock, [and anyone under 16 would be barred from operating a motorized vehicle that sits more than] six feet above the ground (Hunter 2012).”

Who the heck do you think you are Hildy? Working on a farm teaches kids how to run a business, work hard and have discipline. It is almost like joining the army. I think every kid should have to work on a farm at some point in their life.

So my question to the above proposal was can they really do this? Can they really regulate kids working on farms? My grandparents had 10 kids so they would have free labor on the farm. “According to the Department of Labor, the laws, which have not been updated since 1970, would not affect children and teens working on their [families] farm, only those who are employed elsewhere.”

OK, that makes me feel a little bit better knowing the government isn’t trying to stop child farm labor completely. But I still think it is just a way of life for country people. Kids work on a farm whether they live there or not.

While farms are huge businesses, they aren’t anything like huge corporations. There aren’t hundreds of people in different departments running the business. On the farm mom and dad are the boss. They are also the finance and accounting department. They are the marketing, advertising and PR department.  Those two people coordinate how to run the entire family business.

Traits like that should be passes down through kids working on a farm. “The only reason I have the work ethics that I have is from the farm. Maybe our country could actually get out of debt if people learned how to work. Obama and labor department need to put kids back on farm,” says Jeremy Prudlick.

Source:

http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/581065/local-farmers-oppose-proposed-changes-to-child-labor-laws/

Consider Me Ethical

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4470

Blog Five

Oh dear lord. Where do I begin?

I really liked the case studies. If people complained about them, they are dumb. I looked forward to the presentation days every time. The best way to learn ethics, other than experiencing them yourself, is to study ethical cases.

What I enjoyed most about the case study presentations was that I had never even heard about 75 percent of the topics. I had no idea Cracker Barrel wouldn’t employ gays and lesbians. I didn’t know Blockbusters “End of Late Fees” wasn’t really the end of late fees. If you would have asked me who Aaron Feuerstein or Malden Mills were, I would have asked “Who?”

4470 was like a two for one class. I learned so much about ethics and what you should and shouldn’t do but in addition to that I learned about a lot of history that has happened over the years. It made me really sad when I felt like a group didn’t go very in depth because I always wanted to know more. I like hearing every little detail.

I liked the lectures. It was like story time and story time is my most favorite thing in the world. I could seriously just sit and listen to an interesting lecture all day long. I liked learning about the privacy laws and the code of ethics. I feel like a lot of the laws and ethics we learned about should be common sense, should being the key word. It blows my mind that not everyone follows these set guidelines.

I learned that some of the students are amazing writers…and some that I have no clue how they got this far in college. 

I became good friends with my group member and I am extremely grateful for that. Those boys made our group projects so much easier because we all got along and everyone pulled their own weight. But overall they were seriously the best group I have ever had.

I really liked Sheri Broyles presentation on subliminal advertising. Advertising is interesting to me but I think I would die if I would have studied it. It was nice to get a little taste lecture about it without having to actually pay for the class or do any assignments, ha.

I know the trolls spamming the class hashtag was annoying but I learned so much from the experience. I followed the Twitter feed as everything was happening and it was crazy to me. I had to wrap my head around the fact that in the PR world this could be a real thing and I would have to know how to react.

I am going to miss the class. I don’t feel like I could ever learn enough about ethics and the law. So many of the cases have different dependencies for making decisions and I while I personally think they should have all been easy decisions to make, I learned how to really apply communitarianism and utilitarianism. I realized how many of the decisions were probably not easy to make, especially in the moment, but you have to weigh your options and make sacrifices.

Advertising and PR are not easy and now I feel like they are constantly being challenged by anyone and everyone. While I am still very terrified of being an adult practicing PR in the real world I at least feel prepared enough to not crash and burn. And if it doesn’t work out then I can always come back for grad school.  

Another Cruise Ship Blamed for Deaths

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4460

Blog Thirteen

Princess Cruise Line is currently being investigated for the deaths of two 16-year-old boys who were stranded out at sea on a small fishing boat. Passenger Judy Meredith alerted a crew member of the stranded ship she had seen through her high-power binoculars. Meredith hoped the captain would send someone out to check on the boat but nothing ever happened.

"I saw a young man in the front of the boat waving his shirt up and down. Big motions, up over his head and down to the floor, waving it vigorously. Frantically I would say. That signal told me that they were in trouble. They were trying everything they could to get our attention,” Meredith told Good Morning America. “Nothing happened. The ship didn't slow down. It didn't seem to change course. And so I went back in and asked what the captain was going to do. And he said he didn't know (Rosenbaum 2012)."

In that fishing boat were three young boys. Adrian "Santi" Vasquez, Oropeces Betancourt and Fernando Osario set out on a fishing trip Friday, February 24. After a day out on the water the boys realized the motor would not start up to take them back to shore. They were stranded, drifting further and further away from land. “The three Panamanian fishermen drifted at sea for more than two weeks, hungry, hot, and dehydrated, before they spotted the Star Princess cruise ship and started desperately signaling for a rescue (Rosenbaum 2012).”  Betancourt and Osario died of dehydration just one day after the encounter with the cruise ship. 

The boat floated hundreds of miles for another two weeks before Vasquez, the only survivor, was rescued March 24 by an Ecuadoran fishing boat. "For a minute it looked like they were going to turn to come for us, but then they just went on their way,” he said about seeing the Princess Cruise.

The story is a tragedy. Many feel the boys would have survived if the captain of the cruise ship would have sent help. While that may be true, either way I feel the captain would have still encountered some sort of backlash.

If the captain would have checked on the fishing boat, he could be criticized for endangering the lives of the crew members he would have sent out there. The captain is responsible for the lives of every person on the ship and by allowing other people to come aboard, who they know nothing about, could be a threat to all. I say all of this with the fact that the captain had no idea who may have been on that boat. But now because he did not check on the boat he is under investigation for neglecting those who were in desperate need of help.

Regulation 33 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) Chapter V states:

"The master of a ship at sea which is in a position to be able to provide assistance on receiving a signal from any source that persons are in distress at sea, is bound to proceed with all speed to their assistance, if possible informing them or the search and rescue service that the ship is doing so. If the ship receiving the distress alert is unable or, in the special circumstances of the case, considers it unreasonable or unnecessary to proceed to their assistance, the master must enter in the log-book the reason for failing to proceed to the assistance of the persons in distress, taking into account the recommendation of the Organization, to inform the appropriate search and rescue service accordingly."

“Santa Clarita, Calif.-based Princess Cruises, which is British-American owned, said in an email that it has launched an internal investigation into the matter, writing, "We're aware of the allegations that Star Princess supposedly passed by a boat in distress that was carrying three Panamanian fishermen on March 10, 2012. At this time we cannot verify the facts as reported, and we are currently conducting an internal investigation on the matter (Rosenbaum 2012).’” 

Source:

Rosenbaum, Matthew. "Princess Cruises to Investigate Why Captain Ignored Distress Call."Yahoo! Good Morning America, 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. <http://gma.yahoo.com/princess-cruises-investigate-why-captain-ignored-distress-call-233100964--abc-news-topstories.html>.

Tweet Your Frustration

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4460

Blog Twelve

During this semester I realized how important social media is in public relations, specifically Twitter. It is a fantastic tool for sharing news articles and blog links. I’ve recently experienced the huge role Twitter plays in customer service.

The other day my Internet was sucking. BAD. So I Tweeted my frustration to the company. Within the hour my Internet provider had Tweeted me back apologizing for the inconvenience I was experiencing and asked me to direct message them so we could work out the issue.  It didn’t take long to locate the problem the problem I was having and they sent out a representative with a new modem the same day. It was awesome. In return I Tweeted my appreciation to the company and deleted my rude complaint Tweet.

Handling my issue through the customer service offered via Twitter was so much better than sitting on the phone forever talking to someone with a heavy accent who would have probably transferred me around to someone who could help me with my issue. I liked that I didn’t have to wait on hold for long periods of time. I could be productive with all the other items on my to-do list while I waited for a response Tweet.

Twitter makes everything better. Many companies are focusing their customer service on social media because everyone can see it. Before Twitter if I was having an issue with a company I could just vent to my friends about it and sit on the phone, waiting my turn in line for the next available representative. So 2005. Public Tweets are responded to more immediately because the company doesn’t want your negative statement to be left there, growing in fury, for all to see. If they can correct the issue immediately for all to see then it is a point for them. Who doesn’t love and appreciate faster service? 

If you haven’t tried it yet, I honestly recommend Tweeting your frustrations the next time you encounter an issue. Do it as an experiment. See how long it takes for that company to respond to your Tweet, if they do at all. If the company representative is able to resolve your issues, make sure you do your part by publicly Tweeting an appreciation post. It can play in your favor. One time I ordered some tacos to-go and the restaurant forgot to put one in the bag. I Tweeted them and guess what? They apologized, DMed me and sent me a voucher worth TWO free tacos! It was awesome.

Social media can really help businesses improve their customer service which in turn can possibly prevent even bigger future problems which makes the PR professionals role much easier in the end…at least for that one day. 

Tough to announce…

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4460

Blog Eleven

J.C. Penney announced Thursday morning the company would lay off 600 employees at the headquarter location in Plano. While the decision was made with a heavy heart, J.C. Penney is keeping the mentality of the company as positive as they can. 

“Penney said in a press release this morning it's "reorganizing the workforce at its headquarters in Plano, where it will be taking a range of actions to realign its management structure."

J.C. Penney employs more than 150,000 people with 5,900 employees located at headquarters. The 600 employees who were laid off represent 10 percent of the corporate staff.

In addition to corporate cuts, Penney said they would also be closing a customer call center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in July. “A Penney spokeswoman said the call center closing is due to a 30 percent decline in call volume because customers aren't as confused about pricing and the new return policy is simpler.” This is bitter sweet for J.C. Penney because their rebranding of the store was done in hope of pleasing the customer, not in hopes of simplifying it enough to not need as many employees. The closing of this call center will reduce the locations from three to two, laying off about 300 employees.

How do you tell all these people they no longer have a job? “Penney CEO Ron Johnson said after two months into the company's transformation plans that include new everyday low pricing and marketing, management believes the changes are the right thing to do.”

"We can see - more clearly than we even imagined - that this is a simpler way to do business and a better way to compete," Johnson said.

J.C. Penney made the decision to cut positions but they also have a plan for the company’s future. "‘We are going to operate like a start-up. We are going to extend the reach and span of control of our very best talent. We are going to be nimble, quick to learn, quicker to react and totally committed to realizing our vision to become America's favorite store,’ Johnson said.’”

Eliminating positions is never easy for a company with morals. While it may look like the J.C. Penney is the big, bad wolf, their PR department is working hard to keep their customers happy by giving them what they want: a simple shopping experience.

Source:

http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/04/jc-penney-layoffs-expected-at.html

Just be honest. Is that so hard to do?

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4470

March 26, 2012

Blog Three—Ethics in Public Relations

Just be honest. Is that so hard to do?

Practicing public relations should be so easy; it’s implementing common sense for the greater good. Dumb people make PR hard. If you cheat, lie, steal or do anything negative you make the job of a PR professional a nightmare. Lucky for the dummies out there, we are trained to know what we’re doing. Unfortunately, sometimes the dummies land a spot in PR and make an even bigger mess.

Let’s look at a somewhat recent issue in the news: Costa Concordia crashes and sinks.  Carnival, the parent company, did a horrible job of handling this situation.  They did not want to take responsibility for this crisis. I don’t think they even had a plan for this situation.  The decisions they needed to make should have been made in the favor of the greater good. Instead of pointing fingers, Carnival should have apologized for what happened and vowed to do whatever they could to ensure the safety and well-being of the passengers.

            When you have ethical decisions to make in PR or even in life in general, the Potter Box is a great tool to use. The Potter Box consists of four simple steps: define the situation, identify values, select principles and choose loyalties. The Potter Box forces the practitioner to prioritize the values and publics that are most important to the organization in a given situation.  Let’s try one for Carnival’s situation with Costa Concordia.

Define the situation: ·         The boat has crashed. ·         Passengers evacuated but some are still missing. ·         Captain evacuated before everyone was off the ship. ·         Oil is leaking into the ocean.	Identify Values: ·         Passenger safety. ·         Crew safety. ·         Stop the water pollution ASAP and clean up what’s already spilled.
Set Principles: ·         Apologize. Say that you will do everything you can for those affected by the crash. ·         Offer refunds and free cruise. ·         Our company values our passenger’s safety and cruising experience. ·         Offer counseling for those who are traumatized by the situation. (Crew and Passengers)	Choose Loyalties: ·         Passengers: current and future ·         Stakeholders ·         The ship’s crew. ·         Mother Nature (oil leak)

           

            Carnival not only lost the trust of their passengers when the boat sunk but they also lost respect when they were only offered a discount on a future cruise in addition to a refund. When something like this happens you offer a free cruise in hopes to keep them as a customer.  On a more positive note in relation to the oil leak from the ship, “Costa announced most of the fuel from the ship had been successfully removed. It noted in a statement "minimal amounts" of fuel that pose no significant environmental risk remain in the ship's tanks.” At least they are doing one thing ethical by trying to keep the water clean.

            In an article from The Los Angeles Time, it states, “Five more bodies were recovered Monday from the Costa Concordia, more than two months after the cruise ship struck a reef and became submerged off the Tuscan coast, the Italian Civil Protection agency reported. That brings the official death toll of the Jan. 13 disaster to 30, with two people still missing and presumed dead. Costa Cruises and parent company Carnival Corp. refused to comment about the casualties or the recovery operations.”  Never, ever refuse to comment. It makes people question you and your ethics.

The Potter Box is useful tool when making ethical decisions in PR. If you want to put more thought into decision-making process you can extend from the Potter Box to the Navran Model.

The Navran Model is similar to the Potter Box but gives you more latitude for decision-making. It consists of the following steps: define the problem, identify available alternatives, evaluate the alternatives, make the decision, implement the decision, and evaluate the decision. After you follow those steps you can apply a “PLUS” filter to steps. PLUS stands for the following:

·         P—Policies: is it consistent with organization guidelines?

·         L—Legal: is it within the scope of the law?

·         U—Universal: does it conform to values of my organization?

·         S—Self: does it satisfy my personal definition of what is right and fair?

            The Potter Box and Navran Model may seem intimidating, but they really aren’t that bad. The model above was put together in a matter of minutes. It’s not hard to do. Carnival sure could have used it in their time of need I’m sure. Hey, Carnival, maybe it’s not too late. You can still try to use this and save your company.

Sources:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/25071649?seq=2

http://seekingalpha.com/article/333972-carnival-stock-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet

http://seekingalpha.com/article/411261-carnival-faces-public-relations-nightmare

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/26/news/la-trb-concordia-five-bodies-20120326