Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Social Responsibility, Consumerism, and the Marketing Concept
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, CONSUMERISM, AND THE MARKETING CONCEPT Robert D. Winsor, Loyola Marymount University ABSTRACT This paper compares the often-criticized selling orientation or selling concept with the commonly-praised societal marketing concept from the perspectives of consumer rationality and persuasibility. It is suggested that both orientations view consumers as relatively irrational and as easily prone to manipulation by marketers. The implications of this similarity are explored from the perspectives of consumerism and social responsibility. INTRODUCTION Critics of marketing have consistently attacked the discipline for discounting consumers intelligence and capacity for rational choice and for deliberatelyâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Since the publication of Keith s article, other writers have modified, refined, and extended the basic thesis advancing this evolutionary process: The most noteworthy and well-known of these descriptions is that of Philip Kotler. Kotler describes five alternative concepts or philosophies through which most businesses have evolved. Although any given business can operate under any of the philosophies, the underlying precept of the evolution thesis is that these philosophies form a hierarchy, with later philosophies being superior to those of earlier eras (Keith, 1960; Kotler, 1994). The implication is that to move from a lower level (earlier) philosophy to that on a higher level (later) is not only insightful, but also good business. The first eras or business philosophies are termed the product and the production concepts. The product concept emphasizes product quality and/or performance, and assumes that at least some consumers are knowledgeable enough to recognize and respect superior attributes in these areas. The production concept focuses upon systems for producing large volumes of products in an effort to drive down costs by exploiting economies of scale. This philosophy is based upon the assumption that most consumers not only recognize, but prefer high value (benefits - price) offerings and are knowledgeable and rational in selecting among alternative products. A later era is known as the sellingShow MoreRelatedMarketing Concept and the possible limitations to this concept.1458 Words à |à 6 PagesMarketing is defined as a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and values with others.(Kotler.P 2002 : 5) The goals of marketing is to attract new customers by promising superior value and keep and grow current customers by delivering satisfaction. There are five core concepts of marketing, which includes needs, wants and demand; products, services and experience; value, satisfaction and quality; exchangesRead MoreThe Citizen Consumer Hybrid Of Ben Jerry s Marketing Strategy1624 Words à |à 7 PagesRunning read: THE CITIZEN-CONSUMER HYBRID IN BEN JERRYââ¬â¢S MS 2 THE CITIZEN-CONSUMER HYBRID IN BEN JERRYââ¬â¢S MS The Citizen-consumer Hybrid in Ben Jerryââ¬â¢s Marketing Strategy Yilin Zhang Media, Culture and Environment Dr. Andy Opel Nov 1, 2017 The Citizen-consumer Hybrid in Ben Jerryââ¬â¢s Marketing Strategy Today, the ice cream industry has been developed mainly in the United States (Arbuckle, 2013). As a frozen product, ice cream is often related to environmental issue. AsRead MoreThe History of Consumerism in America827 Words à |à 3 PagesConsumerism is both a social and an economic system that is based solely on the creation and dissemination of the purchasing of goods at an ever increasing rate. After the founding of the United States, and particularly after the Civil War, America was growing by leaps and bounds. Railroads opened the West, factories increased in urban areas producing steel, building was rampant, and all of these activities took a larger labor force. Because these vast numbers of workers were unable to produce theirRead MoreCase Analysis Product RED1261 Words à |à 5 Pages2009). Though the movement has many positive impacts still it has many critics. Product (Red) strategy for promoting socially and environmentally responsible business practices Product (RED) focuses on three main factors: â⬠¢ Cause marketing â⬠¢ Conscious consumerism â⬠¢ CSR a two way proposition Product (RED)ââ¬â¢s strategy was to promote not just the RED products but making sure that they are compelling and are sold. They made sure that products are good for Global Fund and profitable for businessesRead MoreIs A Sustainable Cool?905 Words à |à 4 PagesAccording to Uusitalo and Oksanen (2004), this consumption concept is known as ethical consumerism. They suggest that ethical consumerism includes concerns about unethical and unfair global trades, like child labor, low paid labor, disrespect of human rights, animal testing, and environmental damage. These concerns had led the origin of sustainable marketing, which means that enterprises build and maintain sustainable relationship with consumers, social environment, and natural environment (Lee, 2008). LeeRead MoreTypical Selling Approach And Societal Marketing1449 Words à |à 6 PagesTYPICAL SELLING APPROACH AND SOCIETAL MARKETING INTRODUCTION: Marketing is usually understood as a bridge between the companies (offering products and services) and ultimate customer or consumers. Through marketing sales of goods and services take place between customer and a company in exchange of money. Companies generally use typical or traditional selling approach for their offerings. Traditionally company gather knowledge of and target the needs and wants of a particular group of people andRead MoreBranding, Advertising, And Marketing Essay1694 Words à |à 7 PagesIt is interesting to see how branding, advertising, and marketing, that are in place to achieve specific commercial goals, completely rely upon the complex elements of human psychology, as well as on how cultural norms and values influence the individual. This has in fact been an integral concern of marketing historically; the mere presenting of a product or service is ineffective unless some reflection of its deeper value or meaning to the potential consumer is reinforced. In the mid-20th centuryRead MoreEthical Consumer and Fair Trade1886 Words à |à 8 Pageshow useful that approach is in analyzing, evaluating or questioning your chosen topic. Ethical Consumer and Fair Trade Introduction: Social responsibility and marketing ethics are natively controversial , continues research in this area represents conflicts and challenges addressed to marketers in respect to socially responsible approach to marketing activities(Laczniak and Murphy, 1993; Smith and Quelch, 1996).The aim of the essay is to explain arising phenomenon of Ethical consumption byRead MoreIKEA Environmental Factors1202 Words à |à 5 PagesIKEA is, over 60 years later, the world largest furniture retailer, providing products in a flat packing concept and at low prices. They have 226 stores in Europe, Asia, and America with revenues of $17.7 Billion as of August 2005. 70% of their marketing communication is based on their famous annual catalog. There are many environmental factors that affect IKEAââ¬â¢s global and domestic marketing decisions. An analysis of those factors, the influence of the global economic interdependency and the effectRead MoreThe Deterioration of Childhood Innocence Due to Media a nd Consumerism 1708 Words à |à 7 Pagesgrown-upsââ¬â¢ responsibility to build a metaphorical wall between a childââ¬â¢s innocence and various types of media and consumerism. Although it is becoming increasingly difficult due to the powerful world of media, which constantly reinvents itself to outwit the latest parental imposition, the preservation of innocence is not impossible. The innocence of children is what turns them into successful adults, and how well adults do at this job may determine our planetââ¬â¢s future survival. The concept of childhood
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Limitations of Interpersonal Communciation Research Essay Example For Students
Limitations of Interpersonal Communciation Research Essay Word Count: 674 When taking a limit of an equation in Calculus, a limit does not always exist. However, in the real word there are always limitations to what people can accomplish no matter how hard they work or try. These limitations are evident in interpersonal commuciation research as well. In the article, Commucication Apprehension Among Secretarial Students, the authors, Melanie Booth-Butterfield and Carol C. Thomas, research and examine the levels of trait communication apprehension among students enrolled in college level office administration programs. In the following paragraphs I will discuss the process and two limitations of the research. In the article, the authors seek to investigate communication apprehension among secretarial students. Communication apprehension is an individuals level of fear or anxiety associated with communicationg with others (Booth-Butterfield Thomas, 1995, pp. 39). The methodological framework utilitized by the authors was to administer questionnaires during regular class time in four different sections. This survey included a measure of trait communication apprehension and anxiety across four different areas of interpersonal, small group, meeting and public speaking. In addition, the questionnaire asked for the age and whether the participants have had experience in a co-op role or as a secretary for a regular business. The participants of the questionaire were 117 random students enrolled at a four-year, technical business-oriented college. Of these students, 58 were female students enrolled full-time in office administration courses. The remaining students were not secretarial students but were enrolled in business administration, management, and communication courses. The results of the survey clearly showed a higher communication apprehension among secretarial students than non-secretarial students rergardless of age or job experience. Furthermore, secretarial students showed anxiety in all four areas of communication especially in public speaking. In conlusion to the research, the authors say that the anxiety experienced by many office adminstration students should be observable and will substatntively influence their performance in classes and on the job (Booth-Butterfield Thomas, 1995, pp. 39). Although this communication apprehension research seems reasonable, limitations include the type of data used and the relationships or generalizations that are drawn between certain variables. To begin with, the methodological framework utilized by the author is in the form of a questionairre. A questionairre is basically a test to see how one thinks of his or herself and is not necessarily accurate. For example, an individual may think he or she is apprehensive to communication but when actually confronted with the scenerio may perform rather well and without any fear or anxiety. Perhaps a better methodological approach in gathering data is to setup an actual communication setting and have the participants perform to the communication task. The data should be based on the performance as well as feedback from the participant to see if the communication apprehension was accurate. Another limitation to the research is the relationships or generalizations that are drawn between certain variables. First, of the secretarial participants that took the questionairre, all were females. Differences in trait communication apprehension between males and females in the non-secretarial group were examined and showed no significant differences (Booth-Butterfield Thomas, 1995, pp. 42). The authors use this data and draw a relationship between the secretarial and non-secretarial gender to say that in general there are no gender differences. However, accurate as it may sound, this is another limitation because secretarial students in general may think differently. Perhaps females with communication apprehension follow office administrative fields because they think that all they need to do is sit all day and type with little talk or interaction while males in the same field do not. Secondly, the authors come to the immediate generalization that these secretarial students with communication apprehension will be less successful once in a working environment others (Booth-Butterfield Thomas, 1995, pp. 43). This parallels the first limitation where I stated that these individuals might perform rather well when the spotlight is on them. .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e , .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e .postImageUrl , .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e , .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e:hover , .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e:visited , .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e:active { border:0!important; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e:active , .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub5f0c58c6762dad03945212e5f2ab89e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: youth violence Essay Although they may be apprehensive to communication does not necessarily mean that they cannot perform under actual situations. In this paper I have discussed the authors research on communication apprehension among secretarial students as well as the limitations of the research. Booth-Butterfield and Thomas give us their interpretations of their findings and feel that secretarial students have greater anxiety when it comes to communication scenerios. They even conclude that this apprehension will make these students less capable of success in future work environments. However, these statements are based on generalizations and interpretations from research with various limitations. In conclusion, there are always limitations of interpersonal communication research because it not like Mathematics where one can just measure communication levels with a ruler. .
Monday, April 6, 2020
Fragile X Disorder and Communication free essay sample
This paper outlines Fragile X disorder with a detailed description of the biological cause of the disorder, as well as an explanation of the subsequent communication disorders This paper looks at the debilitating disease called Fragile X Disorder. It examines the physical characteristics of people who suffer from this disorder as well as mental and behavioral problems. It focuses on the specific issue of speech impairments causing communication problems. From the paper: Fragile X is the most common inherited cause of developmental and learning disabilities, affecting as many as one person in every 1,000 (Saunders, 1999). Fragile X is a sex-linked genetic disorder and is named so because of a fragile site on the tip of the long arm of the X chromosome where it looks as if a piece of the chromosome is broken off (Saunders, 1999). The gene responsible for the disorder is Fragile Mental Retardation 1 (FMR-1) and can be diagnosed through DNA testing (Saunders, 1999). We will write a custom essay sample on Fragile X Disorder and Communication or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The FMR-1 gene becomes faulty due to an expansion of three nucleotides, Cytosine-Guanine-Guanine (CGG), which inhibits the production of the FMR protein; the FMR protein is essential for normal brain development (Symons, et al, 2001).
Monday, March 9, 2020
The Popular Mathematical Symbol
The Popular Mathematical Symbol Hashtag: Happy Pi Day (Pi -Mathematical Constant) Commemorating Pi on 3/14/15 The Popular Mathematical Symbol The Greek letter Ã⬠or Pi a mathematical symbol equivalent to 3.14159, the ratio of a circleââ¬â¢s circumference in relation to its diameter. Pi fascinated the greatest thinkers of our time and achieved an iconic status in the world of nerds, geeks, and math educators. According to Piday.org, Pi is an ââ¬Å"irrational and transcendental numberâ⬠but a unique and fascinating number with over a trillion non-repeated digits beyond its decimal point. It is extremely useful measuring trigonometric and geometric shapes such as the area of a circle and volume of a cylinder. Pi is a widely known mathematical constant due to its ubiquity and almost infinite but non-repetitive or patterned digits. The Ã⬠symbol first appears in William Jonesââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"Synopsis palmarium mathesisâ⬠in 1706 to represent the decimal 3.141592. The reason is that Pi in decimal form is infinite and therefore cannot represent the exact proportion between the diameter and circumference of a circle. The symbol was popularized by Leonhard Euler in 1737 and became a universally accepted symbol for Pi in 1934. Historically, Pi has been a challenged to many mathematicians around the world. For instance, Tsu Chung-Chih, Chinese mathematician computed the first seven digits of Pi in the 5th century. Al-Kashi in Samarkand, on the other hand, improved that further and calculated 2Ã⬠in sexagesimal, which is accurate to seventeen decimal places. The variant series of PI was calculated by Indian mathematician Madhava using Gregory-Leibniz series for Ã⬠(3,3). Wanna know more? Go here: The Misdemeanors of Well-Educated People in Public Office The Contribution of Academic Institutions in Childrens Well-Being Combining Academic Knowledge and Practicality The Limits of Academic Freedom Is High IQ a Guarantee of Academic Success What We Really Know About Pi Most students can easily recognize the Pi symbol because it reminds them of not only the formula for getting the diameter of a circle but the need to multiply together the series of terms such as Ã⬠(4,6,9) = 16. The ability of students to recognize and work with mathematical symbols according to study is a sign of intellectual advancement in mathematics. The reason is that although Pi or Ã⬠is often introduced in the upper elementary grades, many people are not aware of the numerical value and uses of Pi. The knowledge that Pi has over a trillion digits was given to us by computerââ¬â¢s superior computational ability. The fascination about Pi pushed scientist and mathematicians to harness the astonishing computational power of modernà computers. Newer techniques have been developed to further accelerate computations of Pi such as FFT or Fast Fourier Transform and computations using supercomputers from NASAââ¬â¢s Ames Research Center and Hitachi. However, these computations only disclosed significant hardware defect and computational errors rather than resolving the ubiquity of Ãâ¬. The mysterious mathematical constant attracted professional scientist, mathematicians, and the lay public. There are hundreds of websites, internet-based clubs, and thousand of online research papers dealing with Pi. Contents of popular books, television shows, and movies are evidence of fascination with Pi. ââ¬Å"Wolf in the Foldâ⬠, a Star Trek episode shown in 1967 was about foiling an evil computer by asking it to compute Piââ¬â¢s last digit. In 1996, MSNBC Network aired a news segment about Pi while the decimal 3.1459 were used in movies such Matrix Reloaded where the Key Maker warns that a door will be accessible after 314 seconds. The mystery of Pi is still unresolved and the fascination that started thousands of years ago is expected to continue along with developments and latest findings of mathematicians and computer scientist in the field of Pi.
Friday, February 21, 2020
Reflection paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1
Reflection paper - Assignment Example Germanic Europe embraces low humane orientation, is result oriented, focuses on the future and likes planning. This cluster as well advocates for competition and aggressiveness. On the contrary, the southern Asia cluster embraces strong family links, high humane orientation, and deep concern for the feelings of other people. Clearly, these two clusters are extremely different. Leading a group with individuals from these regions may come with quite a number of obstacles. Communicating could be quite difficult since the people from these regions prefer different leadership styles. This means that a style that could be effective in governing the southern Asians could not be effective in managing and directing the Germanic Europeans. People from different cultures view ideas differently since their respective cultures affect their perceptions about life. For instance, it is clear to see that the Germanic Europeans are not risk takers. They follow set procedures and cannot easily deviate. As a way of preparing to prepare to handle these challenges, I would adopt the team-oriented leadership. Through this approach, I can learn the weaknesses and strengths of each member and trying to do away with petty faults in a bid to build a strong team. As a diversity conscious leader, I would leverage my strengths by acting as a coordinator, a competent team builder, a fo re-planner and a win-win conflict resolver in a bid to build strong links. The process of Appreciative inquiry (Ai) was captivating and enlightening to me. The fact that the idea is concerned with generating innovative ideas makes the experience extremely informative. This is among the most reliable techniques of achieving change in the organization. Changes for the better and continuous improvement are among the most prominent ideas in the contemporary business world. The Ai process boosts creativity and equips one with up-to-date information and knowledge. The most challenging part of the
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
To Build or Buy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
To Build or Buy - Assignment Example The food items which are unique and entirely different from the competitorââ¬â¢s coffee shop would be included. There would be no sale of alcoholic beverage as the business as a theme of healthy food .There would be more of vegetable salads and fruit salads on the menu. A brand image would be created so that there would be a great impact on the consumers. A brand image would be created by giving an apt name to the coffee shop. The name would be ââ¬Å" natura coffee shopâ⬠. This would give a touch of nature and healthy image to the business. The name of the shop is different from the Deli and can attract customer due to curiosity. It also aligns with the food sold in the coffee shop. The price of food will be reasonable as people stay away from organic food because they are expensive. The portion would be bit more and that would be a good competitive strategy to win over ââ¬Å"Ohio Deliâ⬠. People are always gets attracted to food that deliver much more than what they pay for. As per (Miles, 2014) ââ¬Å"Quick-service consumers, now more than ever, want to get more for their dollar, and quite often the bigger the portion the betterâ⬠. The theme of the coffee shop would also be organic as we would use any synthetic decoration in the coffee shop except from the appliances. The ambience would be entirely different from ââ¬Å"Ohio Deliâ⬠. The coffee shop would have promotional offers which would like to entertain the customer potential. The staff of the coffee shop would be young and extra polite. They would be trained to be exceptional for customer service. We also would provide food and atmosphere which is hygiene and free of pollution. A quick service will be another strategy which would keep the interest of customer in the coffee shop. Many a times customer hesitate to come back if the service is slow as the customer are employee who come for breakfast and lunch. We would introduce loyalty cards to impress the customer s
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Explosion Of The Digital Era Public Relations
Explosion Of The Digital Era Public Relations Public Engagement is a modern paradigm in the PR context and sets out how professionals should be listening and engaging with their key stakeholders in the 21st Century. Marshall Manson, Director of digital strategy at Edelman UK, describes the terminology as advancing shared interest moving from an influence pyramid to a world of cross-influence (pg 5). According to Edelman there are four attributes of Public Engagement; it aims to be democratic and decentralized, inform the conversation, call for engagement with stakeholders and finally make it clear how reputation is important. Public Engagement has to work in all four areas (Richard Edelman, 2008). Trust building both internally and externally, reputation management and transparency are the hallmarks of successful PR initiatives besides positioning the CEO. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill and G D H Cole (1968) came up with the term Participatory Democracy, which was the forerunner of Public Engagement. Mills supported a representative government with some form of public participation but on a limited scale. Wholesale participation could endanger political decision making and hence democracy. (Pateman1970) Engagement in politics had been regarded as reactive but it is now perceived as proactive. Dialogue and engagement with all parties is important to prevent loss of public trust (Edward Andersson, Simon Burall Emily Fennell, Involve 2010). The Big Society introduced by David Cameron 19 July 2010 sought public dialogue and involvement in decision making. Business and government rely on PR to establish trust and dialogue. Public engagement, like any conversation, is all about listening. Our world can be likened to a conversation and in order to be successful we need to listen ( Richard Edelman 2008). New technology has presented the public with effective tools for engaging in these conversations at a level never experienced before. A white paper published by Arthur W Page Society (2007) is a good example of how Public Relations practitioners and company leaders must change their strategies and business goals to be more authentic in the 21st century. The study looked at how CEOs saw their roles change with the culture of the environment. Environment is changing because of the emergence of all things digital, a global economy and a new breed of stakeholders. However, what it fails to do is to provide a way that can be used to enhance the role of the communication department in the future. According to the paper it believes that communication departments have lost control. In order to move forward they must adapt to new technologies, audiences and engagement models. Transparency is a key part of performing well in the 21st century, it encourages trust on behalf of employees and the public and is in demand more than ever (Michael Smith, Richard Hunter, Ken McGee, Gartner 2010). Public opinion surveys have confirmed the need for transparency in business and managing trust (Grunig, J.E 2009). For organisations to succeed in Public Engagement, they need to be informed, transparent, prospective and adaptive to their key stakeholders (Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, 2008). Prior to current publications on Public Engagement, the term was mainly connected to the science world. A report written by Demos (2009) stated that the UK was now seen as a leader in public engagement within the science world. Public Engagement, it argued would only work when interest groups were included. Matthew C. Nisbet Dietram A. Scheufele (2007) argued that communication must be accessible to all sections of society. Advocacy, a term used by PR company Weber Shandwick, is defined as Public relations caught the first wave, the adoption of new technology to spread information But that first wave, sharing information with more segmented audiences, is cresting. A new one, a fundamental transformation of communication from information to advocacy, is rising (Jack Leslie, Chairman, Weber Shandwick Worldwide). It argues that personnel engagement is needed in order to be able to communicate with their audiences. It is evident that universities are becoming involved with the term Public Engagement. The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) is part of the Beacon for Public Engagement project. Their aim is to encourage a change in how universities engage with the public and their stakeholders. ___________________________________________________________________________ Social Media Traditional PR skills are still helpful in bringing transparency to communications with stakeholders (Schlesinger 2010) but the introduction of Web 2.0 technologies has changed the world of communications for PR (Pavlik 2008) and Philips and Young (2009). Grunig, J.E (2009) noted that digital media has the potential to make the profession more global, strategic, two-way, interactive and socially responsible (pg 1 Paradigms of Global Public Relations in an Age of Digitalisation). However, he comments that this new media is being used ineffectively by practitioners. Some are using it, as they did with the old media, as a place to write messages rather than using it to interact with the public strategically. Grunig (2009) concludes that it can only be used effectively if social media is used to its full capacity. Public engagement has created new networks of influences and special online forums leading to a world of communication through Blog, Twitter and Facebook among many, impacting all walks of life (Edelman, 2009.) In 2009, 625 million people worldwide had access to the internet (McCann 2009). Sharing of social networking sites has created huge paradigms for PR. It has increased challenges for organisations for the crucial role played by transparency, quickness and clarity in response (Pavlik 2008). The rise in digital interaction and the surge in social media present the practitioners with enormous opportunities. According to McCanns Wave 4 report (2009), social media platforms are becoming the norm to create and share. In his study he noted how they presented unique opportunities to listen and observe. One way messaging is now outdated and anyone understanding this new communication world will succeed (Weber Shandwick). It is important to recognize that social media is also important within organizations, encouraging employee engagement. Enterprise 2.0 is a form of web 2.0 which is used for businesses only. They provide services such as Yammer, a corporate version of Twitter, and Chatter- a social-networking service (Economist 2010). According to Mashable (2010) the top five engaged brands in social media are Starbucks, Coca- Cola, Oreo, Skittles and Redbull. Starbucks have created a digital platform for the participation of public through My Starbucks Idea for communicating with customers by just listening to customers suggestions. Companies are benefitting from listening and improving their services for all stakeholders including customers. Richard Sambrook (the former head of BBC news) believes that every company should be a media company he says. Big companies are going directly to the consumer to engage them now, rather than through display or spot ads and the traditional means of trying to reach consumers. You cant just be out there shouting at people about your brand, youve got to engage with them quite carefully PR is there to help organisations to be honest and engaged with the Public in this new age of media and should not spin stories to the press (Independent 2010) A Stakeholder can be defined as anyone who is affected by the actions arising from any organisation, whether a public or private entity. When engaged, stakeholders can provide organisations with valuable feedback on society expectations leading to the generation of creative solutions and earning the organisation valuable stakeholder support (Lawrence Weber 2008). With the advent of technologically enabled tools there has been a democratisation and socialisation of the media leading to a greater involvement by all participants. Breaking news is today likely to be captured first on Twitter, or the like, rather than a news agency (WrightHinson 2009). This in turn has necessitated greater transparency and in turn enhanced the role of PR professional teams in the management of organisations day to day operations. The status of employees and customers has now been placed on an equal footing with shareholders and other governing participants. (Authentic Enterprise 2007). Evolving through p ublic engagement, the corporate communication function is set to play the role of catalyst in this new environment and the PR practitioner can help empower corporate culture and stakeholder confidence (Miller 2010). At a local level internal communication has become more significant in shaping the management and image of organisations (Authentic Enterprise 2007). Trust is a valuable commodity which needs to be nurtured; in times of crisis the trust relationship will play a significant role in shaping the outcome of adverse events. Encouraging a listening culture within management will enhance the perception of trust (Mazzei and Ravazzani 2010). This is a function that PR needs to develop to accommodate changing communication platforms and models. Strategies need to consider the social and behavioural changes brought about by the internet. There have been many communication models put forward over the past 60 years the principal ones being the Shannon and Weaver model 1949, Shramms Interactive Model 1954 and Grunigs and Hunts 4 Models (1984). It is important to look at communication models to see whether Public engagement is a new paradigm or simply an extension of these. Shannon and Wavers (1949) Mathematical theory of Communication is accepted as one of the most important models from which communication studies has grown ( Johnson and Klare 1961), albeit biased towards the technical aspects of communication research (John Fiske 1982). In contrast to the above models Schramm went on to create his model which emphasised two-way communication (1954) and introduced the concept of feedback. In problem solving scenarios open ended questions need to be asked in order to gain feedback and results. The two-way symmetric model, Grunig and Hunt (1984) is probably the most popular and widely used in todays PR industry. This model is described as being one that can build relationships and resolve conflicts. It is where the stakeholders have a say in what an organisation does and can have some power over policies. This model employs research, listening, and dialogue as tools to cultivate relationships with both internal and external strategic parties. Pieczka (1996) criticised the model as she felt that the study was biased to the two way symmetrical model and questioned the validity of his model. According to Phillips and Young( 2009),social media is causing a new communication paradigm. They believe that communication is shifting from the traditional hierarchical arrangement to an audience model encouraging horizontal discourse. This is confirmed by Edelman (2009). A further study by Grunig developed a model for excellent public relations ( Grunig 2002 ,Grunig Dozier ) It was found that the most successful PR departments took part or contributed to the strategic decisions of the company. Once stakeholders had been identified the study showed that successful PR departments developed programmes to communicate with them. According to Grunig (2002.) Excellence is seen as the balance between an organisation and the public. It was seen as the management of communications on a level that aided the strategic management role whilst maintaining the attention and cooperation of the public. As such the PR role was enhanced and perceived in commercial terms whereby long term relationships could be forged between strategic parties. Philip and Young (2009 ) argued that the new PR challenges the Excellence model. LEtang (2006) was also critical stating that the power imbalance between organisation and public was a flaw in the theory of two-way communication. However Grunig insisted that the model was revised over the years. There appears to be a gap in communication models in regards to Public Engagement although Grunigs fourth model is possibly the closest to it. It is evident that a new model of PR is needed. Whether it is to be called Public Engagement is something which has to be decided.
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