Deck 11: Management and Business Acumen

Question 1

Viewing public relations' relationship with the business field, which of the following is true?

A) Education is the key to improved advocacy.
B) The two will forever exist in separate spheres.
C) Business managers use newer PR techniques.
D) The two fields are antagonistic toward one other.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

On a coffee break with a PR colleague, your conversation turns to business metrics. She says, "That's an easy one for me. They're exactly the same as PR metrics." How should you judge this view?

A) It is an accurate statement.
B) It is an irrelevant view.
C) It is a dangerous myth.
D) It is impossible to know.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In general, who is responsible for carrying out the business practices of an organization?

A) the chief financial officer
B) senior leadership
C) the chief communication officer
D) all members of the team

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In the PR job market, marketable business skills are ______.

A) an impossibility
B) a logical outcome
C) a bonus
D) an expectation

Question 5

Where should PR students learn the principles of business?

A) in schools of business
B) in all their courses
C) on the job
D) during internships

Question 6

Even if we are our own bosses in a PR career, business skills are still important because ______.

A) we must manage our own business affairs
B) one cannot attract clients without them
C) otherwise, our competitors will gain advantages
D) we may need them one day in a court of law

Question 7

Corporate social responsibility skills are considered to be ______.

A) a bonus for PR graduates
B) nice to have but dispensable
C) a new and emerging area
D) an edge in the job market

Question 8

If you have the title of Senior Account Executive, Senior Vice President, or Director in front of your name, what is your likely function within your organization?

A) technical work
B) headhunting
C) external relations
D) management

Question 9

How do business knowledge sets differ from business skill sets?

A) There is no difference; they are the same.
B) Knowledge sets are gained through education.
C) Managers value skills over knowledge.
D) Skills sets are designed for PR technicians.

Question 10

The assertion that PR professionals work in their own "silos" is ______.

A) a false statement
B) a time-tested principle
C) a controversial notion
D) a best-case scenario

Question 11

Of the terms below, which best characterizes the relationship between PR and marketing?

A) love/hate
B) antagonistic
C) symbiotic
D) common

Question 12

In sales, customers are ______, whereas in public relations, they are ______.

A) clients; publics
B) dollars; likes
C) fleeting; permanent
D) prospects; audiences

Question 13

Assume that you are a young PR professional just out of college. You have an independent personality and are eager to try out your skills on your own. Which career avenue is likely to be best?

A) branding
B) entrepreneurship
C) agency
D) corporation

Question 14

"Beyond resources controlled" in the entrepreneurial process refers to ______.

A) constraints that must be evaluated
B) opportunities to be exploited
C) time, money, and staff
D) past prospects that will not return

Question 15

We as PR professionals know that for a brand to succeed among external audiences, the internal culture must also be strong. Which department within an organization can best assist us in this regard?

A) shareholder relations
B) customer solutions
C) human resources
D) management consulting

Question 16

If you are a PR professional and have gained a positon in the "C-Suite" as a Chief Communication Officer, it is likely that ______.

A) you landed it early in your career
B) you share it with an advertising colleague
C) your boss is also a PR professional
D) getting there was a challenge

Question 17

Which of the following characterizes public relations as a discipline?

A) PR is a unique profession.
B) PR is a unifying discipline.
C) It is a subset of business.
D) It is a market-driven enterprise.

Question 18

In general, where should data be housed in an organization?

A) in a common area
B) in the C-Suite
C) in one discipline
D) in two departments

Question 19

When Starbucks management decided to phase out plastic straws in 2018, they were considering the ______ impact of their actions as a company.

A) community
B) financial
C) branding
D) environmental

Question 20

Which of the following is a special area of PR expertise that business professionals need?

A) HR consulting
B) cost analysis
C) crisis management
D) turnover reduction

Question 21

When Microsoft partnered with Minecraft and the nonprofit "charity: water" to address the clean water crisis, the campaign succeeded because ______.

A) each of their brands was unique
B) they targeted a specific audience
C) they worked under a court order
D) surveys indicated strong support

Question 22

PR professionals create ambassador programs to help ______ audiences and advocacy programs to help ______ audiences share stories and information.

A) external; internal
B) future; current
C) prospective; loyal
D) negative; positive

Question 23

Which of the following factors has driven the success of employee advocacy programs at Adobe and General Motors?

A) top management buying into the program
B) an exclusive app for social media users
C) an internal ombudsman for disputes
D) a connection with the outside world

Question 24

Best practices for conducting business tell us that ______.

A) the bottom line drives all decisions
B) we should never stop being students
C) statistics must be viewed with mistrust
D) meeting more PR professionals is key

Question 25

Which of the following is true regarding statistics?

A) It is a complex system of numbers best left to statisticians.
B) It is largely handled through computer software in the 21^st century.
C) It is an invisible language that PR professionals should master.
D) It is an option to consider learning, but not a PR necessity.

Question 26

Because PR students become communication experts, they do not need to study business.

Question 27

Gaining strong business acumen is essential not just for personal knowledge but for employment.

Question 28

Advocacy marketing is considered to be a traditional, time-honored skill.

Question 29

In your PR career, you may be both a technician and a manager.

Question 30

The relationship between PR and marketing can best be described as love/hate.

Question 31

In reality, public relations is a sales job.

Question 32

Advertising remains its own distinct discipline, separate from public relations.

Question 33

Young PR professionals should also strive to become entrepreneurs.

Question 34

Human resources is best handled by HR specialists because PR professionals deal mostly with external relations.

Question 35

PR can contribute to business objectives by taking a data-focused approach.

Question 36

PR professionals most often find the path to the C-Suite to be a relatively easy one.

Question 37

Practicing corporate social responsibility is central to meeting business objectives.

Question 38

Mastery of statistics is desirable for PR professionals, but no longer necessary thanks to computer software.

Question 39

Analyze the current state of integration between the business and public relations professions.

Question 40

At lunch one day, you are busy trying to convince your colleagues of the importance of business literacy and acumen in the PR business. One of your office mates says, "Those just sound like buzzwords to me. What are they supposed to mean?" How do you respond?

Question 41

Categorize the relationships between public relations and other disciplines or departments within an organization.

Question 42

You've always been an independent, driven student of public relations. Rather than work for a boss, you wanted to become an entrepreneur and run your own business. Ten years later, a curious student intern asks you what skills helped you to succeed in this regard. How do you answer this question?

Question 43

How does public relations benefit business? Explain the different PR approaches to business and when and how they would each be used.

Question 44

Categorize some of the common goals that public relations shares with business and management.

Question 45

You are a business professional visiting a public relations class. Organize a list of tips they can use to learn more about business.