Question 1

The ______________ captures the essence of the situation and determines the scope and value of the proposed plan. Therefore, it may be one of the most carefully constructed written works in public relations.

Accepted Answer

The Problem or Opportunity Statement is crucial in public relations as it succinctly identifies the core issue or chance at hand, guiding the development and perceived importance of the strategic plan to address it.

Question 2

When developing her public relations plan, Rhonda knows it is important to research and understand the internal factors that will help her client reach its goals. It is also equally important to learn about the internal ___________ that will make it harder for her organization to do what it wants to do.

Accepted Answer

Internal weaknesses are factors within an organization that can hinder its ability to achieve its goals, making them crucial for consideration in a public relations plan.

Question 3

The ________ provides a framework to Kora, a public relations account supervisor, so she can see the factors that contribute to and inhibit her client's ability to achieve its goals or mission. ______________.

Accepted Answer

A SWOT analysis provides a framework for identifying and analyzing the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats related to a client's goals or mission.

Question 4

The University of Oregon's __________ describes its aspirations and a desired end-state: "We aspire to be a preeminent and innovative public research university… We seek to enrich the human condition…"

Accepted Answer

A vision statement describes an organization's aspirations and the desired end-state it seeks to achieve, which aligns with the description given.

Question 5

Reid has reviewed his organization's webpage, publications, and archives to help better understand the current business climate and problem. However, Reid knows he needs to also understand the __________ to comprehend the full situation, including people and their behaviors.

Accepted Answer

Organizational culture encompasses the values, beliefs, behaviors, and norms of an organization, which are crucial for understanding how people within the organization interact and how decisions are made. This broader understanding is essential for comprehensively grasping the business climate and problem.

Question 6

Audience data from services like Nielsen TV ratings, responses to radio promotions, coupon codes from print ads, or traffic data from web pages can all be useful in researching ______________ publics.

Accepted Answer

These types of audience data are instrumental in researching external publics, as they provide insights into the behaviors, preferences, and responses of individuals outside the organization.

Question 7

Good internal communication affects external communication because employees serve as brand advocates. But content meant for internal audiences can also be leaked externally, having a negative impact, as in the case of the leaked Amazon training video. The connection between internal and external communication can best be described as __________.

Accepted Answer

The connection between internal and external communication is best described as "blurred lines" because the information intended for internal audiences can easily become external, affecting the brand's public image. This reflects the interconnectedness and potential overlap between internal and external communications.

Question 8

James Grunig's _______ says that publics range from latent to aware to active based on their levels of involvement, problem recognition, and constraint recognition.

Accepted Answer

James Grunig's Situational Theory of Publics describes how publics become involved in issues based on their recognition of a problem, their level of involvement, and perceived constraints.

Question 9

___________ is the idea that Internet service providers (ISPs) should allow all Internet users equal access to content, without giving some content providers a fast lane or slowing or blocking other content providers.

Accepted Answer

Net Neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers should treat all data on the Internet equally, without discriminating or charging differently by user, content, website, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or method of communication.

Question 10

Ivanna enjoys unwinding after class by watching some of her favorite TV shows on Hulu. Lately, she has become angry in learning how her Internet Service Provider might slow down delivery of her shows. Ivanna writes multiple letters to her congressional representatives urging them to support an open Internet. How would you best describe Ivanna's situation as a "public?"

Accepted Answer

Ivanna's actions of writing letters to her congressional representatives to support an open Internet indicate she is actively engaging with the issue, making her part of an "active" public.

Question 11

Marco, a high-school teacher, has noticed some students vaping recently. Though he had read about underage vaping in the news, he never considered it a problem at his school. Now that he's seen it with his own eyes, Marco has become an _________ public.

Accepted Answer

Marco has become aware of the issue of underage vaping at his school after observing it firsthand, making him an aware public.

Question 12

Research on ____________ answers questions about like how old your public is or where they live. Research on _____________ answers questions about variables such as their personality types or political affiliations.

Accepted Answer

Demographic research focuses on statistical data about a population, such as age, gender, and location. Psychographic research delves into more subjective areas like personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles.

Question 13

Alessia is planning a community park clean up. She decides that young volunteers are really important, so she plans a campaign focused on high-school students. Alessia hopes parents and teachers might encourage participation, so she considers these groups as ___________.

Accepted Answer

Secondary publics are those groups that are not directly involved but can influence or be influenced by the action. In this case, parents and teachers can encourage participation but are not the main target (high-school students) of the campaign.

Question 14

Marcus needs to better understand why college students decide to donate blood. Through his research, he found that 25 percent of students had considered donating, 45 percent were undecided, and 30 percent had never heard about it. What type of research did Marcus likely conduct to gain this data?

Accepted Answer

Marcus likely conducted a survey to gather quantitative data on the percentages of college students' attitudes towards blood donation. Surveys are effective for collecting data from a large group and quantifying attitudes, opinions, or behaviors.

Question 15

Rosa was frustrated about declining traffic to her client's web site. She bought online advertisements to bring people to the site. However, she wasn't sure what headline to use. She decided to use headline A on one ad, and headline B on a second ad. After one week, Rosa will switch all ads to the headline that brought the most people to her web site. How would you describe Rosa's research approach?

Accepted Answer

Rosa is conducting an experiment by testing two different headlines to see which one attracts more visitors to the website, and then choosing the more effective one based on the results. This approach involves manipulating one variable (the headline) to observe its effect on another variable (website traffic), which is characteristic of experimental research.

Question 16

Researchers at East Tennessee State University wanted to test their prediction that offering incentives would encourage donations. The team designed an experiment where members of the "treatment group" were offered a lottery ticket if they donated. Members of the _________ were offered no special incentive.

Accepted Answer

In experimental research, the control group is the group that does not receive the experimental treatment or intervention. In this case, the group not receiving the special incentive (lottery ticket) serves as the control group, allowing researchers to compare outcomes between those who were offered an incentive and those who were not.

Question 17

Dana conducts a study of the age, sex, and race of people whom advertisers use in their ads. She looked at the ads shown in prime time on four major stations. This is an example of ____________.

Accepted Answer

Content analysis is a research technique used to objectively and systematically analyze the content of communication, such as advertisements, to quantify patterns in communication. Dana's study fits this description as she examines the characteristics of people in ads.

Question 18

Carrie has conducted a content analysis of comments on her client's social media page. She found some underlying messages and themes in the communication that weren't explicitly expressed. How would you describe this type of content in research terms?

Accepted Answer

Latent content in research refers to the underlying messages and themes that are not explicitly stated but can be interpreted from the content. This contrasts with manifest content, which is the explicit, surface-level content.

Question 19

Tesla Motors wanted to discover how people think and feel about their electric car that can drive itself. They formed a 12-person focus group composed of owners and nonowners of Tesla cars. This is an example of ___________ research.

Accepted Answer

Qualitative research is aimed at understanding how people think and feel, often involving small groups or interviews to gather in-depth insights, which is what Tesla is doing with its focus group.

Question 20

To better understand shopper behavior, researchers will walk the aisles at a grocery store, pretending to shop. The researchers will really be watching how people move through the store and select their products. This is an example of what kind of research?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of nonparticipant observation because the researchers are observing the subjects without interacting with them or becoming involved in the situation they are studying.

Quiz 5: Research