Scenario 18-4 In the Summer of 2010, Basketball Star LeBron James Found

Scenario 18-4
In the summer of 2010, basketball star LeBron James found himself in the middle of a PR nightmare when he decided to turn his decision regarding his future team into an hour-long spot on ESPN, which interestingly enough was entitled, "The Decision." Almost immediately, fans and critics alike began to express their distaste for the way the multi-millionaire handled the situation. Many fans' opinions of the star were greatly altered and James' positive public image appeared to be shattered. Perhaps even worse than the damage to his image, the Lebron James "brand" began to take a hit when his jerseys were pulled from many retailers' stores and websites, and thousands of fans vowed they would never buy James' line of shoes ever again. Several months later, James began the process of repairing his public image. James, who endorses Nike products, came out with a controversial commercial some believe was intended to evoke sympathy. However, many others felt the commercial mocked the negative reaction expressed over "The Decision," and was intended to rebrand the star as a bit of a rebel. Either way, LeBron James appears to have a long way to go before he can once again be recognized as one of the most beloved players in the NBA.
-(Scenario 18-4) This is an unfortunate case of negative public relations. According to the text, what is the classic role of public relations?

A) to foster goodwill between a firm and its many constituent groups
B) to promote new forms of marketing, such as green marketing
C) to boost employee morale or attract new employees
D) to better position the firm's products against competition, particularly foreign competition