School: Arts and Humanities

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Your unit may be subject to government or third party COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Please consider this before enrolling in this unit, and speak with the unit coordinator if this raises any concerns.

  • Unit Title

    Public Relations Strategies
  • Unit Code

    CMM5180
  • Year

    2022
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    20
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mrs Catherine Jane ARCHER

Description

This unit will introduce the strategic role of public relations in applying communication techniques in different settings to reach effective outcomes. Students will use information gathering and analysis as the foundation for communication planning and implementation. The unit also examines financial and budgetary aspects of public relations management as well as the ethical and social ramifications of public relations practice.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Analyse and evaluate the role and application of public relations theory and practice in the commercial and public sectors.
  2. Compare the characteristics of the main areas of public relations practice, including the public relations' role in addressing and responding to sustainability and cross-cultural issues.
  3. Develop and apply problem-solving, decision-making and creativity skills in public relations activities.
  4. Construct basic public relations plans to meet the requirements of actual organisations and situations while considering cultural and social needs of the audience.
  5. Identify, analyse, and act on ethical and risk issues relevant to public relations practice.

Unit Content

  1. The history and development of public relations as a discipline.
  2. Relevant theories and principles from public relations, communication and the social sciences, and their application in PR practice.
  3. Creativity, problem-solving, decision-making and project management individually and in teams.
  4. Public relations research, measurement and evaluation.
  5. Communication planning and development of persuasive messages and their implementation.
  6. Ethics, risks, issues and crises as they apply to the field of public relations.
  7. The characteristics of public relations practice in the corporate, government, consulting and not-for-profit sectors.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 1Not Offered13 x 3 hour seminarNot Offered
Semester 2Not Offered13 x 3 hour seminarNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures covering a variety of public relations specialties. Tutorials, including real life case studies. Assessments, requiring individual consideration of professional ethics and group work on community based organisations. Readings and research on current public relations activities and outcomes.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
Case StudyCommunication Audit30%
AssignmentCampaign Plan40%
PresentationGroup Pitch Presentation30%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
Case StudyCommunication Audit30%
AssignmentCampaign Plan40%
PresentationGroup Pitch Presentation30%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

CMM5180|1|1

School: Arts and Humanities

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

Your unit may be subject to government or third party COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Please consider this before enrolling in this unit, and speak with the unit coordinator if this raises any concerns.

  • Unit Title

    Public Relations Strategies
  • Unit Code

    CMM5180
  • Year

    2022
  • Enrolment Period

    2
  • Version

    1
  • Credit Points

    20
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Mrs Catherine Jane ARCHER

Description

This unit will introduce the strategic role of public relations in applying communication techniques in different settings to reach effective outcomes. Students will use information gathering and analysis as the foundation for communication planning and implementation. The unit also examines financial and budgetary aspects of public relations management as well as the ethical and social ramifications of public relations practice.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Analyse and evaluate the role and application of public relations theory and practice in the commercial and public sectors.
  2. Compare the characteristics of the main areas of public relations practice, including the public relations' role in addressing and responding to sustainability and cross-cultural issues.
  3. Develop and apply problem-solving, decision-making and creativity skills in public relations activities.
  4. Construct basic public relations plans to meet the requirements of actual organisations and situations while considering cultural and social needs of the audience.
  5. Identify, analyse, and act on ethical and risk issues relevant to public relations practice.

Unit Content

  1. The history and development of public relations as a discipline.
  2. Relevant theories and principles from public relations, communication and the social sciences, and their application in PR practice.
  3. Creativity, problem-solving, decision-making and project management individually and in teams.
  4. Public relations research, measurement and evaluation.
  5. Communication planning and development of persuasive messages and their implementation.
  6. Ethics, risks, issues and crises as they apply to the field of public relations.
  7. The characteristics of public relations practice in the corporate, government, consulting and not-for-profit sectors.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 1Not Offered13 x 3 hour seminarNot Offered
Semester 2Not Offered13 x 3 hour seminarNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Additional Learning Experience Information

Lectures covering a variety of public relations specialties. Tutorials, including real life case studies. Assessments, requiring individual consideration of professional ethics and group work on community based organisations. Readings and research on current public relations activities and outcomes.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
Case StudyCommunication Audit30%
AssignmentCampaign Plan40%
PresentationGroup Pitch Presentation30%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
Case StudyCommunication Audit30%
AssignmentCampaign Plan40%
PresentationGroup Pitch Presentation30%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

CMM5180|1|2