Public relation theory and practice

Trimester 2, 2017

Assessment 1

You are required to write a 2,500-word report; outlining the PR errors made by a company in a real case from the business world; and make recommendations as to how the company should have handled the issue from a PR perspective. Your answer should draw on your knowledge of PR theory, practical considerations, and your own creativity.

Choose one of the three companies/issues listed below:

· United Airlines’ removal of Dr. David Dao from Flight 3411, which was awaiting departure from Chicago to Louisville, and was overbooked.

· CommInsure, the insurance arm of Commonwealth Bank, pressuring doctors as part of its strategy to avoid payouts to ill and terminally ill patients

· Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal

Your answer should be in report format:

· Cover page

· Contents

· Executive summary

· Introduction

· Main report

· Conclusions

· Recommendations

· References (Harvard or APA format)

You should aim to include a minimum of 6 references (more is better), of which some should be peer-reviewed academic journals. The following guidelines are to assist you with presentation and layout:

· Cover page should include name, student number, unit number, unit name, assessment number, assessment name, and date

· Use Arial, Calibri, or Tahoma, 12 pt font

· Double spacing

· Double justification of text

· Headers and footers on all pages other than the cover page – headers and footers should contain your name and student number, the unit number and name, and a page number