Organisational Experience

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Introduction

This academic reflection follows my learning of various management theories and its application to the Public Relations Associate (PAA) at Singapore Airlines (SIA) role. The management theories: Leadership, Green Human Resource Management (GHRM), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Trust strengthens the job position in terms of job requirements and responsibilities. To relate the theories and SIA’s PAA position, a SWOT individual analysis establishes expectations of the role. All four management theories interrelate to enhance SIA’s PAA position in not only job effectiveness, but also in sustainability focused thinking. The DIEP structure reflects my learning and covers the development of my insights relating to SIA’s PAA job position. It is important for firms to incorporate and increase the importance of environmental sustainability to fight an impending climate change.

1. Public Affairs Associate - Singapore Airlines

The PAA position in SIA works with its Public Affairs team and manages corporate/internal communications and media relations (SIA 2022). Out of many key responsibilities, I want to be trained in planning and providing administrative/escort support for SIA premise visits and tours as well as for media-related activities. I also want to manage media clippings and coverages. The key responsibilities are in the appendices .

SWOT analysis - Individual

The SWOT analysis can be used on an individual level for assessing one’s competencies compared to competitors’ (Teoli, Sanvictores and An 2021). I will use SWOT to analyse an individual’s ability to succeed in SIA’s PAA role.

Strength

Weakness

Opportunity

Threat

1. The ability to create credible publicity through authentic and informative content.

2. Enhancement of organisation’s credibility through large media reach (Hurley 2020).

1. Some limited control over published media due to company’s (SIA) actions (negative behaviour is not published and only commendable behaviour are).

1. Great way to enhance SIA’s reputation through positive PR like CSR and community/social actions.

1. Turbulent media industry makes it difficult to stay updated and produce relevant content for SIA.

Table 1: SWOT - Individual

2. DIEP

The DIEP structure reflects my learning and understanding on management theories in Organisational Experience and its application to SIA’s PAA position.

Describe

Throughout the course of Organiational Experience, I gained relevant and useful knowledge in current business sustainability imperatives in a decarbonising environment using management theories. They were delivered through lectures, and additional readings helped me gain better understanding. Four management theories namely Leadership, GHRM, CSR and Trust will be discussed to strengthen SIA’s PAA position.

For Leadership, Katz’s three-skill approach strengthens the individual to be effective; and the flexibility skill improves the individual’s ability to be flexible in changing environments, strengthening SIA’s PAA position.

For GHRM, the job responsibilities can be improved by including employee training and evaluation in environmental management (EM) to promote corporate sustainability.

The Scholarship on CSR, specifically public affairs enhance the PAA job function as CSR can be promoted through it.

Finally, the model to increase stakeholder trust intensifies SIA’s public affairs through developing customer trust via CSR public relations (PR) communications.

Interpret

Leadership

Katz Three-skill approach

Technical skill is one’s proficiency in a specialised technique or method to perform a function (Katz 2009). Besides technical skills such as Microsoft proficiency in the job requirement, crisis management can be included to plan ahead of a crisis (happens frequently in PR) and how to manage it (Prezly 2022).

Human skill is highly required as a PAA must be aware of his/her own attitudes. Skillfully communicating with others is necessary to be part of the Public Affairs team (Katz 2009). The ability to communicate with others well and facilitate teamwork should therefore be emphasised under job requirements.

Conceptual skill is the ability to see the firm on a macroscale and is mostly important for top management (Katz 2009) (attached in appendices ). Although this skill interrelates to technical and human skill, it does not directly relate to SIA’s PAA position, and will not be required.

Task-related personality traits

Flexibility is becoming an increasingly important leadership quality for PR professionals since the capacity to adapt to changes while creating content is essential (Ferenchak 2021). Business cycles change rapidly, and organisations need PR flexible employees to stay relevant (Jacobs 2014).

Hence, SIA’s PAA job requirements can be intensified by including flexibility as a leadership skill requirement. Yukl and Gardner (2019) explains using the trait approach that effective leaders are continuously adapting their behaviours to changing situations and require flexible leadership traits. Furthermore, it minimises SWOT ’s threat by ensuring the employee is flexible to keep up with media trends.

GHRM

The PAA’s responsibilities should include EM employee training to promote GHRM. Today's job seekers consider an organisation's values and environmental image, and firms are increasingly implementing GHRM procedures to improve employer branding (Renwick et al. 2013). SIA’s PAA job functions should therefore include EM to equip employees with “eco literacy” and environmental awareness to increase job attractiveness. This will appeal to a younger, greener generation, together with increasing job opportunities due to enhanced sustainability efforts in the aviation sector (Han 2021).

While ecoliteracy can enhance the job role, Sustainable HRM (SHRM) suggests firm policies should evaluate employees’ eco-literacy. Examining their green contributions through management evaluation and performance indicators contributes to GHRM, promoting positive environmental outcomes (Kramar 2022).

The PAA job can therefore be strengthened by incorporating effective PR communications about SIA’s sustainability efforts to increase credibility and reliability (Laine et al. 2021). It is done through GHRM by equipping employees with environmental skills, which are checked and balanced against a robust evaluation system.

CSR + Trust

The PAA’s job responsibilities revolve around engaging and keeping SIA’s stakeholders well informed through communications and media relations. By committing to sustainability through three primary pillars, SIA can better align its goals and make "every act count" by enhancing job functions through CSR (SIA 2022). Communication to stakeholders through CSR PR contributes greatly to CSR by aiding in achieving favourable behavioral outcomes (Chaudhri 2016).

However, SWOT ’s weakness identified published media can be limited and report only positive CSR. Although SIA’s main CSR reporting is through annual reports, the PAA can enhance SIA’s PR CSR reporting by publishing snippets of its transparent CSR reports on its efforts towards environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues (Sethi et al. 2017).

Additionally, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) were developed in consultation of worldwide governments and businesses. It requires them to collaborate with the UN and engage actively in achieving UNSDGs (Setó-Pamies and Papaoikonomou 2020). This aligns with the Singapore Green Plan of aiming to grow a strong pool of local enterprises to seize sustainable opportunities (SGP 2022).

Therefore, CSR through PR enhances the PAA’s job responsibilities of communicating CSR objectives to stakeholders, aligning SIA with UNSDGs and SGP through promoting environmental longevity and economic growth.

This leads to trust, where the model to increase stakeholder trust complements CSR through PR. Trust binds firms and stakeholders through enhancing business relationships, helping firms to receive added support and resources (Crane et al. 2020). The model suggests trust building ability, benevolence, responsiveness, and transparency to one stakeholder are observed by other stakeholders, creating a domino effect, and boosting stakeholder trust (Crane et al. 2020).

Therefore, PR should communicate SIA’s trust building efforts. Once trust is established, SIA’s CSR efforts will benefit from increased stakeholder trust and are more susceptible in providing support. This enhances SWOT ’s strengths and opportunity, by publishing SIA’s CSR content to establish credibility.

Evaluate

The four management theories strengthen SIA’s PAA job description and requirements. As a result, I learn the relevant leadership skills, green literacy, and ability to communicate the company’s CSR initiatives to build stakeholder trust. Additionally, the management theories equip applicants with relevant sustainability knowledge and skills to address the ultimate environmental issue and reduce domestic carbon emissions (MOT 2022).

I also learned that the management theories can strengthen other job positions in various industries. Using Leadership, GHRM, CSR and Trust together in other organisational positions help firms align closer to organisational and sustainability goals which are increasing urgency due to adverse climate change. Furthermore, environmental sustainability provides business competitive advantages and working with environmentally conscious stakeholders presents business opportunities and value (Wagner 2020). This makes the theories' interrelatedness more apt and urgent in employees’ organisational responsibilities.

Plan

The use of management theories and its application to future jobs exposes me to the expectations of the jobs I will apply for. Knowing they improve job descriptions gives me an idea of how to prepare myself to stand a better chance at getting hired.

I should start equipping myself with industry knowledge (technical), especially where knowledge is part of competencies needed in the skills approach (Northouse 2022). Knowledge stems from information accumulation and its organisation, suggesting I can use knowledge gained in RMIT University to strengthen my technical skills.

Interpersonal with good communication skills (human), also enhances leadership effectiveness. Strengthening social performance is important as it emphasises leaders’ communication skills (Northouse 2022). Therefore, my human skills can be honed through interactions with diverse groups within communities or at work.

As organisations ramp up GHRM efforts, I will look out for firms that include employee EM training to improve my ecoliteracy, contributing to organisational sustainability efforts and align with UNSDGs and SGP.

As for corporate CSR and Trust, I learned the importance of developing stakeholder trust through CSR communications via PR, enabling me to better understand the role as a potential employee.

3. Conclusion

Concluding, the four management theories work together to strengthen SIA’s PAA position, while incorporating business sustainability focused thinking. The Leadership skills enhances the position by succeeding in ever-changing environments. GHRM equips employees with eco-literacy and effective green performance evaluations, strengthening SIA’s human resources. CSR and Trust work collaboratively by establishing stakeholder trust through CSR PR. Upon my reflection above, the management theories strengthen SIA’s PAA position as organisations evolve in an increasingly environmentally aware world and achieve SGP’s targets. This prepares me to equip myself with important skills and knowledge to stay relevant.

4. References

Chaudhri V (2016) ‘ Corporate Social Responsibility and the Communication Imperative: Perspectives From CSR Managers’, International journal of business communication, 53(4): 419-442, doi: 10.1177/2329488414525469.

Crane B, Harrison J and Barney J (2020) ‘ Revisiting Who, When, and Why Stakeholders Matter: Trust and Stakeholder Connectedness’, Business and society, 59(2): 263-286, doi: 10.1177/0007650318756983.

Ferenchak Z (19 May 2021) ‘Changing Your Outlook on Unfortunate Circumstances: The Importance of Flexibility in the Workplace’, Progressions, accessed 22 September 2022. https://progressions.prsa.org/index.php/2021/05/19/changing-your-outlook-on-unfortunate-circumstances-the-importance-of-flexibility-in-the-workplace/

Han H (2021) ‘ Consumer behavior and environmental sustainability in tourism and hospitality: a review of theories, concepts, and latest research’, Journal of sustainable tourism, 29(7): 1021-1042, doi: 10.1080/09669582.2021.1903019.

Hurley K (2020) The real advantages and disadvantages of public relations, Bluesky-pr website, accessed 22 September 2022. https://www.bluesky-pr.com/blog/business-education/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-pr

Jacobs K (2014) 7 Skills PR Leaders Need to Succeed in the Coming Years: Do You Have What It Takes? Public Relations Society of America website, accessed 22 September 2022. https://apps.prsa.org/Intelligence/TheStrategist/Articles/view/10605/1092/7_Skills_PR_Leaders_Need_to_Succeed_in_the_Coming#.Yzh0ii_J2pY

Katz R (2009) Skills of an effective administrator, Harvard Business Review.

Kramar R (2022) ‘ Sustainable human resource management: six defining characteristics’, Asia Pacific journal of human resource, 60(1): 146-170, 10.1111/1744-7941.12321.

MOT (Ministry of Transport) (2022) Green Aviation, MOT website, accessed 27 September 2022. https://www.mot.gov.sg/what-we-do/green-transport/green-aviation

Northouse P (2022) Leadership: theory and practice, 9th edn, Sage Publications, Los Angeles.

Prezly (2022) 8 Key Public Relations Skills needed in 2022, Prezly website, accessed 22 September 2022. https://www.prezly.com/academy/8-skills-pr--communications-professionals-will-need-in-the-future-to-succeed

Renwick D, Redman T and Maguire S (2013) ‘ Green Human Resource Management: A Review and Research Agenda’, International journal of management reviews, 15(1): 1-14, doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2370.2011.00328.x.

Sethi S, Martell T and Demir M (2017) ‘ Enhancing the Role and Effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports: The Missing Element of Content Verification and Integrity Assurance’, Journal of business ethics, 144(1): 59-84, doi: 10.1007/s10551-015-2862-3.

Setó-Pamies D and Papaoikonomou E (2020) ‘ Sustainable development goals: A powerful framework for embedding ethics, CSR, and sustainability in management education’, Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 12(5): 1762, doi: 10.3390/su12051762.

SGP (Singapore Green Plan) (2022) Singapore Green Plan 2030 Key Targets, SGP website, accessed 25 September 2022. https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/key-focus-areas/key-targets#green-economy

SIA (Singapore Airlines) (2022) Public Affairs - Associate, SIA website, accessed 20 September 2022. https://singaporeairlines.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=1956

SIA (Singapore Airlines) (2022) Sustainability at Singapore Airlines, SIA website, accessed 24 September 2022. https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/about-us/sustainability/

Teoli D, Sanvictores T and An J (2019) SWOT Analysis, Europe PMC website, accessed 20 September 2022. https://europepmc.org/article/med/30725987

Laine M, Tregidga H, Unerman J, Bebbington J and O’Dwyer B (2021) Sustainability accounting and accountability, 3rd edn, Taylor and Francis Group.

Wagner S (2020) Business and Environmental Sustainability: Foundations, Challenges and Corporate Functions, Taylor and Francis Group, Abingdon, Oxon.

Yukl G and Gardner W (2019) Leadership in Organizations, Global Edition, 9th edn, Pearson Education, Harlow, United Kingdom.

Organisational Experience

5. Appendices

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