Deck 4: Todays Practice: Departments and Firms

Question 1

Small-scale organizations of low complexity usually have public relations working in roles that are primarily:

A) managerial.
B) compulsory-advisory.
C) technical.
D) concurring authority.
E) consulting.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In the Susan G.Komen for the Cure-Planned Parenthood case, the Komen board made which of the following public relations errors?

A) They the utilized compulsory-advisory management model.
B) They did not listen to individual board members with unpopular opinions.
C) They responded to the media too quickly.
D) They relegated public relations to a purely advisory role.
E) They caved in to outside pressure too easily.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Many practitioners self-select technician roles because they:

A) lack knowledge in research, environmental scanning, problem solving, and management.
B) really enjoy working with the media.
C) lack ability to forge relationships.
D) are being "hemmed in" by company financial restraints.
E) want a lower-stress job.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Integrated Communication programs require all of the following EXCEPT:

A) coalition building among departments.
B) department heads should report to the same superior.
C) informal, regular contacts with representatives from other departments.
D) eliminating the distinctions between the various fields.
E) written policies spelling out responsibilities.

Question 5

Today's public relations firms offer all of the following EXCEPT:

A) executive speech training.
B) research and evaluation.
C) legal counsel.
D) events management.
E) crisis communication.

Question 6

Other names used for public relations departments include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) sales.
B) corporate relations.
C) public affairs.
D) marketing communications.
E) community relations.

Question 7

Grunig's International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Foundation research study on excellence notes all of the following about public relations EXCEPT:

A) it saves the organization money by reducing costs of litigation, regulation, and legislation.
B) it helps the organization make money by cultivating relationships.
C) it repairs problems and regains lost revenue from bad relationships with publics.
D) it assists top management in developing policy.
E) it can easily change a negative reputation into a positive one.

Question 8

Which statement best characterizes the ideal relationship between marketing and public relations?

A) The two are completely different disciplines, and share no common interests.
B) The two are nearly identical, and can be practiced together.
C) Advertising is best suited to work alongside marketing.
D) Public relations is a distinct discipline, and must be practiced separately.
E) None of the above.

Question 9

Clients often criticize public relations firms for:

A) superficial grasp of the client's problems.
B) overcommitment to other clients.
C) hype and elaborate promises of success.
D) high hourly and retainer fees.
E) lack of specialized expertise.

Question 10

According to Julie O'Neil, one can determine whether public relations practitioners have influence in their organizations by examining:

A) perception of value by top management.
B) whether practitioners take on managerial the role.
C) whether they report to the CEO.
D) their years of professional experience.
E) all of the above.

Question 11

If benefits brochure prepared by the personnel department must have approval from the public relations department before production, the public relations department is described as having:

A) advisory authority.
B) compulsory-advisory authority.
C) concurring authority.
D) command authority level.
E) advise and consent.

Question 12

All of the following are multinational communication conglomerates EXCEPT:

A) Omnicom
B) WPP
C) Interpublic
D) Publicis
E) Sony International

Question 13

_____ is service many public relations agency provide that is designed to establish company brands and promote reputation.

A) Crisis communication
B) Branding and corporate reputation
C) Public affairs
D) Research and evaluation
E) Executive speech training

Question 14

Serving as an organizational spokesperson can be challenging mostly because:

A) Your personal opinions are unlikely to be the same as management's official response.
B) You may personally disagree with what you are asked to say on behalf of the organization.
C) You are representing yourself and your brand at the same time.
D) Some deception is OK, but it could cause problems later for the company.
E) You must always tell everything you know.

Question 15

The trend toward purchasing expert communication services from outside the organization is referred to as:

A) boundary spanning.
B) encroachment.
C) outsourcing.
D) agency public relations.
E) resource deployment.

Question 16

Which is NOT considered major source of friction for the public relations function within an organization?

A) Human resources
B) Accounting
C) Legal
D) Marketing
E) All of the above are areas of friction.

Question 17

person who formulates recommendations and advises management in an organization is fulfilling _____ function.

A) line
B) staff
C) consultant
D) systems
E) expert

Question 18

An IABC survey of CEOs showed which of the following regarding the value of public relations?

A) It pays nearly a 200 percent return on investment.
B) It was viewed as a negative investment throughout much of the 1990s.
C) The jury is still out; it is too soon to tell.
D) Although it makes people feel good, one cannot place a value on it.
E) It is a good long-term investment, but a poor short-term investment.

Question 19

The standard industry practice among public relations firms is to bill clients:

A) at least double a person's salary.
B) on a going industry rate mandated by the PRSA.
C) at least three times a person's salary.
D) commensurate with account managers in the current local marketplace.
E) using a sliding scale based on the client's revenues.

Question 20

Where do public relations firms operate?

A) In every industrialized nation.
B) Almost exclusively in the United States.
C) In most counties in the developing world.
D) Both A and C.
E) Wherever clients need them to be.

Question 21

Public relations provides generally mediocre return on investment (ROI) of about 85 percent.

Question 22

"Turf battles" between public relations personnel and human resources managers are almost non-
existent because the two areas rarely overlap.

Question 23

One advantage of using outside public relations firms is that they provide special problem-solving skills.

Question 24

public relations department that serves purely advisory position is generally very effective.

Question 25

The most reputable Fortune 500 corporations tend to think of public relations as strategic management tool.

Question 26

If public relations practitioner reports to the CEO of company, it is likely that he/she exerts an influence within the organization .

Question 27

Public relations is considered to be primarily "staff" function.

Question 28

In companies such as IBM and General Motors, the authority and power of public relations is quite high.

Question 29

An outside firm does not need prolonged briefing period with new client because of the firm's expertise in variety of areas.

Question 30

An advantage of hiring public relations firm is that the firm can analyze client's needs or problems from fresh perspective and offer new insights.