H - Public Relations Assignment
Issue date: 5/15/02 Section: 100x MM Online
Acme Widgets Company is a big company in Springfield, a rural suburb in the eastern foothills of Los Angeles County. With 5,000 employees in a town of 50,000, the industry truly part of the culture of Springfield. Many non-employees of Acme Widgets got their first summer jobs working for Acme.
The company manufactures widgets that were once used exclusively in the aerospace industry. But today there are new consumer outlets for widgets and the company is ready to expand to as much as double its current size. Of course, with the increased demand of widgets and improvements in the manufacturing process, more widgets must be manufactured and sold to make the same profit margins as late as just a couple of years ago.
The expansion plans are being received with mixed results. While city officials see a possible boon in tax income for the city --and as a result more recreational services and better infrastructure for citizens-- others see problems. The manufacture of widgets uses a lot of toxic materials that easily could result in increased pollution and health hazards for both employees and Springfield citizens. Some in Springfield see the expansion leading to widespread community growth that would destroy the small-town atmosphere. Neighbors see expansion of the plant as destroying their neighborhood and adding to traffic woes. Employees fear that they will be asked to work longer to produce more widgets for the same pay . . . either that or that the company will farm out jobs to overseas firms.
You work for the public relations arm of Acme Widgets and have specifically been given the task of sharing the message of expansion. Identify and list 10 unique publics you may need to work with and suggest ways to reach them. Identify the publics as internal or external.
(To complete this assignment you need to know the definition of "publics" in Public Relations covered in the Public Relations lecture. Remember, you are identifying publics first, not activities. Once you've identified publics, then think of possible activities.)
The company manufactures widgets that were once used exclusively in the aerospace industry. But today there are new consumer outlets for widgets and the company is ready to expand to as much as double its current size. Of course, with the increased demand of widgets and improvements in the manufacturing process, more widgets must be manufactured and sold to make the same profit margins as late as just a couple of years ago.
The expansion plans are being received with mixed results. While city officials see a possible boon in tax income for the city --and as a result more recreational services and better infrastructure for citizens-- others see problems. The manufacture of widgets uses a lot of toxic materials that easily could result in increased pollution and health hazards for both employees and Springfield citizens. Some in Springfield see the expansion leading to widespread community growth that would destroy the small-town atmosphere. Neighbors see expansion of the plant as destroying their neighborhood and adding to traffic woes. Employees fear that they will be asked to work longer to produce more widgets for the same pay . . . either that or that the company will farm out jobs to overseas firms.
You work for the public relations arm of Acme Widgets and have specifically been given the task of sharing the message of expansion. Identify and list 10 unique publics you may need to work with and suggest ways to reach them. Identify the publics as internal or external.
(To complete this assignment you need to know the definition of "publics" in Public Relations covered in the Public Relations lecture. Remember, you are identifying publics first, not activities. Once you've identified publics, then think of possible activities.)
