MARK221 Public Relations Concepts Winter ‘25 Final Individual Assessment 2025-26, University of Wollongong

Winter ‘25 Final Individual Assessment

Turnitin Submission Deadline: March 21, 11:59pm

Assessment Overview

Students are required to analyse a real-world PR case and develop a comprehensive PR strategy that demonstrates their understanding of theoretical frameworks and practical applications in public relations.

You are required submit a report individually after being assigned one of five real-life cases (that are shown below) and analyse the chosen case and how the company handled the situation by applying what you learned. Provide a clear explanation of what happened. Identify key issues, timeline of events, show description of company's response, and its impact and consequences. Show depth of theoretical analysis by connecting theory to the case and using PR theories correctly. Identify all relevant stakeholders and display all kinds of media coverage.  

After that, develop your own PR strategy as an alternative way of handling the crisis, pretending that it is happening now. Plan your strategy by preparing a situation analysis, showing clear objectives and key messages, and identifying your target audience. Based on the plan, develop the campaign tactics by choosing the appropriate communication channels (with justification), showing any specific activities or events, along with a realistic timeline. Make sure your plans are practical and achievable. Include clear KPIs and measurement tools.

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Each student will be assigned ONE of the following PR cases:

1.      Facebook (now Meta) faced one of its biggest corporate crises when it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm, had improperly obtained the personal data of 87 million Facebook users which were improperly harvested and used for political advertising. The severity of this privacy breach led to immediate public outrage, dropping stock prices, and regulatory investigations worldwide, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg being called to testify before Congress. The company faced intense public attention over its data practices, user privacy protections, and its role in democratic processes, while dealing with widespread calls for platform boycotts and stricter regulation.

2.      Boeing faced a catastrophic crisis following two fatal crashes of its 737 MAX aircraft in Indonesia and Ethiopia, resulting in 346 deaths and the global grounding of the entire 737 MAX fleet. The company's initial communication was heavily criticized, particularly regarding its stance on the MCAS system's potential role in the crashes. The crisis led to billions in losses, multiple regulatory investigations, canceled orders, and severely damaged relationships with airlines, aviation authorities, and the flying public, while raising fundamental questions about the company's safety culture and certification processes.

3.      FTX faced catastrophic collapse in November 2022 when investigations revealed that the cryptocurrency exchange had mishandled billions in customer funds and engaged in fraudulent practices. The crisis unfolded rapidly after reports exposed that FTX had secretly transferred $10 billion in customer funds to its sister trading firm Alameda Research, leading to a bank run that revealed the company was insolvent. Within days, the $32 billion company filed for bankruptcy, affecting over one million customers and creditors globally. The revelation led to criminal charges against CEO Sam BankmanFried, multiple regulatory investigations worldwide, and sent shockwaves through the entire cryptocurrency industry, raising fundamental questions about digital asset regulation and exchange accountability. 

4.      Oatly, the popular plant-based milk company, faced significant backlash in 2021 after receiving a $200 million investment from Blackstone Group, a firm criticized for its links to Amazon deforestation. The controversy deepened when questions arose about the company's environmental claims and production methods, leading to accusations of greenwashing. The situation created a complex challenge for the brand, pitting its rapid growth ambitions against its core environmental messaging, while risking its loyal customer base who valued the company's sustainability credentials.

5.      Volkswagen faced an unprecedented crisis in 2015 when it was discovered that the company had installed "defeat devices" in 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide to cheat emissions tests. The scandal, known as "Dieselgate," revealed that these vehicles were emitting up to 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxides during normal driving conditions while appearing compliant during testing. The revelation led to the CEO's resignation, criminal charges against executives, over $30 billion in fines and settlements, and severe damage to the company's reputation for German engineering excellence, while triggering investigations and legal challenges across multiple countries.

This assessment consists of two parts:

Part A: Case Analysis (35 marks) - 1,500 words

Your analysis should provide a comprehensive examination of the case by:

 First, identifying all key stakeholders and understanding their diverse interests and impacts. You'll need to apply relevant public relations theories and frameworks to explain the organization's actions and their effectiveness.

 Critically evaluating the organization's PR approach, including their strategies, messaging, and timing of responses.

 Analysing how both traditional and social media platforms shaped the narrative and influenced public perception during the crisis.

 Assessing the ethical implications of the organization's actions and decisions, considering professional PR standards and societal expectations.

 Finally, if relevant to your chosen case, examine how disinformation or misinformation affected the situation and how the organization handled these challenges.

Part B: Strategic PR Campaign Proposal (65 points) - 2,500 words

Based on your analysis in Part A, develop a comprehensive PR strategy that addresses the identified challenges. Your proposal should include: Strategic Planning: situation analysis, SMART objectives, target audience analysis, key messages and positioning, communication channels selection Implementation Plan: detailed tactics and activities, timeline, traditional and digital media strategy, risk management approach Evaluation Framework: measurement metrics and KPIs, monitoring tools and methods, success criteria

 

Important notes and tips for writing the report:

-          Include a cover page, an executive summary, table of contents, appendix (if required), and a list of references.

-          Make sure pages are numbered.

-          Always remember to cite your sources.

-          Be structured and well-organized, use headlines where necessary.

-          Don’t mention a theory without applying.

-          Work must be original and individual 

 

Things to avoid:

-          Generic strategies that are not tailored to the case.

-          Unrealistic or vague objectives.

-          No clear connection between Part A analysis and Part B strategy.

-          Poor research or lack of citations.

 

Please refer to the subject outline for detailed marking rubrics.

 

Best wishes!

 

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