Research, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation

Definition: A bar chart that shows the visual and linear direction of project tasks useful for tracking deadlines and monitoring a project's progress, as well as planning and scheduling tasks

People or groups of people who are mutually involved or interdependent with an organization.

Each person in a large group has an equal chance of being chosen

Process of evaluating concepts, design, plan, implementation and effectiveness of a program. Used to learn what happened and why it happened.

An expression of an attitude. Public opinion is the composite of all the people who make up a public.

Gathering information for use in making decisions prior to a program or making adjustments in a program / plan during implementation

Research that is somewhat subjective, using a problem or open-ended, free-response format to investigate the value of programs or probe other questions, usually informal

A method used to ensure that a survey sample contains representatives of each subset in the population being studied, according to the proportion of their representation in the universe

A brief summary of the problem written in present tense, describing the situation

Individuals whose opinions are sought in a survey, broad or focused

Research that can be numerically stated or compared; may use statistical standards; highly objective and projectable; uses closed-end or forced-choice questions.

Less expensive quantitative research method involving piggybacking some questions on a research company's poll. Also called subscription studies.

Quantitative research. Uses principles of scientific investigation such as the rules of empirical observation, random sampling in surveys, comparison of results against statistical standards, in order to replicate results. Can be replicated.

Collecting information that describes existing conditions, the status quo of individuals, group opinions, attitude or behavior. Usually designed to test a theory or hypothesis

A complete analysis of an organization's communication processes, both internal and external. Designed to reveal how an organization wants to be percieved be designated publics, what it is doing to foster that perception and how it is actually percieved.

Data colected before or at the beginning of a project or program. The data will be compared to data collected during and after program implementation in order to assess program effectiveness.

Measure of tools, tactics or activities supporting a plan or project.

Investigation or data collected first-hand; or by a third party contracted specifically for the firsthand party. Research you do yourself. Examples: nes interviews, observations, paper surveys

The key result that must be achieved with each public to reach the program goal. Specific milestones that measure progress toward achievement of a goal.

Broad target for an end result. Statement that spells out the overall outsomes of a program, usually more specific expression of a mission or purpose that is directly related to the problem or opportunity at hand. Always consistent with management goals.

What are the Four things that objectives include:

What questions are answered in a problem statement?

An inclination, often unconscious, to behave in a givenway as a result of a spectrum of information, values, beliefs, experiences and persuasive messages.

A study of publications, print and electronic media reports, speeches and letters to measure, codify, analyze and/or evaluate the coverage of an organization, its people and its activities.

Comparison of one's products and services to those of competitors or those recognized as the "best in the industry" to identify standards for improvement or surperior performance.

Measurable result of change in action, attitude, awareness, behavior, opinion and/or support.

Collecting information that exists on the record, including historic documents, personal papers, journals, official records, etc.

The overarching reason why an organization came into the existence and exists; a visionary statement that can guide an organization's purpose and planning for many years.

Explores values or qualities; subjective. Deals with content. Needs good notes, thoroughness. Examples: focus groups, informal surveys.

The extent to which a survey, test or measuring procedure yields the same results on repeated trials.

Used to clearly determine why the organization should conduct a particular PR program at a particular.

A problem-solving approach that gives planners a visual image of a problem by breaking the problem into rogressively smaller parts. By examining factors that contribute to the problem, information relating to the problem and questions raised by the problem, communication experts can identify best solutions to respond to the many parts of a problem.

Helps managers analyze a particular problem by thinking through the reasons a problem exists. Also known as Fishbone Diagrams.

The exact tools and activities used at the operational level. Specific ways to implement strategy

Involves predicting or establishing a desired future state; formulating a strategy for achieving the desired state.

Four-Step PR Plan Process

Differences among people within a group, stemming from variations in factors such as age, gender, religion, sexual preference, education, etc.

Refers to the degree to which a research study accurately assesses what the researcher set out to measure.

Gathering information as a way of monitoring a program to document the effectivenessof the whole program or its parts.

Uses research findings of others, or collects information secondhand. Previously reported/published information. Example: US Census research

Sometimes used to refer to investors, but included others who have invested time, job seniority, commitment to the organization or otherwise depenent on an organization in a sense other than financial. A person or group wth a stake or interest.

A portion of a larger whole; in polling, a relatively small group of individuals selected to represent a population, usually by means of random probability sampling techiniques that allows for the calculation of the exact probability of such represenatation

In crisis PR planning, the determination of the chance of various occurrences in order to take steps to handle such incidents in the order of their probability.

Systematic gathering of information for the purpose of describing and understanding situations and checking out assumptions about public and PR consequences. It helps define the problem.

Information pulled together to define a situation (e.g. history, factors affecting a situation, people involved, etc.) Contains all information needed to write a problem statement.

Unabridged collection of all that is known about situation, its history, forces operating on it and those involved or affected interally and externally. Contains all the background information needed to expand upon and illustrate in details the meaning of a problem.

The process of measuring, or assessing risk and developing strategies to manage it

In polling, a person who participates in a survey or poll by answering questions

All the resources and users on the Internet that are using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The World Wide Web is as the universe of network-accessible information, an embodiment of human knowledge.

Used to investigate audiences or publics. The process includes identifying audeiences, targeting and obtaining desired data.

1. What's happening now
2. Where is it of concern
3. What's the source of concern
4. When is it a concern
5. Who's involved in the affects
6. How it involves/affects
7. Why it concerns an organization and its publics

Strategy takes form of a systematic plan and guidelines for achieving corporate and business level strategies. Usually the preferred mode.

Uses open systems approach rather than closed system reactive approach. Process that enables any organization, company, association, nonprofit or government agancy to identify its long-term opportunities and threats, mobilize its assets to address them and carry outa successful implementation strategy.

Before researching situation, practitioners and others on management team brainstorm the negative forces contributing to or causing the problem as well as positive forces alleviating the problem or solving.

MBO. Well established procedure that involves cooperative goal setting by groups of superiors and subordinates in the employee hierarchy. Also called MOR: management by objectives and results

Summarizes what is learned about the problem situation. Written in present tense, describes in specific and measurable terms (who, what, when, where, why and how) and doesn't imply solution or place blame. Describes current situation, not future.

In PR, it involves making decisions about program goals and objectives, identifying key publics, setting policies or rules to guide selection or strategies and determining strategies. Strategies are selected to achieve a particular outcome (as stated in goal or objective).

Strategies develop over time, representing a pattern of decisions that respond to opportunities and threats in the environment. This mode is increasingly accepted as the appropriate approach for dealing with rapidly changing organizational environments.

Finer details of tactics (dates, indicate who is in charge, attendance expected, etc.)

1. Goals
2. Target audiences/publics
3.Objectives
4. Strategies
5.Tactics
6. Activities
7. Evaluation
8. Materials
9. Budget
10. Timetable task list

Items you need to implement or execute tactics

1. Total income/funds available (PR is generally allocated a % that relates to the organization's total operating budget)
2. Competitive necessity (amout spent by a similar charity or organization is matched or exceeded).
3. Task/goal (usually provides for PR to have a share of funding set aside desired end result.)
4. Profit/surplus over expenses (can go up or down depending on break even point or point where all costs covered.)

1. Credibility
2. Context
3. Content
4. Clarity
5. Continuity/Consistency
6. Channels
7. Capability of audience

Acronym to Help Practitioners Set Program Objectives

How to measure objectives. Measurement, observation, opinion, feedback

Includes: staff time, materials, out-of-pocket costs, images, transportation, volunteer energy and fabrication

Who does what/when

Work backward from deadline or forward from start date

1. All-issue
2. Apathetic
3. Single-issue
4. Hot-issue

This decision-making tools helps to assess where power and weakness lie and assumes that there are five important forces that affect competition: supllier power, power buyer, competitive rivalry, threat of substitution and threat of new energy.

Detailed analysis of interal.external factors in problem situation to provide practioner with information needed to assess organization.

A method used to ensure that a survey sample contains representatives of each subset in the population being studied, accoridng to the proportion of their representation in the universe.

Research that is somewhat subjective, using a problem or open-mineded, free-response format to investigate the value of programs or probe other questions, usually informal.

Gathering information for use in making decisions prior to a program or making adjustments in a program/plan during implementation.

An expression of an attitude. Public opinion is the composite of all people who make up a public.

Process of evaluating concepts, design, plan, implementative and effectiveness or a program. Used to learn what happened and why it happened.

Each person in a large group has an equal chance of being chosen.

People or groups of people who are mutually involved or interdependent with an organization

A bar chart that shows the visual ad linear direction of project tasks useful for tracking deadlines and monitoring a project's progress, as well as for planning and scheduling tasks.

Overall game plan. The overall concept, approach or general plan for the program designed to achieve the objectives. General, wel-thought-out tactical plans flow from strategy. Strategies do not indicate specific actions to achieve objectives. There can be multiple strategies for ach objectives.

Measurable result of change in action, attitude, awareness, behavior, opinion and/or support.

Collecting information that exists on the record, including historic documents, personal papers, journals, official records, etc.

The overarching reason why an organization came into existence and exists; a visionary statement that can guide an organization's purpose and planning for many years

Explores values or qualities; subjective. Deals with content. Needs good notes, thoroughness. Examples: Focus groups, informal surveys

In polling, a person who participates in a survey or poll by answering questions.

Used to clearly determine why the organization should conduct a particular PR program at a particular time.

The extent to which a survey, test or measuring procedure yields the same results on repeated trials.

A complete analysis of an organization's communications processes, both internal and external. Designed to reveal how an organization wants to be perceived by designated publics, what it is doing to foster that perception and how it is actually perceived.

Data collected before or at the beginning of a project or program. The data will be compared to data collected during and after program implementation in order to assess program effectiveness.

Measure of tools, tactics or activities supporting a plan or project

Investigation or data collected first-hand; or by a third party contracted specifically for the firsthand party. Research you do yourself. Examples: news interviews, observations, paper surveys

The key result that must be acheived with each public to reach the program goal. Specific milestones that measure progress toward acheivement of a goal.

Broad target for an end result. Statement that spells out the overall outcomes of a program, usually a more specific expression of a mission or purpose that is directly related to the problem or opportunity at hand. Always consistent with management goals.

Four things objectives should include

Questions answered in a problem statement

A study of publications, print and electronic media reports, speeches, and letters to measure, codify, analyze and/or evaluate the coverage of an organization, its people and its activities.

Comparison of one's products and services to those of competitors or those recognized as the "best in the industry" to identify standards for the improvement or superior performance.

A brief summary of the problem written in present tense, describing the situation

Quantitative research. Uses principles of scientificinvestigation such as the rules of empirical observation, random sampling in surveys, comparison of results against statistical standards, in order to replicate results. Can be replicated.

Less expensive quantitative research method involving piggybacking some questions on a research company's poll. Also called subscription studies.

Research that can be numerically stated or compared; may use statictical standards; highly objective and projectable; uses color-end or forced choice questions.

Individuals whose opinions are sought in a survey, broad or focused.

Collecting information that describes existing conditions, the status quo of individuals, group opinions, attitudes or behavior. Usually designed to test a theory or hypothesis.

Systematic gathering of information for the purpose of describing and understanding situations, ans checking out assumptions about public and PR consequences. It helps define the problem.

Involves predicting or establishing a desired future state; formulating a strategy for achieving the desired state.

Four-Step PR Plan Process

Differences among people within a group, stemming from variations in factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual preference, education, etc.

An inclination, often unconscious, to behave in a given way as a result of a spectrum of information, values, beliefs, experiences and persuasive messages.

The process of measuring and assessing risk and developing strategies to manage it.

In crisis PR planning, the determination of the chance of various occurences in order to take steps to handle such incidents in the order of their probability.

A portion of a larger whole; in polling, a relatively small group of individuals selected to represent a population, usually by means of random probability sampling techniques that allows for the calculation of the exact probability of such representation.

Unabridged collection of all that is known about situation, its history, forces operating on it and those involved or affected internally and externally. Contains all the background information needed to expand upon and illustrate in details the meaning of the problem situation.

Information oulled together to define a situation (e.g. hostory, factors affecting a situation, people involved, etc.). Contains all information needed to write a problem statement.

A problem-solving approach that gives planners a visual image of a problem by breaking the problem into progressively smaller parts. By examining factors that contribute to the problem, information relating to the problem and questions raised by the problem, communication experts can identify best solutions to respond to the many parts of a problem.

Helps managers analyze a particular problem by thinking through reasons a problem exists. Also know as Fishbone Diagrams.

The exact tools and activities used at the operational level. Specific ways to implement the strategy.

Refers to the degree to which a reserach study accurately assesses what the researcher set out to measure.

Gathering information as a way of monitoring a program to document the effectiveness of the whole program or its parts.

Uses research findings of others, or collects information secondhand. Previously reported/published information. Exampls: U.S. Census research.