ALR704 Reputation Management

Report

Report Due: 22 May, 2024 8:00 PM
Word Count: 3,000 words (+/- 10 %)
Weighting: 60 per cent
Submit: To the CloudDeakin Tutorings dropbox
Tutoring extensions: Allowed up to 24 hours before the Tutoring is due. Requests must be made on CloudDeakin and adhere to Deakin's extension request policy. No request without relevant documents (such as a medical certificate) will be approved.
For students with a DRC Access Plan and/or using NIKERII Student Support services, additional reasonable adjustments to extensions between seven and up to fourteen days may be granted by the Unit Chair

Please note: This is an individual Tutoring. No use of generative AI, beyond simple editing of your work, is permitted. Students suspected of failing to abide by this direction will have their work sent to the Faculty Academic Progress and Integrity Committee.

Deakin has a range of services available to help you succeed. Two that will be particularly useful are:

• Study resources guide. Here you'll find out about getting support with your studies. Services include referencing help, building your academic skills and mentor support.
• Library resource guide. The guide has links to resources that will help you in your communications research. It has useful resources that will save you heaps of time.

Report topic/questions

Prepare a report that analyses one of the following two issues.

• Optus Mobile Phone outage on 8 November 
• A door plug falls off a Boeing 737 Max9

You should prepare this assessment in report format.

Your report will involve a detailed and systematic analysis based on techniques covered in this unit. This requires your personal use of the database Newsbank (and other databases available on the Deakin Library website), articulation of a clear method you used to retrieve and analyse articles, and demonstration that you followed the instructions to present and analyse findings.

Essential requirements to address in your report

Application of academic material from ALR704. Your report must demonstrate an ability to identify, apply and link theories, models, and concepts outlined in this unit. A minimum of six academic sources is required; four must be unit readings.

Crisis typology

You must determine the type of crisis they experienced. Use academic literature to support the type of crisis. As a minimum, use Coombs (2007) to identify the type of crisis.

Media visibility

Identify the media visibility of your organisation/individual/crisis. You must clearly articulate the date range you used for your Newsbank search and the keywords you used.

Search Newsbank - please see: Using Newsbank

Newsbank is a database accessible from Deakin Library. Use the search tools to collect your data set (media articles).

The information you retrieve will help you prepare sections of your results such as your lifecycle diagram and a separate graph to show visibility.

• Plot the timeline of events on a Lifecycle diagram (use Hainsworth (1990) and Register and Larkin (2008) for a template).
• Your Lifecycle diagram (and the curve you draw) will be informed by your Newsbank search.
• Annotate your Lifecycle diagram ensuring you reference it accurately.
• Create a graph identifying the number of media articles.

Stakeholder impact/sentiment

Identify who the crisis impacted (the stakeholders).

How did stakeholders react/respond to the crisis? When using social media as evidence, clearly articulate how and why you selected specific social media posts to include/analyse and additional websites/resources. Accurately reference all inclusions.

Crisis response

Discuss how the crisis evolved, and how information was communicated (by stakeholders and the organisation/individuals) and critically analyse how the organisation responded. As a minimum, use Coombs (2007) and Doorley and Garcia (2020) to identify the response strategy.

• Describe the response(s) and use academic literature to analyse the timing and response strategy (or strategies) used.
• Identify policies in place by the organisation that address factors such as corporate social responsibility, codes of conduct etc...
• What did your case organisation do to repair their relationship with stakeholders?
• Based on your analysis, was the organisational response satisfactory; explain.

Recommendations

• Discuss what the organisation has done to rectify/rebuild since the crisis.
• Based on your analysis, how could the organisational response be improved and/or, how can the organisation move forward?
• What measures or strategies should they enact; why?

Resources to assist:

Please refer to the topic notes, FAQs and references provided throughout the trimester to guide you. Within each section of your report, there is an opportunity to apply ALR704 literature/materials.

Academic style/audience/research

Prepare your case analysis as a report. Your report is being prepared for academic purposes (an academic audience) and will demonstrate your ability to use academic literature to support your analysis. You are required to appropriately source and reference material used in the writing of your report, according to academic standards.

You must write using academic style: https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study-support/academic-skills/academic-

APA7-style referencing: https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study-support/referencing

• Any image or figure included must be accompanied by a Figure number, title and source.
• Any table included must be accompanied by a Table number, title and source.
• Write in paragraphs.
• Use third person (do not use 'I' or  'We').
• Assembling a selection of Google or Wikipedia articles/facts for your selected case will not sufficiently meet the criteria.

Plagiarism, reusing your own work and other academic integrity issues

Education systems around the world treat plagiarism issues differently. At Deakin, it is a serious issue and you must understand how to correctly cite your work (using APA7 referencing in this unit). If you are new to studying at Deakin, it is advisable that you carefully review Deakin's recommendations about Academic Integrity.

Please also note that you are not permitted to re-use any part of a previous Tutoring from a different unit (or even the same unit, if you are repeating it) or any part of an Tutoring submitted to another institution without first getting written permission from your Unit Chair. Depending on the task, the Unit Chair has the right to permit or decline the request.

The following details form part of the assessment instructions. 

Title Page

Include your name, student number and the course you are studying.

Table of Contents

Number sections/corresponding page numbers - this is on a separate page.

Introduction

Set the scene and give some background information about the topic. State the aim/purpose of the investigation and outline the sections in the body of the report.

Body of the report

Include numbered headings and subheadings.

Conclusion

Reinforce/summarise what you have presented in the body section and tie these together to form an argument. You should not be presenting new information in the conclusion. You may return to discuss the background/context of the topic, if relevant.

Recommendations

Based on your findings, present a minimum of three recommendations outlining best practices.

References

The reference list should only include the sources you have included in your report (in-text citations). ▪ APA7 referencing is required: https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/study-resources/referencing

Appendices

Use screenshots and/or photos to capture evidence. Each separate appendix item requires a letter (e.g., Appendix A), title and source.

Formatting

• In English
• Size 12 font
• 1.5 spacing
• ‘Normal’ margins settings (2.54cm)
• Page numbers, student name and ID in the footer
• Submit as an MSWord Document
• Grammar, Spelling and Word count check.

Referencing

• APA7-style referencing: https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study-support/referencing
• Minimum of four (4) academic references.
• The reference list is not included in the word count. In-text references are included in the word count.
• The reference list must appear at the end of your report and should only include the sources you have included in your report (in-text citations).

Submission

• Online via CloudDeakin.
• Your report will be submitted via the 'Assessment' tab located at the top of the screen. Once you successfully upload your report, you should receive a submission receipt to your Deakin student email address. Please allow plenty of time before the submission deadline to troubleshoot.

Word Count

• Your title page, table of contents and appendices are not included in the word count.
• The appendices are not included in your word count.
• The word count is +/- 10%

Resources

Topic guides, class notes and additional materials provided via the ALR704 CloudDeakin site provide guidance towards relevant readings and digital resources.

At this level of study, the suggested material should be seen as the minimum you should access. You are expected to undertake your own literature search. A review of relevant literature to support your discussion is expected.

How will you be marked?

The following criteria will be considered:

• Report formatting - as per the instructions
• Research and analysis - Introduction and background and media analysis. Accurate representation of results.
• Application of academic concepts and theories - Understanding and application of relevant literature, demonstration of analytical thinking and justified recommendations
• Referencing, clarity, grammar and structure

For a general understanding of the weighting of each element see the rubric template available in the assessment folder. Naturally, the elements in the rubric are all dependent on you writing relevant content. For example, an outstanding written report on K Pop will not receive a grade of 25 per cent if it is referenced well, is clear and so on...