8/8/2019 Foundation award assessment -October 09[1]

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CIPR Foundation Award in Public Relations

Assessment October 2009

Instructions and rubric:

A period of 3 hours (180 minutes) is allowed for this assessment, and you should

manage your time carefully to ensure you have answered all parts in full. Guidance on

time to be spent on each part is provided.

Guidance is provided on the expected length of each answer. Work that is

significantly more or less than this word count will be penalised.

Each part of the assignment is worth one-third of the available marks.

Aim:To assess understanding of the profession of public relations and abilities in key

writing skills.

Objective:To enable students to demonstrate understanding of key concepts and

practices involved relating to the profession of public relations.

Candidates must provide answers for all three parts of this paper:

PART A Word count Time

allowance

Heath & Coombs (2006) write: Advertising, marketing and

public relations are different, but they overlap. Write a report

that, in the context of this statement:

1. Defines the following three terms: public relations, marketing,

advertising.

250 words 20 minutes

2. Explains the role of a public relations consultancy. 250 words 20 minutes

3. Describes a real life example illustrating how public relations

differs from advertising

250 words 20 minutes

Reference:

Heath, R.L. & T.W. Coombs, (2006) Todays Public Relations, Sage

Heather Yaxley 2009

8/8/2019 Foundation award assessment -October 09[1]

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PART B write an essay that presents arguments for and

against one of the following statements:

Word count Time

allowance

(i) Structured learning (qualifications and training courses) is

essential to PR practitioners continuous professionaldevelopment

or

(ii) Codes of conduct (specified by professional PR bodies, such

as the CIPR) set out clear rules for responsible PR practice.

750 words 60 minutes

PART C complete both tasks Word count Time

allowance

You are the PR executive for a family-run business, Nature Parks,

and have been asked to announce the development of a network

of new environmentally sensitive family holiday villages. Each

costs 3m to build, and subject to achieving planning permission,

the first will open on a 24 hectare site in Richmouth early in

2010.

The Richmouth site will offer 250 sustainably-sourced,

architecturally-designed timber lodges located within a woodland

conservation area for plants and wildlife. Chairman, SpencerReynolds is planning a range of activities for holidaymakers

staying at Nature Parks that will be sensitive to the natural

environment and encourage an active, healthy lifestyle.

During the building phase Nature Parks will employ local

tradesmen. Once open, the park will employ 150 local staff.

Nature Parks seeks to bring ecological, social and economic

benefits to the area. Ten percent of annual profits from the

venture will be spent on local community projects, estimated at

50,000 in the first year.

Task 1: Based on this information, write a one page press

release from Nature Parks targeting the local Richmouth

newspaper that will accompany a photograph.

Your release should clearly identify a human interest angle;include an interesting headline, newsworthy first paragraph anda suitable quote.

500 words

(including

notes to

editors)

50 minutes

Task 2: Outline your idea for the photograph that will be sent to

accompany your press release

200 words 10 minutes

Heather Yaxley 2009