pr

1. PR and the Media
Study Unit 3
Assessment of Public Relations Implications of
Management Plans and Decisions

2. Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:
 Understand the importance of issues management
 Be aware of the different steps in the issue's management
process
 Evaluating the impact of public relations on their own
organisation/clients and wider contexts
• What we anticipate seldom occurs. What we least expect generally happens.
(Benjamin Disraeli)

3. 3.1 Definition of Issue Management
• One definition of issues management in public relations is
defined as:
• “The monitoring or scanning of the organisational
environment in order to identify issues and trends, adapt to
changes, and/or to decide on managerial or communicative
actions aimed at creating mutual understanding with relevant
stakeholders.” Corporate Communication Research.
• In other words, issues management is a bridge between an
organisation and its stakeholders.

4. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
• Across any business, there are always problems that must be
analysed and resolved. Some are easy to deal with. While
other issues may have a substantial impact (both good and
bad) on customers, employees, partners, suppliers and
investors.
• Along with managing and resolving the actual problems,
management of the issues need to be communicated. Using
public relations is an effective way of handling the
management of these issues as part of an overall PR issues
management plan. And, of course, it can stop any issue
becoming a full-blown PR crisis too.

5. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
• How does issues management differ from crisis
management?
• Simply put, issues management is proactive; crisis
management is reactive.
• From a public relations and communications approach, it’s
important to know what you’re dealing with as crisis
management and issues management are different animals
and, consequently, they are dealt with in different ways.

6. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
• Issues management
• The key markers of issues management include:
a. Time to assess the situation and get ahead of it
b. Opportunity to explore all possibilities and make an informed
decision
c. Taking the most cost-effective plan of action
d. Managed during normal office hours so it’s business as usual
e. Can extend for months or years
f. No death, illness or injury
g. Someone at departmental level (rather than board level) is
authorised to sign off the response.

7. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
• Crisis management
• The key markers of crisis management include:
a. Need to make a decision on the spot without knowing all the
facts
b. Fewer options available to take and they decrease as the
crisis continues
c. Costs could be high
d. Daily crisis management activity could overwhelm the
business
e. A crisis will eventually end, but financial and reputational
impacts last
f. Can include injury, illness or death

8. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
g. Requires the input of an organisation’s leader such as the CEO
h. Will involve numerous stakeholders including customers,
team members and suppliers.
• Most businesses will recognise a PR crisis as it’s happening,
from product recalls and social media missteps to major
accidents and disasters and will — hopefully — have some
kind of plan to manage the crisis effectively.
• But a PR crisis can very often be averted, if an issues
management plan is in place and potential issues are
identified earlier in the cycle. And that’s an area for a PR
professional.

9. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
• So, what is an issue?
• An issue is a trend or condition that may significantly affect an
organisation’s operations over the period of its business plan.
These could be:
a. changing attitudes and behaviours, they could be
b. related to technology trends,
c. lack of resources, or
d. changes in legislation, all of which have a political, social and
economic effect.
• Early evaluation of the nature and direction of these trends is
key to successful PR issues management. Issues may present a
threat. Or they may present an opportunity.The skill of the

10. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
public relations professional is to evaluate the issue to
understand which one it is.
• Types of issues
• Issues are commonly described as having a five-stage lifecycle:
i. Early
ii. Emerging
iii. Current
iv. Crisis
v. Dormant
• By the time an issue has worked its way through the first three
stages and reached crisis point, it is much less manageable

11. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
and attracts way more attention. For PRs, successful issues
management is working within the first three stages.
• What external groups cause the issues?
• Any issues facing organisations are due to:
a. Government, bureaucrats and elected officials who,
unsurprisingly, are instigators of most issues, as they’re most
likely to be responsible for changes in legislation and policies.
b. Pressure groups that focus on a single issue (e.g., the
environment) and capture media attention are likely to cause
issues.

12. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
c. The general public, although to a much lesser degree than
the two above.
d. And the news media. The media doesn’t create or formulate
issues, but it does draw attention to them and shape popular
opinion. It can very quickly build pressure around an issue
(and equally, drop an issue). PR professionals need to
constantly evaluate and monitor how an issue is playing out.

13. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
• Monitoring the issues
• One way to do this is by monitoring the media and looking at
specific areas such as economic (e.g., how will an imminent
recession in the country where the client sources goods affect
prices?) regulatory (e.g., how will legislation in two years’ time
affect how the business operates?) or social trends (e.g., how
will growing environmental concerns affect how we travel and
consequently, the travel industry?).
• Traditional media is still seen as a prestigious source. But it’s
social media that’s been the game-changer as its more
immediate and has removed any guesswork around
stakeholder sentiment.

14. 3.1 Meaning of Issue Management
• Social media has made it easier for PRs t:
i. research and identify issues,
ii. monitor what’s said,
iii. work through a solution,
iv. then manage the issues more effectively and more
consistently.

15. 3.2 Public Relations Issues Management
• The importance of issues management
• The central challenge for organisations is to try and identify
future issues and respond with timely strategies and
programmes. According to Skinner and Mersham (2012),
Issues management is therefore an ‘early warning’ process
that enables management to:
• be better informed about the changes in the business
environment and to be more sensitive to the public
implications of business decisions
• demonstrate to stakeholders an understanding of the

16. 3.2 Public Relations Issues Management
organisation’s business and its impact on society (often simply
taken for granted)
• anticipate legislative and regulatory issues based upon
emerging and future policy and corporate issues
• lead business and industry initiatives
• become more active in external affairs and shape the political
development of issues and the outside view of the company
• avoid surprises, which cost money and time and put the
company’s reputation at risk.
• Issues management can also provide key marketing
opportunities (Skinner et al., 2016: 277).

17. 3.2 Public Relations Issues Management
• Typically, the corporate response to issues management is
reactive rather than proactive. Improved goodwill and
positive image could accrue from a proactive approach
where the organisation is seen to be leading the process in
consultation with other stakeholders such as government and
pressure groups. Thus, the emphasis should be on trend
analysis and proactive steps to obviate the onset of a crisis
(Skinner et al., 2016: 277).

18. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• There are essentially seven steps in the issue's management
process:
• STEP 1 – MONITORING
• Analyze the business environment.
• Scan and monitor what is being said, written and done by
public,media,interest groups. Government and other opinion
leaders.
• Consider what may impact on the company or its divisions.
• STEP 2 – IDENTIFICATION
• Assess from the business environment those elements that

19. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
are important.
• Look for a new pattern emerging from what people take for
granted.
• Identify the issue that impact on the company and are gaining
widespread support.
• What is the type of issue and where is it in its lifecycle?
• STEP 3 – PRIORITIZATION
• How far-reaching will an issue’s impact be (product
sector,company,industry)?
• Assess what

20. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• Assess what is at stake-Profit?Reputation?Freeedom of
action?
• What is the probability of occurrence?
• How immediate is the issue?
• STEP 4 – ANALYSIS
• Analyse the most important issues in some detail.
• Determine their probable impact on the company or its
divisions as precisely as possible.
• Establish issue support teams if appropriate.

21. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• Identify/rank stakeholders.
• STEP 5 – STRATEGY DECISION
• Create a strategic response and define the content of the
message.
• Identify the target groups.
• What are the company’s strategic options?
• What resources are needed?
• What specific actions should be taken? By whom?When?With
whom?
• Develop issue management communication plan and consider
timing.

22. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• STEP 6 – IMPLEMENTATION
• Implement the policies and programs approved by
management.
• Communicate the response effectively with each target group
in a credible form.
• Advocate the company position to prevent negative impacts
and encourage actions with beneficial effects.
• STEP 7 – EVALUATION
• Assess results
• Evaluate the success of policies and programs to determine
future strategies.

23. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• Capture lessons from failures and successes.
• As crises and issues are similar, they need the same approach:
1. Preparation, and
2. Handling.

24. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• Preparation:
i. What issues could hit us?
ii. Who are the stakeholders?
iii. How do we communicate with them?
iv. What are the messages?
v. What are the resources and facilities?
vi. Are spokespeople trained?
vii. Have we built bridges with our stakeholders?

25. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• Handling:
i. Assess the situation
ii. Select and assemble the communications team
iii. Decide on the strategy and plan
iv. Identify the audiences
v. Decide on the messages
vi. Brief the relevant people
vii. Centralise information
viii. Give reassurance
ix. Resist combat
x. Be flexible

26. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
xi. Think long term.
• We shall discuss crisis management in more detail in Unit 6.
• Refer to pages 277 to 278 in your prescribed textbook for a
comprehensive explanation of issues management.

27. 3.3 The Issues Management Process

28. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• Retrieved from: Survey of Public Relations Blog. 2015. From:
https://kcolley.wordpress.com/tag/problem-solving/.
Accessed on 26 January 2021.

29. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• What Is RACE In PR?
• RACE is an effective process to follow when developing a
strategic PR plan if you want to have a strong and mutually
beneficial relationship with your publics. The R.A.C.E process
encompasses the following 4 phases:
1. Research,
2. Action and planning,
3. Communication and relationship building and
4. Evaluation.

30. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• R - Research - finds out about:
 the situations facing your organization,
 how they came about,
 who is involved in them,
 how they relate to your organization's goals, and
 how you - as a public relations practitioner - can maximize the
benefit and/or minimize the harm they might do.

31. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• A - Action - uses your research findings to determine:
 the best course of action,
 plan your response, and then
 implement these plans.
• Some RACE proponents call this step "Assessment" instead of
action, but they invariably include the same activities.

32. 3.3 The Issues Management Process
• C - Communication - takes advantage of all available media
to deliver carefully-focused messages through the most
appropriate channels so they can have positive effects on
each of your organization's publics.
• E - Evaluation - analyzes what's been done during the first
three steps to see how it affected your publics and their
perception of your organization. Once this step is completed,
you return to the research step and begin the process again.

33. 3.4 Conclusion
• In this unit we looked at issue management and decision
making in issue management.
• Later on, in unit 6 we shall look at the types of crisis and
examples thereof.
• The public relations programme will be covered later on in
this module looking at the RACE model in detail.

34. 3.5 Revision Questions
• Answer the compulsory revision questions below.
1. What is strategy?
2. What is information management?
3. Discuss RACE and how it affects management decision
making? Does it allow for a holistic or limited amount of
information to be retrieved before implementing a campaign?