The one when Terence was late for his lecture

Sitting through the first lecture of any module (or course,as it is known in the university I'm enrolled in) can be quite the daunting task, even more so considering I walked right into the classrom after my classmates were notified of the ground rules - punctuality getting a bolder underscore.

Prior to stepping into class today, I did not know what to expect for my Public Relations lecture. Public Relations, or PR as it is more commonly known, did not seem like a module that warranted iMac-based tutorials held in the computer labs. Boy, was I to be proved wrong...

Sitting through this particular first lecture, for Public Relations, was an eye-opener rather than the expected shutout. I learnt that PR, as it is more commonly known, is more than just a 'product' of sorts that an organization sells to the public - a product that paints a perfect picture of the company and maintains the flawless connection between them and the general public.

Rather, PR can be the fine line between the attaining of a Forbes 50 status or receiving a bankruptcy order. Recently, a director of Liverpool FC, a British football club, was forced to resign and apologize to the public and fans of the club after a provocatively-explicit e-mail he sent to a concerned fan was leaked to the media. Tom Hicks Jnr sent out an abusive e-mail reply to Stephen Horner, a member of the 'Spirit of Shankly' supporters' group who sent a mail asking questions about the unfulfilled promises Hicks' father, Tom Hicks Snr, made to the club upon purchasing it.

With the fans of the club already unhappy at the running of the club and broken promises, which they believe is leading to the current slip in form on the footballing side of Liverpool, this was a PR disaster that alienated the directors even more from the supporters. As such, Tom Hicks Jnr had to resign and offer a public apology but even then so, supporters are still clamouring for the resignation of Hicks Snr and George Gillet, the co-owners of the club.


While the example above might not be the best representation of PR, I am confident that subsequent lessons, coupled with the online readings allocated to us, will help me obtain a far better understanding of this and stand me in good stead for the future. The lecturer (Tanya) has been brilliant so far, coming from the marketing industry herself, and fingers crossed, it'll be a good trimester!


Blogger....OUT!