Overview

This unit provides students with an understanding of Public Relation's role in reputation management, and it provides students with appropriate methodologies for this task

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-March-2026
31-May-2026
Last self-enrolment date
15-March-2026
Census date
31-March-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
21-April-2026
Results released date
07-July-2026

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
 

  1. Critically evaluate PR's role in corporate reputation management
  2. Analyse and identify ethical issues that arise in corporate reputation management
  3. Critically apply methodologies for dealing with issues, crisis and risk communication requirements
  4. Formulate reputation management through exploring a range of public relations sub- disciplines such as government and media relations

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Class		 2.00  12 weeks  24
Online
Lecture (asynchronous)		 1.00  12 weeks  12
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning		 9.50  12 weeks  114
TOTAL     150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Assignment and Presentation 2 Group  40%  1,2,3,4 
Case Studies Individual  30%  1,2 
Communication Plan Individual  30%  1,2,3,4 

Content

  • Public relations context, theories and models
  • The public relations environment
  • Public relations as reputation management
  • Ethical issues in reputation management
  • Critical perspectives on public relations
  • Sustainability strategies and corporate reputation
  • Managing issues
  • Communicating in crisis
  • Dealing with risks
  • Managing reputation across borders
  • Managing reputation online –  including in social media
  • Corporate identity and reputation management
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.