HOS 4535: Public Relations in the Hospitality Industry

Transcription

1 HOS 4535: Public Relations in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry Course Description and Objectives HOS 4535 is an overview of the basic principles of public relations as applied to various sectors of the hospitality industry (lodging, restaurants, attractions, and local and regional organizations that promote constituent members). This course introduces students to concepts and successful practices. Assignments reinforce textbook principles and useful practices. Students will learn to identify promotional opportunities for their entities, write an effective news release, develop a basic fact sheet for attracting media interest, and learn about various media that may be helpful. The final assignment will be the development of a public relations plan incorporating the principles and practices learned, focusing on the student's particular area of interest. When you have completed this course, you will be able to: identify the principles of effective public relations apply effective public relations principals to the hospitality industry. This course syllabus provides the information you will need to get started, including the course requirements and links to the lessons. Required Textbook See course description for an up to date list of materials. Course Requirements Written Assignments Each of the ten lessons has a written assignment. The first eight of these assignments count as 50 percent of the course grade. The last two assignments comprise your final project, which counts as 50 percent of the course grade. As your final project, you will first prepare a complete public relations plan and then set out an evaluation plan to measure the success of your plan. You must receive a passing grade on the final project to receive credit for the course. Submit your written assignments according to the following instructions. Please proofread your work and keep a copy for your records. Your assignments must be double spaced and submitted as

2 attached Word files. If you do not have Word, save the file as a rich text format (.rtf) file. Use the Submit Your Assignment button at the end of each Written Assignment to submit your assignment. This button provides you with an message that is pre addressed to me and to Student Services at the Friday Center. Attach the file containing your assignment to that e mail. You may also copy and paste your assignment into the body of the . All assignments must have the following information in the subject line of the e mail: SPC HOS 4535 Lesson # and your name (example: SPC HOS 4535 Lesson 3 Jim Smith). This is essential for the Friday Center to keep track of your assignments. Online Resources Useful Web sites Some lessons include a section called Web Links, where I provide links to useful Web sites that are related to the topics we have covered. A note about websites: Web sites are constantly updated and sometimes redesigned. If I refer to you an item on a Web site and you cannot find it, please me. I will update these course pages as I become aware of changes. UNC library resources Students enrolled in Self paced Studies can access online library resources from UNC Libraries at Library Services for Distance Education Students. This site includes information on using general online reference works as well as accessing e reserves.the UNC library staff is available to assist any students who have difficulties accessing online library resources. If you encounter difficulties, please report your problem by visiting this web page for reporting a problem. How to Proceed Since this course is not held in a classroom, I will probably never meet you in person. Still, I would like to know something about you so that I can associate each e mail message from you with something more than a screen name. Therefore, your first task is to send me a Personal Information Sheet: Save this Word Document to your hard drive (or copy and paste from this Web page into your word processing program), fill it out, and attach it to an e mail to me. This also gives us a chance to make sure our lines of communication are working. When you have reviewed the information on this home page: Click on the Lesson 1 link at the bottom of this page or in the list of Lessons. Read the lesson objectives to get an idea of what you will cover in the lesson. Complete the reading assignment from the textbook. Read the lesson notes. Check out the links to websites I have provided in the Web Links section. Complete the written assignment.

3 You will then be ready to submit your assignment. You will follow this procedure for each lesson in the course. Contacting Your Instructor I hope you enjoy and gain much useful information from this course. Please contact me any time with questions or comments. Good luck! Honor Code You are bound by the Honor Code: It shall be the responsibility of every student to obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University students or academic personnel acting in an official capacity. Course Mechanics Library Services Students enrolled in Self paced Courses can request library services so that they use the UNC Distance Education Library Services to access a wide array of online services and resources including online databases, online dictionaries, online books, and live help with research and library access. Most online resources require you to log in with an ID and password. If you have any trouble finding the resource that you need or logging in to a resource, you can contact the library through the contact information at Distance Education Library Services. You can chat live about your problem, or send an to request assistance. is the primary means of communication in this online course, so it is essential that I have your correct address. Send changes in your address to both me and Student Services. If you use an Internet service (such as hotmail.com, msn.com, or yahoo.com), the submit buttons and links in this course may not work for you. It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send to me via . If I don t receive your work, you must have a copy of the with the attached file, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent s, as there is no way to guarantee that any message will be delivered. Please check your software to see how it manages sent and saved messages. Some software automatically deletes messages one month after they have been sent; others only save messages if they are filed in folders; others save messages received but not those sent. You may need to send yourself a copy of your ed assignment at the same time you send it to me, or you may need to print a copy of the message and any attachments to keep in your paper files. No matter how

4 your system works, make sure you know how to save a copy of all work that you submit to me and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course. Browser Tips If you are encountering difficulties viewing the course web pages in Sakai, refer to the Browser Tips page, accessible via the left hand navigation bar. Other Questions If you have questions about: a problem with Sakai, your Internet connection, your browser, and so on, contact the UNC Help desk. Help is available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. the course material or your progress in the course, contact me (your instructor). Please include SPC HOS 4535 in the subject line of your . problems with the course lesson pages, such as bad links, contact the instructional designer at the Friday Center. enrollment, Onyen, passwords, credits, withdrawal, and so on, contact Student Services at the Friday Center for Continuing Education (phone or ). Lessons Begin by clicking the link for Lesson 1 in the left hand column. Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6 Lesson 7 Lesson 8 Lesson 9 The Practice of Public Relations What is the practice of public relations? Why is it effective? How does the practice of public relations differ from advertising? A Brief History of Public Relations Historians and archeologists have found evidence that kings and emperors from the earliest Greek, Roman, and medieval civilizations employed operatives to create and spread rumors favorable to the government, much as present politicians do. Competitive Public Relations in the Hospitality Industry What PR principles are unique to the hospitality industry? What media are most practical and effective? Public Relations and the Law Reaching Your Audience The Message A succinct message that articulates the solution to the problem is an essential component of a successful public relations effort. Handling a Crisis Introducing the Public Relations Plan A comprehensive public relations plan defines the problem, conceives a solution, and articulates an effective message targeted to the most appropriate audience. Writing the Public Relations Plan Develop a public relations plan for your specific area of interest.

5 Lesson 10 Evaluating the Public Relations Plan Online Course Evaluation: Please take a moment to share your comments with us. We want to know if this course met your needs and expectations. The University of North Carolina Send comments and questions to fridaycenter@unc.edu.