share coffee, pastry, news, and love

 

 

1. Definition of research and evaluation

Research is the controlled, objective and systematic gathering of information for the purpose of describing and understanding. In other words, it is the scientific approach to answering questions, providing more reliable answers in most situations than authority, personal experience, and historical precedent. People who do research want to know something, to understand what is happening. They want to learn in such a way, however, that they themselves have confidence in the answers and that others will accept the answers as valid and reliable. As a result, the researcher has confidence that the findings accurately reflect reality, not just the researcher’s perception of reality.

 

Evaluation is determining the worth of something. It happens all the time and in all programs. What is really needed, however, is evaluation research to add objective feedback on program impact to the subjective assessment and informal research now used to judge program effectiveness. Evaluation research uses scientific procedures to collect, analyze, and interpret information to help determine the worth of something. The emphasis here is on “help” because research findings are only one of many factors that go into deciding the worth of public relations effort. At the most general level, evaluation uses information from many sources—including research findings—and judgment. Judgment also includes a large number of factors—past experience, perceived constrains, values, and even estimates of what important others think about the program.

 

1. The role of research in PR

One of the most important roles of PR is in policy formulation. The basis is an understanding of what the public is thinking or feeling. This is a primary function. The principle role is to act as listening posts in which research is a major tool.

Benefits of a research:

a. To understand what the problem. The problem should be thoroughly understood and research is the best tool for developing the understanding.

b. To create a PR program to deal with the problem. The research will serve as a test to see whether your program is making the difference. This test will serve to fine-time the program to see whether it needs to be improved.

c. To see if you have solved the problem or you have been overwhelmed by a new problem.

Conclusion: A research has a crucial role to play in every step in the understanding of problem, creation of the program, and monitoring of the outcome of that problem.

 

1. The need for research and evaluation

Today’s PR practitioner operates in a challenging and shifting environment. Private and public sector organizations face growing pressure to be more accountable. They are subject to an unprecedented level of public and media scrutiny and, with the proliferation of media and free movement of traffic on the internet, are often confused about the nature, identity and location of their target audiences. In this context, it has never been more crucial to properly plan and target campaigns—yet time and time again organizations are willing to waste money with a scattergun approach.

 

1. Why measure PR?

PR is about helping organizations achieve success in their business or public services role. PR does that by helping to build relationships between organizations and their audiences and stakeholders. Measurement helps companies manage those relationships effectively. Expenditure on PR and measurement is an important should be more than simply a demonstration of PR effectiveness. It should be an inseparable part of the planning process of every PR campaign.

Because measurement of PR effectiveness is an aid to planning and decision making, it tells you what worked and what didn’t, and what to do differently next. Thus it can save time and money.

It is widely advocated that an equivalent of 10 per cent of the PR budget should be allocated to research and evaluation.

 

1. Using research to plan program

An accurate description of the setting for most PR work is that few situations are simple and the only constant is change. The more complex and dynamic your organization’s environment becomes, the more important it is to use research for planning PR programs. New publics form around new issues. Coalitions of publics tip the balance of power on old issues. Old publics split as interest change. About the time you think you understand what is happening, things change. In short, PR operates in an unsettled and untidy setting.

A research is essential for planning a PR program to provide the information necessary for

1. Defining the problem

2. Identifying the publics

3. Writing the goals and objectives

4. Selecting the program strategies

Note: without a solid foundation of research, decisions are made on the basis of individual intuition and experience. Even the collective intuition and experience of the management team is no substitute for research findings that describe the specific condition affecting the relationship between an organization and its publics.

Creative and artistic decisions employing all the intuition and experience you can invite are then made in the context of a strategic plan based on research.

 

1. Using research to monitor program

You use research to document and monitor the program. Certainly, your need to document the program for accountability motivates the research, but your primary purpose is to track program implementation in order to make needed program adjustment. Documentation produces an accurate record of what was done, where it was done, when it was done, and to whom it was done, so that you later describe exactly what the program included. Documentation also systematically calls your attention to how the program is being implemented and how closely it conforms to the strategic plan. Monitoring, along with measures of who the program is reaching with what effects, provides the basis for modifying the plan.

 

There are two uses of research for monitoring program implementation. First, the performance of program staff is documented for later evaluation along with program impact or effectiveness. Second, the program activities themselves are monitored for the purpose of detecting implementation problems that call for program adjustment.

In short, research is used to monitor PR programs in order to make adjustment and to do document what was being implemented.

Why wait until the program is complemented to do research? If you do, isn’t it often too late to make changes if it is not working? If you use research to monitor the program in progress, then you avoid the risk of wasting resources that do little to change the problem situation.

 

1. Using research to evaluate program

Evaluation is determining the worth of something. It happens all the time and in all programs. But what is really needed is evaluation research. Evaluation research uses scientific procedures to collect, analyze, and interpret information to help determine the worth of something.

The emphasis here is on “help” because research findings are only one of many factors that go into deciding the worth of public relations effort. At the most general level, evaluation uses information from many sources—including research findings—and judgment. Judgment also includes a large number of factors—past experience, perceived constrains, values, and even estimates of what important others think about the program. So rather than mislead you by suggesting that research findings are omnipotent when it comes to program evaluation, we want to be candid about the complexity of both the evaluation context and task. But, if you don’t have the power and authority to assert and make stick your individual assessment of program worth, then it is rational to approach program evaluation as an applied research task. The research assessment is to find empirical evidence to replace or rebut assertions about what the program did or did not accomplish.

 

1. Using research to plan, monitor and evaluate program

If you use research to plan, monitor, and evaluate programs, you add to your understanding of what works and what does not work under various conditions. In other words, through a series of field experiments, you test and revise your working theory. Impact measures also provide the information needed to help judge program effectiveness and efficiency. In the long term, what you learn from each field experiment adds to the body of knowledge guiding your practice and increases your professional competence. In the short term, you learn how well and why your program worked.

 

1. What’s the different between qualitative and quantitative research?

There are 3 broad categories of research which can be used as an aid to evaluation: 

1. Formative research to help program development, to establish measures for assessment or progress, and to refine objectives.

2. Diagnostic research to provide measure of progress, or to modify activities, if necessary, during program implementation.

3. Evaluation research to establish whether or not results have been achieved per objective.

 

Qualitative research : A subjective, in-depth study probing people’s attitudes and behaviour patterns. Qualitative research can be conducted through discussion groups or on a one-to-one basis. It is invaluable for moving understanding of communications issues from the preconceptions of the client and PR practitioner to the reality of what the target audience actually believes. Such information is useful to feed in to the planning process to define the communications issues and to test concepts and materials. It requires a skilled researcher to conduct and analyze the results. Qualitative research is often “teamed” with quantitative research, the latter adding statistical validity to qualitative findings.

Quantitative research : An objective study in which the same questions are asked of a representative sample of a defined population—such as all UK adults or mobile phone users. Qualitative research is often used to identify issues that can be measured or validated through quantitative research. As a representative sample of 200 might be sufficient; for others, 1000 might be needed to provide reliable results. A professional researcher will advise on sample size.

 

Note: Qualitative and quantitative research is examples of primary or original research.

Qualitative and quantitative research:

1. Each has its strength and weaknesses

2. Each has different approaches to scientific observations.

3. In qualitative /intensive observation, only a few cases are examined, but in great detail

4. In quantitative/extensive observation, a large number of cases are examined but not in great detail.

 

The differences;

Qualitative

1. Intensive Observation and Useful to define PR problems.

2. A few cases are examined and has Soft Data

3. examined in great detail and Unstructured

4. difficult to achieve reliable sampling and Explotary

5. Inspire little confidence and Valid but less reliable

 

Quantitative

1. extensive observation but Useful to represent majority.

2. A large number of cases and has Hard data

3. Examined in general form so it is Highly structured

4. Suited for representative sampling and Explanatary

5. Sufficient number, permit confidence and also Valid and reliable

 

1. The 6 stages of PR planning program

1. Appreciating the situation

2. Define the Objectives

3. Define the Public

4. Media selection and Technique

5. Gantt Chart and Budgetting

6. Result assessment Evaluation

 

 

1. The 5 steps of PR planning program

1. Audit

2. Objectives

3. Strategy & plans

4. Measurement & Evaluation

5. Result

 

1. Communication Audit

Is a broad scale, loosely structured research exercise, which examines the effectiveness of communications within organizations and between organizations and groups outside.