Issue statement template – part 1
An issue is a topic on which there are:
1. Two or more strongly opposing arguments:
What are these arguments?
Who holds the opinions that have lead to these arguments?
How do you know this? Where have you found proof?
2. Emotional involvement of many people:
Who is emotionally involved? How do you know?
3. Concern that the decision will have an impact on people’s lives:
What concerns have been expressed? Whose lives are expected to be impacted or affected?
Where have these concerns been expressed? By whom?
Now you know what the issue is all about. Move on to complete the rest of the template.
Issue statement template – part 2
According to Broom and Sha (2013, pp.268-269) your issue statement must contain information reflecting the answers to the following questions. Use the information you have prepared above to answer them.
- What is the source of concern?
- Where is this a problem?
- When is it a problem?
- Who is involved or affected?
- How are they involved or affected?
- Why is this a concern to the organisation?
- Why is this a concern to its publics?
Summarise these answers below:
ALL issue statements for use in this unit – including the one in the report assignment – must include the following:
This issue is affecting the relationships of [organisation name] with [list key public/s here]
This is important to the organisation because
Topics for you to choose from
For the report, choose ONE of the following topics to analyse, adopting the organisational perspective specified:
Issue 1: Mineral and Energy Resources (Common Provisions) Bill 2014?The Mineral and Energy Resources (Common Provisions) Bill 2014 (Qld) (Common Provisions Bill) was introduced to Queensland Parliament on 5 June 2014 by the Minister for Energy and Resources. The general purpose of this legislation is to streamline application processes by mining companies to access private land, and to reduce vexatious complaints against such applications. Among other provisions, it states that people cannot oppose mining activity unless they own affected land.?You work for the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) which supports the Bill.
Issue 2: Tigers in zoos?The keeping of Big Cats in confinement has long been a topic for discussion. Recent events in zoos around the world have focused international attention on the issue again. Is it safe to keep animals like this in captivity? Is it appropriate or ethical??You work for Australia Zoo in Queensland.
Issue 3: Electricity prices in Queensland?The Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) announced that electricity bills on the standard domestic tariff would rise by 13.6 per cent last month, bringing the total increase over the past three years to over 50%. ?You work for the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCSS).
Issue 4: The $7 GP co-payment proposed in the recent federal budget.
You work as an adviser to the Abbott government.
EXTRACT FROM THE ASSESSMENT GUIDE
Brief description: Write a report on one of the organisations and issues from the list of options provided. Include discussions of
• Who your organisation’s stakeholders are
• The public relations issue your organisation is facing
• The publics this issue creates
• The mutual significance of organisation, publics, and issue.
Step-by-step guide to preparing Assignment 2: Report
• Refer to the list of organisations and issues offered by your lecturer. These will be made available to you in lectures and tutorials, and under the Assessment tab on the BB site. Choose ONE as the focus of your report.
• Provide a report that demonstrates your knowledge of key concepts in this unit by identifying and discussing your organisation’s stakeholders; describing and analysing the issue from a public relations perspective; and discussing the publics that are created by this issue.
• You will need to begin your analysis of each of the three elements (stakeholders, issue and publics) with a discussion of a scholarly definition of each element. You should use this definition to frame your analysis. Please read the CRA for more information on this.
• In order to help you structure the content for this assignment, try addressing the following questions in your report:
• Who is your organisation, who are its stakeholders, and why do they matter to your organisation? Hint: Lecture 1 content will help here.
• From a public relations perspective, what is the issue facing your organisation and why does it matter to your organisation? Hint: Understanding issues from a public relations perspective will be covered in lectures (especially in Lecture 2) and tutorials.
• Who are your organisation’s publics in priority order? Why do they matter to your organisation? Hint: Lecture 2 content will be significant here.
• What is the connection between all three elements (organisation, issue, publics)? Hint: Going back to Lecture 2 will help here too.
• You will need a brief introduction and a conclusion as well, and all content should be presented within the 2000 word limit. It’s up to you to work out how many words go in each section.
• Note that the word count is calculated by clicking on the word ‘Introduction’ in your report, and highlighting ALL content through to the last word before the heading ‘References’. The total thus indicated is your word count and should be between 1800 and 2200 words.
• There should not be any need to include appendices in this assignment. However, if you do choose to include them then you should be aware that they must not contain information that you need to address the requirements of the CRA sheet. Appendices do not count toward the word limit, but the trade-off is that they cannot contain information that has to be marked to help you meet the elements of the CRA. To make it simple, imagine that your appendices will not be read by your marker: will they still have all the information they need to work out whether you have addressed the criteria?
This assessment item should be presented using report format. More information will be provided to help you do this. You should prepare your work in Word or an equivalent program (NOT a pdf please).