Assessment 3
CASE STUDY
Document design
Memo format
Due Date
Friday 11th May 9.00AM (QLD time)
Length
1000 words (+/- 10%)
Weight
25%
Assessment task
The objective of Assessment 3 is to understand the concept of ‘analysis’ and learn how to analyse information efficiently and effectively using a case study. According to Rosenwaser and Stephen (2009, p. 4), analysis is:
More than just a set of skills, analysis is a frame of mind, an attitude toward experience. It is a form of detective work that typically pursues something puzzling, something you are seeking to understand rather than something you are already sure you have the answers to.
Analysis finds questions where there seemed not to be any, and it makes connections that might not have been evident at first.
A business case study ‘is a description of an actual situation, commonly involving a decision, a challenge, an opportunity, a problem or an issue faced by a person (or persons) in an organization’ (Erskine, J.A. and Leenders, M.R., Learning with Cases, © 1997, Richard Ivey School of Business).
Cases contain relevant data about the issue available to the key person in the case, plus background information about the organisation.
The Qantas social media disaster
Companies around the globe are embracing and adopting social media for many different reasons, including: customer service, marketing, internal communications, public relations, and corporate social responsibility. It is now a reality that social media is changing the way stakeholders and companies communicate daily, providing opportunities for collaboration, participation, interactivity, and engagement.
Your task is to analyse a business case study that chronicles one of the worst years for Qantas. In 2011 Qantas faced a communication strategy that spiraled out of control. According to Australia’s public relations watchdog, PRdisasters.com, Qantas not only finished 2011 with the biggest PR disaster but three of its slip-ups made the top 10 list for 2011. The top 10 list of PR disasters in Australia for 2011 can be obtained at the following website: https://prdisasters.com/2012/01/09/australias-2011-pr-disasters-awards-announced/.
This case places you directly into the role of Olivia Wirth, executive of Government and Corporate affairs at Qantas Airlines, who must devise a plan of action to respond to the company’s failed and publicly scrutinised social media contest through Twitter.
You need to apply analytical, decision-making, creativity and communication skills to create an effective strategy for Qantas management to implement. You also need to take into consideration the series of events that have compounded over the past years to negatively affect the public’s perception of Qantas. In response to the company’s failed Twitter contest and mounting public animosity, what course of action should Olivia Wirth recommend to Qantas management?
Please follow these guidelines to complete the assessment:
1. Carefully read the Ivey Business School case: 'Qantas Airlines: Twitter Nosedive'. Note: you will need to go onto the Ivey Business School website https://www.iveycases.com/ and purchase a copy of this case (approximately A$5.00).
2. Read the case several times and answer the following questions in your analysis/ recommendation(s):
a. What future actions can Qantas take to build a positive public perception of the brand? Be prepared to provide justification for your recommended actions.
b. Identify three important factors for an organisation to consider when using social media, such as Twitter, for contest or other public relations initiatives. Use 3-5 secondary sources to support your analysis.
c. Using the Communication Plan Template in the case (see Exhibit TN-1), devise a course of action for Olivia Wirth to recommend to Qantas management.
Some important guidelines to consider when developing a recommended course of action:
• The different stages of the communication plan template must fit together, if they do not, adjustments must be made.
• The communication plan should be realistic and feasible.
• The various problems that Qantas has experienced publically over the past year must be taken into account.
2. Please be aware that the writing quality and appropriate referencing will be marked as well as the content.
4. Submit Assessment 3 to Turnitin via the Blackboard site no later than the due date: Monday 4th June 2018, 9.00am (QLD time).
5. Refer to the Marking Criteria Guide and Marking Rubric.
PRIOS/CDT brief for Assessment 3:
a. Purpose: In response to Qantas' failed Twitter contest and mounting public animosity, develop a course of action Olivia Wirth can recommend to Qantas management.
b. Reader: Qantas management (author: Olivia Wirth).
c. Information: Based on secondary sources.
d. Organisation: Direct order approach.
e. Style: Formal. Be sure to proofread carefully to ensure that there are no sentence-level errors such as spelling mistakes, wrong word choice, incorrect punctuation, etc.
f. Channel choice: written document.
g. Document design: Memo format.
h. Length: 1000 words.
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