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Brighton Business School
Undergraduate Programmes
BA(Hons) Business Management
BSc(Hons) Business Management with Marketing
BA(Hons) International Business
Level Six Examination
May 2015
MK389: Principles and Practices of Public Relations
Instructions to candidates:
Time allowed: 2 Hours
Rubric: You are required to answer any THREE questions from a total of SIX
All questions carry equal marks
Nature of examination: Unseen Paper/Seen Case Study
Please note that you will NOT be allowed to bring the case study into the examination room
with you. A clean copy is provided with the examination paper.
Allowable material: None
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MK389: Principles & Practices of Public Relations
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You are required to answer any THREE questions out of the six below. All question carry equal
marks.
Question 1
Using the attached case study (Cisco in the Coyote Valley) please draft a media statement on
behalf of Cisco addressing one of the key issues which are contained - or implied - in the brief.
Include a note stating which key stakeholders you are specifically addressing via this release and
why you believe this group is important.
Question 2
Can Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) still play a major role in establishing corporate
reputation? Please illustrate your answer with reference to both relevant academic literature and
at least one organisation of which you have knowledge.
Question 3
Using the attached case study (Cisco in the Coyote Valley) please draft an internal
communications (IC) plan to cover the major employee information requirements. Refer to
academic writings to justify your suggestions.
Question 4
Can Internal Communication (IC) be regarded as an adjunct to motivational management? Please
include academic models and theories in your answer and relate it to at least two organisations.
Question 5
Can the use of a Public Relations consultancy be viewed as adding value to the strategic direction
of an organisation? Illustrate your answer with reference to academic models and to at least one
organisation of which you have knowledge.
Question 6
How can a working knowledge of media management be helpful to organisations facing a
reputational crisis? Apply relevant academic literature to your answer.
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MK389: Principles & Practices of Public Relations
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Case Study Cisco in the Coyote Valley
Cisco Systems, based in San Jose, California, is a worldwide leader in high technology business
including hardware for the internet including routers, servers, switches and cables. The company
employs about 35,000 people globally 40% of whom work in or near corporate headquarters in the
Silicon Valley.
Cisco has rapidly outgrown its current offices however and now wishes to construct a huge
industrial complex in the Coyote Valley, a semi-rural area just outside San Jose. This largely
undeveloped site is a mixture of orchards and oak-studded grasslands punctuated by several
creeks.
Cisco’s plan called for construction of a $1 billion campus to house 20,000 employees with parking
spaces for 22,000 vehicles. It set aside 270 acres as open space and a further 90 aces for
landscaping and recreation. Cisco pledged to invest $122 million in public roads and a fire station
in what it proposed to call “Cisco City”.
Cisco’s plan was praised by the San Jose Chamber of Commerce who believed that Cisco’s
investment would “not only pay for itself but also a lot more”. The plan was also supported by trade
unions in the construction industry and by many local politicians on the grounds that it would bring
jobs and tax revenue to the area.
The local community however is divided. In the immediate vicinity there was support. The president
of a local neighbourhood association was quoted in the local media as saying that “Cisco will add
value to our neighbourhood and help to improve services for all residents”.
Outside the city, opposition flared up. The plan did not include any provision for housing and many
residents wondered where the 20,000 employees would live. The agricultural communities in the
nearby towns of Salinas, Watsonville and Hollister expressed concern that Cisco employees would
move in, drive up property prices, clog roads and put further pressure on already strained local
services. An attorney retained by these communities was quoted as saying that Cisco was
mounting a “cynical effort to reap the economic benefits of this huge office development for San
Jose while imposing economic burdens on other communities”.
Environmentalists also opposed the development. Groups such as the Sierra Club, the Audubon
Society, the Watsonville Strawberry Farmers’ Association, the San Jose Housing Advocacy
Association and the Committee for Green Foothills all feared that the development would increase
pollution from vehicle emissions, destroy wildlife habitat and contribute to urban sprawl. These
groups joined others in the local community and some affordable housing activists to bring a
lawsuit to try to block the development.
Currently the case is heading for the Californian courts. Cisco is disappointed that these parties
have chosen litigation over collaboration and has expressed its willingness to continue discussions
out of court.
(Case taken from New York University, Stern College discussion materials, 2015)
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MK389: Principles & Practices of Public Relations
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