Katie Warners Blog: Experimental Research Comments

Katie Warners Blog: Experimental Research Comments: "In Public Relations Research class we have been discussing Experimental research. Experimental research is one of the more difficult method..."

Experimental Research Comments

In Public Relations Research class we have been discussing Experimental research.  Experimental research is one of the more difficult methods we have discussed in class because of all the sources of invalidity.  But even though there is a lot that can go wrong when conducting an experiment, if you are careful and take your time to thoroughly plan out your experiment you can have great success.  Experiments are used occasionally in the business world, and according to my fellow classmate Alexis Gerleit they are used frequently in the fashion world.  In the fashion industry experimental research is used to determine consumer trends.  When dealing with the fashion industry it is important to be up to date on all the latest trends or your clothes will be considered outdated and not sell.  Alexis talks about how “there are internal and external factors that drive people to shop.” Both intern and external factors are motivators within persons thoughts, the article Alexis talked about highlights all the different experiments conducted to get into the minds of shoppers and figure out what motivates their thought process.  Alexis’s article gave me a greater insight into the world of fashion; I did not realize that so much research went into the fashion industry.

Another one of my classmates Lisa Perez broke down control groups and experimental groups within an experiment.  She talks about the placebo effect by using two groups, A and B as an example.  “Group A would be the experimental group...and they would receive the ‘placebo’.  They would think that the pill is going to make them focus, when in reality it is just sugar.  And group B would be the control group and given the same amount of work to complete without any help.” She then said how if we were researchers we could test the results to see who was more successful at completing their work.  Lisa’s blog provided me with more information regarding control groups and experimental groups.  She was able to break down the two groups into a way in which students could relate to. 

Katie Warners Blog: Non-Profits Continue to Give Back

Katie Warners Blog: Non-Profits Continue to Give Back: "Throughout the semester I have focused my blog on non-profit organizations. I have spent various amount of hours researching the various re..."

Non-Profits Continue to Give Back

Throughout the semester I have focused my blog on non-profit organizations.  I have spent various amount of hours researching the various research methods of non-profits, and studying the patterns of their donors.  But today I wanted to focus on something more personal and closer to me as an individual.  Rather than defining research methods and stating how non-profits could better their research efforts I am going to talk about how non-profits benefit us as a society.

I read an article today called “Young Lumbee promotes community involvement”.  This article talks about a woman named Kendra Danielle Chavis who lost her apartment and all of her belongings in a tragic fire.  She was without a place to live and without any clothes or necessities to get her through the day.  But she was able to fine hope with help from her community.  “A local charity gave Chavis an $800 Wal-Mart gift card, the clothing retailer where she worked donated several hundred dollars worth of clothing, and local community members donated a television, an entertainment center and other household items.”  (Boney 2010)

With the support from community members Kendra was able to put her tragedy in the past and move on.  But Kendra’s story is different, instead of taking the donations and going back to her normal life she decided to dedicate her entire life to helping others.  Kendra began working on a platform called “UNITY” which stands for Uniting Neighbors Initially Takes You, this platform encourages people to become involved in their communities by helping out their neighbors.  Kendra used her tragedy to help others, where she even began volunteering with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and Special Olympics. 

I wanted to focus my blog on this topic today because we all need to take a step back at times and realize the good non-profits and philanthropy services are for our community.  Without the constant events and services put out by these organizations there would be very little community involvement.  Non-profits bring out the good in our communities, and are essential for any community success.  I decided to write my blog on non-profits this semester because I wanted to look into the organizations that have changed our society for the better.  We get so wrapped up in our own lives sometimes, and I wanted to look into the services done all across the country.  Through all of the research discussions we have had in class, I believe that I was able to learn a lot about the importance of research in any organization, especially non-profits.  Without research these great organizations would not remain successful, and stories such as Kendra’s would not exist. 

Katie Warners Blog: Social Media and Non-Profits

Katie Warners Blog: Social Media and Non-Profits: "Social media including twitter, podcasts, facebook, youtube, and blogs are taking over the business industry. One of the main ways to reach..."

Social Media and Non-Profits

Social media including twitter, podcasts, facebook, youtube, and blogs are taking over the business industry.  One of the main ways to reach an audience now is through media networking, and with the number of users growing daily, social media is rapidly increasing.  Non-profit organizations however have been slower to jump on the social media band wagon, according to an article in the Philanthropy Journal titled Social media not yet routine at foundations, “68 percent are using YouTube at least occasionally, 53 percent are using blogs at least occasionally, 39 percent are using Podcasts at least occasionally, and only 18 percent are using Twitter at least occasionally, while 60 percent have never used Twitter.” 

Throughout this semester of Public Relations Research,  I have focused much of my blog on the importance of research within a non-profit organization.  Here in this article, the researchers used a survey to determine the amount of foundations that are up to date with the latest social media trends.  And unfortunately the research found that nearly half of the foundations they surveyed have yet to utilize social media.  Non-profits rely heavily on their donations, without them they would not be successful, so why are they not utilizing every outlet that will get them recognized? 

In my opinion, I believe that non-profit foundations are focusing their attention on their typical target audience.  They are more focused with previous donors rather than branching out to potential new members.  But by doing this they are missing out on a whole new audience, which is audience on social media sites.  This audience is so large, according to marketing pilgrim 80% of Americans use social media at least once a month.  By utilizing social media sites in a proper manner, non-profits could be gaining much more consumer awareness, which in the end will bring in more donations.

By using survey research, the researchers were able to discover exactly how many foundations were utilizing social media.  With the results being so low, hopefully non-profits will get the hint that something needs to be done.  They are missing out on a large group of consumers, and that could all be changed with the simple task of using social media.  The surveys that were taken in my opinion will open the eyes of non-profits all over the country; they will hopefully use this information and start expanding their target audience. 

Katie Warners Blog: Qualitative Research and Non-Profit Organizations

Katie Warners Blog: Qualitative Research and Non-Profit Organizations: "Qualitative Research is a topic we have spent a good deal of time discussing in class. A broad definition of Qualitative research is the ma..."

Qualitative Research and Non-Profit Organizations

Qualitative Research is a topic we have spent a good deal of time discussing in class.  A broad definition of Qualitative research is the mass media observing what people say and do, it measures and counts the number of responses and attempts to look into into concepts, ideas, definitions, characteristics, symbols and meanings.  When dealing with any business it is important to utilize Qualitative research because knowing what behaviors people are exhibiting and their motivation is a key part in a business’s success.  Some of the different types of Qualitative research include personal interviews and focus groups.  Non-profit organizations are a group that more so than any other company need to make use of Qualitative research.  With their constant reliance on consistent consumers, it is important to understand the behaviors of these consumers to keep their attention focused towards your company. 

An article titled “Nonprofits making changes, keeping track” in the Philanthropy Journal, discusses the recent launching of innovative programs or services through non-profits.  When a non-profit makes the decision to launch a new program, there needs to be a considerable amount of research not only before the program but after the program.  In any good business setting it is important to conduct the research before the program begins to find out what your audience is willing to participate in.  All successful non-profits conduct various amounts of research prior to the program or service, but not all participate in the post research that is done after the program or service.  “Eighty-five percent of nonprofits responding to the survey measure the effectiveness of at least part of their programs and services at least once a year, and two-thirds measure effectiveness for at least half their programs or services.”  With non-profits constantly struggling for more funding and audience awareness, it is essential that they formulate a research method to make this possible.  After a program or service is launched a study should be done to show the effectiveness of the program, and how the audience reacted. 

One of the main components of non-profits is to get inside of their consumers minds, this way they are able to continue a successful business.  But according to this article not all non-profits have spent the time getting to know their consumers behaviors.  Qualitative research is the answer to non-profits problems.  By using Qualitative research they would be venturing into the minds of their consumers, which would inevitably gain more company awareness.  The article says that “only minorities of non-profits reported using the kinds of techniques that ‘assessment experts insist are needed to make such measures truly convincing, such as random assignment comparisons and social rate of return estimates.’” Non-profits cannot expect to run a successful organization without putting a good amount of their efforts into research. 

In my opinion Qualitative research is the perfect solution for non-profit organizations.  Focus groups would be a great way to discuss the programs and services put out by the non-profits, you would then get to explore of the feelings of your consumers while also studying their natural behaviors.  Focus groups would be an inexpensive way to conduct Qualitative research, and in my opinion it would be a successful way to gain more insight into the consumers.  I am shocked that not all non-profits haven’t picked up on Qualitative research, it is a simple way of making an organization successful.

Katie Warners Blog: A Different Perspective on Unobtusive Research

Katie Warners Blog: A Different Perspective on Unobtusive Research: "Last week in class we discussed unobtrusive research, as I wrote in my blog last week unobtrusive research is where the subject of your rese..."

A Different Perspective on Unobtusive Research

Last week in class we discussed unobtrusive research, as I wrote in my blog last week unobtrusive research is where the subject of your research is unaware of the research that is taking place.  This type of research I found to be useful in the case of Non-Profit corporations, it is crucial to research your target audiences to figure out what messages are the most effective.  When it comes to non-profits donations need to be given in order for the company to remain successful, therefore unobtrusive research can show you the true likes and dislikes of potential donors.  Although my blog is directed towards Non-Profit, I believe that it is important to read about other topics to gain more awareness on the topic of unobtrusive research.

A fellow classmate, Lisa Perez directed her blog towards celebrities.  In her blog about unobtrusive research she discussed the various types of unobtrusive research conducted on celebrities.  When conducting research on celebrities you have to follow their every move, the research collected is then distributed to various media outlets where we hear all about their lives.  These celebrities are sometimes unaware that they are being followed; one mishap and they are exposed to the entire world.  Lisa’s blog made me think about the ethics behind unobtrusive research.  The researcher conducting the research is invading the personal lives of not only celebrities but any unknowing participant. 

The topic of ethics is a large issue that goes along with unobtrusive research.  In another classmates blog Ashley Halyard talks about whether unobtrusive research is ethical or not.  She discusses how because you are not getting the participants permission it can be considered unethical, but the other side of the argument is that the information they are receiving is open to the public.  Both of these sides make unobtrusive research very difficult, you do not want to cross any lines but at the same time the research that you could receive is open to anyone. 

In my blog I had discussed how non-profits should use social media outlets, such as facebook to discover a new target audience.  They should follow people’s every move to discover what interests them, I had not thought of this to be unethical at first but after thinking more about ethics I realized that in a sense the non-profits would be manipulating their audience to invest in their company by observing facebook users patterns.  In my personal opinion even though you are conducting research that the participants do not know about, if they put themselves open to the public then their information and actions are open to whoever.  Unobtrusive research in the case of non-profits using social media outlets as ways to observe people is not unethical and should be allowed, if you are on a social page such as facebook then you should be aware that people will use your information for their personal benefit. 

Katie Warners Blog: Non-Profits, Facebook and Unobtrusive Research

Katie Warners Blog: Non-Profits, Facebook and Unobtrusive Research: "When conducting research it is important to distinguish a measure in which you are going to base your research off of. In Public Relations ..."

Non-Profits, Facebook and Unobtrusive Research

When conducting research it is important to distinguish a measure in which you are going to base your research off of.  In Public Relations Research class we have spent time discussing unobtrusive research which is the method of studying social behavior without affecting it.  The subject of your research is unaware of the research that is taking place.  This research increases the likelihood of a reliable result; because the subject is unaware that they are participating in research they do not act any differently than they would normally act.  This research is an effective way of studying behaviors, and can give you honest and accurate results if do it correctly.  .

Nonprofit corporations are companies funded by donations; they rely heavily on the amount of public's that are attracted to their message in order to remain successful.  Because they are constantly struggling over which public's to reach and how to effectively reach these public's any type of research is essential.  Nonprofit corporations need to attract their target audiences more so than any other company because they are constantly searching for ways to keep their company afloat.  An article titled “Social Media Success: Know the Frequent Users” by John Klein talks about the importance of social media, and how it is important to utilize the various media outlets to attract your target audience.  Research done showed that 150 million people in the U.S. have a Facebook page and 39 million people are frequent users who “use social media several times per day”; this is a form of social media that has reached a peak level of size and interest and according to John Klein it is critical that nonprofits invest time and energy in this medium.  This article shows non-profit organizations how important it is to research the most popular media outlet and use it to their advantage.  With 39 million people using Facebook multiple times a day, it is easy to put a message out there and get more views than you would have on a standard website dedicated to the organization. 

This article caught my attention because the research done to show how many people use Facebook, and how frequent the users update their profiles is an example of unobtrusive research.  The users of this media outlet are unaware of the research they are participating in.  But these unknowing participants are actually giving non-profits reasons to enter a new media outlet.  This unobtrusive research allows non-profits to witness the popularity of this social media, which allows them to adjust their tactics towards this medium. 

After relating non-profits, unobtrusive research, and social medias back to one another I saw how well they all work together.  Non-profits need unobtrusive research to discover new social medias that are becoming increasingly popular as the days go on.  It is essential for non-profits to expand their messages, and it is important for them to know how and where to expand these messages.  This article gave me a good perspective on the process in which non-profits must go through to gain awareness.  They have a much more difficult time remaining successful, and because of this struggle it is crucial that they participate in various research measures. 

Katie Warners Blog: Comments on Classmates Blogs

Katie Warners Blog: Comments on Classmates Blogs: "Research is essential in any business’s success, whether you are marketing a product, putting out a newsletter or dealing with crisis manage..."

Comments on Classmates Blogs

Research is essential in any business’s success, whether you are marketing a product, putting out a newsletter or dealing with crisis management, research is always important.  One of my fellow classmates Lisa Perez discussed the importance of research in her blog through marketing a product.  She used the proactive campaigns as a perfect example of how important research is when trying to get people to buy your product.  Proactive uses celebrities to endorse their product, but proactive also uses a variety of marketing strategies to gain interest.  The strategies used include a number of visuals, facts and examples of real people struggling with acne.  Lisa then related these marketing strategies back to the research side behind the campaign.  In order for proactive to be successful with their campaign they needed to research their target audience, and discover what attracts that particular demographic.  Without researching any of this before their campaign they might not have been as successful with the selling of their product.  Lisa’s blog showed me the importance of research, and how even though you may not notice it, research is a valuable aspect in marketing all products.  I enjoyed reading Lisa’s blog, she used a real campaign to show the importance of research which gave me a better insight into the marketing world, and allowed me to see research in a different way.

The next blog that I read was Kaitlyn Lovett’s.  Kaitlyn talked about the importance of research when pertaining to crisis management.  She used a school shooting as an example of crisis management where research plays an important role.  She touched on a side of research that I had never thought about prior to reading her blog, she mentions how in the case of a school shooting you must find out information about the shooter, were there behavioral issues, how can it be prevented in the future and so on.  It had never occurred to me that a school shooting would require research, but now I see the importance of finding out as much as you can so the situation would never be repeated.  If you are going into the public relations field it is important to know how to handle a crisis, and a considerable amount of research needs to be done before and after a crisis in order to prepare yourself in case of a crisis, and to prevent a crisis from happening again. 

Research is a crucial part of public relations.  Even though we may not notice the impact of research in situations such as marketing a product or dealing with a crisis, research has a very strong impact on both situations.  Reading both of these blogs gave me a better understanding of the strong impact of research; they were well written blogs and I enjoyed reading and learning from both.

Katie Warners Blog: The Importance of Research in Non-Profit

Katie Warners Blog: The Importance of Research in Non-Profit: "To perform successful research it is important to have a research plan. A research plan begins with having an objective or a goal and then ..."

Katie Warners Blog: The Importance of Research in Non-Profit

Katie Warners Blog: The Importance of Research in Non-Profit: "To perform successful research it is important to have a research plan. A research plan begins with having an objective or a goal and then ..."

The Importance of Research in Non-Profit

To perform successful research it is important to have a research plan.  A research plan begins with having an objective or a goal and then seeking a strategy to best meet that objective.  After you seek a successful strategy, you need to execute the research with a specific research method.  There are a number of methods to choose from; quantitative, empirical, experimental, qualitative and historical are all research methods that you can use to conduct research.  After you have chosen a research method and executed the research, you have to look at the results.  The results of your research will give you a greater insight into the topic you are studying, and give you the knowledge you need to complete your research.

For any business to be successful it is essential that they perform various amounts of research.  In the case of non-profits it is extremely important to conduct research, because they are constantly trying to bring in more money and in order to do this they must know what demographics to reach.  A recent study was done to identify the donors in non-profit corporations by age and demographics.  The findings of the report “Heart of the Donor, Insights into Donor Motivation and Behavior for the 2st century,” concluded that boomers and older donors  are the most valuable givers and more likely to respond to mail solicitation.  This study used the quantitative research method, where they used a survey to figure out what demographic was the most popular.  The researchers came to the conclusion that boomers and older donors were more likely to donate by analyzing the research that they had conducted. 

“The survey reveals that people who typically don’t give to charities will respond to calls for help following a disaster, such as the recent Hatiatian earthquake.  Of those who gave aid to victims, 30 percent said they hadn’t given any money to a nonprofit in the previous year, including 16 percent of respondents that survey described as “determined non-givers.”- Bruce Trachtenberg.  These findings showed another side of donors, they are more likely to respond after a disaster.  These findings can be extremely useful to a non-profit employee, you learn more about the audience and when they are more likely to donate. Overall this article showed a different side of donors that non-profit corporations may not have known before.  It is important for non-profits to understand the importance of research, and understand what demographics they need to reach in order to run a successful business.

In my opinion non-profit organizations should focus a good portion of their time on research.  Large corporate companies do not rely on donations to keep their business running, but non-profit's rely solely on their donors.  In order to be successful they must learn more about their audience and figure out what it is that draws their attention.  To keep a successful non-profit business running they need to spend a good portion of their time and money on research, in the end they will be saving money and reaching a more direct demographic.

Katie Warners Blog: Ethics in Nonprofit Corporations

Katie Warners Blog: Ethics in Nonprofit Corporations: "In any company or organization ethical behavior is crucial in order to be successful. Ethics can be defined as a guideline as to what is wr..."

Ethics in Nonprofit Corporations

In any company or organization ethical behavior is crucial in order to be successful.  Ethics can be defined as a guideline as to what is wrong or right when faced with moral dilemmas; they govern the actions and decisions of an individual or group in a company or organization.  Throughout the past week in my Public Relations Research class we have discussed the topic of Ethics in terms of research.  Although some would not think of ethics as an important part of public relations research, it in fact is a strong basis for what research is all about.  Along with ethics playing a large role in research, they also have a strong impact in nonprofit organizations.

After learning about ethical behavior, I became compelled as to how important ethics are in nonprofit corporations.  An article titled Nonprofit Communication Must Be Ethical located in the Philanthropy Journal, talked about the importance of ethical behavior from corporations in order for nonprofits to remain trust worthy in the community.  For nonprofits to remain successful they must receive funding from single or multiple sources, which means they rely on their positive reputation to keep the donations coming in.  Nonprofits use various marketing strategies to draw the public’s attention, but according to Nonprofit Communication Must Be Ethical there is an ethical pitfall in the way some corporations communicate that may be misleading or deceptive. 

Nonprofits market to a more vulnerable target audience where it is important to build the public’s trust even more so than in a large corporate company.  In order for nonprofits to gain positive attitudes towards their corporation there needs to be a stronger emphasis on ethics.  Instead of creating a reputation based upon image, nonprofits should be developing recognition through ethically-informed practices.  In the world of nonprofits it is even more important for your company to represent honesty and trust. The article Nonprofit Communication Must Be Ethical mentions the mission statement of the company being a good place to start when attempting to send a more ethics based message to the public.  Any corporation should make sure that they are putting themselves out to the public in a way that represents the mission behind the company. Nonprofits especially need to double check to ensure that they are promoting themselves in an ethical way, in order to keep their donations and reputation alive. 

Ethics in the nonprofit industry can be related back to the ethics we are learning about in Public Relations Research, in both cases there needs to be the trust factor in order to be successful.  The public needs to rely on both researchers and nonprofits to be honest and upfront about what their purpose is.  In my opinion it is essential for nonprofits to base their company upon ethics, especially because of the typical vulnerable target audience they are directed towards.  The audience of a nonprofit needs to have faith that they are receiving the best possible service, and for this to happen nonprofits need to be based on honesty.  I believe that all nonprofits should be less concerned with their image and more concerned with the message they are sending out to their public.

Katie Warners Blog: Blog Focus: Non-Profit Public Relations

Katie Warners Blog: Blog Focus: Non-Profit Public Relations: "Up until recently it has been my goal to work in corporate Public Relations, but as much as I loved the idea of working for a large company ..."

Blog Focus: Non-Profit Public Relations

Up until recently it has been my goal to work in corporate Public Relations, but as much as I loved the idea of working for a large company in a big city somewhere, there was something missing.  It wasn’t until working as an aide for a mentally challenged child through a non-profit corporation this summer that I realized that my real interest was in non-profit Public Relations.  I had previously worked for a non-profit corporation, Girls Incorporated where I was involved in running after school programs for elementary school girls.  I loved working in both of these non-profit environments; there was something special about being a part of an organization that dedicated it’s time to helping the community and others.  Throughout this semester I will focus my blog on the nonprofit side of public relations.

Non-profit corporations are organized for advancing public interest rather than for financial gain; any earnings that are made go towards furthering the corporation’s purpose.  Public charities are popular forms of non-profit corporations, where their support usually comes from the public, government or organizations formed to raise money. Private foundations are another version of non-profit corporations that have a major source of funding, and one of their main activities is making out grants to other charities.

One of the major non-profit corporations that exist today is Direct Relief International.  This non-profit corporation provides “medical assistance to improve the quality of life for people affected by poverty, disaster, and civil unrest at home and throughout the world.” (directrelief.org)  Non-profit corporations such as this one are put into place to better communities all around the world.  Direct Relief International takes pride in their employees; they describe them as being a “hard working” staff.  In 2009 they were rated 99 percent efficient for their fund-raising and in my opinion a major reason for their success is based off of how engaged the employees are in the corporation.  An employee for a non-profit corporation needs to be willing to contribute their time, talent and energy every day in order to keep the corporation running smoothly.  To work in a non-profit you must be passionate about your job and engaged in its mission, only then will your corporation reach its purpose.