A Comprehensive Evaluation of an Organization’s Communication Practices
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Communication & Media Studies
Start Date
13-4-2018 10:00 AM
End Date
13-4-2018 10:15 AM
Sponsor
Deanna Francoeur-Schmidt (Purdue University Northwest)
Description
The 2017 Problems in Public Relations class from Purdue University Northwest formed a consulting firm, Region Communication Solutions, to conduct a communication audit for a local police department. The purpose of this research was to provide recommendations on how to improve the department’s current communication practices by utilizing System Theory. System Theory states that an organization needs to receive constant feedback in order to adjust and survive. The given feedback acts as a set of guidelines, which an organization can use to adapt and make survival decisions. Region Communication Solutions gathered information about the company’s mission statement and internal and external communication processes. In order to gain knowledge about these topics, information was collected from the department’s internal and external publics. This audit utilized research methods including benchmarking, interviews, focus groups and surveys in order to collect and analyze data over the course of one semester. Region Communication Solutions completed 33 benchmarking reports. Internally, Region Communication Solutions conducted 31 interviews, 1 focus group, 5 small group discussions, and 71 surveys. With the department’s external publics, Region Communication Solutions conducted 34 interviews, 5 small group discussions, and 391 surveys. After the completion of the communication audit, the research findings were presented to the leadership of the police department, including the Chief of Police. The presentation contained findings from each research process and concluded with an open discussion, which allowed the department to ask questions. All research and recommendations were compiled into a 657-page book and presented to the department.
A Comprehensive Evaluation of an Organization’s Communication Practices
Indianapolis, IN
The 2017 Problems in Public Relations class from Purdue University Northwest formed a consulting firm, Region Communication Solutions, to conduct a communication audit for a local police department. The purpose of this research was to provide recommendations on how to improve the department’s current communication practices by utilizing System Theory. System Theory states that an organization needs to receive constant feedback in order to adjust and survive. The given feedback acts as a set of guidelines, which an organization can use to adapt and make survival decisions. Region Communication Solutions gathered information about the company’s mission statement and internal and external communication processes. In order to gain knowledge about these topics, information was collected from the department’s internal and external publics. This audit utilized research methods including benchmarking, interviews, focus groups and surveys in order to collect and analyze data over the course of one semester. Region Communication Solutions completed 33 benchmarking reports. Internally, Region Communication Solutions conducted 31 interviews, 1 focus group, 5 small group discussions, and 71 surveys. With the department’s external publics, Region Communication Solutions conducted 34 interviews, 5 small group discussions, and 391 surveys. After the completion of the communication audit, the research findings were presented to the leadership of the police department, including the Chief of Police. The presentation contained findings from each research process and concluded with an open discussion, which allowed the department to ask questions. All research and recommendations were compiled into a 657-page book and presented to the department.