Davis-Martin Public Relations

Barbara Shwom
Penny Hirsch
Judith Messick
Northwestern University

Contents

      Sample responses

      Comments on student samples

      Assignments

      Teaching notes

      Potential difficulties

Assignment 2 - Memorandum Sample A: Fax to Ken Davenport

Memorandum

Date: Feb. 4, 0000
To: Ken Davenport
From: Rae Severns
Subject: Chamber of Commerce Assignment

Ken,

I'm honored to have been assigned this mission with the Chamber of Commerce. This client truly comes first with me. However I have found that this new assignment is against my personal feelings and principles. That's why I regret that I must decline the offer. I believe this is the best choice for both our company and the client, given the fact that I wouldn't perform efficiently in a setting that is against my deepest beliefs.

I understand that this is a serious matter and hope we can discuss this before I meet with Roger.

Assignment 2 - Memorandum Sample B: Fax to Ken

Memorandum
Date: Feb. 4, 0000
To: Ken Davenport
From: Rae Severns
Subject: Chamber of Commerce Assignment

Dear Ken,

I am honored you have asked me to fill this new position to work with the Chamber of Commerce. I have loved working with the Chamber and it has clearly been my most personally and professionally satisfying client.

However I must disclose that I have worked with the state senator who is sponsoring the bill which the Chamber is currently lobbying against. For this reason, we should discuss my role on this project before my Friday meeting with Roger. Please call me as soon as possible.

Sincerely yours,

Rae

Assignment 2 - Memorandum Sample C: Fax to Ken

Date: Feb. 4, 0000
To: Ken Davenport
From: Rae Severns
Subject: Chamber of Commerce Assignment

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work on the Chamber's campaign. However, there are several facts of which you should be aware.

I have been highly involved with Children First, a community group that advocates for children's rights. Through my work with this group, I have been publicly associated with Senator Pat Sitwell and have contributed to her campaign.

I am concerned that my past community efforts will negatively affect the company's ability to serve the client's best interest if I were to work on this project. I would like to further discuss this issue and reach the best possible solution for our company and client.

Assignment 2 - Memoradum Sample D: Fax to Ken

Memorandum
Date: Feb. 4, 0000
To: Ken Davenport
From: Rae Severns
Subject: Chamber of Commerce Assignment

I wish to thank you for the opportunity to assist with the Chamber's campaign against the health care legislation. I am honored to be the individual singled out for this assignment; however there exists a conflict of interest.

In the past I have volunteered for Children First, a community group that supports children's rights and that seeks community support to improve education and health for children. More importantly, I have also contributed time and money to Senator Sitwell who sponsored the bill the Chamber is opposing. This could jeopardize the position of Davis-Martin Public Relations.

I would be more that happy to assist whoever is selected for this assignment. I regret that I could not be actively involved in this project, but feel that the professional interests of Davis Martin should come first.

Comments on Student Samples

Comments on Assignment 2 - Sample A: Fax to Ken

In this sample, Rae is clear and direct; in addition, she begins with a gracious tone. However, as early as the second sentence, the tone changes and becomes strained. Rae sounds unprofessional and unconvincing because she does not offer any explanation or illustration to support her generalizations. Ken will clearly want to know why the assignment goes against her principles, and Rae has not addressed this issue. Rae further weakens the memo by introducing the negative idea that she would not be able to perform the job efficiently. Taking this stance, she may be perceived as unprofessional.

Comments on Assignment 2 - Sample B: Fax to Ken

Rae's main strategy in Sample B is an effective one. Although she needs to write to Ken in order to contact him, she wants to deliver the main part of her message through an oral channel. Thus she gives him enough information in the fax to motivate him to call her and learn about the problem. In addition, the deliberate vagueness embodied in the phrase "discuss my role" is effective because it paves the way for a collaborative solution. With that phrase, Rae indicates that she is willing to help Ken solve the problem rather than just dump it in his lap.

The memo is marred by serious tone problems, however. The first two sentences are so effusive that they sound hyperbolic and insincere, especially since they form a stark contrast to the formal, detached tone in paragraph two. (Consider, for example, the contrast between "loved" in paragraph one and "disclose" in paragraph two.)

Comments on Assignment 2 - Sample C: Fax to Ken

Sample C has a number of strengths. It displays a direct opening, an adequate explanation of the problem, professional concern for the company, and a collaborative ending. Paragraph one of Sample C, however, could be more direct. Rae never says that she does not want to work on the Chamber's campaign. To avoid possible confusion, Rae should be explicit about her refusal before she begins her explanation about the "several facts" of which Ken should be aware.

In Sample C, it is possible that Rae is deliberately taking an indirect approach because she wants Ken to be the one who decides to remove her from the account. If he makes this decision, Rae's problem will be solved without her ever having to make the request. However, if Rae takes this approach, she should be prepared for Ken to decide differently; in that case, she will either need to accept the assignment or make a much stronger persuasive argument against it.

Comments on Assignment 2 - Sample D: Fax to Ken

Sample D focuses almost entirely on how Rae's involvement would compromise the professional interests of Davis Martin. In contrast to Sample C, Sample D is very explicit about the "conflict of interest" (e.g., what Rae has done in the past and what she is willing to do to solve the current problem.)

Yet, Sample D has two significant problems. First, the opening paragraph contains an abrupt shift of tone that violates reader expectations. The first two sentences would likely lead Ken to believe she intends to accept the assignment. In that context, the bald statement about conflict of interest may anger Ken and lead to an unpleasant phone conversation. If Rae wants to start the memo positively, she would be wiser to begin with a more tempered opening (e.g. "I am flattered that Roger Corbett singled me out to help the Chamber with its upcoming project; however, I want to alert you to a potential conflict of interest.")

Second, Rae's vagueness in the last paragraph is problematic. Some might see this as a rhetorical strategy: Rae removes herself from the front lines, offers to help, and focuses on what might be problems for the company rather than for her. Some respondents, however, might see this ending as hypocritical: Rae is willing to work against the bill; she just doesn't want anyone to know about her involvement with it! The ending would be stronger if she would reconsider her message and add a stronger action component that suggests next steps.

Assignments

Assignment 1: Advice to Rae

You are an account executive at Davis-Martin and Rae is your closest friend at the firm. Rae told you she does not want to accept the new assignment for the Chamber. If you agree that she should try to get out of the job, advise her about her communication strategy. How should she approach Ken Davenport? If you think she should accept the Chamber's assignment, persuade her to do so.

Assignment 2: Fax to Ken

As Rae, you have decided to turn the assignment; therefore, you need to contact Ken Davenport before Friday morning. Draft a fax to Ken.

Assignment 3: Strategy for Ken

As Rae, assume that you have persuaded Ken to give the Chamber assignment to someone else. Ken asked you to helphim plan his communications with Roger Corbett. What should Ken's communication goals and main message be?

Assignment 4: Meeting with Roger

As Rae, assume you cannot get in touch with Ken Davenport before you are scheduled to meet with Roger Corbett, so you have to decide what to do on you own. Will you call Roger to cancel the meeting or go to it? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each course of action? What would you say--in either the phone call or the meeting--that would best protect your own interests and those of Davis-Martin.

Teaching Notes

Teaching Objectives

The Davis-Martin Public Relations Case presents MBA students and upper level undergraduates with the opportunity to explore an ethical dilemma, develop persuasive arguments for different audiences, and consider the ways in which gender may impact communication style.

The ethical dilemma raised by the case involves how a manager should respond when personal values and convictions collide with professional demands and expectations. Rae Severns must please her superiors and demonstrate her commitment to her firm. She must also decide what price she is willing to pay to be true to her values.

Persuasive communications are also involved in the Davis-Martin Case. The case allows the possibility of developing arguments for two different audiences: Rae's supervisor and the client. For example, if Rae decides that she cannot work on the new project, she must develop a strategy to persuade Ken Davenport to accept her decision. Related to this issue is the possible problem that may be caused by the fact that Rae's values seem to differ from Ken's.

Moreover, since Rae is a younger woman trying to influence a man in a position of greater authority, the case may be used to generate discussion about gendered styles of communication. How direct or indirect should Rae be? If she is indirect, will Ken understand her dilemma? If she is direct, how can she be assertive without appearing disrespectful and aggressive?

Communication Problem

The Davis-Martin case suggests some of the complex ways that persona, audience, channel choice, and message are intertwined with ethical issues. Case respondents will have to take a position on the ethical issue before they can start to plan a persuasive strategy. Rae can refuse the new assignment outright; she can disclose the information about her past activities on health care issues and hope that her supervisor will remove her from the account; or she can accept the assignment without revealing personal information.

Persona

Rae's dilemma involves her professional identity. What kind of image will she project to her supervisor if she refuses to accept the new assignment? If Rae is open about her reasons for not wanting the assignment, she runs the risk that Ken will think she is not a team player. Her announcement could make her look naive and unprofessional, or it could project her as a person with integrity.

One strategy Rae might use to maintain her professional persona would be to focus on her past activities rather than on her present feelings. She clearly prefers not to work on the new Chamber assignment, but she does not have to talk about these preferences and her beliefs as the first line of her argument.

Audience

Rae must develop arguments for two audiences: Her primary audience is Ken, but Roger Corbett is also involved. Even if Rae does not talk to Roger herself, she will help Ken significantly if she develops arguments that he can use with Roger.

Rae's main challenge is to develop a line of reasoning that Ken will find convincing. Doing this requires that she edit her thoughts, deciding which points to include, which to omit, and how to sequence those points. Based on her knowledge of Ken's character and his business goals, Rae is most likely to succeed if she goes beyond arguing that she is not the best person for the job. She also needs to provide a convincing recommendation for how the agency can best meet the client's needs.

If Ken accepts Rae's decision and arguments, he will have a persuasion problem of his own. He must find a strategic way to approach the Chamber, recognizing that they have been pleased with Rae's work and expect her to continue working on their projects. To persuade this client to accept a replacement for Rae, Ken must also decide how much information to share. Should he tell Roger about Rae's political involvements, or should he focus solely on the qualities of the individual who Davis-Martin selects to replace her?

Channel Choice

What is the best channel for Rae to communicate her decision to Ken? If she decides not to accept the assignment, should she contact Ken by phone, send a fax, or do both? If she is planning a two-channel approach, should she write first and speak later, or the reverse? Should she wait until she can talk to Ken face to face?

If Rae cannot get in touch with Ken before her Friday meeting with Roger at the Chamber, what channel should she use for her next step? Should she go to the meeting, or should she call to cancel it?

Message

Regardless of the channel Rae chooses for contacting Ken, it is likely she will want to begin with arguments that are least damaging to her persona. For example, she might want to argue that it would be against the best interests of the Davis-Martin for her to accept the assignment, especially if the Chamber learns that she is supporting Pat Sitwell's bill. Rae's persona argument alone might be convincing enough to settle the issue. If necessary, however, Rae could also argue that she has strong ethical objections that will interfere with her capacity to do the job. This argument is likely to be more damaging to her professional persona because it may suggest that her commitment to her firm is limited.

If she chooses to present her response to Ken via fax, she will have to be very careful about how she presents herself. Tone and a persuasive sequence of points will be important. Rae will also need to think carefully about how to end her message. Should she leave the problem for Ken to solve? Or should part of her message be to offer a solution?

Potential Difficulties

Many respondents to the Davis-Martin Case see Rae's dilemma as a clear conflict of interest that could damage both Rae and the firm. These respondents argue that, to be ethical, Rae must disclose her past activities and beliefs to her supervisor.

Not all respondents, however, see dilemmas like the one facing Rae as so clear-cut. Some argue that there will be no conflict of interest if Rae simply does her job. They contend that Rae should have known what she was getting into when she chose a career in public relations and perhaps she should make the best of the situation by accepting the assignment and using her status as an insider to nudge the Chamber to modify their position.

One productive way of analyzing Rae's difficulties is to ask respondents to compare Rae's situation with other ethical dilemmas. For example, how does Rae's situation compare to being asked to work on a cigarette account--pushing a product that is known to be toxic to others?

The Davis-Martin case also raises questions about the degree to which employees should defer to authority. Some case respondents argue that Rae is assuming too much authority if she makes the decision to excuse herself. Instead, she should explain her views but leave the decision-making to her boss.

Additionally, there is the problem of distinguishing between short-range and long-range goals. In the short-term, Rae wants to get out of the assignment; however, she also wants to position her company for long-range success and perhaps even a continuing relationship with this client. The most successful communication strategy will allow her to achieve both goals.