Assignment

Faculty Name: Humanities

Module Code: ACPRB1-B44
Module Name: Public Relations 1B Block 4
Module Coordinator: N/A
Internal Moderation: Community of Practice
Copy Editor: Michelle Roos
Total Marks: 100
Submission Date: 02/11/2022 by 16:00
This module is presented on NQF level 5.
5% will be deducted from the student’s assignment mark for each calendar day the assignment is
submitted late, up to a maximum of three calendar days. The penalty will be based on the official
campus submission date.
Assignments submitted later than three calendar days after the deadline or not submitted will get
0%.1
This is an individual assignment.

This assignment contributes 40% towards the final mark.

Instructions to Student
1. Please ensure that your answer file (where applicable) is named as follows before
submission: Module Code – Assessment Type – Campus Name – Student Number.
2. Remember to keep a copy of all submitted assignments.
3. All work must be typed.
4. Please note that you will be evaluated on your writing skills in all your assignments.

1
Under no circumstances will assignments be accepted for marking after the assignments of other students have been marked and returned to
the students.
ACRPB1-B44 – Assignment – Block 4 2022 | V1.0 Page 1 of 8
Eduvos (Pty) Ltd (formerly Pearson Institute of Higher Education) is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private
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5. All work must be submitted through Turnitin.2 The full originality report will be automatically
generated and available for the lecturer to assess.
6. You are not allowed to offer your work for sale or to purchase the work of other students.
This includes the use of professional assignment writers and websites, such as Essay Box.
If this should happen, Eduvos reserves the right not to accept future submissions from you.

Assignment Format
You must fulfil the requirements when writing and submitting assignments as follows:
• Use Arial, font size 12.
• Include a title page, a table of contents, and page numbers.
• Include the completed Assessment/Project Coversheet (available on myLMS).
• Write no more than the maximum word limit.
• Ensure any diagrams, screenshots, and PowerPoint presentations fit correctly on the page
and are referenced.
• Use the correct referencing method throughout the assignment.
• Include a bibliography based on the applicable referencing method at the end of the
assignment.
• Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Run the assignment through Turnitin software.

Essential Embedded Knowledge and Skills Required of Students

• Report-writing skills
• Ability to analyse scenarios/case studies
• Understanding of subject field concepts and definitions
• Ability to apply theoretical knowledge to propose solutions to real-world problems
• Referencing skills

Resource Requirements
• A device with internet access for research
• A desktop or personal computer for typing assignments
• Access to a library or resource centre
• Prescribed reading resources

2 Refer to the Eduvos Policy for Intellectual Property, Copyright and Plagiarism Infringement, which is available on myLMS.

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Delivery Requirements (evidence to be presented by students)
• A typed assignment3
• A Turnitin originality report

Minimum Reference Requirements

At least five references must be used in this assignment.

Additional reading is required to complete this assignment successfully. You need to include the
following additional information sources:
• Printed textbooks/e-books
• Printed/online journal articles
• Academic journals in electronic format accessed via ProQuest or other databases
• Periodical articles, e.g. business magazine articles
• Information or articles from relevant websites
• Other information sources, e.g. geographic information (maps), census reports, interviews

Note
• It is crucial that students reference all consulted information sources by means of in-text
referencing and a bibliography, according to the applicable referencing method.

3 Refer to the Conditions of Enrolment for more guidance (available on myLMS).

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Section A

Learning Objective
Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles of creating a public relations programme.

Assignment Topic
Planning a public relations programme.

Scope
Read the relevant section in Chapter 11 of the prescribed textbook for a better understanding of
this assignment. You should approach this assignment by understanding how to plan a public
relations programme as recommended by PRISA.

Technical Aspects
• The assignment must be typed and in the correct format.
• The assignment must be submitted via the relevant Turnitin link before the end of the
submission date.
• Use Arial, font size 12 with 1.5-line spacing.
• The assignment should be 3 – 4 pages in length.
• Stick to your topic.
• Summarise information you have acquired in your own words. If you use quotes, ensure that
you use the correct referencing format.
• A plagiarism check must be conducted by every student prior to the submission of the
assignment. Turnitin must be used for this purpose.
• Write academically. Use full sentences with proper grammar. Ensure that all acronyms are
explained, and do not use abbreviations and personal pronouns.

Marking Criteria
• Preparation according to the guidelines provided.
• Skilled application of relevant environmental analysis tools.
• Skilled collection of relevant information and application of relevant technical skills learnt in
class.
• Originality – evidence of your own ideas and analysis.

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Essay Question 100 Marks

Read the case study below and answer the question that follows:

An offensive haircare advert shows Black South Africans still have to fight apartheid’s
race battles

Over the next five years, it’s estimated the South African haircare market will be worth just
under $500 million. According to market research company, Mordor Intelligence, this will be a
growth rate of 5.7%.

But three major companies may not be best placed to leverage off this growth following a furor
over an advert which has been labeled racist after it went viral.

Early this month, Clicks, a leading South African beauty and pharmaceutical retailer, published
an advert to promote haircare products featuring two images of Black women’s hair, and two
images of white women’s hair. Captions for the Black women strands were “dry and damaged”
and ‘frizzy and dull’, while the white women’s hair images were captioned ‘normal’ and “fine
and flat”.

Latest research from Statistics South Africa reveals that the country has a population that is
more than 80% Black. With this majority Black citizenship, an advert that positioned white
people’s hair as the norm elicited widespread outcry. The hashtags #ClicksMustFall and
#clicksadvert trended for days on social media.

Condemnation of the advert came from many quarters including former public protector, Thuli
Madonsela, who described it as a ‘textbook case of unconscious bias’. Criticism of the advert
ranged from labeling it as insensitive to being racist. Reigning Miss Universe, Zozibini Tunzi
who is South African and sports a natural hairdo, said it was “disrespectful to Black lives“.

The mane issue

In response to the reproof, Clicks has issued an apology, and an explanation that at least two
other companies were involved in approving the advert. The two brands have largely kept

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 themselves out of the fracas. TRESemmé has posted an apology on their website, while
Unilever has not issued a statement or granted any interviews. Clicks has confirmed
responsive steps they’re taking following the uproar.

These include delisting TRESemmé who originally supplied the advert, expanding their stockist
list to include more local haircare companies, and working with government to develop the
local beauty market. The reticence of Unilever and TRESemmé, combined with the steps
announced by Clicks, reveals that many South African corporates are not yet adequately
transformed to come close to being representative of the majority population.

It also shows they often do not implement transformation of their own volition. Only in 2020,
and following public damnation that has included petrol bombs, looting, and closure of their
stores, is Clicks announcing a renewed commitment to inclusion and diversity.

This is why for entrepreneur and TV mogul Basetsana Khumalo entrepreneur and former Miss
South Africa; the advert isn’t just about hair. “It’s a reflection of an ongoing problem in this
industry that dares to define what beauty is for anyone us. Black women’s hair is a political
issue. When we wear dreads or an Afro in the corporate world it is seen as a sign of rebellion
for some reason. I will not be silenced when I see the portrayal of white hair, as not just the
norm, but the standard.”

The centering of a white person’s hair as “normal” is imbued with pain, given South Africa’s
history. During apartheid, if a person’s skin tone didn’t immediately indicate their race, racial
heritage was often classified in line with the results of a pencil test. A person was classified as
white if a pencil was slid into their hair and fell out. If the pencil got stuck in their coils, they
were labeled Black; and following this classification, would be designated a lesser-class
citizen. In the context of this recent history, the images in the advert speak bluntly of a
corporate culture whose default setting still centers whiteness.

Splitting hairs
While the hair stories of many South Africans are rooted in the country’s political history,
response to the Clicks advert has also become political. The country has recently been
plagued with procurement and corruption scandals relating to Covid19, horrific incidences of

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 gender based violence, and a president set to face his party’s Integrity Commission over
campaign funding controversies.

But none of these have elicited as many political statements, interviews, and social media
spats as the Clicks debacle.

Twenty six years after apartheid officially ended, race remains a hot button topic in South
Africa; one that politicians have pushed repeatedly in the past week. The ruling party’s ANC
Youth League have called for a boycott of TRESemmé products, while 10 members of the
firebrand opposition party EFF, including a senior party leader, have been arrested for
destruction of property, following the protests it organized at Clicks stores nationwide.
Meanwhile, the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance is calling for the arrest of EFF
leader, Julius Malema for inciting violence.

The racist advert seems to have been the fodder for political mudslinging and exploitation of
the narratives around race and South Africa’s unique history on the topic. With unemployment
at over 30% amongst Black South Africans, and much of the country’s economic power in the
hands of its white minority, the impassioned advocacy by political parties is often seen as a
populist attempt to show solidarity with their majority voter bases. Municipal elections are
scheduled to be held next year, and as with any other build up, the political games will get
more brazen, frenetic, and roguish as the date approaches.

Source: Young, N. 2020. An offensive haircare advert shows Black South Africans still have to fight apartheid’s race battles.
Quartz Africa. [Online]. Available at: https://qz.com/africa/1901428/south-africa-outrage-over-racist-clicks-advert-for-black-hair/
[Accessed: 15 September 2022]

Immediately after this media crisis Clicks hires you as its Public Relations manager to run a
public relations campaign on inclusion and diversity.

Using the case study above, create a public relations programme that will address the challenges
Clicks is facing. Be sure to use the programme recommended by PRISA and largely followed in
South Africa. (100 Marks)

End of Essay Question

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Section B

Plagiarism and Referencing

Eduvos places high importance on honesty in academic work submitted by students and adopts
a zero-tolerance policy on cheating and plagiarism. In academic writing, any source material, e.g.
journal articles, books, magazines, newspapers, reference material (dictionaries), or online
resources (websites, electronic journals, or online newspaper articles), must be properly
acknowledged. Failure to acknowledge such material is considered plagiarism; this is deemed an
attempt to mislead and deceive the reader and is unacceptable.

Eduvos adopts a zero-tolerance policy on plagiarism; therefore, any submitted assessment that
has been plagiarised will be subject to severe penalties. Students who are found guilty of
plagiarism may be subject to disciplinary procedures, and outcomes may include suspension
from the institution or even expulsion. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to familiarise
themselves with referencing techniques for academic work. Students can access the Eduvos
referencing guides on myLMS.

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