Adapting to change

When I was first asked to come on board as an intern at RugbyWA, a large part of my role was producing the 'Cut Out Pass' EDM which is sent to over 22 thousand RugbyWA stakeholders. This is one of the most important forms of stakeholder communications at RugbyWA and I was given the opportunity to take it on board and make it my own.

Originally, I started producing Cut Out Pass using Mail Chimp, a service that allows you to mass produce and send EDM's and newsletters to large mailing lists. On my first day as an intern, I took over four hours to complete Cut Out Pass, as I was anxious about completing it with absolute precision and did not have a firm grasp of the Mail Chimp system. After producing around 10 Cut Out Pass editions through Mail Chimp, I managed to start producing the EDM with the same quality in under an hour. It allowed me to complete more tasks throughout the day, which I felt increased my value as an intern and allowed me to learn more, rather than taking over half my day to complete the newsletter.

However, in March of this year RugbyWA changed their EDM platform to 'Exact Target,' which is run through 'Sales Force' and gives much more advanced EDM analytics and allows you to learn much more about your audience. This was difficult for me, as I was beginning to know Mail Chimp back to front and inside out, and was all of a sudden told that the subscription was not being renewed and I would never be using it again.

This meant that I had to start again from square one with Exact Target, and being a more advanced program it was a difficult task. When first using Exact Target, it felt like my first day as an intern all over again. I sat there dumfounded for over four hours attempting to do a job I was used to doing quickly between the hours of 4pm and 5pm. It was a difficult change, but now 12 editions later I know the structure of Exact Target as well as I used to know Mail Chimp.

The lesson from this is that whilst I was at first hesitant and anxious about the change, all it did was challenge me and allow me to learn a new system and the back end of a program that is very beneficial in regards to stakeholder relations.

Luke.

My PR calling?

Hello again, this shall be my last post and I hope to make it a meaningful one.

In my first year, the concept of public relations was foreign and unfamiliar to me, all i thought i knew was if I liked to talk and write, and if liked socializing perhaps I might like PR. Fast forward to my last month as a PR intern, I've still got a long way to go before i can confidently say that I know what PR is all about. Nonetheless, my studies and this placement have given me valuable insight into the PR industry.

After much consideration, I have made a realization that PR may not be me my cup of tea, I will probably not actively pursue a career in PR as I don't see myself working in a PR consultancy or a PR department in a company. Nonetheless, this does that mean that i will completely forsake the three years I've spent learning and practicing PR. If the opportunity presents itself, i would very much prefer to practice PR in an NGO  or utilize the knowledge I've gained for a future business venture.

I do believe that PR, good PR that is, is something that should be practiced by everyone. To conclude this post, I would like to recap on my favorite things about PR. My studies have taught me that PR has the power to shift perceptions and change attitudes and because of this power, PR can be a powerful advocate for marginalized groups and issues. If i were to practiced PR, i hope that it would be for a meaningful cause.

Daphne Margaret Jolly
17895620/7E4A2937
Curtin Sarawak Campus

A taste of Corporate Public Relations: The CSR in CPR

Hi Everyone! So here i am reflecting on my on-going internship placement at Interhill Group of Companies (a property developer and timber producer). My placement began in March and will end on the 31st of June.

First and foremost, I feel nothing but gratefulness to Interhill's CSR Department for giving me this opportunity. With this i extend my thanks to Interhill's CSR Manager and my supervisor Miss Angelyna and fellow intern June for teaching and guiding me through this experience.

Corporate Public Relations to my understanding is the maintaining of the relationship of a corporate organization with their various stakeholders.In my case, the stakeholders that i dealt directly with were Interhill employees and the children from Interhill's After School Project (ASP). In dealing with these two stakeholders, I've been exposed to handling internal communication and corporate social responsibility. Both stakeholders were a joy to interact with and working with the children was especially rewarding.

As I've stated in the first paragraph, Interhill is involved in a competitive and challenging industry that makes internal communication and CSR seem like mundane aspects to consider. In a corporate setting, there is a danger to overlook these aspects, thus I believe a CSR department should exist as an advocate to safeguard the importance of these and other aspects that may usually be set aside.

I have been taught that public relations should be utilized on more than a tactical level, going beyond maintaining public image and PR stunts but rather genuinely investing in stakeholder relationships to build long lasting trust. Sadly, this may not be the case for most organizations as public relations has yet to secure its well deserved place within the management.

Despite various challenges and limitations, Interhill's CSR department is taking its responsibility seriously by strengthening the company's commitment to its stakeholders. My placement allowed me to witness and be a part of the fulfilling of that commitment. By planning employee relations events, such as International Women's Day Muay Tai collaboration with Top Dog Factory, the department strove to empower women employees. By committing to the ASP the department does not forsake the needs of others.

To conclude my reflection, public relations should bring a human touch to a company, without it a corporation will seem like an inhuman entity.

Daphne Margaret Jolly
17895620/7E4A2937
Curtin Sarawak Campus

From Little Things Big Things Grow

Looking back to where it all started I remember dreading starting my internship, where do I begin, where do I want to go, can I really do this, were all questions circling in my mind.
I think I speak for a lot of students when I say I was not looking forward to working for free and that some of the intern adverts looked a little dry, not quite as exciting as Samantha's office from the Sex and the City. But could I really be picky? I'm just a university student, and I'm definitely not the only one looking for a placement, so I should just be happy with anything I can get, right? Wrong!
If you start early enough and do your research you can find somewhere that fits you as well.

Fortunately for myself whilst social butterflying around Perth I began talking to someone who worked for Rugby WA and the Western Force. This organisation was the dream for me as an internship, because of all the rugby players walking around the office? Maybe, but mostly because I had always taken extra interest in sport. Throughout school I was always the sport captain and that didn't change when I arrived at Curtin becoming their sports captain in 2014. All my work experience and volunteer work had been with sporting events so Rugby WA just seemed like the next step up for me.
Networking is a handy tool for any students toolbox and thankfully that is how I found out that they were looking for interns for the upcoming season and eagerly asked for a direct contact that I could submit my interest to. After handing in my resume and acquiring an interview I received an email congratulating me on my new role in the partnerships team at Rugby WA and Western Force.

For a moment I had a sigh of relief, the hard part was over, or so I thought. Day one rolled around and I began to doubt my ability to 'PR', the 'what ifs began to appear in my mind, what if I have to write a press release on my fist day, what if I end up sitting alone at lunch, what if I forget how to send an email, what if I make a mistake. But day one interns don't stress, most tasks are simple, like spread sheets and data entry and all my tasks always came with a set of instructions to help me along the way. I also quickly learnt that the ability to ask questions was my greatest ally, no matter how silly I thought my question might have been, my manger was never frustrated at me and never thought my question was stupid. Asking the question helped to get the job done quicker and ensured it was done to the best of my ability.

As my internship continued my confidence built and the more tasks I was given. Towards the end I was able to walk into the office, sit down at my desk and continue working without any instruction from my manager. My what if's had faded away and I realised that every mistake I made throughout my time at Rugby WA had built me up to be a better intern, learning how to fix things myself and how to avoid making future errors.

Now at the end of my internship I realise that I was never working for free. Hands on experience teaches you things that you could never pick up in a classroom and I am so grateful to Rugby WA and Western Force for giving me this opportunity to grow and develop as a PR student. I now have the confidence I needed to take me into the next stage of life beyond university and I owe it to my internship.

'The Interns' and ladies from commercial services, celebrating our final Western Force home game together

The Importance of Research

Interning at an event management company that runs its own and clients’ events, it’s almost impossible to be left with nothing to do. With at least five events occurring from May to July- two of them being their own- work at Event and Conference Co lately has been nothing short of busy. There’s media releases to be sent out, clients, venues and special guests to liaise with, marketing ideas to be formulated and executed, and most importantly; RESEARCH TO BE DONE!

Though often tedious and time-consuming, I’ve found research to be one of the most important aspects of my work, whether it be for event planning or solely for public relations purposes. Throughout my time at Curtin, the importance of research and knowing what you’re talking about and who you’re talking to has been stressed in each and every PR unit. I’ve always been aware that there is a significant amount of research behind events, but I’ve never really understood how much until now.

This research has been centred on an upcoming formal event in July, dedicated to Perth’s emergency service men and women. With an event in honour of a particular group of people, ensuring we have the right guests, sponsors and a suitable venue has been a painstakingly long task. It has been my responsibility to create a comprehensive database of both potential event sponsors and invited guests. I made it my mission to make these databases as complete and concise as possible, considering all paid workers as well as volunteers in the metropolitan area. I then widened my search to consider other professions, such as psychologists and lawyers; that may help these service men and women within and beyond their job descriptions.

Completing this database was one of the longest tasks I've been given at my internship, and by no means did I consider it to be a complete and comprehensive list of all individuals associated with emergency services in Perth. That list could have gone on forever! For me, this task emphasised the importance of research, and just how much is necessary to contribute to a successful event. This task tested my work ethic, and made me realize how important it is to research your guests rather than inviting everyone and anyone to a formal event, or any particular company rather than targeting organisations with common interests relating to your cause.

Until next time,

Clare

One foot in front of the other

On my last week of internship, my supervisor asked me to become an emcee for Pustaka Miri CSR programme: Basic English Workshop, in collaboration with Kolej Vokasional Miri. Having no experience in speaking in front of public before (except that one time on radio, but that's without having to show my face), I was feeling quit nervous but I thought how hard can this be?

It wasn't. Not at all. Think about it as talking to your friends. But in a formal and professional manners (depending on the type of function). The crowd were super cool. Most of them are government officials and students from juvenile probation school. What I would like to tell here was the students. When we asked them in one of our exercises who their favourite person are, most of them answered their father or their mother. There's also the moment when one of them gets "punished" and has to dance in front of everyone and all of them decided to do it together to support their friend. I tried so hard to hold back my tears. On that day, I knew that engagement like this is what I want to do in my life. To provide opportunities to those who wants it regardless of their past mistake. We're all human after all. We pay our due and carry on and strive to be better. I am grateful to my supervisor who has given me this opportunity.

On my last day of internship, it's sort of a requirement for the interns to present their reflection of internship to the Pustaka Miri's officer. I've presented the experience of working there, my expectations and also the in-house project that I did for Pustaka Miri which is Pustaka Miri social media presence and awareness together with suggestions that the organization could implement in the future.

Although my period of internship here was brief, but I could honestly say that I've learned a lot and grown mature. I have a glimpse of what a Public Relation officer duty is. For those who are about to do their internship and need some tips. Just one foot in front of the other. You will feel anxious, fear of failing, fear of not capable enough but you just have to do it and trust me, that's the only way to learn. Follow orders and give 100% no matter how petty the task may seem to you. Without the small components, a machine could not function properly. Leave your mark and make them say "He/she was the best intern we had". Or at least try.

Aizat Mahmudy
15628167 / 7E1A8690

Grateful Monday!

It’s Monday today, and I just thought of something very meaningful and unforgettable while I was interning at Go International Group. Every Monday, we will have a meeting just to recap on the tasks that we have accomplish during the previous week. The things that we discussed could be the ups and downs when working, the challenges that we face when completing a task, and many more. Regardless of the challenges that us colleagues face during the previous week or even the previous week, we are always grateful on what we have learned regardless dealing with external parties or internally among us colleagues.

One of the things that I admire the most about this company is that, whatever mistakes we do, we all help each other out to fix what we have done wrong. It is because we are such a small family, we really have each other’s backs like family members. It’s not all about getting our work done, and that it’s totally on our own plates. We will always try to help one another based on whatever knowledge we have learnt. I feel like, the caring culture is very much build in this company, and I’m so grateful of that. Hence the company’s motto, “Sharing of Insights, Integrity, Love, and Valour” – their motto truly reflects how the people are in the company.

                            

Okay, back to the main point, every week we’ll sit down and have a meeting on Mondays, and during that meeting, we will all share with each other on what we are grateful of, and this is a tradition in the company, they call it “The Grateful Monday”. Every single time when it reaches my turn to share about what I’m grateful of, I will always answer the same old boring thing, which is “I’m grateful of every single thing in life”. I appreciate to have interned with my amazing colleagues, grateful to be given the opportunity to work in the company, grateful that I am learning, I could go on and on, it’s endless. Therefore, I truly appreciate of the littlest things that I am able to learn in life. “The Grateful Monday” tradition is such a wonderful thing!

xx

Till the next post :)

Noor Alina Hazeman

17894494/7E4A3053

Curtin University Sarawak

Two Days, 40 players and 16,000 Signatures

Every year the professional Western Force rugby team have a signing session to sign 250 Western Force jerseys and 150 rugby balls. These items are used throughout the season to give to partners, used as donations and as prizes. This year the task was done across two days to help break up the team into groups, the first day was for all injured players who had not flown to New Zealand for the away games with the rest of the team.

In preparation for the first signing session three interns, including myself, set up the room by moving the tables into a U shape, cove the tables with black tablecloths, organise all jerseys into piles, unpack  and pump up all of the rugby balls and make sure we are stocked up on permanent markers. 

All players have been given a time when they are meant to come into the signing session however we found out that only 50% of players actually follow this instruction. The first player arrived an hour early and wanted to get started whilst we were still setting up the room and pumping up the balls. He began on the jerseys and as he signed them we made sure we kept the signed ones away from the others just in case more players decided to come in early. Throughout the session there were constantly players coming in and out at different times so organisation was key here to ensure every item was signed by every player and it did not get confused. The teamwork and communication between the interns and an effective production line were the key to meeting our objectives for the day. 

The second signing day was two weeks later when the remaining players were back in Perth and they were given three different time slots in which they could come in to do their signings. The largest number of players any given time was 10, each who passed on each item until it reached the end of the production line where I would put the items in the finished piles ready for the next round of players. The most challenging task was motivating players to complete the job as they were each signing their name 400 times in one sitting. Another challenge was to remember who had signed what, as some players would start with jerseys, others would start on the rugby balls and some would come half way through another groups session and join in at the half way mark of all the jerseys. 

Although this task did not require me to use a great deal of my PR knowledge it did require patience and tolerance and it was a task of high importance. I feel as though I helped to contribute speeding up the process by giving a helping hand to players who had come on their own or who were behind, putting the jerseys together in a pile and ripping them away as they signed it (this can be seen in the link https://www.instagram.com/p/BCtz-Rymydq/ where Pek Cowan and myself are featured on the Western Force Instagram with our speed signing techniques). 

At the end of the day we had to pack away all jerseys and rugby balls into the storage room, clean the room and pack up the tables and chairs. It was rewarding to know I had contributed to the success of the day and was also a handy way to learn more about the players and be able to put faces to names for the future.

Emails and realising mistakes

Part of my role within the Western Force media team is covering and writing about the PINDAN Premier Grade, the top tier of senior rugby in Western Australia. To put it into perspective, if you compared it to Australian football, it would be like the WAFL is to the AFL. With that in mind, it is important when writing about these teams that you keep their brand in mind, and ensure the articles, reviews and press releases you write accurately reflect the brands the clubs are intending to promote. 

When writing these pieces, we attempt to communicate and relate to the club rugby community by occasionally referring to clubs by the nicknames they have coined over the years, for example Wests Scarborough = 'Wests' or 'The Boars', Cottesloe could be called 'Cott' or 'The Gulls' and Perth Bayswater could be referred to as 'Baysie' or 'The Numbats'. 

To my surprise, I logged into my work emails, the standard email address for every media intern that has ever been through RugbyWA to find an email from a person high up in the Palmyra Ruby Club. It read; 

"Hi there,

Just a small thing. When writing about Palmyra can you refer to us as “Pally” not “Paly” as this is a brand we are trying to promote.

Thanks very much

Best regards,

Steve (not his real name)."

I was originally worried when I first saw this, thinking I had made a big mistake, but soon realised that not all mistakes are bad ones. I had never previously been warned about this, and after re-reading the email I realised that the person sending it was not actually upset or angry about the mistake, he was simply giving me a heads up for next time. 

I since took the advice on board, and have continuously referred to Palmyra as 'Pally', not 'Paly' in all forms of Premier Grade stakeholder communication. 

Luke. 

From Dipping My Toes in the Water to Jumping Into the Deep End

It's game day three and I'm already hosting my own room filled with our corporate partners. Jump back to game day two and I was standing in the corner watching our finance superstar Jess work the room and deal with any questions our partners may have.

This isn't my first time hosting a room, previously as the promotions manager for a nightclub in Northbridge I have done my fair share of hosting patrons in the club, birthday functions and celebrity meet and greets however hosting a room filled with some of our biggest partners is a lot different to getting semi-intoxicated 18-20 year olds excited about a Geordie Shore star. I am nervous yet excited, I feel as though the Western Force have put a lot of trust and faith in me by appointing me this responsibility and it makes me feel as though my hard work in the office and on game day has paid off.

The corporate room is called the Black Swan Bar and to set it up we need to ensure every company has its own pod with the correct signage. Each pod fits 10 people and requires five match programmes and Karma Resort flyers. The branding in the room needs to be checked with a Retravision sign and two Karma Resort pull-outs on the stage. It is my responsibility to ensure the Ipod is plugged in and the music is at a good volume, I have to give a run-down to the catering staff and make sure the security at the door have spare lanyards for any guests who have forgotten to bring theirs for their tickets. Before gates open I speak to the event representative from the NIB stadium in-case anything needs to be changed, am involved with the corporate hospitality briefing and have a quick run-over with the MC to discuss what competitions need to be run throughout the night and when they will be announced.

At gates open three Western Force players arrive in the room and I have to give them instructions on what they will be doing in the room. They have a spot the ball competition and a business card draw that they will need to explain to the partners in each pod. I also have to collect the prizes from BLK and Retravision for these competitions.

In the room are companies such as the Asthma Foundation, Schweppes, Redpath, BLK, Wilde and Woollard, Titan Ford, Print Sync, SGS, Metrix, Retravision and Shelf Subsea. I memorise where each company's pod is and walk guests as they enter to their appointed areas. As the team runs onto the field people start to exit the room to their seats to watch the kick off, whilst most would think that I too would get to watch the game, this is the time where I enjoy a quality meal of beef cheeks, mashed potato and vegetables, one of the perks of working in the corporate areas, no cold pizza for me!

At half time guests return to have dinner and I talk to the Karma resorts representative to let her know how her staff have been in the room. The game recommences for the second half and once everyone has left the room I get to watch the final 10 minutes of the game in the stands.

Full time and everyone is back in the room taking advantage of the free alcohol for final hour. This is when myself and the MC get up on stage and run the 'Heads and Tales' competition and hand out all prizes for the night. The final 45 minutes for me are a great opportunity to network as I walk to each pod to chat about the game and make sure they have enjoyed their night.

The night has gone smoothly and many of the guests thank me as they exit and commend me on the great job I did hosting the room. In the office the following week both of my managers commend me on the great work and tell me they had great feedback from a number of guests in the room that night. This type of feedback is very rewarding and I am excited to now be the Black Swan Bar host for remainder of the season.

From left to right: Natalie, Laura (me), Bron and Stevie posing in the Black Swan Bar before the night's events kick off

Live.On.Air.

Hello again, my attachment here at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak Miri has been more and more interesting as days went by. On 19^th April, my supervisor asked to come with her to RTM (Radio Televisyen Malaysia) Radio Station Miri to promote the organization’s Science and Maths Week 2016 that was happening in the same week. At first I thought I was just there to observe what was going on. As we enter and wait for our slot to speak on live air, she asked me if I want to give it a shot. And of course I said yes! God knows when opportunity like these will arise in the future. Speaking on air live was one of my dreams when I was little. When I was on air, I felt a little nervous even though I knew that nobody would see my face (but they do know my name though). I spoke about the schedule of our Science & Maths Week 2016 event, the objectives as well as promoting our upcoming Sarawakiana event at the end of May. What an experience!

(On air)

(Left: DJ Nor Aliza. Centre: Sofina Tan, my supervisor. Right: Yours truly)

The day doesn’t end there. I went back to the library and straight away work on my in-house project at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak Miri. My project is to conduct a questionnaire to find out which platform is better to gain publicity for Science and Maths Week the following year since it is an annual event.

On 25^th April,in conjunction with the World Book Day, we held the Let’s Read Together event. It is a nationwide event that is held simultaneously. I was in charge of book distributions for those who forgot to bring a book with them during the event. No one left…bookless.

( Regional Manager, Salina Zawawi giving her speech)

Later that day, our team together with Pustaka Negeri Sarawak Miri Regional Manager Salina Zawawi went to General Hospital Miri for handing over The Reading Cart plus some books for the children’s ward. Although the children were sick, they managed to smile when we hand them the books from the reading cart. The doctor and nurses in charge gave us a quick tour in the children’s ward and some refreshments were prepared for us. Have I told you that lots of food was also involved during my attachment here?

(Handing over the reading cart)

So gonna miss this place.

Aizat Mahmudy

15628167 / 7E1A8690

Companies, clients, organisations & non-profit organisations!

Greetings fellow readers!

Throughout my time of interning at Go International Group, these are some of the companies and non/profit organisations clients that we have worked with. 

                                         

                                                                 Freshly Squeezed Water

My colleagues and I prepared a proposal for the company above to collaborate with Vitev Alkaline Water. The purpose of the powerpoint proposal is to create a corporate video promoting the benefits of alkaline water in our daily lives, and basically to remind the mass public how important water is in our lives. While going through the objective of the corporate video's process, the objective, the target audience, the technical procedures, the concept and idea of the video, it all really reminded me very much of the unit I've enrolled previously, called Corporate Documentary Screenwriting. Therefore, I applied what I've learn from that unit into the proposal.

                                       

                                                                        Heng Hiap Group

This is one interesting company that we've proposed with. A gist of the company : It's a recycle company that could turn plastics or wastes to biodiesel! How cool is that? So the purpose of the proposal that we've done for them is to promote awareness about the benefits of recycle and to promote the company itself. Heng Hiap is located in Johor Bahru, and apparently, they're not quite known in Malaysia. So, we proposed to them to promote themselves through the power of social media, and when we were doing this, the PR unit called Transmedia Storytelling that I've enrolled previous semester came into my mind. I applied all the social media strategies that I've learnt previously into the proposal. FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram you name it!

                                                    

                                                      Second Chance Animal Society 

Second Chance Animal Society is one organisation that I was extra passionate when getting involved in it. It's got to do with dogs, and I love dogs! As mentioned in my first post, that I not only got involved in PR-related work, but also other things such as website development. As for this organisation, we proposed a revamp for their website. I attended the meeting with the clients of the organisation with Nikki. 

                                      

                                                                 SkimGuard

Skimguard is a 24/7 protection against the threat of identity theft and fraudulent credit card transactions. For this, my colleagues and I also proposed an idea and concept to create a short corporate video.

                                          

                                                            The Global Student

Jan Drew, the founder of The Global Student is a friend of Nikki. What we proposed to the organisation is also a revamp for their website. My colleagues and I had a meeting with Jan Drew through skype, and my goodness! That moment really reminded me of when my classmates and I were having a skype meeting in the class on the projector with our client, Mr. Oswald Braken from the Sarawak Forestry working for the Piasau Nature Reserve project for Transmedia Storytelling and PR Planning & Evaluation units! Except that this time, we were having the meeting through the laptop's screen and not the projector. It was indeed memorable!

                                                    

                                          myMERCYrun2016 from Mercy Malaysia

Go International Group has been collaborating with Mercy Malaysia for years now and this is currently their third time collaborating together for the fun run called myMERCYrun. This year's theme is different than the previous years' theme as this one is super hero-related! For this organisation, I helped out with preparing the proposal to propose to Perbadanan Putrajaya (Putrajaya Corporation) to have the run there. Unfortunately, the location we wanted to use in Putrajaya is fully occupied on our preferred date and time as it clashes with other running event. So we had to use an alternative location, which is Padang Merbok, the same location as the fun run was held the previous year. 

                                       

                                                              Attiva Hair Beauty

Attiva Hair Beauty is one of the clients that my colleagues and I proposed an idea to revamp their current website too, benchmarking on successful hair product websites such as Tresme.

                             

                                                Possum Removal by Possum Busters

Possum Removal is an Australian company that specifically offers the service to remove possums from homes. The proposal that my colleagues and I prepared for the company is also a proposal revamping their website. 

In a nutshell, dealing with clients in the real world ain't easy as I thought, it's indeed interesting meeting clients, and working together with my colleagues on brainstorming for ideas! Scroll down for some pictures! :P

SECOND CHANCE ANIMAL SHELTER

Meeting with clients from Second Chance Animal Shelter to propose our ideas of revamping their website

We set the meeting at one of the cafes in Kelana Jaya

MYMERCYRUN 2016

From left, myself, Suhaili from Mercy Malaysia, and Nikki my employer. We were scouting for locations in Putrajaya for the third myMERCYrun event.

Suhaili and Nikki scouting for locations.

The location we went was specifically Taman Wetland (Wetland Park) in Putrajaya.

One of the trails

More trails

Beautiful view 

That's the Putrajaya Mosque, it's one of the beautiful mosque in Malaysia

Hey hey Putrajaya, I was in the car while snapping this and Nikki drove. Putrajaya is such a beautiful place, a must for tourists to visit. What am I doing here? Marketing? Tourism, promoting? LOL! Okay back to PR. Anyway, it's unfortunate that myMERCYrun 2016 won't be held at this location due to the clashing with other running events, but it's alright, Padang Merbok has always been the welcoming place for myMERCYrun!

xx

Cheers

Noor Alina Hazeman

17894494/7E4A3053

Curtin University Sarawak

The Importance of a Cohesive Workplace

The Importance of a Cohesive Workplace

I am currently half way through my exciting internship at Channel 9 Perth, within the marketing and public relations department in their Perth office/studios. Since working at the station it has become apparent that there is a need for absolute cohesion not only within departmental teams but across every department. This cohesion is absolutely necessary at Channel 9 and other office environments because it not only allows for a productive work place but also for an enjoyable environment, which is something all companies should strive to achieve.

Being in the marketing department is great as we not only work to achieve recognition for the Channel 9 brand and its partners but also work as mediators between other departments and outside sources. Such as if an event organiser wishes to use one of the Channel 9 News Reporters to MC their event they will contact the marketing department and negotiate which presenter can be involved on what dates and what their duties will be. This means that it is of great importance that everyone is friendly and familiar with each other because there is a lot of ‘favour’ asking, and in my experience nobody really wants to do favours for people who they don’t associate with as being their friend.

Since witnessing these inter-departmental relationships first hand I really believe that when brand image is concerned, the first step in communicating a positive brand comes from within a company first off. It involves a positive office culture and a willingness to be apart of the team, going above and beyond not because you have to but because you want to. Such as with Channel 9, the presenters aren’t contracted to do extra work such as MC events or make appearances yet they are enthusiastic and willing to do it because they enjoy their work and the people that surround them. 

Understanding this importance, I believe, is key to being happy in the work place and having experienced such a strong and positive office culture I know that no matter where my career takes me I will always strive to help achieve this in my workplace and never settle for anything less. 

Needless to say I am enjoying every minute of my internship and can't wait to share more insights shortly! 

- Maddi