Passion is Everything

Hello once again!

The past week was my fourth week in Bluedale Group of Companies.Well, in terms of tasks I had to complete there was not a lot to do.I had to provide additional information for the website content for the Malaysia Cocoa & Chocolate Day 2010.The event will be on the 15^th-17^th October 2010 in Midvalley Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

It was also an exciting week for the company as their latest Travel 4 Locals latest edition was released, which provide locals with comprehensive information about what to do in and around Klang Valley.(The picture above shows the excerpts from the travel guide).

This week raised an important issue for discussion...Passion. In Bluedale Group of Companies it is amazing to witness their work ethic and energy in doing their work.Then; this raised a conversation with my colleagues about what is the motivation that keeps them going. One of my colleagues said that passion is the motivation behind work, because work alone cannot motivate you to do the best of your ability.However, when you have passion in your job, you give it the best of your ability and it is reflected in your results. This is quite true because there are many challenges to overcome in the industry but when you have passion, it keeps you going. Passion is an important quality if not asset in PR because when you enjoy your work, it will leverage the communication level with all the involved stakeholders.

So what do you think about Passion in the workplace, is it important?

Thrid week at Bluedale Group of Companies

Hello once again!this is my third week at Bluedale and I have learnt quite a lot.I am confident that after 6 weeks I would have a wealth of experience.It is such a great experience that we get to work hands on about what we were taught in class.

This week I was involved in updating the website content for KL-The Guide,which is a travel guide published by the Bluedale Publishing.Basically,the guide helps tourist to be able to navigate around Kuala Lumpur easily,it gives them insightful and comprehensive information about tourist attractions,restaurants to eat in,shopping etc.This task involved in a lot of researching and my supervisor constantly emphasized the need to credit my sources which we have learnt in PR.

Also i had the chance to take the minutes for the general meeting,which helped me understand the importance of a company to constantly discuss issues with their employees.Another important factor the CEO mentioned that it is important for the company to constantly keep in touch with employees,as the basis of a successful company is having effective communication with the employees. Employee relations is one of the contributing factors in the success of the company.It is evident that when employees work in a conducive and nurturing environment they are motivated to produce quality results.

Additionally,professionalism and time management in the real world is not a joke,just like in campus late submission means deduction of marks,in the industry failure to meet deadlines disrupts the operation of the company and may even cost the company money.Most importantly,during my three weeks i have learnt the importance of respecting clients and ensuring that they are given the best service.This is pretty much PR,in that PR is all about maintaining a symmetrical communication with all the relevant stake holders which builds a positive image about the company.Maybe to end my post,i would like to leave something to think about:

What do you think about the role of employee relations in a company?

Cheers!!

Boniface Badubi,LUCT

Second Week at Bluedale Group of Companies

Hi once again!

This had been the second week at Bluedale Group of Companies,and it has been quite a productive and busy week.I was assigned to write a pre press release and media questions and answers for an upcoming event in October.It was an eye opening experience to learn the practical side of the logistics of organizing event,more especially the preparations before the event.Even though the event is not near,the company is serious about the preparations to ensure the success of the event. Furthermore,I am so excited to contribute towards making the event a reality.

This week also I had a chance of putting all the writing and research skills are learnt from my PR modules into practice. Surprisingly,my supervisor emphasized about the important of research and referencing which has been like our daily bread throughout our course.I guess this shows that theory is important and relevant into helping you transition into practical work.

I am so happy for the opportunity to be able to put into practice what i have learnt,and waiting to gain a whole lot more.

Cheers

Boniface Badubi,LUCT

First Week at Bluedale Group of Companies

Hello Everyone!

After the challenging process of finding an internship, I finally secured an internship in Bluedale Group of Companies located in Petaling Jaya. Bluedale is a growing media company which was established in 2000, and it has become a reputable media specialist company in Malaysia. It has four major units, Bluedale Integrated which deals with media planning for clients, Bluedale Media which deals with outdoor media such as billboards, Bluedale Events and Consultants which organizes events on behalf of clients and finally there is Bluedale Publishing which has published the popular free KL guide and another local KL guide edition. In short, Bluedale provides all media solutions under one roof to clients.

The reality of working is a big shift from the flexibility of being a student and studying PR as a subject. In Bluedale they have a very high standard of work ethic, but at the same time being fun and friendly to make a conducive working environment. Everyone was willing to assist me wherever I had difficulty, which has been a motivation for me to gain as much experience as possible during my placement.

Since the company is a group of companies, currently I am working under Bluedale Integrated which handles client’s media planning especially booking for advertising space and time. To begin with, I was assigned to check the library and list all the newspapers and other publications for each country. Then I had to update the overseas rate card which shows the advertising rates for different overseas media outlets. The most interesting task was requesting for the rate cards from the overseas media outlets, this was putting to test my theory of writing and communicating with people. During this task I learned the value of professionalism when communicating with clients, such as keeping the e-mail professional by including your designation and company information.Furthermore,professionalism is not only to the external environment but it was demonstrated through the communication of staff with each other.

Additionally, I had the chance of attending a staff meeting where I was introduced and had a chance to experience how a meeting in the real work field is conducted. Another task that I was assigned was to write a pre press release for an upcoming event which is handled by the Bluedale Event & Consultants.

Internship is such a great experience and it is also challenging because it is the first time having the feel of PR in the field.

I am looking forward for the coming weeks and making the most of the experience. Bluedale is the right platform for me to explore how the media industry and Public Relations operate.

Cheers!!!

Boniface Badubi, LUCT