final thoughts...

Dear Fellow PR 393 students,

I can't believe how fast the semester flew by, it seems as I just started my placement a week ago where I was a nervous wreck. Our reports are due soon and the panic mode has begun even though I have it half way completed.

My placement with CEDA has been over for a month now, but my time with them was invaluable. I feel I have grown up in the short time I worked there. The industry placement unit is the most exciting and rewarding unit in all my time at Curtin. I think getting 'real world' experiences should introduced much earlier in the PR degree.

All that time we were in class discussing theories and possibilities in mock up situations does prepare you for what to come although in some instances you become overwhelmed. At university you have much time to come up with solutions, in the real world time is fleeting and very precious. Thinking on your feet and keeping everything moving is very important for successful outcomes. At CEDA as soon as one event is over and all the paperwork was completed, it's right on the the next one. One of my projects was to create a series event for a regional development program, it is scheduled for mid next year but everything needed to be done before I completed my placement.

I found working in a boutique organisation to be extremely rewarding and also challenging. I think for me it was the best decision to start with small organisation before moving onto a larger one. I liked the closeness, transparency and the comradery in the office. However when you messed up it was glaringly obvious, but I feel mistakes make you grow are a lessons learned.

One thing I feel was very important to the girls at CEDA was separating work and regular life, although during lunches breaks they talked and bantered about their families and social lives, this never got in the way of completing work. There was a clear distinction between work and home. Once I asked if it was okay to take some of my projects home with me just to catch up, but my supervisor thought it wasn't a good idea, go home and relax don't think about work at home, it isn't healthy she told me.

You don't want this to happen..

 

 

From this experience I have gained lifelong mentors, friends and a job opportunity. Although CEDA wasn't ready to hire another employee due to resource constraints, the girls helped me find a job with one of their members, I am now volunteer Event Coordinator at The Smith Family who help disadvantaged kids in Australia. I want to gain as much experience I as can before I am comfortable in working full time.  

 

80% of success is just showing up: Woody Allen
 

The big bad world doesn't seem so intimidating any longer, it's all about getting your face and name out there. Before my placement I was hesitant with no confidence in my wok and ability but today I truly believe we can take our career anywhere we please. Finding opportunities that suit you and grabbing them will take you a long way, I know it's cliched but its simply the truth. My final semester at university has opened so many doors, it's really is just the beginning.

 

Choosing the right career path for you is very important, do something you love and it won't seem like a job and the daily the 9-5 grind. Working in events is exactly what I want to do with my career. I hope to open my own business one day, a charity organisation which brings together and educates Somali youth in Australia to give back to their country which is in turmoil. There is a need for western educated and established youth's to go back to Somalia and help build the nation. This has been a lifelong dream for me and I believe working in PR will help me accomplish this. Who knows I might one day be involved in changing the perception, image and reputation of Somalia to the wider world. I find its okay to dream big now and I encourage my fellow students to do.

 

 

 What have you lessons have you learnt at your internship?

 

I wish you all the very best in all you hope to accomplish.

Good Luck for the rest of the semester.

Thank you for unit, its been life changing.

 

Yours truly,

Suleeka Goomane

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CSR and events...

Hello Fellow PR 393 students,

Today I want to talk about corporate social responsibility and its existence in the modern business world. While I was interning with CEDA, something occurred to me. Should we consider event management companies just as liable for responsibility, one thing I am ashamed to admit is that I always thought CRS was for the big organisation with the money. Although I acknowledged all companies are responsible I did not necessarily think boutique not for profits were included. The more I think about it, the more my reasoning is flawed.

From the three years of studying PR, one thing was repeated and drilled into us. The MOST valuable asset in a organisation has is not the what they offer and how much they earn, but it is trust, credibility and reputation that is essential, no matter how big or small, profitable to not, the company has a duty of care to act ethically and responsibly.

Trust is developed when behaviours matches the expectations, in the business relationships trust is crucial component because we all know almost every business transaction requires a degree of good faith and trust.

In the last century CSR has been the focus and attention, a trend of socially conscious people have emerged which expect much more from organisations today. The certain duty and obligation a organisations must have to give back to and protect the earth.

CEDA caters to the most senior executives and the largest and most prominent organisations across Australia the international counterparts. CEDA's entire function is to bring together representatives of highly influential organisations from all sectors and get them to strategize a better future for Australia. While most organisations for instances, Rio Tinto, Shell and IBM have some sort of CSR strategy already within their structure. Taking part in CEDA events I think is also very important in the way they are represented and portrayed to the wider community.

For example CEDA did an event back in July which I was very happy to be part of the planning and coordinating. It was titled 'Ensuring Australian and Global Food Security' and drew in a big crowd, the topic was about how to secure Australian and global food security queries with escalating prices, unpredictable climate changes? A very worthy topic to host, representatives from government, Coles, Rio Tinto and noted academics were put to the challenging inquiry! It was very simulating and educational panel. It was something I haven't thought about before.

Listening attentively

 

CEDA has gained the reputation of creating such admirable events and I believe by doing so, they are applying CRS by putting forward to their members thought inspiring topics.

 

Trust and credibility are central in all instances in our lives, once it is broken, its like glass shattered, it can never be pieced back to how it once was no matter hard you try to glue it back together.

To avoid such a calamity happening in an organisation, CSR has become a widely applied concept and central concern in decision making processes. At CEDA one of my roles included media monitoring, which included reading a large among of newspapers and finding out the current hot topics and what people in community were asking questions about whether it was migration strategies, and indigenous disadvantage. One of my favourite events CEDA did was the Indigenous series  'Improving the Indigenous Status Quo'.

End of the event, people mingling.

  

To conclude, all organisations are obligated to practise ethically and responsibly. A successful business is one that always considers what is good for the people and the planet. Boutique not for profit event managements organisations have the same amount of responsibility as bigger and more profitable organisations. I learnt a lot by working with CEDA, formalising an event which is based on an important societal concern and putting that to a panel of speakers from the influential organisations to come up with the solutions to problems is as socially responsible as you can get.

 

That's all for today, I will speak to you all soon.

 

 

X

 

Suleeka