Thesis Writing Timeline

What question am i answering?

My thesis will be about public relations used in charity organisations in Singapore.

Hmm…what question am i answering..?

I would have to say it’s answering whether or not public relations has been useful in the wake of a financial scandal that has engulfed the Singapore charity scene. It’s a case study.

 

My wish list for a supervisor

What I want in a supervisor:

 

1.      To be contactable at least once a fortnight, and perhaps more frequently when the deadline looms: Why? Because I’ll probably be panicking about the thesis during the later part of the year.

 

2.      Experience in being an honours supervisor previously. Why? It would be an advantage but I’m not being picky. Of course it would be more reassuring to know that the supervisor has done this before and therefore know the pitfalls and tricks around those potential pitfalls.

 

3.      Guidance in theories, presentation and formatting of a thesis. Why? I feel that in writing a thesis, I mustn’t get the theories I’m working with horribly wrong and since the thesis document is the only piece of work that will be presented to the markers, it would be advantageous if all the relevant bases are covered in presentation and formatting, which are fundamental to a good mark I guess.

 

4.      Background in public relations and experience with non-for-profit organisations. Why? Because my thesis is essentially about the public relations scene of charity organisations in Singapore.

My 1000 words…

Here’s my 1000 words, still alot of work to be done. Do realise that my research project may not be very focussed.

Singapore Spin: An investigation in public relations within charities

 

Abstract: Public relations is changing the way charities in Singapore are operating. This has been brought about by the prevalence of the Internet and triggered by a recent financial scandal. Branding and reaching target audiences have never been more important. An investigation into how public relations has become a powerful and vital tool in charities in Singapore will examine this.

 

Charities, or non-profit organisations in Singapore have always been an integral part of this South-East-Asian country. The city-state has achieved much economic success and growth since its independence for the best part of the last three decades. Unemployment and extreme poverty are maintained to a bare minimum with social ills heavily regulated and controlled by the ruling government. However, less privileged groups such as the disabled and the destitute do exist. As the government do not subscribe to a welfare state mentality and approach, charitable organisations and private donations are seen as an alternative way towards helping the this group of Singaporeans.

 

The first part of my research will examine the history of charitable organisations in Singapore up to the present. Secondary research will be done to ascertain the workings and mechanics this. The role that such volunteer bodies and community organisations have played and continue to play will be closely studied. The major organisations will be used as close case studies for the function and administration practices within large charities in Singapore. Wong & Chua & Vasoo (1998) provide an in-depth study and helpful investigation in this context. 

 

Public relations is still a largely Western concept and has only really begun to find its way into Singapore not too long ago. As such, it is a relatively new concept to firms in Singapore, not least volunteer organisations and charities. A study done in 1996 ( Wee & Tan & Chew) on organisational response to public relations showed how Singaporean firms with differing organisational structure and background respond to the challenges of executing core public relations such as community relations and internal communication. With public relations still a relatively young and budding arm of organisations, particular attention will be paid to the emergence and use of public relations in charities.

 

In this vein and timeline, it is also important to establish the emergence of the Internet and its rate of penetration and uptake within Singapore. Singapore has been one of the most wired and technologically advanced countries in the Asian-pacific rim and this is an important factor that must be considered when examining how the Internet changes how public relations is run and executed in charitable organisations. The way that public relations develops and evolves organically within charities hinges on many factors but the advent of and the widespread accessibility of the Internet should be considered as a major one.

 

The second part of the thesis will contend with how public relations can be seen as a vital and increasingly visible tool in a recent crisis that plagued the charitable organisation body in July 2005. The National Kidney Foundation, a Singapore-based foundation running kidney and dialysis programmes and fully supported by charity donations, was involved in a scandal which revealed excessive and over-extravagant salaries and benefits meted out to the top management. This was seen as a wanton disregard for appropriate use of money donated to the charity in good faith by the public. This controversy provides a ripe ground on which public relations was used by a newly-appointed set of leaders for communication to their stakeholders, both internal and external.

 

I will use this case study to display the extent and tools of public relations that have been used and to what effect by a major charity organisation in Singapore. The importance of having effective messages and communication to an internal and external public will be examined. Secondary research methods will be used in the collation of data to show the extent of success or not. The use of public relations tools within the Internet will be studied and investigated in especially close detail.

 

Lastly, I would like to examine the future direction of public relations in charity organisations in Singapore. With the Internet offering a plethora of options at a reduced cost, charity organisations in Singapore now have an array of tools that are available to them to increase their presence and voice in society. Special focus will be made on the rise and popularity of social-networking sites such as Facebook within Singapore and a possible marriage of convenience between the two.

 

 

 

 

 

Strengths and Weaknesses

After going through the exercise in class today and harkening back to the assignments i’ve done over the past few years in uni, it is quite clear to me what my strengths and weaknesses are. One of my greatest strengths is the ability to research, using the databases effectively and wisely. It has always been clear to me which journals or books will or will not work within the framework in which i am working in. On the flip side, framing the problem is one of my greatest weaknesses. I guess it has to do with the fact that I try to incorporate too much into an argument and working within a single specific framework proves difficult and daunting. Framework is undoubtedly crucial to my honours thesis and ironing out this weakness would be the most beneficial to my work. It is time to get focussed.

 

To do list for honours

1. Framing the problem
2. Brainstorm
3. Looking up databases/propositions/abstracts
4. Visit the library
5. Internet Research
6. Visit the museum
7. Interview, oral/email
8. Browsing shelves
9. Read it
10. Take notes
11. Bibliography
12. Analysis
13. Discuss
14. Photocopying
15. Review other bibliographies
16. Rss/citeulite
17. Looking up databases
18. Plan
19. Drafts
20. Apply research
21. Use Quotes
22. Cite references
23. Edit
24. Argument
25. Proof
26. Presentation
27. Reflect & Restructure
28. Submit

This is a rough guide to the execution of the thesis composed of three stages: Question, Researching and Writing.

4 Sentence Abstract

Public relations is changing the way charities in Singapore are operating. This has been brought about by the prevalence of the Internet and triggered by a recent financial scandal. Branding and reaching target audiences have never been more important. An investigation into how public relations has become a powerful and vital tool in charities in Singapore will examine this.

Definitions and Citations

Thought i’d make a virtual record of the definitions and citations for primary research. Gotta be really careful with the sources since the internet is full of junk and credibility is really important so i reckon sources from universities are reliable. It was much easier to find information by refining my search by browsing only .edu sites.

1) Primary research is research where you collect the information yourself, rather than using information collected by others. Primary research can be any form of information-gathering, from searching through raw data to some form of experiment.

Source: Thompson, B 2003, Primary Research, Milwaukee School of Engineering, viewed 14 March 2008, http://people.msoe.edu/~thompson/thesis/primary.htm

2) Primary research is undertaken when there is not enough information available about the research subject.

Source: Sarantakas, S 1998, Social Research, Macmillan Education Australia, Melbourne

3) Primary research is any type of research that you go out and collect yourself.

Source: Driscoll, D L 2006, Conducting Primary Research, The Owl at Purdue, viewed 14 March 2008, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/01/ 

4) Primary research presents original research methods of findings for the first time.

Source: University of California Berkeley Library 2008, Critical Evaluation of Resources, University of California Berkeley, viewed 14 March 2008, http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/evaluation.html

Primary Research

As part of the little group work exercise on ahem, researching on research,  more specifically getting our head around the term ‘primary research’. thought i might as well pen down what I’ve found out about it.

To put it simply, primary research is original research. This involves collating and gathering data that does not already exist, that pertains to a specific problem, in a proactive manner.  Merits of conducting primary research are aplenty. It is useful when working on a problem that may have not been addressed before, which means there is little available research. Further, it is crucial when working on a topic that is relatively new. Methods of primary research include surveys, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups and observations. One thing i’ve come to realise about primary research is that it is big business. Whole businesses are devoted to the collation of data, on the premise of market research.

3 thinks. So says Suess.

According to the Cat in the Hat in Seussical, you can do anything you think of if you’re willing to try. I guess that really sums up the attitude that i really want to bring into this Honours year. It is a bit of a leap of faith to do Honours in terms of challenges and ability personally. My reasons for doing Honours are two-fold, which comprise both romantic and practical ones.

1.  A good honours degree= A better kickstart and advantageous position in starting my career.
2. I really hope to create something of worth which is directly relevant to public relations, which will deepen my understanding and workings within this vibrant industry.
3. Hone and develop my existing research skills, which will undoubtedly be useful for my career.