The Rhône-Poulenc initiative
In 1995, BRAHM Public Relations was successful in winning the Issues and Crisis Management category in the Institute of Public Relations Sword of excellence Awards for a long-term issues and crisis management campaign involving leading manufacturer of agricultural chemicals, Rhône-Poulenc Agriculture.
Like all similar manufacturers, Rhône-Poulenc has faced a steady flow of criticism over the years from pressure groups over issues such as the possibilities of pesticide residues in food, chemicals in rivers and water courses, spray drift from farmers applying pesticides and so on. These are all genuine environmental concerns, but often overstated, particularly when unchallenged or not compared with the benefits these products provide to improve productivity and reduce food prices. During the mid-1980s, the sum total of these concerns led to increasing demands in some sectors for a return to organic farming methods – which do not permit the use of synthetic chemicals to enhance growth, destroy pests, weeds and fungi – to replace more conventional farming methods which do.
Seeing this as a real issue which could affect its environmental credentials as well as its long-term future, the company acted quickly. By utilizing a research farm it manages at Ongar, Essex, called Boarded Barns Farm, it decided to split the land in two and farm one half organically and the other by conventional means. The purpose was to directly compare the two different types of farming, and measure farm economics, environmental impact and the wholesomeness of finished produce.
To ensure fair play, the company appointed independent advisers from government, academic and environmental bodies to audit the project – known as The Rhône-Poulenc Farm Management Study – and its activities on a regular basis. A freely-available annual report details the results and comparisons, and the farm is now visited by hundreds of interested visitors annually – including the media. The openness if this approach has helped to correct many misunderstandings about modern farming methods and provide genuine data to compare the relative values of both types of farm management systems on the same site.
Since it was started in 1989, the project has completed environmental studies on the effects the two farming systems have on field and margin (borders) flora, farmland arthropods (spiders), aphid populations, slug populations and wheat diseases. Longer term environmental studies continue to examine solid and water residues, bird populations, small mammals, butterflies, soil microbes, dragonflies, moths, earthworms, weeds and beneficial insects.
By going into such depth, Rhône-Poulenc has become much better informed on these issues, made a lot of new friends and established useful links with conservation organizations hitherto suspicious of modern arable farming methods. Likewise, the company has learned a lot about alternative farming methods and can speak with authority on these issues whenever they are publicly debated. By embracing sensitive environmental concerns from the public and pressure groups, rather than combating them, Rhône-Poulenc has won recognition and, as a provider of reliable facts and data, has enhanced its own standing within its industry and with the public at large.
Evidence that the findings have been credibly received by the project’s target audiences has been demonstrated by the use of statistical data, derived from one of the Rhône-Poulenc Farm Management Study’s Annual Reports in a House of Lords debate on the future of British agriculture. Additionally, a delegate from the Soil Working Group of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution visited the farm as part of its evidence-gathering programme.
Rhône-Poulenc has been sufficiently convinced of the success of this project to announce a further extension to it by the lease of additional land adjacent to Boarded Barns Farm on which it is intended to undertake an integrated crop management study. This will produce results directly comparable with the conventional and organic data, and should carry forward the debate on food production and associated environmental issues to new dimensions.
Integrated crop management is a crop husbandry system which aims to be equally as profitable as conventional farming, but with special emphasis on inputs, crop rotations, cultivation and monitoring to achieve a more focused approach to pest control. It uses biotechnology, genetic engineering and nature’s own pest controls – such as ladybirds to control aphids – where appropriate.
This new type of system is one which environmental benefits are positively sought, and as such is at the forefront of modern agricultural research. By taking on this additional study, Rhône-Poulenc has once again been seen to take the lead in exploring the latest developments in farming and the environment.
- Ильина о.К., Тычинский а.А.
- Предисловие
- Методическая записка
- Content
- Marketing communication
- The role of public relations in the marketing mix
- Public relations planning in the marketing mix
- Marketing integration
- Campaign development
- Diagnosing the solution
- Product launches
- Improving brand equity
- Public Relations in the future marketing mix
- Step-by step planning process
- Exercises
- I. Discuss the following questions.
- II. Say what the following refer to in the text of the article under the headlines:
- Marketing integration
- III. Match the following definitions with the word-combinations below.
- IV. Complete the words.
- Internal communication
- Why communicate?
- What do people want to know?
- Some communication techniques
- Communication and leadership: the bp Oil experience
- Background
- Preparing the ground
- Creating the right attitude
- 1 The right attitude (see Figure 2.2)
- Attitude Technique Talent
- 2 The communication road map
- 3 The good communicator
- 4 The head office communication forum
- The virtuous circle
- Link with human resources
- Where is bp Oil now?
- Exercises
- II. Say what the following refer to in the text of the article under the headlines:
- IX. Translate the following text from Russian into English.
- (Виктория Чупровская. Внутренний pr способен решить коммуникативные проблемы в компании. Www.Prlink.Ru)
- Сommunity relations
- Background
- What is community relations?
- Why bother?
- Methods used in a community relations programme
- One piece in the jigsaw
- Research
- Strategic objectives
- Project selection criteria
- A sponsorship example
- Donations policy
- How can the project be developed?
- Measurement and evaluation criteria
- Business benefits of the programme
- Employee participation in the community involvement programme
- Why bother involving your employees?
- How do you know that the programme is a success?
- Internationalising the programme
- Future developments
- Conclusion
- Exercises
- I. Discuss the following questions.
- II. Say what the following refer to in the text of the article under the headlines:
- IV. Complete the words.
- V. Translate the following word-combinations from Russian into English consulting the article.
- Financial public relations
- How do you define financial public relations?
- The basic task
- Corporate public relations
- What contribution does financial public relations make to the success of a company?
- What are the rules that govern financial public relations?
- Why has this business become such a major industry?
- Investor relations – Is it public?
- Coordination and consistency
- A time to speak and time to remain silent
- How does it fit in with other areas of public relations?
- In-house or consultancy?
- Vickers plc – a very brief case study
- Conclusion
- A checklist
- Exercises
- Corporate public relations
- Vickers plc – a very brief case study
- VIII. Translate the following text from English into Russian.
- IX. Translate the following text from Russian into English.
- X. Summarize the article “Financial Public Relations”.
- XI. Solve the following pr problem.
- Local government and government relations
- Why central and local government matter
- Effective public affairs
- Defining public affairs
- Central and local government
- Government
- Members
- Local government
- Gaining access
- Case studies
- Bail Bandits – a campaign to change the law
- The execution
- Trident – battle of the dockyards
- Key points
- Exercises
- Business to business public relations by Nigel Lawrence
- The customer rules
- How do you know it works?
- The trade press
- Getting it right
- Being prepared
- Getting the good news across
- Joining forces
- Conclusion
- Exercises
- II. Say what the following refer to in the text of the article under the headlines:
- Public relations for non-commercial organizations
- The mission
- Not-for-profit pr
- The public presence
- Partnership – the sum is greater …
- Provision of services
- Involvement of interested parties
- Case studies – the human face
- Aims, objectives and realization
- Checklist for a successful campaign
- Exercises
- II. Say what the following refer to in the text of the article under the headlines:
- Involvement of interested parties
- III. Match the following definitions with the word-combinations below.
- VI. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English using active vocabulary.
- VII. Translate the following text from English into Russian.
- Sponsorship
- Definition of sponsorship
- What makes a successful sponsorship?
- Do’s and don’ts of sponsorship
- The sponsorship package
- Sponsorship package checklist
- The public relations agency agenda
- Exercises
- II. Say what the following refer to in the text of the article under the headlines:
- The sponsorship package
- III. Match the following definitions with the word-combinations below.
- IV. Complete the words.
- V. Translate the following word-combinations from Russian into English consulting the article.
- Environmental public relations
- Be aware of public concerns
- Chemicals industry – in the limelight
- The Rhône-Poulenc initiative
- Changing public perceptions
- Putting the case for recycling
- Looking to the future
- Exercises
- II. Say what the following refer to in the text of the article under the headlines:
- III. Match the following definitions with the word-combinations below.
- IV. Complete the words.
- (Dorothy Seed. Global warming changes attitudes to nuclear power / Behind The SpinPublic Relations. Http://publicsphere.Typepad.Com/behindthespin/2006/11)
- Glossary a