summary report

You and your group members are part of an elite PR agency. The agency has just been hired by a loose conglomerate of American and Chinese tech giants (the list includes Facebook, Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Huawei and Xiaomi). While they may be competitors, they are also seeking to improve their public profile in the wake of societal and political pressure to break the large companies up, or to have them at least severely regulated. Your group’s task is to research a selected tech giant, analyse the socio-political impact of its products and/or business approach, and decide on at least one major societal concern to address, e.g. privacy, the impact of algorithms on our lives, fake news or employment/future of work. (Refer to Study Unit 3 of the Study Guide for possible topics). The group will then develop and communicate a PR strategy, using relevant digital technology tools and software, to counter negative public perceptions and improve the company’s profile. The group’s task has three components:  Summary Report The summary report presents the group’s research findings in written form. The findings should be based on a detailed evaluation of relationships, patterns and trends from available sources, in order to inform further actions and/or generate wider insights (i.e. arrive at a better understanding of the tech giant’s socio-political impact, identify problems arising from such impact, and then recommend solutions to resolve consequent concerns and improve the company’s public profile). The report must attempt the following:  Examine and discuss the tech giant’s background, i.e. origins, and the successful apps / products and business approach that have made it successful and dominant.  Determine and explain the underlying causes of the societal and political concerns regarding the tech giant, e.g. what are some of the company’s recent and/or current activities that could have raised concerns.  Develop recommendation(s) to address one or several identified concerns arising from the tech giant’s impact and to improve the tech giant’s public profile, i.e. the PR strategy including how the infographic will be used.  Consult a diverse range of sources, i.e. bibliography. Assessment: Summary Report (30 Marks). The report will be assessed on its research depth and breadth, its analysis of the tech giant’s socio-political impact, the feasibility of recommendations to address public concerns, and overall clarity and coherence.