There is hardly a corporation that does not have a PR (public relation

There is hardly a corporation that does not have a PR (public relations) budget that runs into the tens of millions. It is all about positive image building. Most of the millions are spent with advertising agencies for slick multimedia campaigns that seek to improve the profile of the business or its brands. But it also includes the placement of positive stories that purport to be news or items of public interest. There are many examples of fabulously successful campaigns. But when things go wrong they can go spectacularly wrong. The biggest and one of the most high-profile blunders occurred when one of the world’s largest public utilities ran a campaign promoting its size as a virtue in the modern world. All may have gone well had it not been for the timing of the campaign, for it coincided with an announcement to lay off thousands and to close a large number of outlets. The protests were heard from customers in isolated villages through to the national legislative body. Another infamous case occurred when candy manufacture announced that it was improving the taste of its traditional product. The reaction of millions of loyal customers caused utter pandemonium. Spontaneous protests and boycotts erupted worldwide.

Q1. The author holds that PR is all about positive image built through:

A. a series of TV advertisements
B. news or items of public interest
C. fabulously expensive campaigns
D. publicity
E. the services of advertising agencies


Q2. The audience that the author had in mind when he wrote the passage was:

A. someone conversant with the subject
B. his peers in public relations
C. prospective purchasers of the services of his advertising agency
D. someone with only a passing acquaintance with the subject
E. graduate students of business studies


Q3. According to the passage, PR can go wrong when corporations:

A. are caught lying
B. fail to consider environmental issues
C. promote their size
D. tamper with tradition
E. misjudge their customers’ attachments


Q4. The author of the passage would agree that when things go wrong and a negative image results, the effect is:

A. exactly opposite to the one intended
B. parallel to the one intended
C. contrary to the one intended
D. comparable to the one intended
E. dissimilar to the one intended


Q5. Which of the following would most logically follow as the next sentence?

A. The company stood its ground and persisted with the change, hoping that its customers would come around to its way of thinking.
B. The old formula was quickly reintroduced and a solemn promise made that it would never be tampered with again.
C. Public relations blunders come no bigger.
D. PR campaigns are intended to improve a company’s profile and sometimes they have the opposite effect.
E. The company had no choice but to expedite the plan.