Exercises - PH 456: Communications and Marketing

In addition to a variety of learning activities, there are 3 instructor-evaluated activities associated with PH 456: (1) complete the individual exercise; (2) participate in a multi-learner conferencing exercise; and (3) complete and submit the assessment quiz. Each of these is explained below.

Learning Activities (Note: these ARE NOT to be submitted!)

A series of individual learning exercises for this module are provided below. Completing these exercises will familiarize you with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that relate to the competency expectation for this module that is described above. Note that learners are not required to submit written response for these learning exercises. Completing these exercises, however, will prepare you for components of this module that are assessed and scored.

  1. Review the basic content for PH 456, which is provided in the following chapters in the text Public Health Administration: Principles for Population-Based Management (Novick and Mays, eds; Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2001):
  2. Describe the steps necessary to develop a media advocacy plan.
  3. What might be some of the similarities and the differences in communications and media advocacy activities of non-profit versus a for profit organizations?
  4. You are the Director of Public Health in a large city. Dead radioactive aliens have been discovered in the meat freezer at the local elementary school by an investigative reporter. Parents are outraged and demand to know what health risk has been posed to their children. They also demand to know what government intends to do about it, and why the health department didn't discover the aliens on a routine kitchen inspection. The Mayor has called a public meeting for tonight, in the auditorium of the local high school, to address citizen concerns. He has issued a press release that states that you will be present to answer their questions and assure them there is no cause for alarm. Explain how you will prepare for the public meeting, how you will conduct the proceedings, and what you will tell parents.
  5. What should be the basic goals and components for a marketing program for a public health organization?
  6. Do all public health organizations have the need to do marketing? Pick 2 of the following 5 organizations and discuss whether or not they have a need for a marketing analysis: (1) American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago; (2) City of Chicago, Department of Public Health; (3) Erie Family Health Center; (4) Citizens for a Better Environment; and (5) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5.
  7. Reid and Mason argue in the case study Roles and Opportunities for Local health Departments in Managed Care Markets that managed care organizations have 3 stages in which they provide opportunities for local health departments: event driven cost avoidance, value improvement, and health improvement. They also argue that the requirements put upon managed care organizations by the National Commission for Quality Assurance presents targets of opportunity for LHDs. What is your reaction to this marketing analysis for LHDs?

Evaluated Activities (Note: these ARE to be submitted!)

(1) Individual Exercise

Each learner will submit a brief response to the following exercise. Produce your response on a separate document to be uploaded at the "Submit Assignments" link. Please use "PH 456 Individual Exercise" as the title of your submission.

After reviewing the case study, Building a Constituency for Public Health, briefly describe the most important lessons related to the constituency building by public health organizations.

(2) Conferencing Exercise

Add your contributions to this multi-learner conferencing exercise. Produce your response on a separate document to be uploaded at the "Submit Assignments" link. Please use "PH 456 Conferencing Exercises" as the title of your submission.

As the public health administrator providing consultation services to government, you will be responding to a request from the EPA Regional Director. You should base your response on concepts derived from the readings for this course as well as on information on Public Health Marketing and the Radon Overview. Submit your response to these questions after reviewing any available submissions from other learners.

(3) Assessment Quiz

Follow the LearningSpace link to the Assessment Quiz. You may be asked for your login ID and password to access the quiz through your Preparedness Center Personal Page. Complete the quiz and submit your responses. You make take the quiz several times.

Course Evaluation: All learners are asked to electronically complete a Course Evaluation Questionnaire; this is available to you as an electronic form and will be transmitted to a data base without your identity being known, and your instructor will have no way to link your identity to your comments. Before participating in these course evaluation activities, students should review the specific learning objectives established for this course (and others you may have taken as part of this series); these are available in the Syllabus. Evaluation of the course should focus on the extent to which these objectives were achieved.

PH 456 Exercises last revised September 7, 2005 (bturnock)