The company promised to investigate as questions arose about whether the child chose to pose as a cashier or Curro officials made the decision. “We apologise for the offence caused and are urgently [engaging] our internal processes to understand fully the circumstances of the post to ensure that such an error is not repeated in the future.” Curro was labelled as “racist” by some people, but the company said it remained committed to diversity and non-racialism in its schools. Social media user Nicole Gentry-Brand, reacting to the apology, said: “I saw the original post on TikTok since it’s been removed and am wondering if there is more context to this. Did the little girl want to play that role? Were the children taking turns? I hope she wasn’t put into the role of a cashier by adults who think in a discriminatory way. “Fortunately for children, they play and have fun and don’t always understand the implications of this the way adults do. I hope that little girl gets an apology if this was done with ill intent.” Here’s some reactions from social media: CAPE TOWN (April 1, 2024) – Curro Holdings acknowledges that a post we published on social media portraying children in various workplace contexts was offensive due to the inappropriate stereotypes it depicted. The post was in error and has been deleted. We apologise for the offence caused and are urgently following our internal processes to understand fully the circumstances of the post to ensure that such an error is not repeated in the future. We will communicate further once the details of this unfortunate incident are established. Curro reiterates its commitment to diversity and non-racialism in our schools.

Curro to probe controversial career day post depicting racial stereotypes

Curro to probe controversial career day post depicting racial stereotypes Curro is in the spotlight after publishing a picture depicting a black child playing the role of a cashier and a white child as the buyer as part of its career day dress-up and roleplay. The pictures were on social media. Image: screenshot Curro Holdings, South Africa’s largest private school group, has promised to investigate a controversial career day post depicting racial stereotypes which caused a stir on social media at the weekend. Curro was lambasted after pictures of a primary school pupils' career day event showed a black child posed as a cashier while white children posed as veterinarians, among other professions. Curro apologised on Sunday, acknowledging the picture was initially posted by the company on social media but was deleted after backlash. “Curro Holdings acknowledges that a post we published on social media portraying children in various workplace contexts was offensive due to the inappropriate stereotypes it depicted. The post was in error and has been deleted,” Curro said. The company promised to investigate as questions arose about whether the child chose to pose as a cashier or Curro officials made the decision. “We apologise for the offence caused and are urgently [engaging] our internal processes to understand fully the circumstances of the post to ensure that such an error is not repeated in the future.” Curro was labelled as “racist” by some people, but the company said it remained committed to diversity and non-racialism in its schools. Social media user Nicole Gentry-Brand, reacting to the apology, said: “I saw the original post on TikTok since it’s been removed and am wondering if there is more context to this. Did the little girl want to play that role? Were the children taking turns? I hope she wasn’t put into the role of a cashier by adults who think in a discriminatory way. “Fortunately for children, they play and have fun and don’t always understand the implications of this the way adults do. I hope that little girl gets an apology if this was done with ill intent.” Here’s some reactions from social media: CAPE TOWN (April 1, 2024) – Curro Holdings acknowledges that a post we published on social media portraying children in various workplace contexts was offensive due to the inappropriate stereotypes it depicted. The post was in error and has been deleted. We apologise for the offence caused and are urgently following our internal processes to understand fully the circumstances of the post to ensure that such an error is not repeated in the future. We will communicate further once the details of this unfortunate incident are established. Curro reiterates its commitment to diversity and non-racialism in our schools.

5. Public relations tactics and strategies [10 marks]

Africanisation is a difficult concept to navigate, even for local corporations. This is because Africa is a complex continent with very different needs, such that publicity practitioners do not know what to cater to. Research, diversity in the boardroom and transformation of publicity are therefore very important. Curro Holdings is no exception to the backlash from the public on their recent post believed to be portraying racial stereotypes. Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow: CAPE TOWN (April 1, 2024) – Curro Holdings acknowledges that a post we published on social media portraying children in various workplace contexts was offensive due to the inappropriate stereotypes it depicted. The post was in error and has been deleted. We apologise for the offence caused and are urgently following our internal processes to understand fully the circumstances of the post to ensure that such an error is not repeated in the future. We will communicate further once the details of this unfortunate incident are established. Curro reiterates its commitment to diversity and non-racialism in our schools.

3.3 Discuss how an organisation faced with the same negative publicity as Curro Holdings can effectively deal with bad publicity. (3) 3.4 Describe and discuss the publicity process to assist Curro Holdings in developing a PR plan for establishing and maintaining communication with the public.

Question 2: Press release [20] As a newly appointed public relations practitioner for the University of South Africa, you have been tasked with developing a press release to announce the opening of a new campus in Limpopo. Your task is to create an informative and engaging press release that effectively communicates this exciting news to the media and public. (20) The following elements should be reflected in your press release: • Catchy headline • Dateline • Introduction - Provide essential details such as the location of the new campus and the date of the opening. • Body - Highlight the benefits and value that the new campus will bring to the community • Your press release must not exceed one page. • Use a professional tone and language appropriate for a press release. • Provide the contact information.

1.4 Identify three types of publicity agents as outlined by Myers (2015). (3) 1.5 Using relevant examples to illustrate your answer, discuss the importance and use of publicity in the public sector. (5)

https://www.southafrica.net/in/en/travel/event/soweto-wine-lifesytle-festival

Use the link below to access an article on ethics in Public Relations and discuss in brief your understanding of ethics in Public Relations. Your answer must not be more than 15 lines. https://burrelles.com/why-ethics-matters-in- public-relations/

In general, ethics can mean different things to different people and, as such, it is a very complex term and topic. Before we dwell much on this topic, it is important to note that it is beyond the scope of this learning unit to exhaustively discuss every aspect of ethics. Nonetheless, it is important to understand the basics of ethics. What is ethics? What do we consider to be right or wrong? How do people behave ethically? In this activity, we focus on explaining ethics, more particularly the definition and nature of ethics in general. According to Seitel (2011: 139), ethics can simply be defined as "values that guide a person, organisation and society". Ethics in a business context can be explained as the publics' perception of an organisation's standards of behaviour (Rensburg & Cant 2009: 242). Individuals' ethical behaviour is rooted in their morals – in other words, in personal values or principles. What do you personally consider to be good or bad morals? Do you think that you and the next person have same ideas about what is considered good morals? Well, this is not always the case and the same goes for ethics. The distinction between what is ethical and unethical behaviour is based on our different cultures and is a product of our social norms (Rensburg & Cant 2009: 252). Ethics are guiding principles which help us to distinguish what is right and what is wrong. Ethical behaviour is the “right” behaviour. It is difficult to have the same views about ethics as our contexts are different and our realities are unique and complex. How we were raised as children has a great impact on what we consider as ethical and unethical. It is important, as a public relations student, to comprehend that views on ethics are complex and always subject to debate. Please click on the hyperlinks below and consult the following reading materials to gain further understanding of the term, and of the nature of ethics.

1.1 Use the link below to access an article on ethics in Public Relations and discuss in brief your understanding of ethics in Public Relations. Your answer must not be more than 15 lines. https://burrelles.com/why-ethics-matters-in- public-relations/