83418 - Public Communication And Service Marketing

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide theoretical and practical tools to address the study of the relevant communication dynamics related to the design and implementation of public communication initiatives or plans: political, social and administrative one.
At the end of the course students get useful theoretical skills for analyzing processes and cultural factors that influence the construction of communication themes and the behavior of social actors; they learn the theories and techniques for the development of a communication which is oriented to participation and the involvement of citizens in modern democracy processes; finally, they acquire methodological tools useful for the communication and marketing actions planning on collective topics or public services, with particular reference to local public agencies, third sector players, corporate social responsibility and the cause-related marketing.

Course contents

The course is organized in two consecutive, but related, sections.

The first part is aimed to investigate the “networked” turn that has was involving the Italian Public Administration (PA) due to the development of the Internet and the social web. This matter is inevitably revolutionizing the timing, the ways and the making of the public communication also in our Country.

This is a pathway in which technological, normative and communicative dimension, are intertwined according to new - sometimes even innovative - certainly complex dynamics that impact on PA routines, practices, communication interfaces, etc., as well as on the interaction with citizens-users.
These latter ones are really “networked citizens”, that is connected citizens who are active within specific civic frameworks, using the Internet and the social media to make their voices over, triggering practices of knowledge sharing, conversational exchange and civic mobilization. Social media thus become public spaces and communication contexts in which administrations and citizens are able to (re-)connect and confronting each other, in innovative forms of shared administration.
Thus illustrating the nature and scope of this change, the course firstly proposes to accompany the student to the understanding of the potential, but also on the limits or impediments, that concern the new "networked citizenship" today.

Starting from this frame, the second part of the course will widen the horizon of the discussion also to the recent economic, environmental and social changes, which necessarily impose an ever greater sharing of collective responsibility among all social actors. Therefore, will be taken into account also the issues related to the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and, in general, related to communication and marketing strategies aimed to reach fully organizational citizenship of for-profit and non-profit economic actors, even including consumers. Especially these latter have to be increasingly considered as active players in defining market trends and corporate sustainability strategies, as well as of innovative and collaborative "bottom-up" experiences.

Readings/Bibliography

For attending students:

• Lovari A. (2013). Networked citizens. Comunicazione pubblica e amministrazioni digitali. Milano: Franco Angeli.
• Fortezza F. (2014). Marketing, felicità, nuove pratiche di consumo. Milano: Franco Angeli.

Non attending students will need to integrate with a book among the following ones:

• Rainie L., Wellman B. (2012). Networked. Il nuovo sistema operativo sociale. Milano: Guerini.
• Ceccarini L. (2015). La cittadinanza online. Bologna: Il Mulino.
• Grant J. (2008). Manifesto del green marketing. Milano: Brioschi.
• Fattori G., Vanoli M., Il marketing sociale: opportunità e prospettive, in Cucco E., Pagani R., Pasquali M., Soggia A. (a cura di), Secondo rapporto sulla comunicazione sociale in Italia, Carocci Editore, Roma, 2011.

N.B. Foreigners students who could have some difficulties with Italian may opt for the English version of the books (if available) or they may choose with the teacher some alternatives.

Teaching methods

The course mainly includes frontal lessons and group workshops/discussions related to the analysis of case studies, good practices, etc. in order to stimulate analytical and evaluative thinking, the empirical method and the critical approach.

Seminars and speeches by experts or representative witnesses may be also provided.

At the end of the course, the students will possess the theoretical frames and the operational tools to analyze, evaluate, structure and implement the communication of public and non-public bodies, with particular attention to stimulating and accompanying the processes of participation and co-creation of value.

Assessment methods

Attending students have to:

• carry out a group work on the themes and topics discussed during the course, writing on a brief report that they will present to the class. This work will be evaluated by the teacher and will be an integral part of the final evaluation;
• they also have to take a final written test with open questions (and short answers) on the topics of the course. The evaluation of this test, together with the result of the working group, will make up the final overall evaluation.

To non-attending students or those who have not passed the written test and working group evaluation, are required to hold an oral exam with the teacher.

Teaching tools

Video projector, PC, powerpoint slides, articles and documents not included in the course program but relevant for the topics covered by the classes.

Links to further information

https://iol.unibo.it/course/view.php?id=45353

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Spillare