Master’s Students Win First Place in Page Society Competition
Columbia, Mo. (March 27, 2006) — For the second consecutive year, a student team from the Missouri School of Journalism took first place in the Case Study Competition in Corporate Communications sponsored by the Arthur W. Page Society and the Institute for Public Relations.
Master’s students Yuliya Melnyk and Moushumi Anand, with faculty adviser María Len-Ríos, took top honors in the communications/journalism schools competition, beating out runner-up Virginia Commonwealth University. Their case study, “How the Russian Company, Pallet Trucks, Used Public Relations Strategies to Protect Its Business and the German Brand, Pfaff-silberblau, in Russia in 2001,” was completed as a project in Len-Ríos’ public relations course in the fall of 2005.
The case study demonstrated how two companies, a German manufacturer and a Russian retailer, partnered to combat a crisis when competitors started selling copies of the manufacturer’s “brand” equipment.
“The case that Yuliya and Moushumi selected has broad application to businesses operating in today’s global economy,” Len-Ríos said. “It shows how companies can use public relations to protect the integrity of their brands in emerging markets, especially when using legal means to defend a brand aren’t practical.”
Now in its fifth year, the Page Society competition aims to encourage students to understand the communication and crisis management challenges they will face as business and public relations executives.
“I learned much information about business and public relations in Russia, and it is very important for me that my work has been recognized in the motherland of PR,” Melnyk said.
Originally from Odessa, Ukraine, Melnyk is an advertising master’s student with interests in community journalism, marketing and public relations. She holds the equivalent of undergraduate and doctoral degrees from Odessa National Mechnikov University. Anand is now completing additional graduate work at Northwestern University. The team won $2,500 for taking first place, in addition to a $650 faculty adviser award.
“We worked hard on the case study with a lot of help rendered by Prof. Len-Ríos,” Anand said. “It was very exciting to receive the award, and I am sure the award will serve as a great asset on my resume.”
Judges of the competition included top executives and CEOs from companies such as Prudential Financial, JP Morgan Chase, the Gillette Co., Gateway Inc., BP America and the Public Affairs Council, along with professors of business, communications and journalism at schools around the country.
The Arthur W. Page Society is a select membership organization for senior public relations and corporate communications executives. Its goal is to strengthen the management policy role of chief public relations officers. The Institute for Public Relations is an independent foundation dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations. It builds research-based knowledge in the field and makes it available to practitioners, educators, researchers and clients.
Updated: April 9, 2020