Course: International Change Maker credits: 15

In this 15 ECs block you will demonstrate your competences as International Change-Maker in an integrative consultancy-based project. Themes are related to complex communication challenges relating to major societal issues including sustainability. You are supported by study units in online Monitoring and evaluation, issues & crisis communication management and personal leadership: 

Capstone project 3 
The student designs and develops an applied research project for an international stakeholder seeking value (and growth) through innovation-led sustainable corporate goals. The student dives deep into the issues and challenges of communication for sustainability and joins an interdisciplinary team to create a 'pipeline' of innovative communication products. The student uses online monitoring tools to analyze issues and trends, online conversations, and content, in order to create innovations for sustainability communication. The consultancy-based project is an emergence, related to the sustainable development goals and preferred initiated by the Professor in Communication, Behaviour and Sustainable Society. The student may have the challenge to work in Innovation (research) labs. The student will deliver an Innovation Tool Kit to boost innovative sustainable communication strategies and behaviourial tactics for the international stakeholder(s) involved.  

Online Monitoring and evaluation  
The emphasis of this study unit is on online data collection and how to analyze what people are saying online and what this means for organizations. Online data give insightful input for communication strategies. The student learns to listen to what the online data are saying. Does the message resonate with the audience? Does it make an impact? Tools and strategies monitoring and interpreting these data need clearly defined goals. 

The student learns how to: 

• Differentiate between the latest social media metrics, web metrics and analytical platforms. 
• Select the type of social media and web metrics for analysis in alignment with communication and business objectives. 
• Collect, measure, and analyze online data (social monitoring): e.g. track sentiment change and audience behavioral actions (shares and likes, comments), track the impact of reputations. 
• Engage in social listening: listen to (track) issues and conversations based on key word searches across multiple online media channels, blogs, websites, news sites etc. 
• Create a data plan and how to report strategically. 

Issues and Crisis Communication Management 
Organizations are faced with many issues and crises affecting their reputation. They are under constant pressure to accommodate both needs and voices of critical stakeholders who demand to know who the company is, what it stands for and how it is acting according to its organizational values. This poses new challenges to companies, where the field of issues and crisis communication becomes increasingly strategic. The student will explore case studies and discuss how issues and crisis influence the practice of organizations. This study unit covers the latest topics in the area of issues management and crisis communication practice and theory including issues and rhetorical arenas, emotional stakeholders, new media landscape and crisis response message strategies. Key insights are applied in the consultancy and sustainability-based capstone project. 

Personal Leadership: professional training 
Personal leadership is the ability and desire to crystallize one's thinking and to establish a specific direction and destination for one's life and role as a professional. Personal leadership is about making a difference in the global workplace by creating a positive working environment in which cultural diversity is valued and respected. The sustainable society of today, needs leaders who know how to get extraordinary things done: to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, separateness into togetherness and risks into rewards. In this course the student receives hands-on skills-based training in personal leadership. The training builds on the personal development goals as earlier identified in the programme. By exploring different leadership styles and reflecting on own personal development goals the student will make conscious progress towards his/her identified goals, aspirations, professional dreams, and personal communication challenges. 

The different elements are assessed as integrative parts of the block master portfolio. 

Contact person: Dania Fang MSc.  
Contact information: r.fang@pl.hanze.nl