Phone 0438806271Email: s.rickman@hotmail.com

Shannyn RickmanI am a confident, professional communicator with extensive customer service experience. I have good initiative and I am able to work effectively as part of a team, managing a team and also independently. I have four years experience in management roles at a large function centre and in a popular city cocktail bar. I am dependable and a fast learner, I also have excellent staff training skills. I can handle a busy environment and I am able to multitask and help other staff members during stressful times. Finally but most importantly I am approachable, friendly and can handle, as well as provide, constructive criticism.

Employment November 2015 - Current Freelance Design Freelance Designer

Adobe Suite: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After effects and Adobe Premier Pro.

Designed promotional material for boutique winery Three Dark Horses. Designed a logo for Inspire Plumbing and Gas Company.

September 2012 - Current Sportsgirl NorwoodPart-time Sales Assistant

Providing professional and friendly customer service Going above and beyond to help customers find what they need Opening and closing the store independently, end of day banking Instagram posts, in-store promoting, handling returns, lay-buys and customer

phone orders, recommending and upselling Working as a senior to new staff Carrying out visual merchandising updates Handling customer complaints in a professional manner Recommending and upselling, driving email sign-up promotions

August 2014 – November 2015 Bank Street Social Bar supervisor

Working in a busy environment ensuring consistent and efficient quality service Ensuring a vast knowledge of an extensive spirit collection and being able to

recommend and upsell products. Professionally handling customer complaints Training and mentoring new staff Working as a senior bartender ensuring that the bar remains sufficiently stocked

with product and glassware and managing tills.

May 2011 – May 2013 The Hackney hotel and function centreFull-time bar Manager

Marketing Achievements

Education

Worked as the designated Responsible Person and gaming machine attendant Arrange promotional displays and communicate with company reps to organize

new promotions Supervising and training staff, organizing staff breaks and knock off times Handling customer complaints Building rapport with customers in the bar and in functions Wrote a new cocktail list and suggested new trending spirits to boost drinks

sales and ensure the pubs stock reflected the latest drinking trends based on my knowledge within the industry.

Promotional poster was selected as one of 14, out of 200 students, to be voted on to advertise upcoming university event.

Designed promotional material for boutique winery Three Dark Horses. Designed a logo for Inspire Plumbing and Gas Company.

2012 - 2016 University Of South Australia

Bachelor of Marketing and Communications

d igital marketing, advertising, market analysis, management principles, public relations: theory and practice, accounting principles for business decisions, screen matters: film television and new media, introduction to communication and cultural studies, buyer and consumer behavior, business law, media law and ethics, communication management in practice, writing and editing for publication, quantitative methods for business, design language in media arts, business and marketing planning, industry and practice, promotional communication: advertising, publicity and marketing, integrated communication planning, communication research methods

Experienced in Microsoft programs and the Adobe design suite

2002 – 2006 Pembroke School Kensington

Awards received Bachelor of Marketing and Communications Gaming and responsible person badge - 2012

Responsible service of alcohol – 2008

References Victoria Fielding university communications tutor: 0401 064 956

Charley Harrison Sportsgirl Norwood manager: 0427 500 907

Brendan Stevens Venue Manager at Bank Street Social: 0419 843 714

David Danby duty manager of the Hackney Hotel: 0418 896 720

PortfolioMedia power summary

My university short word assignment that received a High Distinction. The assignment was a 250-word summary of a radio interview with former CEO of News Corp Kim Williams about power in the media.

Media Power Kim Williams former CEO of News Corp spoke with Eleanor Hall about his short time spent in the company. Throughout the interview Kim talks about the strong hegemony that exists within the company making change difficult to implement. He believes this to be a big contributor to News Corp failing to confront the challenges that the digital era are having on print media. Gramsci describes hegemony as manufactured consent being developed through alliances of interest and the organisation of consent (Gramsci 1971).  Marx and Innis believed that having control of the means and modes of production of media brings political, economic and social power.  This is certainly the case for Rupert Murdoch who has a strong influence over The Australian newspaper. Having been such a big part of the newspaper for so long and socially accepted in this role even Kim Williams was aware in his CEO position that Murdoch would always have control. Williams also talked about the public being less trusting of big print mastheads as they become increasingly aware of the bias that can come from such powerful media companies. This is particularly a current issue of interest as media conglomerates attempt to consolidate which would give them less competition and hence increase their power and influence on media content and where that media would be available.

Communication Plan

Media release, backgrounder and event proposal from Monarto zoo communication plan university assignment.

Media Release

Monarto Zoo is roaring with excitement as it is set to begin its ‘Safari experience’ project

Monarto zoo has just received a $900,000 tourism grant from the South Australian Government to assist in the implementation of their safari park project. Zoos SA chief executive Elaine Bensted said “the grant is incredibly exciting as it enables the organisation to begin our master plan. This is great news for visitors who will be given a unique experience as well as vastly improved financial ability for Zoos SA’s to continue and expand its conservation efforts”.The master plan had been postponed awaiting appropriate government funding and corporate sponsorship to prevent an over commitment of financial resources as was the case in 2009 with the panda exhibit. “We know that the zoo over-extended itself when it went into its last major development and I've given an absolute guarantee that won't be occurring," Ms Bensted said.Along with major sponsor Westpac Bank, Zoos SA is planning to build both luxury safari style and cabin style accommodation at their Monarto open range zoo site. The project aims to increase tourism opportunities and to promote increased functions at the venue. The project is planned to boost South Australia’s tourism from interstate as well as internationally. The cabin style accommodation will appeal to families as well as assist the Zoo to encourage educational camps from both schools and universities, as it will make the location more accessible. The luxury accommodation aims to allow visitors a safari experience and is planed to generate increased interest in the location for weddings as well as corporate events. "We're very proud of what we deliver already and we want this plan to help us deliver our mission which is to save species from extinction and to connect people with nature," Ms Bensted said.Zoos SA are a conservation-based charity that relies on visitors, volunteers, sponsors and fundraising to assist its many conservation projects both in South Australia and in various locations internationally. The Project is expected to take five years to complete and will provide 30 extra jobs for the state.

Media release backgrounder

Zoos SA have developed a 20-year plan for both of its sites to assist in making the organisation more economically viable. Zoos SA is in better financial shape after being millions of dollars in debt only four years ago following the global financial crisis. Zoos SA attributed this to the declining economic conditions and insufficient corporate sponsorship. Adelaide zoo received its largest visitor numbers in their 132-year history with Monarto also recording its largest visitor numbers in 2015 (Dayman, 2015).Despite its recent operating surplus successes the South Australian Government had to bail out Zoos SA in 2015 as it struggled to pay back a loan with Westpac, preventing the sale of land at the Monarto site. This highlights the need to ensure the continually increase in economic viability. The new safari style accommodation will

be a large contributor to the future success of Monarto as a function site and tourist attraction.The 20- year plan includes introducing several new species including Nyala, Maned wolf and significantly expanding the number of Rhinos at the Monarto site. Zoos SA have already completed its initial phase of the master plan by completing the nature’s playground at Adelaide Zoo in 2015. The plan has been developed to ensure the organisation meets its mission to save species from extinction and to connect people with nature (Zoos SA, 2015).

Monarto Annual Fundraising Ball Event Proposal

A charity ball at Monarto could showcases their function facilities whilst generating revenue from tickets. This type of event gives Monarto a chance to inform guests about their current success at the zoo and also raise money for future conservation projects. The function room can be set up with pledges for animal adoption among other fundraising activities such as raffles and silent auctions. This event also achieves engagement and increased awareness of the research and conservation efforts of the zoo. Advertising for the Monarto Annual Fundraising Ball would begin in June with the event being held over the October Labour day weekend on the Sunday night.

Objectives:

1. To generate action among current corporate sponsors, specifically to maintain current sponsorship over the next 12 months.

2. To generate action among potential corporate sponsors, specifically to increase corporate sponsorship at Monarto by two organisations within 12 months.

3. To generate awareness amongst Adelaide primary schools, specifically to generate interest in education opportunities at Monarto zoo. Aiming to increase education visits by 6% in 12 months.

4. To maximize awareness of volunteer opportunities among educational institutes, specifically South Australian primary schools and agricultural, environmental and animal science University students. Increasing educational institution awareness by 2000 people in 12 months.

5. To increase action of volunteer opportunities among educational institutes, specifically South Australian primary schools and agricultural, environmental and animal science University students. Increase of 5 % of student engagement, specifically 100 of the 2000 students over 12 months.

6. To increase fundraising among the South Australian public, specifically increasing fundraising contribution from 7% of total zoo revenue annually to 10% over 12 months.

Aim of the event:

The event would be fore mostly to provide fundraising opportunities for Monarto Zoo. The event would be the perfect platform to address interested publics on the progress of the conservation organisation as well as how to get involved both financially and through volunteer activities. All of the objectives could be addressed at this event through adoption pledge stands, stands for corporate sponsorship information, discussing education efforts from the previous year and stands around the venue discussing future education opportunities. Providing information on getting involved with the organisation will assist with awareness and achieving company objectives.

Event Venue:

The charity ball location is proposed to be the waterhole function centre at Monarto zoo. Due to this there would be no venue hire fee due to Zoos SA ownership of the function centre. The Monarto hospitality team is sufficiently experienced to hold the charity ball evident from their success with multiple events throughout the year. All required furniture and resources to be utilized by the event are already at the function centre.

Menu:

EntréeDuck & shitake pie, butternut puree, peach & muscatel relishMainCider roasted free-range turkey, sweet potato & sage rosti, apricot & cranberry stuffing, maple baby carrots, jusDessertSticky date pudding with ice-cream Tea and coffee

Budget:

Advertising budget:Table 1. Advertising plan for the Monarto annual fundraising ball. (Cost figures allow for work done free of charge from sponsor Showpony Advertising).Activity Audience Outcome Method of

deliveryWhen Quantity Cost

Annual fundraising ball

General public, members, animal adopter’s and corporate businesses

Generate awareness and interest in the event

Email, Facebook, The Advertiser, Radio

June to October

34000 emails1 Facebook event4 Newspaper ads (1 per week in June)

$3000

Event operation budget:Table 2. Monarto Annual Fundraising Ball operations budgetKitchen Staff 4 $100 $400

($25 per hour for 4 hours)

Bar/ Waiting Staff 8 $125($25 per hour for 5 hours)

$625

Entertainment 2Band and DJ

$250 $500

Food and Beverage 200 pax $30 $6000Security 4 $200

($40 per hour for 5 hours)

$800

Total $8,325

Event Revenue:Table 2. Monarto Annual Fundraising Ball Ticket Sales PredictionTicket type Ticket price Estimated ticked

salesTotal ticket revenue

Adult $80 100 $8,000Child $65 50 $3,250Member/Sponsor $70 50 $3,500Total N/A 200 $14,750

Table 3. Monarto Annual Fundraising Ball Ticket RevenueTicket revenue Event expenditure Total revenue$14,750 $8,325 $6,425

Communication Research Critique

Validity and Methodology of the Pew Research Centre study “The evolving role of news on Twitter and Facebook”

This report firstly discusses the use of a quantitative cross-sectional study to conduct the research into news usage on social media. Secondly this paper outlines the effective process of selecting a probability sample for the study and offering incentives to increase the rate of completion. The methodology allowed the possibility of some unconscious bias and logical fallacies to occur but did also attempt to offset the effect of these through mathematical corrections.

The methodology used by the Pew Research Centre was simple but effective to gain an insight into ‘The evolving role of news on Twitter and Facebook’. The researchers used a cross-sectional study to gain an insight into current usage of News sources on social media sites. The research was compared to some cross-sectional studies previously carried out by the Pew Research centre to gain insight into the progression of news usage on social media in the last two years. The nature of the study was field-independent with participants completing an online survey. The survey was conducted over two weekends and consisted of nationally representative probability sample respondents. Looking at the key findings in the report it appears that close-ended questions were mainly used in the online survey. Quantitative data is easier to analyze and has the advantage of being easier to input or import into programs such as Excel spreadsheets. Being able to use spreadsheet programs enables statistical calculations to be run and graphs to be generated (Weerakkody, 2015). Open-ended questions are time consuming and respondents cannot be guided in an online survey, making it difficult to ensure appropriate information is discussed. Participants are more likely to complete a survey that is not too time consuming and higher completion rates provide more accurate results.

The Pew Research Centre used a probability sample to get a representative result of Americas’ news usage on social media. Participants were sourced through GfK who run an online survey service OMNIWEB. GfK recruit survey members through address-based sampling and random digit-dialing telephone sampling. Limitations of random digit-dialing is the possibility of excluding the households that do not have a land line phone which is becoming increasingly common due to preference of mobile devices. Address-based sampling can exclude households that do not register in phonebooks and skew the data. A sampling method that consists of both these methods can lower the potential for skewed data as it is more inclusive therefore, more representative. Members of The American Trends Panel are selected by the Pew Research Centre to complete their surveys. The members of the panel receive a monetary incentive after participating in the survey to increase completion rates. The intention of the report was to gain insight into news usage on social media, making the chosen methodology sufficient.

Researchers need to ensure that their methodology adequately attempts to eliminate bias and logical fallacies. Unconscious bias is possible through the research reports use of secondary data only being collected from the Pew Research Centre’s previous studies. Supporting data should be sourced from other research studies to legitimize the results and minimize the effects of bias and logical fallacies. The report identifies that the wording of questions and practical difficulties could introduce error or bias into the results. Unintentional bias could have occurred through only asking Facebook questions on the second week as the completion rate dropped. Completion rate of the first weekend was 33.5% compared with 30.2% in the second week (Mitchell, Barthel & Shearer et al 2015). The research used mathematics to offset and adjust any biases that may occur due to non-response and non-coverage. The report provides tables showing the margin of error for both the Social Media and News Survey and the American Trends Panel. An improvement to the survey would be to ask more questions comparing the two social media sites and also allowing the respondent to select a non-applicable response to questions that may not be relevant to their social media use. Another improvement would be to enable completion over one weekend with an equal number of questions related to both social media sites.

This critique firstly discussed the reports use of a field-independent, quantitative online survey carried out with a representative probability sample. Secondly this report outlined the advantages of selecting a probability sample and the effectiveness of random digit-dialing and address-based sampling methods. Finally the Pew Centre research acknowledged some of the potential possibilities for bias and logical fallacies, although they had some unconscious bias, and used mathematics to offset this providing a 95% level on confidence in their results.

Inspire plumbing and gas logo

I was asked to redesign the logo for a small plumbing and gas company in Adelaide. The owner wanted a simple and sophisticated design.

Figure 1: logo for a small Plumbing and gas business. This will be printed on four vans, business cards and on employee shirts.

Three Dark Horses promotional material

I noticed a lack of promotional material at an event I worked. The wine was only sold at six locations around South Australia and the locations were not displayed on the winery website. I designed the following flyers then pitched them to the owner.

Figure 2. Front of DL size promotional flyer

Figure 3: Back of the DL size promotional flyer outlining a brief history of the winemaker, the wine ranges available from the winery, awards and recognition of excellence and future plans to open a cellar door. The bottom of the flyer also shows the website along with naming all the bottle shops where Three Dark Horses can be purchased.

Figure 4: Business card sized ‘reminder’ card. The purpose of this card is to remind people of the wine that they tried and inform them of the places they can purchase Three Dark Horses. It is strategically sized to easily fit into a wallet.

University promotional assignment

A university assignment was to design a promotional package consisting of a flyer, poster and teaser for the universities Bachelor of Media Arts exhibition. My poster, figure 6, was one of fourteen out of two hundred applicants selected by the course coordinator to be considered for vote by the students to advertise the event. I was influenced by Emma Hack’s POP! Collection and work by Lichtenstein.

Figure 5: Promotional package for Bachelor of Media Arts exhibition. Includes event poster, flyer and teaser.