Why PR is Important in a Formal Organization
By Andrew Bishop Mkandawire (AB Deevado)-MC Yr 4
4th May, 2012 Share World Open University-BT
Campus
(Names stated in this document are not real except that of
the author. It was an assignment submitted to SOUM)
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Introduction
Public Relations is an integral
stake of every organization that ensures that management has a strong back bone
on which information and communication can be a tool to position the strength
and the opportunity of the organization. This becomes possible because the PR
functions work to build and maintain good relations with mutual understanding
and benefit with the organization and its publics.
This was reflected in a meeting
that was held on 2nd February, 2012 which was participated by GT
Detergents and ADEEVA COMMUNICATONS (ACs) Ltd Executive Boards where it was
appreciated that PR is a vital tool worthy to be part of the organization’s
management setting and operations.
And here is the report by the
ADEEVA COMMUNICATIONS Ltd, the hired communications consultant, that expresses
why Public Relations is essential to an organization and why the PR manager
should be appointed as part of the senior management team.
Terms of Reference
ADEEVA COMMUNICATIONS Ltd as a
communications consultant was mandated by GT Detergents Executive Board to
compile a report that will show how PR as a profession and a PR Manager can
benefit the Detergent Manufacturer.
Procedure
To gather relevant data for the
report to be comprehensive and professional with sole aim of proving out why PR
is essential to the organization as well as why it is necessary to have an
internal PR Manager that have to be appointed as part of senior management
team, Books and Internet have been used. These books have reputable and
accredited authors and publishers and the websites used are referred. These are
indicated in inside referencing and at the end of the text or reference list.
Findings
The AC’s found that the following
are necessary reasons why GT Detergent has to have the PR functions and an
internal PR manager who has to be appointed in its senior management. The
sections a, b and c illustrate this
relevance of PR.
a)
PR has many transferable benefits that are realized
when it is used in an organization. These benefits make no sense when PR is
absent. They are highly appreciated when PR is practically experienced in an
organization setting. For example:
It create and sustainably maintain relationship with publics; this
is true from the virtue of understanding the concept of PR where almost in
every definition it is argued that this profession revolves around two key
words Communication and Management which all aim at ensuring
that mutual goodwill or understanding and probably benefit for a sustainable
period of time is achieved. This means the organization stands close to its
stake holders through information flow.
Three definitions from Jefkins,
PRISA and Baran provide evidence of the above explanation. ‘PR is an art and
social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling
organization leaders, and implementing planned programs of action which will
serve both the organization’s and the public interest’ (Jefkins 1995 p. 08);
Public Relations is the management, through communication, of perceptions and
strategic relationships between an organization and its internal and external
stakeholders (www.saaci.co.za); and ‘PR is the is the management function that
focuses on the relationships and communications that individuals and
organizations have with other groups (called publics) for the purpose of
creating mutual goodwill’, (Baran 2012 p. 308). .
PR also helps to Manage
Stakeholder Mapping. Stakeholder mapping is the effort of an organization
that helps to identify active and non-active stake holders (those individual,
groups and organizations that have interest in the operating business). Because
PR keep communicating with these stakeholders, it becomes easier to identify those
who are direct, connected and external stakeholders that an organization can
communicate to effectively achieve its objectives through press conferences, press
visits, lobbying just to mention a few. For example, external stakeholders like
investors, financial lending institutions, just to mention a few institutions
and customers, can easily be communicated and their needs and wants known through
the Two-Way-Symmetrical Model. (Odedele 2008) The Two-Way Symmetric model represents a public relations
orientation in which organizations and their publics adjust to each other. It
focuses on mutual understanding and two-way communication rather than one-way
persuasion.
Usually it is the influence of
stakeholder mapping that guides the need for Total Quality Management. In this Communication internally and
externally the organization becomes the major tool to carry the day, meaning to
help business achieve its objectives and goals. The TQM concept is the is Holistic
approach to long-term
success
that views continuous
improvement in all aspects of an organization
as a journey
and not as a short-term
destination. It aims to
radically transform the organization through progressive
changes
in the attitudes,
practices,
structures,
and systems.
TQM transcends the 'product quality'
approach, involves everyone in the organization, and encompasses its every function
administration,
communications,
distribution,
manufacturing,
marketing,
planning,
training,
(www.businessdictionary.com).
PR helps the business to reduce costs. Public Relations unlike
advertising reach its publics with little cost and this stretches the
organizations marketing function. For example, the PR messages mostly are
treated in the media as news which are covered freely. Press Releases,
Documentaries, Notices are some such forms. And sometimes the media can cover a
function like a Trade Fair in form of
exhibition about the new product at a cost of covering news of their media
organizations. This money saved can help to fund marketing efforts and programs
like research on identifying the new market.
PR functions saves money or minimizes
costs with fact that it avoids litigations the business could commit and pay
for damages and compensations. This becomes avoidable because PR advocates for ethical
operation in business. Business Ethics can be defined as ‘a set of principles
prescribing a behavior code that explains what is good and right or bad and
wrong; it may even outline moral duty and obligations generally’, (Chryssides
& Kaler 1993 p.51).
This becomes possible because business
ethics are necessary to businesses as they enable the business operate in
accordance to business stakeholder interest; helps the business meet quality
standards within and outside the business; enables the business define good or
bad operation of duty, task or project, leading to the formulation of code of
ethics; guides the business to abide by business laws and policies of
individuals, organizations and government; and conform with principles of
economic structure and system available and ratified in a legalized market.
This further creates good image and
reputation which increases PR messages from such an organization to be received
by publics with high credibility which fasted reaction or response to the
communication flow.
PR helps to avoid price competition. In short this means that
before a product is offered to the market, consumers are communicated to base
the understanding of the price the market can afford. This helps then to
publicize or create awareness of the product price before it hits the market.
This does not compete with any product or service price already or coming into
the market. Through business research
which helps to identify needs of the market, this research also helps to
forecast the future of the business performance in terms or relations, sells,
accessibility of raw materials just to mention a few factors. Forecasting can
be argued that it is in strategic context, any attempt whether qualitative or
quantitative, and usually based on past performance, to predict future outcomes
and trends in the internal and external environments of an organization in
order to limit the risks involved in devising and implementing a strategy (Cole
1997).
PR helps and organization looks
larger. Through media coverage that continuously keeps disseminating
messages of the organization to the public, it maximizes publicity of the
firm’s image. This attracts attention of the public and perception that is
created represent that the organization is big in terms of operations and responsibility
to the public. Mostly when the publicity is positive with good communication
flow of productive and public interest news about on going or to be introduced
events, the organization looks larger. For example, recent commotion on
minority gay rights between the civil
society and the government, the Human Rights Consultative Committee showed up
to be a larger organization because it was dominantly covered in the media to
be on fore front advocating for legalization of gay rights.
b)
Public Relations
is essential to an organization because it has effective activities that enrich
PR programming. These activities are:
1. Government Relations; lobbying
officials and government departments on legislation or fair policies in the
industry the GT Detergents operating.
2. Publicity; giving out information of what GT
Detergents has or how it is involved in a activity done to the public via the
available cost-effective medium
3. Communication; a message central to getting
instant feedback from audience on any activity done or to be done
4. Employee Relations; usually to
lessen the gap between employees and their immediate bosses through active
interpersonal linkage within chain of command and span of control and enhancing
their commitment and hard work through participation, involvement and hands-off
where necessary and allowing their work environment flexible. This counsels
management on vital matters affecting the organization.
5. Public Affairs; creating a beneficial mutual
understanding between community, government officials, civil society, pressure
groups, etc.
6. Community Relations; making sense
and considering those who are surrounding GT Detergents like residences, and
all stakeholders within and outside Malawi.
7. Minority Relations; recognizing the
importance and right of defined minority groups like the old, children,
disabled, etc
8. Financial Public Relations; bridging good
and successful talks between investors, banks, shareholders and owners of
organization.
9. Industry Relations; associations,
unionism and organization corroborated work activities are more recognized to
the public than solo. This is vital
10. Press Agency; attracting and responding to public
queries before they interrogate the organization, even ask about an issue
publicly or privately known.
11. Promotion; positioning an idea, activity or
organization to make the public know, believe or adopt the idea like image of
the organization
12. Media Relations; treating media as a tool of
disseminating communication messages
13. Issue Management; moving public opinion on large
scale to take supportive position of the organization
14. Propaganda; injecting ideas with aim to get quick
public reaction usually to support the concept given by the organization.
15. Advertising; to attract audience with messages for
them to own, possess or support the product or service with profitable exchange.
c) Finally, PR is both an art and
science. There are many issues to be discussed here but the following two
statements represent why PR is an art and science respectively.
PR is an art because it uses
skills to select things like strategies, tactics, objectives, designs,
messages, personnel, media, tactics and equipment to manage a certain program.
For example, it builds its communication frame work from a scratch to make it
informative, comprehensible and memorable. For example a PR department will
have graphic designer and Video editor and producer whose duty will be to come
up with ideas and then turn them into a visual picture where the PR can place
text to make the graphic have complete meaning. The video editor and producer
will also turn the shooting script into a documentary for example of how
pregnant rural women are struggling to seek maternal health care. The
preparation of the shooting and editing script, the writing of news releases
and the presentation of PR messages to the public via the media, all derive
from the duty and power of art in PR at most to enrich
personnel with compositions of different forms of communication. Brochures,
Newsletters, House Journals, etc, are sources of art in PR practice.
Public Relations is science
because it plans, organizes, controls, implements and evaluates its programs
which were implemented. These are managerial roles and functions. And usually
evaluation is a scientific term that goes together with means of solving
business problems like research. Research in public relations belongs to the
faculties of social sciences and economics and commerce. For example the
organization failure to market its products/services may cause the business to
partner with internal or external PR consultants to help find the cause of the
problem and possible solutions to it through a joint venture called
Marketing-Public Relations. This according to (Belch and Belch 2004 p. 566) is
referred to public relations activities designed to support marketing
objectives as marketing public relations
(MPR) functions. The marketing objectives that may be aided by PR
activities include raising awareness, informing and educating, gaining
understanding, building trust, giving consumers a reason to buy, and motivating
consumer acceptance. MPR ads value to
the integrated marketing program in a number of ways: building market
excitement before media advertising breaks; creating advertising news where
there is no product news; introducing a product with little or no advertising;
providing a value-added customer service; building a brand-to-customer bonds; influencing influential’s; and
defending products at risk and giving consumers a reason to buy.
Therefore we
can prove that PR is vital to an organization. To prove this further, there are
five major components that make the locomotion of business possible whether
profitable or non-profitable. These are International Business/Marketing, Strategic
Planning and Control, Financial Aspects of Business, Integrated (Marketing) Communication, and Case Study. This reflects
that Communication in an organization is vital and inevitable for the
organization to achieve its objectives and goals sustainably.
For example, PR supports all
features or departments in the organization including Marketing. In
International Business therefore PR can help to position the organization and
its products and services in a foreign country to create awareness and market
education before the actual start up of the firm commences. This is the concept
of PR Export Trade within Financial PRs.
To a detergent manufacturer organization,
such PR Export activities can help to identify news foreign markets thereby
generating more foreign currency that can even help the government of Malawi
through tax that it can support its social services. But at most this can give
opportunity to extend efforts of expanding the business either locally or as a
multinational organization. This in example can be achieved through execution
of Ansoff Growth Strategies where
Market Development, Product development, market Penetration and Diversification
strategies can be completed.
And for the business to be
accurate in designing communication strategies to support business objectives
and goals achievement, a professional PR Executive need to be employed and be
appointed to the senior management of the business. This person is unique
because: is a qualified professional on communication programming able to
develop communication programs; can help strategizing and carry out
communication programs; can help choice of media and techniques to be used; can
forecast the consequences of a communication program; can control costs by
scheduling cost effective communication techniques; and at most can counsel the
management on how ethical, and legal communication should be conducted within
and outside the organization.
For example, the
internal flow of communication among employees can boost employee relations and
commitment to job as team works and employee integrity can be motivated. This
can lower levels of conflicts and whistle blowing. The latter according to (Weiss
2003, p. 246) ‘is the attempt of an employee or former employee of an
organization to disclose what he or she believes to be wrong doing in or by the
organization’; and (Chryssides & Kaler 1993, p.304) define whistle blowing
as the ‘activity of ‘going public’ with pieces of information which are
normally regarded confidential within the firm, but the disclosure of which is
deemed to be in the best public interest’.
Conclusion
Therefore it is conspicuous that
PR affects the entire internal and external parts of the organization. And it
has been shown that its functionality is sensitive to relations, perceptions
and needs and wants. When these are well served among the publics, it gives the
organization strength which generates the ability to control the market and the
opposite leads to failure to control the market which leads to loss of market
share. Further than this, PR enable the organization to forecast its future
trends. This helps to prepare for success.
Recommendations
Therefore it can be argued that
Communication and Management are Inclusively
Inseparable. With this notion it is then necessary for an organization to
have PR department and ITS professional Manager should be appointed to the
senior management because these communications activities go together with
strategy formulation, implementation and control. His presence will quicken
accuracy and effectiveness because he will have the opportunity to propose, play
roles of advising and counseling the senior management on better means of
approaching communication activities and programs as some discussed in the FINDINGS.
Andrew Bishop Mkandawire
0888 11 36 23
Chief Executive Director of
ADEEVA COMMUNICATIONS
REFERENCES
Baran, SJ 2002, Introduction to Mass Communication, 2nd
Edition, Boston: McGraw Hill
Belch, GE & Belch, MA 2004. Adverting and Promotion, 6th
edition, Washington, Mc Graw Hill
Chryssides, GD
& Kaler, JH 1993, An Introduction to
Business Ethics, London: Thompson
Cole, GA 1997, Strategic Management, 2nd
edition, London: Thomson
Jefkins, F 1995, Public Relations Techniques. 2nd
Edition, Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann
Odedele, S 2008, Public Relations and Communication Management in Africa, Lagos:
Petros-Faith Public Relations Consult
Weiss, JW 2003, Business Ethics, 3rd edition,
Canada: Thomson
‘Business
Dictionary’ 2012, Total Quality Management,
Viewed 24th March 2012, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/total-quality-management-
TQM.html. [22/01/12]
‘Southern
African Association for the Conference’ 2012, PRISA Public Relations Definition, Viewed 27th February,
2012, http://www.saaci.co.za/content.asp?pageID=349
Which another PR topic you long to get discussed. Leave a comment.
