Public Relations is Different from Propaganda, Advertising, Marketing and Publicity

By Andrew Bishop Mkandawire (AB Deevado)-MC Yr 4

4^th May 2012 Share World Open University-BT Campus

The subject of Public Relations aims at creating mutual understanding; mutual benefit; sustainable relationship; art and science of maintaining, improving and solving of communications problems, and timing of communication programs for success orientation between the organization and its publics.

An extended understanding of PR as a definition can be supported by (Jefkins 1998, p. 06) who argues that it ‘is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics’; (Jefkins 1995, p. 08) states it ‘is the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counselling organization leaders, and implementing planned programs of action which will serve both the organization’s and the public interest’; 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). 

With this understanding of Public Relations efforts can then be employed to differentiate from the following:

Propaganda according to (Jefkins 1998, p. 11) is the means of gaining support for an opinion, creed or belief.

The Propaganda activities are quite different from Public Relations activities. It divides its activities into Band Wagon, Naming, and Curd Stalking. Band wagon represents the ambition to have many supporters of an idea or activities without considering who they are to be affected with the idea and usually the majority support share few benefits from the ideology. Naming is where the owner of the message tends to maximise his mention in the media to block those competing with him. Only his good works, achievements are aired to the public.  And curd stalking is where the owner of the message exposes weaknesses of the competitor in a nuisance way so that the public should lose favour of him. Public Relations never behave this way. For example, instead of tarnishing image of the competitor it does create industrial relations. In addition PR activities are many like Public Affairs, Government Relations, Community Relations, Employee Relations, Industrial Relations just to mention a few.

Propaganda is as well different from PR because of its aims. Usually it has primarily negative connotations, but seeks to generate more or less automatic responses to given symbols-it is used by bad guys as well as good guys, (Baran 2002). From this statement it can be argued that audience can find it difficult to believe the message in propaganda form even if it can be produced by a good guy or even if it can be of goodwill. The publics do not legitimise the credibility of the message which has a form of propaganda. This is different from PR whose message has public credibility and bad guys cannot find way to use it because it depends on sustainable good relations.

Another aspect is the seeking of public response. Propaganda has shown according to (Baran 2002) that it seeks automatic response from the public from its symbols or messages. This can be to avoid the public to realise the motive behind the message before the owner of the message benefits. This does not guarantee mutual understanding and relationship nor benefits but maximisation of self-interest or egoism. PR is utilitarian in nature. Utilitarianism (utilitarian ethics) founded by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), (Oz 2000, p. 08) ‘is a form of Consequentialism that views good behaviour as any behaviour that increases happiness’.

Utilitarianism holds that an action is judged as right, good, or wrong on the basis of its consequences. As a Consequentialist principle, the moral authority that drives utilitarianism is the calculated consequences, or results, of an action, regardless of other principles that determine the means or motivations for taking the action.

It also includes the following tenets to any action or purpose that has to be regarded ethical: An action is morally right if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people affected by it; and An action is morally right if the net benefits over costs are greatest for all affected compared with the net benefits of all other possible choices considered; and 3. An action is morally right if its immediate and future direct and indirect benefits are greatest for each individual and if these benefits out-weigh the costs and benefits of the other alternatives.

Propaganda indeed may contain a message that is biased, intended for bad actions and only to satisfy the inner selves. For example, the propaganda that went behind changing of Malawi Flag Colours biased government authorities and many have criticized it to be unethical action which was intended to make government authorities get advantage of fraud of government monies. Public relations works for mutual understanding whose mission or communication messages guarantee credibility, objectivity and its aim would be to make publics understand the services, functions and advantages of changing any organization mission.

Advertising can be understood as ‘any paid form of nonpersonal communication about an organization, product, service, or idea by an identified sponsor’, (Belch and Belch 2004 p. 16).

The concepts are quite different ranging from the communication purpose to their costs.

Advertising aims at disseminating a message through persuasion. This is forcing one to buy a product through both enticement and lurement. PR does not lure. It firstly gives out enough information about a product before a customer come-up with decision to purchase. The costs of advertising are very expensive than those of PR. For example, the advertising message will incur costs of accounts, creative work, production and media air time. A PR message is usually covered as media news. For example, a press conference about a new product will be covered by media house as news like wise the press releases in this case placement is usually free.

Further than discussed above, Public Relations and Advertising are different in forms of: level of supplementary; degree of operation costs;   limitation of practice; level of effect; and level of creation of organization image.

Public Relations is wide and work for the entire organization that is across the organization departments. It affects the entire organization through internal public (employee) and external (customers, financial lending institution, government departments) relations, corporate strategy formulation, implementation and control consultancy. Advertising for example is attached only and encircled to marketing department which takes functions like recruitment and selling of products. Advertising incurs more costs than PR although it is limited to marketing. Public Relations functions are also much common in organizations than advertising functions which are absent in many organizations. For example, Share World Open University has a public relations department but it has no advertising department. This means organizations can survive with public relations functions without advertising as it is true with lawyers, medical doctors, and fire brigade enterprise services. And finally, public relations work much to control litigations, public harm and this creates sustainable relations with publics. Advertising cannot manage to defend or enhance understanding of a business strategy to the publics. It can neither control litigation nor control public harm. And it is just expensive to manage an advertising campaign than a public relations campaign. For example, you can place the press release in the news column or bulletin for free but an advert cannot be accommodated.

Marketing is ‘a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others’, (Kotler et al 2009 p. 6). Marketing is about identifying meeting human and social needs. One of the shortest good definitions of marketing is “meeting needs profitably” and the major responsibilities of marketing are to identify, to anticipate and to satisfy customer requirements profitably. 

PR and Marketing are different in that PR is for entire organization while marketing is a departmental function. Activities that emerge from PR Department directly affect the entire organization. For example, success of Financial PR will mean increase in productivity (increased product output and number of employees) and growth of marketing function (like export trading). Policies of the organization like in production will change for improvement and maintenance of quality. In short marketing functions depend on PR successful communication programs.

The plane motive of the two differs as well. Marketing aims at selling the product or services with value or that satisfy customers to identified markets while public relations aim at creating understanding with sustainable relationship with its publics. With marketing what is greatly important is the selling of products and services to maximise the profits for the organization. Public Relations recognise that the most important aspect in business is the creation of good, mutual relations and understanding that ensure that both organization objectives are achieved and the public benefits sustainably.  

Marketing self-interest motive is to experience the instant benefit from its customers through maximization of revenue realization. For example, soon the product is introduced to the market the provider starts monitoring the product life cycle progress in which the growth stage is the most desired stage by businesses as it generates more revenue and profits. With public relations it can educate, inform or create awareness about the organization mission without actually waiting for instant benefit. For example, a business can employ PR function of educating the market without expecting direct or instant benefit like how MR PRICE textile enterprise did two years before it came to Malawi in 2009.

This is why marketing depends on PR for it to achieve its objectives. For example, (Belch and Belch 2004, p. 566) argue that public relations activities when merge with marketing are 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.

And since PR continuously communicates with its public, it gets an opportunity of understanding their needs and wants. No wonder for MPR to succeed, PR may not hesitate to use a social sciences technique in knowing publics social position. Usually, this is by executing a business research is the planning, collecting, analyzing of data relevant to business decision making and the communication of the results of this analysis to the management Guler & Gani (2004).

Publicity results from information being known. This known message or event publicised can be good or bad and usually uncontrollable.

The major differences are slim converging at the level of control and preparation of the message. PR will ensure that the whole organization communicates and passes need to communicate to the public about the new program because this is the corporate strategic issue. And the preparation of the message will follow professional, ethical and legal standards of writing guided by objectives, mission and vision of the organization. Publicity can originate from any angle without control and even with bad impression. For example, last year there was publicity of Share World Open University at Nyasa Times that exposed its weaknesses from its financial crisis that led to not paying lecturer’s salaries which were low, lack of water at the BT premise, lack of computer lab and adequate books in the library, 45% school fee hike among other weaknesses (www.nyasatimes.com). This was bad publicity and it failed to justify why such information was necessary to the public mostly how it could benefit the institution and its publics mutually.

Therefore this is how PR can be differentiated from propaganda, advertising, marketing and publicity.

REFERENCES

Baran, SJ 2002, Introduction to Mass Communication, 2^nd Edition, Boston: McGraw Hill

Belch, GE & Belch, MA 2004. Adverting and Promotion, 6^th edition, Washington, McGraw Hill

Guler, O & Gani, AS 2004, Business Research, Cape Tow, Juta and Company Ltd

Jefkins, F 1995, Public Relations Techniques. 2^nd Edition, Boston, Butterworth-Heinemann

Jefkins, F. 1998. Public Relations Frame Works, 5^th edition, Harlow, Pearson Education

Kotler, P et al, 2009, Marketing Management, 13^th edition, New Delhi, Pearson Education

Oz, E 2000, Ethics for the Information Age, London, Business and Education Technologies

Staff Writer 2011, ‘Share world open university fails to pay lecturers low salaries for three months’, 27^th April, 2011, viewed 27^th April, 2012, http://www.nyasatimesreakingnews.com/.

Do have another PR topic you would want to be tackled? Leave a comment.

PR History Up to 1970's

PR History Up to 1970s

By Andrew Bishop Mkandawire (AB Deevado)-MC Yr 4

4^th May, 2012 Share World Open University-BT Campus

The history of Public Relation up to 1970’s can be divided into four sectors. The first could be the Early Public Relations, the second the Propaganda-Publicity, the third the Early Two-Way Communication, and the Advanced Two-Way Communication.

Early Public Relations has stories from all sides of the global villages. At least in every country there is a background history that displays how important and easier the pans or efforts of serving power in respective societies got achievements through information disseminations through communication.

In Africa, America, Arabic Asia, Europe countries all have histories of communication. At most communication was paramount in politics and leadership, religion and cultural traditions and in inter-relations activities.

For example, ‘before the alphabets, characters and numerals, there were pictograms (of which Chinese characters still provide examples). In the caves of primitive people, thousands ago there were wall paintings. Ancient buildings such as the pyramids, early temples, and the cave paintings of Zimbabwe, bear pictorial messages. People also wrote on the tablets of stone; and on leather, parchment and papyrus, as with Dead Sea scrolls’ (Jefkins 1998, p. 2).

Jefkins (1998) describes by concurring that even the coming of west and eastern religion in Africa got established with the means of communication where Bible and Qur’an were used to defend the truth about their faith.

In Malawi, PR existed way back in the age of kingdoms. In Nkhamanga Kingdom in the North of Malawi, they could use drums and gongs to communicate to inhabitants about the king’s health, power, social events and religion. For example, for inhabitants to go to CHIKHANG’OMBE (the religious temple and cult) a gong and a bell made from iron (since they were iron smelters who even produced iron hoes hence crowning their kings-Chikula Mayembe) had to ring to direct people orderly. The Nkhamanga kingdom was strengthened by the Balowoka who crossed Lake Malawi to enter Nkhamanga territory. They came from Ubena in the south of present Tanzania around 1850 AD. They soon became new leaders and formed a kingdom under Chikulamayembe.  Some of the contributions of Nkhamanga to present Malawi include farming, hunting, iron smelting, trade as well as language, Tumbuka, which is widely spoken in the northern Malawi and the neighbouring Zambia (www.visitmalawi.mw).

The Maravi Kingdom also used signs and the famous sign was fire. This fire was fed with reed mats, used during puberty ceremonies, and it symbolised life and fertility to their kingdom (www.books.google.mw).

In the military, the public relations functions were also important. The Phoenicians and Vikings of Europe when sailing to explore and conquer, their sail were decorated with birds or animals which identified them. It can be argued then that this was the origin of corporate identity which dominates in use of symbols and colours.

In a period between 5, 000 and 3, 500 BC the Sumerians developed Cuneiform writing, and by 2430 BC the Egyptians developed the picture writing called Hieroglyphics and in 1799 two French Soldiers found Rosetta stone in Egypt. It contained Hieroglyphic, Demotic, and Greek writings, (Cootes and Sneligrove 1970).

Almost each sector of life and development evolution leaves history that traces or definitely provides origins of ancient public relations.

Propaganda-Publicity stage in public relations also affected all continents but in this context. But in at this stage much will be about what happened in America. This stage in public relations took a risk of misinterpreting what PR is understood today. Those who regarded public relations as propaganda ended up failing to create sustainable good relations with their publics. They even found difficulties in creating mutual knowledge and understanding with their publics. The sole aim of propaganda here was to maximise their interests in society by demeaning the reputation, image and ability of their opposition or contenders.

According to (Baran 2002, p. 311) ‘mass circulation newspapers and the first successful consumer magazines appeared in the 1830’s, expanding the ability of people and organizations to communicate with the public. In 1833, for example, Andrew Jackson hired former newspaperman Amos Kendall as his publicist and the country’s first presidential press secretary in an effort to combat the aristocrats who saw Jackson as too common to be president’.

Propaganda had one aspect that showed sense of Public Relations function. The art of communication was the major character despite the negative motive of the communication of message. Many media houses then found themselves injuring other’s personal and private life. If it were today this could suffer serious litigations. For example in the first real colonial newspaper was the New England Courant, published as a sideline by printer James Franklin, brother of Benjamin Franklin. Like many other Colonial newspapers, it was aligned with party interests and did not publish balanced content. Ben Franklin was first published in his brother's newspaper, under the pseudonym Silence Do-good, in 1722, and even his brother did not know. Ben Franklin's pseudonymous publishing represented a common practice of newspapers of that time of protecting writers from retribution from those they criticized, often to the point of what would be considered libel today (www.american colonial journalism. org).

Public Relations in the propaganda-publicity stage was more one-way communication thus from the individual or organization to the public. For example, Henry Ford began using staged events like auto races to build interest in his cars, started Ford Times, and made heavy use of image advertising. This carried more of publicity function, (Baran 2002)

The period of Propaganda and publicity in publication falls between 1830 and 1890. Within this period PT Barnum was the main character as propaganda machine.  

Early Two-Way Communication emerged in a period between 1900 and 1940. In this period

There was need to consider feelings of the public over the individuals or organizations and government.

During this period public information function was grand and many organizations including the American Government.  This PR tool was propounded by Ivy Lee but it was established as a PR tool by the father of PR Edward Bernays.

According to (Baran 2002, p. 313), ‘about this time public relations pioneer Edward Bernays began emphasizing the value of assessing the public’s feelings toward an organization. He would then use this knowledge as the basis for the development of the public relations effort’.

For example, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt used the radio to communicate about his new deal to the public as well as to hear public’s reaction to the plan. However, this took more of asymmetrical two-way communication where the president was simply aiming at persuading the public to adopt the New Deal Concept.

Finally, Advanced Two-Way Communication stage originated in early 1900’s up to this day. In this stage of PR, the major issues that are concerned are ethical principle in PR, the process and the system approaches and the art of lobbying.

Considering that PR is a profession and that it has had a negative impression during the time of PT Barnum’s propaganda and publicity stage in PR history, Bernays decided to come up with ethical concern which lead Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) adopt ethical PR in Bernays time. For example, Bernays wrote: Under present conditions, an ethical person can sign the code of the PRSA, become a member, practice unethically-untouched by any legal sanctions. In law and medicine, such an individual is subject to disbarment from the profession...There are no standards...This sad situation makes it possible for anyone, regardless of education or ethics, to use the term “public relations”, (Baran 2002, p. 330).

The advanced Two-Way Communication considers that it is necessary to hear public’s feelings and get them into organization’s planning and implementing process where the needs of the organization and those of public’s adjust to each other called Symmetrical Model Odedele (2008). But to achieve this, the process and the system approaches need to be considered. 

The process approach considers that for an organization to know the needs of its public’s so that the two mutually understand and benefit, it is necessary to institute research techniques before taking action to solve the problem, communication progress to management and public and evaluation of the action is taken. The process approach to PR is the tool that helps to indicate the proper direction of communications program when success is the destination of both the Public Relations Manager and the entire organization. It has two directions the Research, Action, Communication, and Evaluation (RACE) and Research, Objective, Plan and Evaluation (ROPE). And this approach, the RACE can be used to solve negative perceptions and relationships between an organization and its customers. For example:

Research; since there are public reactions to how the ESCOM is operating leading to creation of negative perceptions, there is need to conduct a business research which will show the level of reaction in terms of knowing the level of public understanding and how much they are being affected with the services ESCOM a monopolistic corporation is offering to its valued customers.

Research to a business organization particularly a corporation is important because it helps to discover opportunities the firm did not know, it helps to gather information that can help the decision making process, it helps to come up with mechanism to forecast business trends, it helps to increase level of relationship as when the customer get involved in solving the problem by recognizing they are respondents in the research projects, they feel the organization is working to improve the services they consume, and research helps to wholly move the management focus which lead to organization integration and commitment to achieve the common objectives and goals.

The Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM) in this case can then conduct a business research which according to (Malunga 2011, p. 5) is ‘something that people undertake in order to find out solutions to business problems’. This means research is mainly conducted to solve business problems which is supposed to be conducted systematically thus a clear picture of what is causing and affecting public to have negative perception and relations towards ESCOM, either to collect data using personal interviews, questionnaires or observation, and possibly ensuring that the research progresses from problem identification, research design to data collection, interpretation and reporting. The research is also supposed to be objective thus the research has to have objectives or aims. For example in this work, the two  research objectives can be To identify major causes enhancing negative perception an bad relation of the public with ESCOM and To expose myths that are attached to ESCOM service delivery held by the public. In business research works, the research objectives are supported by research questions; and business research has to be conducted also analytically. When data is gathered it needs analysis. Data analysis involves reducing accumulated data to manageable size, developing summaries, looking for patterns, and applying statistical techniques, Cooper & Schindler (2003).  This process in a research study is necessary because it enables a researcher to convert data into information which gives meaning for interpretation to respective users.

Therefore conducting a research will enable ESCOM to identify its Strength. This can be through ability to be a single hydro-electric power supplier which is only servicing less than 20% of the population. This means it still has the large market to develop which is Ansoff’s growth strategy where ESCOM can take present product into fresh markets, and thus focusing activities on the market opportunities’ and competitor situations, (Cole 1997). But before it does grow the market is it necessary to increase level of relationship by ensuring the customer’s needs are met with value thus 24 hours fully supplied energy and power charged at reasonable price rates; Weaknesses. The weaknesses can be failure to adequately supply power as well as failure to grow the market as majority of the population does not use electricity in Malawi. This is not because of poverty per se but because of delays to connect to rural and some urban areas. Many have complained to have waited for more than two years without connection even when they paid for every transaction demanded by the corporation; Opportunities. These are like understanding what customers want, what can make them reliable and loyal customers and ways of attracting and maintaining existing and potential customers; and Threats. Failure to grow the market and failure to provide adequate electricity to manufacturers and house holds has started forcing people to shift loyalty from ESCOM to use of coal and gas cookers for heating and cooking, use of fuel generators and solar panels for lighting. This is gradually reducing the dependency on power supply from ESCOM.

Action; this is actual execution aimed at rectifying the perception and poor relations existing. The implementation will base its decisions on the data collected through research. If according to the findings it shows that people want quick response to power connection orders, stoppage of corrupt practices when seeking power supply services, quick feedback from any inconvenience caused, reliable power supply, low price rates, then efforts and programs to solve these problems will have to be implemented. This is what is called action.

This stage demands a lot of money to be allocated to the budget. These moneys fund operations as well as administration activities. One of the operations is PR Communication Programs. One of such could be marketing education reflected in PR Transfer where the negative situation is converted into positive achievement-through knowledge- resulting in primary objective of public relations, understanding, like transferring Hostility to Sympathy, Prejudice to Acceptance, Apathy to Interest and Ignorance to Knowledge, (Jefkins 1996). 

For example, not all found problems can be solved over night. Customers need to be told what the corporation has felt possible depending on available resources to start solving some within a given period. By assuring the public positive change, public trust will start to rebuild which will replace negative perception with a positive one. When change start to be experienced by the public the relationship will also start shifting from negative to positive. 

Communication; for PR program to take action, communication will be an on-going demand. This takes two forms. The first focus at reporting progress of the implemented efforts to senior management; and the second is the communication between the organization and the public. In this second communication channel many models are used which some are to be discussed in the 3^rd Scenario or Approaches below.

Communicating with the public will help performance monitoring and evaluation researches to succeed. At this stage efforts implemented like increasing the market by installing electricity in rural areas, market education will enhance familiarization of the Corporation to the new market and it will increase its level of responsibility which will even position its responsibility to the public-public trust and relationship establishment.

When communication commences which is an on-going-activity, ESCOM and customer relationship increases. For example, press releases, exhibitions, trade fairs, press conferences, press receptions, community sponsorships all can help to reduce gap between the organization and its stakeholders like the community.

Evaluation; efforts aimed at solving ESCOM’s problem of negative perceptions and poor relationships held by the public cannot just stand in the implementation channel without being assessed if there is progress to reflect objectives achievements. Such objectives are linked to the implementation program. The indication is that when these successfully solve the problems, the positive perceptions and relation with the public are automatically to improve for mutual understanding and benefit. Some could be: To connect electricity to 1, 000, 000 households and manufacturers in two years time, To provide reasonable price discrimination to different customers depending on their economic status and location, To increase customer involvement in the cost-effective use of electricity through civic education. But these objectives cannot be easily traced to know if they are achieved in the implementation process. This call need for an evaluation effort to be done. This is assisted by Evaluation Research which is ‘a form of research that is formal, objective measurement and appraisal of the extent a given activity, project or program has achieved its objectives’ (Zikmund et al 2010, p. 10). Actually evaluation starts from implementation of an action-thus-where the PR Communication Program started attempts to solve the problem by turning the negative and bad relations with its publics or stakeholders. This is also known as performance-monitoring research. 

The societies are becoming dynamic and complex. This is because social, cultural, economic, technological, legal, political, ethical and ecological factors are changing almost in every year. This has forced PR to adjust itself to the demands of its public in the society it is functioning or operating.

In PR this is set of interacting units that endures through time within an established boundary by responding and adjusting to change pressures from the environment to achieve and maintain goals states.

Practically, this is an issue of external business environments. This megatrend has famous acronyms of PEST Political, Economical, Social and Technological or SLEPTEEC (Social, Legal, Economical, Political, Technological, Ecological, Ethical, and Cultural) business environments.

PEST analysis is concerned with the key external environmental influences on a business. The acronym stands for the Political, Economic, Social and Technological issues that could affect the strategic development of a business. Identifying PEST influences is a useful way of summarizing the external environment in which a business operates. However, it must be followed up by consideration of how a business should respond to these influences (www.tutor2u.net.com).

ESCOM can therefore respond to such environments by implementing what can enable it meet the demand of the environment. For example, cutting administrative costs, buying locally produced cables, hiring local electricity specialists like engineers can help save money which can be reserved or invested in other programs of Pubic Relations. It can as well provide price rate discounts to suburb and rural customers particularly in this time of economic recession. This is responding to economic environment. It can also respond to technological factor. This can be done by adopting new cost effective means of saving and generating energy. This is true as this month (March) the corporation has stopped recommending use of filament bulbs instead it is distributing mercury bubs which are energy savers.

However this can take two directions of this systems approach. The first can be Open. This allows ideas from outside the organization. This satisfies many customers as they feel involved in problem solving. The Open system is more suitable to Tactical and Operational Management levels where implementation and control of decision or strategy is held. The second can be closed. This system does not allow ideas from outside the organization. It is more suitable to Strategic or Corporate Management level where decision or strategy formulation originates. Both can be used depending on the managerial level.

In a rap up, this theory depends on research because it demands identification of the problem, process information, get the results and respond to the public.

Government lobbying in another aspect that is common in advanced Two-Way Communication. For example, before the 1964, the lobbying process between the British and Malawi governments helped Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda to assume the position of the first black prime minister of Malawi and The first president of Malawi respectively. This was a reality because the local showed interest to self-rule as it is described that in 1960 a commission of inquiry was set up led by Lord Monckton who reported that Central African Federation was a financial success but only few Africans liked the move. Instead they would turn to civil war in protest against it. Through this report and lobbying by the Kamuzu and some prominent members of Nyasaland African Congress Party like Kanyama Chiume and Masauko Chipembere including local Chiefs, Britain gave way and Nyasaland became Malawi, (Sneligrove 1968).

In relation to the above example, today in Malawi the Federation of Disability Organizations in Malawi (FEDOMA) is lobbying Malawi government to assent to its need of let Parliament enact the Disability Act which will help enforcement of equality to access resources and other opportunities between able and disabled individuals. The Malawi Confederation of Trades Union (MCTU) is also lobbying government to revisit the minimum wage of a civil servant considering that the costs of living keep on rising in Malawi.

This is how it can be argued on the trace PR history up to 1970s.

REFERENCES

Baran, SJ 2002, Introduction to Mass Communication, 2^nd Edition, Boston: McGraw Hill

Cooper, D & Schindler, P 2003, Business Research Methods, 8^th edition, Boston: McGraw Hill

Cole, GA 1997, Strategic Management, 2^nd edition, London: Thomson

Cootes, RJ & Sneligrove, LE 1970, The Ancient World, London, Longman

Jefkins, F. 1998. Public Relations Frame Works, 5^th edition, Harlow, Pearson Education

Malunga, AJ 2011, The Research Process Handbook, 2^nd edition, Blantyre: FGI-ED Consult

Odedele, S 2008, Public Relations and Communication Management in Africa, Lagos: Petros-Faith Public Relations Consult

Sneligrove, LE 1968, The Modern World Since 1870, London, Longman

Zikmund, WG 2010, Business Research Methods, 8^th edition, Canada: South-Western CENGAGE Learning

‘Cambridge Press’ 2012, The Cambridge history of Africa: From c. 1050 to c. 1600, Viewed 2 April, 2012, http://www.books.google.mw/books?isbn=0521209811

‘Tutor2u.net’ 2012, Strategy: PEST analysis, Viewed 27^th February, 2012, http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/PEST_analysis.htm

 ‘Visit Malawi’ 2012, The Malawi ethnic tribes and culture, Viewed 2 April, 2012, http://www.visitmalawi.mw/People%20and%20Culture/people_and_culture.htm

‘American Colonial Journalism’ 2012, History of journalism, Viewed 20 April, 2012,

http://americancolonialjournalism._org

Is Public Relations Institute for Southern Africa's (PRISA's) Definition of PR Correct?)

Is Public Relations Institute for Southern Africa’s (PRISA’S) Definition of PR Correct?

By Andrew Bishop Mkandawire (AB Deevado)-MC Yr 4

4^th May, 2012 Share World Open University-BT Campus

The Public Relations Institute of Southern African (PRISA) - Institute for Public Relations & Communication Management is the professional body which represents the interests of public relations and communication management professionals in Southern Africa.

PRISA according to (www.saaci.co.za) defines Public Relations as the management, through communication, of perceptions and strategic relationships between an organization and its internal and external stakeholders.

Therefore by understanding this definition it can be argued that the PRISA’s PR definition really expresses the principle of professional PR because it caries major components that public relation indeed does. However evidence will be attached by relating this definition of public relations to those of Institute of Public Relations (IPR), the Mexican Statement which erupted in 1978 from an International conference of public relations held in Mexico as well as the Arens PR definition.

The PRISA’s PR definition has the following components.

Management tool, Public relations is a management tool. This is because all levels of management from strategic or corporate, to tactical and operational, depend on proper communication. The organization's marketing, human resources, stakeholder relations, and mapping all depend on public relations communication function. The PR programs and activities are not spontaneous, haphazard, or impromptu they are planned, organized, controlled, implemented, and monitored for proper assessment of its effectiveness.

For example during planning, problem situation, the costs, tools, strategies, tactics, type of campaign, type of staff, type of equipment necessary, objectives are all identified before organization stage comes in.

Communication of perceptions, the business may be perceived differently by groups or individuals who are all direct or indirect interests of the business. At most good perceptions will help enable the business communication mechanism to succeed.

For example, when the organization's image is good, the positive response of its stakeholders becomes manageable usually with the drive of undoubted success. Press releases, sponsorship programs, press conferences, attitude surveys, marketing education, are all welcomed with attention and desired support. This can enable the business to know what its customers want and don’t want. This position in business is very important because it helps to offer what the market wants and possibly educate the market why it is necessary to adopt news products if the business has introduced the new one as Unilever is advertising the new Lifebuoy bar soap with Yvonne Tchakatchaka as the advert testimonial. It was also public relations function that changed perception through PR Transfer that leads to making publics adopt electronic typewriters and computers and abandon manual typewriters through market education.

Only the business which shares good and positive perceptions with its stakeholders do face fewer difficulties in communicating with them. However, this position is highly helped with the function of business research which is the ‘planning, collecting, analyzing of data relevant to business decision making and the communication of the results of this analysis to the management’, (Guler & Gani 2004 p. 02).

And finally, Strategic relationships between internal and external stakeholders is another component the PRISA’s PR definition has. This component states the strategic relationship between the organization and its stakeholders. This relationship cannot just strategically exist without mutual understanding and possible benefit. This relationship is not a mere relationship but with specific functions no wonder the ones involved in this strategic relationship are grouped into different categories under that term stakeholder. 

There are three types of stakeholders. Internal; these have a direct influence on the day to day operations of the business. They constitute employees, customers (usually existing than that potential), stockholders like shareholders or owners of the business. Connected; these are calm with fact that they do not have direct influence to the day to day administrative activities of the business like to execute pressure of competition. But surely play a very important part in ensuring the survival of the business is guaranteed. For example, insurance companies, banks, security companies. And External; these have direct influence of the business and they execute a lot of competition that brings threats and opportunities when the business weaknesses are solved with positioned strength. Examples of these groups are consultants (financial, research and development, marketing, advertising, public relations), customers, competitors, government, investors, community, etc.

These groups need to be approached strategically so that long term relations continue to mutually benefit them (the organization and the public). In short, the business cannot operate without them and these stakeholders cannot access products and services in absence of the producing firm.  

An extended understanding of PR as a definition can be supported by (Jefkins 1998, p. 06) who argues that PR is ‘the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and a mutual understanding between an organization and its publics..

In this IPR definition, there are related issues to that of PRISA’s.

PR is ‘the planned and sustained effort, this supports that Public relations are a managerial tool. It is not done haphazardly but it is planned with the objective of sustaining its communication activities that create value to both the organization and its publics.

The purpose of PR is “to establish and maintain mutual understanding”, this is an effort to ensure that the organization is understood by other-publics-and that the relationship created through the process of understanding and to be maintained is not for nothing but the mutual understanding that has a reflection of mutual benefit.

And the Mexican Statement holds Public Relations is the  ‘art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organization leaders, and implementing planned programs of action which will serve both the organizations and the public interest’ (Jefkins 1995, p. 08).

This definition has extended subjects that actively play an important function in an organizational setting but revolving around the two components of PR being a management tool as well as a communication function to the organization.

It opens by exposing that PR function is both an art and science-meaning the effort to chose or select a program, generation of objectives, and communication messages, just to mention a few, depend on PR practitioners skills and understanding while the actual implementation of the Pr programs, assessment of goals and objectives, evaluation of research or tactic effectiveness depends on scientific approach. 

And PR since uses research scientific techniques can predict the consequences of every communication message sent to the public or any campaign conducted. Because it is a management tool, it counsels the corporate management on public relations issues or and communications programs ranging from human resources, marketing, finances, production, and lobbying of government and export trade. PR also implements its programs that aim at servicing the organization and the public interest-benefit. 

Public Relations can be a profession that has produced a thousand definitions describing what it is. For example, in 1976 the Foundation for Public Relations Research and Education in The USA, 65 of its professionals sifted through 472 different definitions, (Baran 2002). Efforts to define PR will never extinct but all tastes of the definition will revolve around the Management tool and the Communication function.

For example, PR definition of marketing educator William F. Arens (1999) has two major components of Management and Communication. The definition argues that ‘PR is the management the 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). 

In short Arens, PR definition revolves around the management and communication functions as the three definitions above have specified.

Therefore, PRISA’s definition has the PR value of the practice. Due to this, it can be accepted that it is a right Public Relations definition.

 

REFERENCES

Baran, SJ 2002, Introduction to Mass Communication, 2^nd Edition, Boston: Mc GrawHill

Guler, O & Gani, AS 2004, Business Research, Cape Town: Juta and Company Ltd

Jefkins, F 1995, Public Relations Techniques. 2^nd Edition, Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann

Jefkins, F. 1998. Public Relations FrameWorks, 5^th edition, Harlow: Pearson Education

‘Southern African Association for the Conference’ 2012, PRISA Public Relations Definition, Viewed 27^th February, 2012, http://www.saaci.co.za/content.asp?pageID=349

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