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Grunig and Hunt (1984) defined public relations as ‘the management of communication between an organisation and its publics’
Concept of public relations
Grunig and Hunt (1984) defined public relations as ‘the management of communication between an organisation and its publics’
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Functions of Public Relations Public relations is everywhere today. It is a practice that has become an important aspect of any business venture. Whether an organization is not for profit, for profit, or governmental, they still need and desire to communicate their purpose within the community and public relations allows this to happen. There are several publics in which the PR practitioner must correspond with and each requires a different means of communication. Internal publics are inside the organizations such as clerks, managers, and stockholders. "External publics are those not directly connected to the organization: the press, government, educators, customers, suppliers, and the community" (Seitel, 2004). Each public plays a key role in the PR of the organization. The many functions of PR can also be categorized based on what purpose they serve the organization. Organizational Functions of Public Relations "There is a fundamental difference between the functions of public relations and the functions of marketing and advertising. Marketing and advertising promote an individual product or service. Public relations promotes an entire organization" (Seitel, 2004). There are several functions of public relations and they can be categorized into organizational functions and societal functions. Some of the organizational functions of PR are: media relations; employee relations; and community relations. "PR specialists must understand the attitudes and concerns of community, consumer, employee, and public interest groups and establish and maintain cooperative relationships with them" (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006).These functions are organizational because they maintain goodwill between the organization and consumer by providing information on how the organization contributes to the overall well-being of the community. Media relations is a function of PR that directly works with the press. This allows the press to publicize the organization in the best possible light so that the organization can gain notoriety and a position in the community. Employee relations deals with the internal publics of the organization. The managers and employees who work for the firm are provided with current information on policies that affect their well-being and the future of the organization. Again PR promotes good will but this time it is between the organization and those that it employs. Community relations positively reinforces the organization's message and image within the community. This promotes the organization as a positive performer and member of the community. Societal Functions of Public Relations Some of the societal functions of public relations are publicity and marketing communications. Publicity is a marketing related function that generates positive exposure for the client.
We now live in a liberal democracy were public opinion influences political action. So as public opinion has sustained an influential presence within politics we have now seen the emergence of public relations within politics. According to Moloney public relations is “the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning the understanding, support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain good will and mutual understanding between organisations and its publics” (Moloney, 2:2006). In relation to politics public relations is about maintaining a positive relationship with the public. Public relations main concern in relation to politics would be the reputation and image...
(pg. 9.) He defines public relations as a positive process spanning internal and external communication. The process is intended to produce and maintain positive relations and organizational image as well as foster communication and organizational effectiveness. (Kowalski, pg. 13) Alternately, researcher Kenneth S. Trump offers this summary in his work Crisis Communications in a Digital Word: “Strong school public relations can be defined as good behavior, well-communicated.” (pg. 75) This is a succinct way of describing the purpose of a well-rounded public relations
The most recent definition of public relations, according to the Public Relations Society of America (2012), states that “Public Relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Through the rapid advancement of modern media and technology, there have never been more outlets and opportunities available for accomplishing the goals of public relations. Believing the development of social media has not created serious changes in the way public relations practitioners go about their duties would be foolish and a fast track to falling behind in this rapid world of communication. The main goals of public relations are “to create, maintain, and protect the organization’s reputation, enhance its prestige and present a favorable image,” as defined by Inc. Magazine’s online encyclopedia. Fundamentally, it is not the goals of public relations that have changed with social media, but it is the means of accomplishing these goals that is dramatically changing.
Public Relations are a critical part of sports. It is what puts people in the seats pays the athletes and builds the stadiums. Public Relations are what make sports what it is today. If it were not for today’s ever changing public relations industry sports would not be what they are today.
"What Is Public Relations?" PR Definition: PRSA Official Statement. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.
Public relations professionals are strategic communicators. These professionals are often tasked with everything under the sun such as, managing the consumer and stakeholder’s perception of the company, writing press releases, manage a crisis situation, plan events, and work with the media. Within this field of work, there are various job titles with different job descriptions. The public relations panel provided a glimpse into the public relations world and provided useful information for entering the field.
Public relations practitioners are often described as an organization’s voice, positioning messages in the media to ensure the organization is perceived as beneficial, relevant, and credible. According to Zoch and Molleda (2006), this role is defined as “media relations” and is a pivotal aspect of the public relations profession. Two theoretical frameworks, agenda setting and framing are at the core of effective media engagement. Agenda setting is the process determining which social issues dominate public discourse, and framing is the way each issue is presented to the public (Dearing & Rogers, 1996; Hallahan, 1999). First, public relations practitioners use agenda setting to garner media coverage for its organization and its stakeholders
The discipline of public relations is a modern profession which has been in existence for only close to a century; however, it has already taken an important role in the fields of business, government, entertainment and non-profit organizations including educational institutions and healthcare organizations. Public relations professionals are required to have excellent organizational, interpersonal and communication skills and have the ability to persuade the public. It is imperative for PR professionals to effectively communicate with its public in order to establish and maintain a positive relationship. Furthermore, public relations professionals must have the ability to work under pressure and effectively manage crisis which may have detrimental effect on the company and the public it serves. State purpose of paper and an overview of what will be covered in the introduction
The book, states "the public relations practitioner serves as an intermediary between the organization that he or she represents and all of that organization's publics. Consequently, the PR practitioner has responsibilities both to the institution and to its various publics. He or she distributes information that enables the institution's publics to understand its policies. Although the PR role "should," reflect a social responsibility as well as a synergy with the company one must remember, loyalties usually lie with the one that signs the paycheck.
Public relation campaign enables companies to reach their markets in a strategic manner. Strategic marketing has allowed MacDonald’s to become among the best world leading restaurant for fast food. The strategic campaigns have increased MacDonald’s profit levels, products sales, brand name, and services. The public relation has also solidified MacDonald’s sponsorship relationships, improved food quality, and broaden their market base.
What is public relations? PRIA (2014) defined that it is the process to build, maintain and reinforce mutual understanding between an organization or individual and its publics by the designed, planned and sustained effort. Also, it can be understood as a practice of managing the flow of information between an organization or individual and the public.(Grunig& Hunt 1984) However, these two definitions cannot fully describe the term of “public relations”. A long-standing CIPR definition mention a concept of “goodwill”.(Oliver 2009, p. 11) It implies that PR not only refers to publics’ awareness of the information about an organization or individual, but also highly
What is Public Relations (PR)? PR is difficult to define because it encompasses so many areas and today has developed into a multi-million dollar industry influencing all aspects of our lives (Adams et al, 1999). However, it is important to be able to compare and contrast the various definitions in order to have a complete understanding of what public relations is and how it is used. The public is a large population to consider, making it easier to understand why it is so difficult to define PR. Along with a large population come many perceptions, beliefs, ideas, and opinions, all influences on PR. I define public relations as the act/s used by individuals, corporations, and groups to influence ones opinions and/or decisions about a product, idea, person/s, company/s, etc. and the public. Robert L. Heath defines PR as functions of management/supervisors that foster an organization's ability to strategically listen to, appreciate, and respond to those persons who's mutually beneficial relationships with the organization are necessary if it is to achieve its missions and values (Health, 2007)'.
Public Relations has acknowledged public involvement as the most essential factor of the practice since its creation. However, the means and methods of reaching the public remained significantly limited until recently. Over the last decade, public relations has welcomed the use of varied tools, including new media, to further their reach and cultivate relationships with its publics. The term “new media” encompasses a variety of non-traditional methods including social media. Social media has become a significant catalyst in the communication sector of public relations. The pairing of social media and public relations has helped create new opportunities for brands through two-way communication, social case study campaigns, and social sharing.
Feature Article Role of PR in organizations. Today, public relations is a complex profession for thousands of thousands of people all over the world to practice. Almost all large and small organizations have their own public relations department, or they need to outsource their public relations to a company. Public relations practitioners work for schools and universities, companies, governments, professional and trade associations, hospitals, hotels, non-profit charities, and others (Grunig, 2001). Therefore, PR is an important department for organizations.
Similar to advertising, public relations have an intense influence on the news we read, the products we buy, the public officials who are elected, and the laws that are passed (Rodman 2012, p. 329). A good example of this is the story of Henry Ford. In 1903, Henry Ford hired a famous racer, Barney Oldfield to drive a Ford car; this was a way for Ford’s name to appear on the front page of newspapers, a great advertising