To quote one public relations representative from a large California firm, "I have been at the Bureau for nearly 18 months and my friends and family still aren't sure exactly what I do." (Sandoval 2001) Viewed by some to be a useful tool for businesses large and small to reach their dreams of success and viewed by others to be a tool of deception and trickery through which corporations can take advantage of the unknowing consumer, the actual definition and functionality of public relations is not usually taken into consideration
Public Relations Strategy Public relations can be defined as a premeditated and continued effort to institute and maintain benevolence and mutual understanding between an organization and its audiences. This is a discipline which takes care of reputation, aspiring to earn understanding and support and influencing judgment and habit (Applegate, 2006)
It is only necessary that the right content and outlook is incorporated into the organization's web pages so that it becomes easier for the targeted audience to identify it. It is possible for a public relations practitioner to be caught in a lawsuit or a case with a government regulatory agency and also be held liable for providing illegal advice or misleading information (Clark, 2000)
These tools have become easier to use due to the advancement in technology, for instance, press conferences can be done via teleconferencing services thus it is not mandatory for the two groups to meet as was the case before. Passing information through the internet has also been so easy, fast and cheap thus it helps the organization pass urgent and important information to the targeted audience in time and conveniently (Howard, 2000)
It is important that the planners of such events work so hard to ensure that the message conveyed in the programs are correct and a positive image is relayed to the target audience. When such events are carried out effectively, they can help the organization weather poor publicity or a crisis situation that can unpredictably come up due to a fault with a product, disreputable behavior by management, or even by untrue rumors (Wilcox and Cameron, 2006)
Press conference is a tool that can as well be referred to as media relations and it includes all efforts to publicize the organization to members of the press such as radio, television, and the print media. This is done by creating appealing and germane story angles that are pitched to the media; these include stories about the organization, its products, and its spokespeople (Wylie, 2004)
Thus, the changes in the functioning of societies and economies has led to public relations becoming one of senior management's dominant concerns, calling for practitioners to acquire new knowledge and skills. Indeed, this is evident in the shift of perspective in the field from information dissemination and organizational stakeholder relations to mediating relations between organizations and constituent groups over major social issues (Brody, 1987, p
In fact, continuous proactive planning can even reduce, if not negate the need for reactive public relations. For instance, Shell may have been able to avoid the negative PR and fall-out from its plans to sink the disused Brent Spar oil rig in the North Sea if only it had employed proactive public relations planning (Gumbel, 2004)
This is, however, easier said than done since the explosion of communication technology globally has resulted in existing relationships being strained, and virtually everyone being forced into new relationships within social systems that are both becoming increasingly diverse and correspondingly divisive. This implies that public relations practitioners must reconcile their organizations' ongoing relationships with a range of seemingly amorphous publics that are evolving within a multicultural and highly diverse, global society that shows little inclination towards becoming a global community (Kruckeberg, 2000, p
However, it is interesting to note that all these trends converge to demand one core function from public relations, and that is relationship management: "The relationship perspective holds that public relations is the management function that establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the publics on whom its success or failure depends." (Ledingham & Bruning, cited Cutlip, Center, & Broom, 2000, p
An Analysis of Public Relations Public relations as relationship management incorporates many different functions, not the least of which is building and fostering relationships among people. Aside from this basic principle, public relations includes a broad spectrum of activities that encompasses many different functions including publicity, press management, advertising, marketing, media relations, events coordination and more (Bruning, 2000)
This model emphasized on the evaluation of feedback from publics and then resolving the conflicts through two-way communication and eventually arriving at mutual understandings. This new approach to public relations was the most significant since it complements the earlier three approaches of publicity, public information, and two-way asymmetric (Stuart et al
Cause-related marketing is a show of social responsibility of an organization and also creates great public awareness. The primary publics therefore may have a positive attitude towards since they will be aware of the values and willingness of the organization to support good ventures (Richard, 2002)
There are therefore tools that the PR department will employ every now and again to reach the public which is the consumer. These are (Dry Pen, 2010); Press release; is one of the most effective means of communicating to the stakeholders and is the most common mode
A boundary spanner is an individual who creates links between different publics and the organization. They metaphorically span a boundary between an organization and other groups of people through facilitating communication (Adams, 2012)
Shareholders may still elect to receive a free hard copy if they wish. (Brown, 2009) While most companies still produce a printed version of the annual report, many organizations are experimenting with online formats
Agenda-setting theory is useful to understand in order to put a client or company's interest on the media agenda. Financial information must be comprehensive and deal with the complexities of fiscal performance in a competitive national and international market (Basu & Palazzo, 2008)
These are investors (or shareholders) and customers. Of equal importance, are publics who influence profits indirectly through opinion and action, such as employees, the community and the media (Cameron, et Al
For many large corporations, online annual e-reports are now the norm. Obvious savings are evident in reducing the print run of an expensive high-end document, not just in budget terms but in terms of resource awareness and environmental impact (Curtin, 2008)
In New Zealand, it is the Securities Commission. In 2008 the two countries brought into effect the Mutual Recognition of Securities Offerings (MRSO), introduced to simplify and streamline the issuing of shares across both countries (Cutlip, et al