Public Relations

Public Relations

Question # 1

Public Relations

Public relations is a management tool that involves the use of sociological and psychological skills and knowledge to create and present a positive image of an organization (or individual) and its activities to the public. Also commonly referred to as PR, the term public relations refers to a set of communication activities used to manage reputation and perceptions (Watson & Noble, 2005). Public relations is defined in 1978 by the International Public Relations Association which, as written by Sam Black, states that

“Public relations is the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organizational leaders, and implementing planned programs of action which will serve both the organizations and the public's interest.”

For public relations activity, the “general public” often is known as a “target”, as one of the many objectives of the discipline is to act upon public opinion, more commonly through the mass media. In addition implied is the concept of the “public sphere,” where discussion and debate regarding issues influencing the nature of society and the general public takes place. “Public opinion” is sequentially affected by these debates.

Four Categories of Public with Whom Practitioners Deal

Publics are groups (generally termed as stakeholders in the literature of business and management) who have attributes in common. Therefore, for organizations, typical publics include employees; the local community; customers; financial analysts and investors; government entities- both local and national; opinion formers; suppliers and distributors; trade and regulatory bodies; and growingly, unclear online communities with various relationships with organizations. In turn, these groups have particular labels within the practice. Thus, internal or employee relations implies for work with employees; consumer or marketing PR with customers; public affairs or lobbying with local and national governments; and city or financial PR with financial analysts and investors.

In 1984, Situational Theory was proposed by James Grunig in which he identified and classified publics on the basis of their awareness of problems and the extent to which they can do something regarding the issue. The following four categories are identified by the theory: Non-public: Non- existence or identification of any issue

Latent public: Public does not see the problem, although it exists

Aware public: An existing problem is identified by group

Active public: Group is aware of the problem and co-ordinates to take an action

Question # 2

Legal & Ethical Concerns for PR Practitioners

Companies, through public relations, sell the public on their products, ideas, activities and services. Industries are dictated by business laws how public relations practitioners write speeches, design logos, challenge the competition and handle proprietary information. That's why; practitioners must be aware of and abide by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules, copyright laws, and other regulations to keep away from stirring up legal action against their clients and companies. Legal implications of any issue must always be understood by PR practitioners. The examination of both the legal and ethical considerations is essential for practitioners in their professional practice. The areas of legal concern for PR practitioners include: ...