Summary COM3708 EXAM NOTES.

COM3708 EXAM NOTES. Advertising And Public Relations. Relationship management theory Ledingham proposes that relationship management theory be accepted as a general theory of public relations. He believes that the appropriate domain of public relations is the relationship and that the theory can serve as an organizing concept for public relations scholarship, teaching and practice. He also suggests that organisation – public relationships should rely not only on communication but also on organisational and public behaviours. Based on his research, Ledingham offers the following true statements of relationships between organisations and the public. • The relationships are transactional. • The relationships are dynamic, they change over time. • The relationships are goal orientated The relationships are driven by the perceived needs and wants of interacting organisations and publics. The relationships involve communications The relationships can be described by type( personal, professional, community and behavioural) independent of their perceptions. A values driven approach page 232 Guth and Marsh propose a values-driven approach to public relations, with the basic point of departure being that an organisations core values should govern the public relations process from inception to conclusion. They compare such an approach to the process involved when planning a holiday. The alternative definition of of public relations is the values driven management of relationships between an organisation and the publics that can affect its success. Values-driven public relations is the process of uncovering not just where an organisation wishes to go but also the principles the organisation will observe in getting there. In general, the public holds public and private organisations accountable for what they are doing. An example of the influence of public activism is the environmental issue. For an example producers of wood are not allowed to sell wood or wood products in europe, asia or america without a certificate that is issued by an indepenent international body that certifies that wood has been produced in an ethical way, that is the producer has to meet certain criteria related to where and how the wood is planted, maintained and the cut down. Another good example is of the persian carpets that dropped in value when forced child labour was suspected. In an era of transparency, globalisation, the rise of activist groups such as greenpeace, few organisations can afford to be seen to be ignorant of these issues. A postmodern critique page 233 A postmodern perspective on public relations is not so much an alternative paradigm as one which views society in general differently, and in the case of public relations provides an understanding of the practitioners experience as well as a critique on some of the modernist expectations of public relations. There are 4 issues that arise from the postmodern perspective and these will be discussed below. 1. Public relations as a management function The emphasis in traditional public relations activities is on planning, classifying and regulating experience systematically. The basic assumption is that communication from an organisation must be controlled in service of that organisation. Public relations activities therefore aim to exert power and control over the organisational environment while excluding any viewpoint that might differ. 2. Public relations as a power function Holtzhausen distinguishes between management and managerialism, where managerialism is the cooption of workers by management into suppressive workplace practices that benefit managers more than workers and that can lead to the formation of a new class. 3. Public relations and representation Modern public relations create the hyper-reality of those they represent through image contests and sign struggles. Unrealistic images are actively created to establish a demand for products or services. The real intentions of wealth creation for the few are obscured by meaningless communication that denies external groups useful information. 4. Public relations and the issue of symmetry Postmodern critique questions the notion of a two-way symmetrical model of public relations. Public relations functions page 234-237 PR definition. The ultimate aim of public relations is to manage perceptions and relationships between an organisation and its stakeholders. In order for this to be achieved, PR must fulfill the interpretation of the needs, attitudes and opinions of people, it must fulfill the communication of these to relevant stakeholders and lastly it must manage this process of communication to change or maintain the needs, attitudes and opinions. (a) Public relations as communication and interpretation Public relations interpretive function involves the responsibility of understanding and meeting the needs of the organisation, stakeholders and society in general. This implies translating the organisations, that is its policies, values, aims, image and actions to its stakeholders and in turn understanding and communicating the stakeholders needs, expectations, motives and values of the organisation. Research is essential to the management of the adjustments, adaptations and responses of the organisation o changing environments. Almost all process models of public relations have research as the first step and the last step of planning a public relations campaign or programme. Dozier believes that public relations managers are in a good positionto provide an interpretive function, as they have wide contact with the external and internal environment as well as access to research and research findings. Moreover they know what management and other stakeholders are thinking, have first hand knowledge of the reasons for management's decisions and understand the rationale behind the organisation's policies. Public relations practitioners should form an impartial outlook. They should explain stakeholder's views to management, whether or not it is what the latter wants and understands. Furthermore, communication is more than simply a technique that the public relations officer applies as a tool of the trade. Historically the objective of public relations was to inform the public and this resulted in the publicity model of public relations. However communication entails more than simply providing information, nowadays it is seen as a transaction between participants during which a relationship develops. (b) Managing communication of the organisation According to Grunig public relations as communication management extends beyond being a mere communication technique and a practice that involves specialised public relations programmes, such as media relations or publicity programmes. Public relations as a management function also entails the overall planning and execution of public relations management programems which are specifically focused on the evaluation of an organisation's stakeholders and the optimisation of its relationship with them. Like other management processes, communication management is concerned with clear strategies and objectives that develop specific tactics, each with a budget, time table and allocation of resources. The primary objectives of communication management are to manage optimal relationships with stakeholders and to minimise conflict with stakeholders and activist groups. Organisations should not wait until issues surface before dealing with them, communication managers should be able to predict problems and proactively manage the organisation's response to them. This approach can give an organisation a competitive advantage in dealing with problems before they become a crisis. Communication management also entails knowing when, what and how to communicate. (c) The strategic role of public relations Steyn maintains that the public relations strategist should be involved at the top management level, providing strategic information on the stakeholder environment through the use of research techniques such as environmental scanning, issues identification and analysis. The practitioner should • Identify the organisation's strategic stakeholders and their concerns • Determine the consequences of organisational decisions and behaviour on stakeholders. • Identify and monitor issues around which publics or activists converge before these cause intense difficulty The strategist should then provide this information to top management, who should in turn carefully use it. Steyn identifies the following activities as constituting the role of a public relations strategist • Doing environmental scanning in the macro, task and micro investments. • Analysing the organisation's links to key stakeholders and drawing up a stakeholder map. • Assisting in the identification of key strategic issues through issues monitoring and analysis. • Identifying the public and activist groups that emerge in response to issues. • Determing stakeholder concerns, sensitivities, feelings and attitudes towards the organisation. Public relations practice in business organisations, government and non-profit organisations page 237 (a) Public relations in business organisations Public relations in a business organisation aims to develop mutual understanding between the organisation and its public. Over the years, the environment in which business organisations operate have become more and more complex. Business organisations have to deal with issues like economic recessions, the exposure of corrupt practices, misconduct by management, terrorism threats, environmental issues and increased demand for accountability from the public among others. These external pressures have increased the importance of public relations and their role in restoring public trust in business organisations. Public relations help to interpret the environment for the organisation while simultaneously communicating the organisation's position on various issues to the organisation's publics. The primary motive of business organisations is profit and public relations contributes to this profit motive by creating an maintaining relationships with various key publics and stakeholder groups. Public relations in business organisations can be in the form of media relations, employee relations, community relations, consumer relations and financial relations. Good relations with all the various stakeholders are important in attainment of profit in a business organisation.