The Impact of Public Relations on Organisations Sales - Assignment Example

Introduction The relationship between an organisation and the public is a crucial determinant of the health of such organisation. The aspect of the organisation that is concerned with this interaction with the public is public relations (PR). This is a unique aspect that cuts across all types of organisations, sizes, locations, objectives and industry and the resultant realisation of its importance has transformed it not just to a practical field but a practice based on a theoretical framework to guide its operations. The basic description of PR involves working towards development of a positive relationship between an organisation and its public to create just the right image and in some cases to address a broken image of the organisation among members of the public. This essentially translates to influencing the public to view the organisation as the organisation views itself. The importance of PR to organisations justifies studies into it and a detailed analysis of it is an effective avenue of studying its applications and effect on organisations and individuals. This will involve a PR overview, exploration of its theoretical framework, strategy and operations and finally its ethical considerations. PR is an aspect of business operations that essentially fits the description of a “force for good.” Overview of PR The field of PR may sometimes appear blurred with its boundaries to related areas of organisational activities such as marketing and advertisement appearing vague. Ignorance also leads to its association with negative connotations such as spin-doctoring which is meant to disguise truth in order to make an object in consideration appear favourable (Johnstone and Zanawi, 2009: 4). However, PR is an independent distinctive concept that involves maintenance of an organisation’s relationship with its public; the various categories of individuals that are of importance to the organisation. PR entails a range of activities and objectives that inform its definition including development of mutual communication, understanding and acceptance, response to public concerns and service to public interest. Perhaps a holistic and scholarly definition to PR is necessary to accommodate all these perspectives and many more where Theaker (2004: 4) submits that PR describes the art and social science involved in analysis of developments and prediction of their consequences alongside guiding management leaders and implementation of action plans for the good of both the organisation’s and public’s interest. PR contrasts from the usually misconceived related fields in terms of the objectives although the channels followed may be the same. For example, although publicity is an aspect of both PR and advertisement, it is unpaid for in PR in contrast to advertisement instead being at the sole discretion of media gatekeepers to integrate it into their news story. While marketing is generally concerned with the target customers in a bid to increase chances of sale of products, PR instead focuses on building relationships with the public to generate goodwill and to build on the public image of an organisation. However, PR may be used as a marketing strategy in terms of marketing communications (Rotman and Gerasimo, 2001:2). Theoretical Approach to PR The need for a theoretical framework to consolidate the principles of PR, facilitate exchange of information and help actors and practitioners agree on best practices is perhaps the best indication that PR has grown by leaps and bounds as a field of study and practice. According to Johnston and Zanawi (2009: 48) theories in PR help conceptualise what it is, how it works and what its effects are. They provide a new approach to understanding PR. Establishment of theories in PR are highly inclined towards communication theories as this is an integral part in PR. Some of the theories put forward in PR include systems theory, situational or concept of the “publics” theory, structural functionalism, persuasion theory, cultural relations theory, rhetorical theory and symmetrical/excellence theory (Mackey, 2003: 11). According to Grunig (2008: 1) most of the theories put forth in PR are only middle-range and can be found integrated in general theories such as excellence theory. The excellence theory of PR was developed from many years of study in PR best practices and incorporates concepts such as the theory of “publics,” strategic management, ethics, employee communication and social responsibility among others. It explains the value of PR to an organisation and the society basing on the social responsibility of decisions by managers alongside the quality of stakeholder relationships. Essentially, an organisation’s effectiveness and success is tied to its behaviour in terms of solutions to problems revolving around the stakeholders and management. This involves the organisation studying the environment to establish individuals who are directly or indirectly affected by the management’s decisions and those who would wish the organisation to act to help solve their most important problems. In this regard, PR involves symmetric communication with the public to establish quality and long term relations. PR Research and Practice A public relations strategy is first preceded by undertaking proper research before rolling out the operations. The steps in the strategy procedurally begin from analysing the problem, followed by establishing the objectives, creating a theme of operation, appropriate segmentation of the public which is then followed by positioning of the organisation in its environment based on the previous steps (Watson and Noble 2009: 56). An evaluation of results of the strategy concludes the process. For this process to be effective, the organisation has to collect as much information as necessary and fill data gaps through researching on itself, the public/environment, the market, competitors, products and any other relevant considerations (57). It is also obvious that research has to be continuous as the process unfolds and is a never ending process. Analysis of the problem involves examining the relationship with the public as it is and contrasting it with how it should be according to the organisation. Surveys, case studies, observation and interviewing are tools and approaches used in research and analysis of the situation, organisation and public (Chia & Synnott, 2011: 123). The next step of PR practice is establishment of goals and objectives based on the research. The set goals and objectives are then used to formulate action plans and response strategies that will guide the organisation’s PR policy. An important element in the roll out of the PR action plan and response strategies involves considerations of communication in terms of effectiveness (Gillis, 2011: 113). After establishment of the most effective communication tactics the actual implementation of the PR strategy is then done. The last area of PR practice is the evaluation and appraisal of the strategic plan to determine whether the desired effects and results are being achieved and to make adjustments where necessary. The areas at which a PR strategy is targeted include customers, investors and the community, while taking into consideration the fact that internal operations such as employee issues also determine the organisation’s image in public (Botha & Chaka, 2007: 201). Impact of PR on the Organisation and Individuals A successful PR campaign has the effect of improving the entire image of the organisation in the eyes of the public and establishment of long term quality and positive relationships. PR has also been used successfully to reverse deteriorating image of organisations through reputation and crisis management (Chia and Synnott, 2011: 270; Register and Larkin: 137). Internally, PR has effects on several departments due its extensive segmentation and analysis of the public, providing the entire organisation with insights that influence other departments. The goodwill created in the public boosts marketing efforts to a large extent and the segmentation influences the targets of the public for sales (Chartier and Leray, 2007: 3). In a similar fashion, PR influences the operations of the human resource departments and production departments in terms of where efforts should be targeted. The impact of PR on members of the public is also quite positive ensuring that their views and concerns are communicated to organisations and considered in operations. Information on such organisations is also gained, an important thing nowadays of increasing informed consumerism. It suffices to say that the increased social responsibility benefits both the organisation and individuals. Professionalism and Ethics in PR Professionalism and ethical considerations in PR are of utmost importance since this is an area that can easily be discredited due to the actions of a few practitioners. The code of practice in PR when dealing with the media, customers, the general public, employers, colleagues and other individuals and groups that a practitioner interacts with involves emphasis and commitment to honesty and regard for public interest. To ensure that self, organisation and the entire profession are not brought to disrepute, the highest standards of professional conduct, integrity, financial transparency and confidentiality among other relevant considerations are practiced (Sommervile and Wood, 2001: 159). Conclusion PR is an important aspect of organisations and is primarily concerned with the quality of the relationship between the organisation and the public. Although it has been wrongly confused with advertisement and marketing in the past it is in fact an independent concept in terms of objectives and goals. A theoretical framework for PR is becoming increasingly important to harmonise its study and practice. Adoption of a PR policy involves the organisation conducting a proper internal and external research, identifying the problem, setting objectives, settling on an appropriate communication tactic and the rolling out the action plan and finally evaluation of the entire strategic policy. Professionalism and ethics are of great importance to PR practice since it is an area that relies upon public goodwill and mistakes can prove catastrophic to the practitioner and organisation besides bringing the entire profession into disrepute. PR enables organisations to establish quality, positive and long-lasting relationships with the public, ultimately causing a ripple benefit effect within the organisation especially in the departments of marketing, production and human resource. The public also gains through increased information on the organisation and their views being taken into consideration. With this evidence, it suffices to say that PR is really a “force for good.” References Botha, D & Chaka, M (2007), Public relations: Fresh perspectives, SA, Longman. Chartier, L & Leray, C (2007), The impact of public relations on organisations’ sales, Montreal, viewed 6 October 2011, . Chia, J & Synnott, G (2011), An Introduction to public relations: From theory to practice, Melbourne, Oxford UP. Gillis, T (2011), The IABC handbook of organisational communication: A guide to internal communication, public relations, marketing, and leadership, John Wiley & Sons. Grunig, JE (2008), Excellence theory in public relations, Maryland, Lawrence Erlbaum. Johnston, J & Zanawi, C (2009), Public relations: Theory and practice, Australia, Allen & Unwin. Mackey, S (2005), Rhetorical Theory of Public Relations: Opening the door to semiotic and pragmatism approaches, New Zealand, ANCZA . 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