The Role of Public Relations in Building Corporate Image in Organizations

The Role of Public Relations in Building Corporate Image in Organizations

CHAPTER ONE

Objective of the Study

The broad objectives of this study is to determine the extent to which public relations has been used in building a sustainable corporate image for federal radio corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).

Specifically, the study objectives are:

To determine whether Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria utilizes public relations in building a sustainable corporate image.
To ascertain how federal radio corporation of Nigeria management is carrying out public relations activities that will enhance and sustain its image.
To determine the factors which encourage or hinder the practice of public relations in Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.
To find out the extent the usage of public relations activities has contributed to the positive image of federal radio corporation of Nigeria.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

INTRODUCTION

This chapter is a review of related studies to the topic Impact of Public Relations on a Corporate Organization.(A study of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria FRCN).

The chapter is organized under the following headings:

(a) Review of concept.

(b) Review of related studies.

(d) Summary

Review of Concepts

Concepts and Definition of Public Relation PR

Public Relation is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its publics. It’s an attempt by information persuasion and adjustment to engineer public support for an activity, cause, movement or institution which combines philosophy, sociology, economics, language, psychology, journalism, communication and other knowledge into a system of human understanding. Public Relations is distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and cooperation between an organization and its publics; involves the management of problems or issues; helps management to keep informed on and responsive to public opinion; defines and emphasizes the responsibility of management to serve the public interest; helps management keep abreast of and effectively utilize change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and uses research, sound and ethical communication as its principal tools.

Thomas Jefferson (1807) used the phrase “Public relations” in the place of “State of thought” while writing his seventh address to the US Congress. In India, Great Indian Peninsular Railway Company Limited (GIP Railways) carried on publicity in Public Relations campaign in England for promote tourism to India through mass media and pamphlets. During the time of First World War a central publicity board was set up at Bombay (now Mumbai) for disseminating war news to the public and press. After Second World War the Public Relations activity gained importance both privates as well as Government started Public Relations campaigns. When we consider that PR is undertaken by every organization, commercial or non-commercial and in both public and private sectors, the identification of publics and the use of different techniques to reach them, becomes a very important aspect of campaign planning. Public Relations is used in different ways by various individuals to educate people on the profession. It has also been compared with many management courses. This makes PR an entity of its own

Roles and Needs for Public Relation

Public Relations is a management function. It is placed under the director general in government establishment or the chief executive in the private sector and the public relations officer is always a member of the board of management and takes part in decision-making. The most important requirement for a public relations practitioner is to be aware of the political, social and economic environment in which he operates. He should equally consider the conflicts of interest which the majority of his publics suffer.

Investing on Public relations will help the organization to achieve its objective effectively and smoothly. Public Relations is not creating good image for a bad team. Since false image cannot be sustained for a long time. Though the organization product or services are good it need an effective Public Relations campaign for attracting, motivating the public to the product or service or towards the purpose of the programme. It is not only encouraging the involvement from the public and also resulting in better image. Effective Public Relations can create and build up the image of an individual or an organization or a nation. At the time of adverse publicity or when the organization is under crisis an effective Public Relations can remove the “misunderstanding” and can create mutual understanding between the organization and the public.

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

This chapter states the various methods used in research, as well as the population of the study, and sampling techniques used in determining the sample size for the research. How data was collected and analysed is also discussed in this chapter.

The main objectives of this research were achieved through quantitative methods, as inferential statistics were used to measure the level of accuracy and validate responses from the respondents in accordance to the objectives of the research.

STUDY AREA

Abuja, the capital of Nigeria was the study area for this research. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria’s capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos, though the latter remains the country’s most populous city. At the 2006 census, the city of Abuja had a population of 776,298, making it one of the ten most populous cities in Nigeria. Abuja has witnessed a huge influx of people into the city; the growth has led to the emergence of satellite towns such as Karu Urban Area, Suleja, Gwagwalada, Lugbe, Kuje and smaller settlements to which the planned city is sprawling. The unofficial metropolitan area of Abuja has a population of well over three million and comprises the fourth largest urban area in Nigeria, surpassed only by Lagos, Kano and Ibadan.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The research design used for this study was the descriptive research design. Since data characteristics were described using frequencies and percentages, and no manipulations of data or variables were necessary, the researcher chose this research design. The researcher discarded other alternatives such as the causal and explanatory research designs, because accurate findings and data analysis may not be achieved.

POPULATION OF THE STUDY

The population for this study is residents of Abuja. The population figure for the study was 32 employees of the federal radio corporation of Nigeria, Abuja.

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

INTRODUCTION

This chapter is devoted to the presentation, analysis and interpretation of the data gathered in the course of this study. The data are based on the number of copies of the questionnaire completed and returned by the respondents. The data are presented in tables and the analysis is done using the correlation test.

TESTING HYPOTHESIS

Ho: Federal Radio Corporation does not utilize public relations in building a sustainable corporate image.

Hi: Federal Radio Corporation utilizes public relations in building a sustainable corporate image.

Level of significance: 0.05

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

The objectives of this study were;

To determine whether Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria utilizes public relations in building a sustainable corporate image.
To ascertain how Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria management is carrying out public relations activities that will enhance and sustain its image.
To determine the factors which encourage or hinder the practice of public relations in Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.
To find out the extent the usage of public relations activities has contributed to the positive image of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.

Findings from the study revealed that majority of the respondents are of the opinion that federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria utilizes public relations in building a sustainable corporate image and that public relations are essential for organizational growth and expansion.

CONCLUSION

The importance of public relations in any organization cannot be overemphasized. This is largely buttressed by the fact that the public relations unit of an organization is an important factor which aids in the success of any organization through building and sustaining its corporate image.In many government parastatals and private organizations whether seeking profit or not in their operations, public relations practitioners and public relations practice play a very important role.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the above findings, the following recommendations were made;

Organisations, especially government parastatals should endeavor to invest more in public relations in order to portray good public image.
Organisations should ensure that the their company’s goals are in consonance with public view about them.

REFERENCES

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