Objectives of an organizations public relations department - Essay Example

The first recognized and agreed upon definition of public relations was given by Edward Bernays who said that public relations was a management function that studies and records public attributes, lays down policies, strategies and procedures with a view to the aspirations of the organization, which is implemented by the setting into motion a sequence of actions capable of achieving a positive public perception and acceptance. One of the major tasks of any public relations wings of modern organizations is to maintain up-to-date information on the public opinion.

This is usually achieved by the public relations wing by way of surveys and opinion polls that obtain responses in the form of various questions that aim at understanding the public perception towards a particular entity of interest to the company. In the modern age, such information is often conducted on a global scale and the information is routed and collected using various technologies of the day such as through the Internet and through satellite means (Paul Baines, John Egan, 2004). In fact, the Internet has evolved as the single largest medium for understanding public perception by most public relations establishments.

In addition to the simplicity involved in conducting online polls, the speed and efficiency with which the obtained information can be processed and viewed for required results has resulted in a rapid rise in the use of cyberspace for most public relations initiatives. Apart from these two approaches, public relations also cover the aspect of popularizing any product or service of the organization by introducing them and their inherent capabilities and functionalities to the customer. This is done by using phone based campaigns, advertising and online promotion.

The public relations society of America had the following to comment on the utilities of public relations (Jane Johnston, Clara Zawawi, 2004):"Examples of the knowledge that may be required in the professional practice of public relations include communication arts, psychology, social psychology, sociology, political science, economics, and the principles of management and ethics. Technical knowledge and skills are required for opinion research, public issues analysis, media relations, direct mail, institutional advertising, publications, film/video productions, special events, speeches, and presentations.

" Thus, from the above definition, it can be well understood that operating under public relations requires the individual to possess certain skills that cover many domains from management to technical knowledge to psychology. Public relations are so vital to the prospects o a company and its vision, more so for the ones that are constantly under the public eye, so much so that any company would have a certain