Public Relations Society of America - Essay Example

and Sur Due public relations Definitions and Discussion According to me ‘public relations’ is literally the manner in which contact of an individual or an organization with the general masses or population is established and how it enables them to form a concept of, identify and visualize the person or the organization and/or their activities. According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “Public relations help our complex, pluralistic society to reach decisions and function more effectively by contributing to mutual understanding among groups and institutions. It serves to bring private and public policies into harmony.” (www.prsa.org). Yet another source cites the ‘Institute of Public Relations’ which gives the definition as “Public Relations practice is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics” (www.buildingbrands.com). The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines public relations as “The business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution; also: the degree of understanding and goodwill achieved”. (www.merriam-webster.com). The worded definitions of ‘public relations’ may be different but they invariably point in the same direction i.e. the establishment of the identity of an organization, person or society into the psyche of the general masses whereby they come to understand the basic tenets of the philosophy and the setup of that organization which enhances the mutual understanding between the two for any fruitful and meaningful exchanges. The definitions however are oriented towards the positive aspects of public relations as they are invariably considered to be an effort to establish goodwill and harmony between two groups and talk nothing of any negative aspects which the organization may have. Therefore the orientation of public relations of an organization is always aimed at highlighting the positive aspects. More positivity can be induced when both the merits and demerits of the organization are shared with the public to give them a true picture, in order to avoid misunderstandings later. The ‘harmonization of private and public policies’ which is the ultimate aim of public relations according to the PRSA can be achieved only if the facts are presented accurately, precisely and supported by easily comprehensible data. Organizations like government departments, hospitals, educational institutions, private companies, religious societies, etc. have a distinct impression in the minds of the people by which they judge, evaluate and hold such organizations in esteem or skepticism based on the overall impression. A continuous and consistent effort of the public relations departments of such institutions is therefore absolutely essential. That is why the public relations aspects receive top priority by the managements of such organizations because they understand the power of public opinion, which can make or mar an organization or government. With the current trend of globalization and advancement in technology, media has become very incisive and has the ability to penetrate into the hitherto hidden territories of many organizations to lay bare their true facts to the general public. This makes the public relations aspects even more crucial and much energy and time is spent to develop them correctly and with accuracy. ‘Public relations’ has different definitions for different organizations in terms of the identity and motives of that particular organization. A government department may be more concerned with the information aspects as it sits smugly as an elected, powerful organization whose identity is based on the necessities and requirements of the public itself which has felt the need for the very existence of such a department. For example the health department may consider its public relations efforts sufficient if it publishes its facilities and activities across a specific time frame using the available funds and media resources. A religious organization may limit its public relations efforts according to the faithful followers it has and the resources at hand. However private businesses and companies have to indulge in a sustained and concerted effort in public relations to promote their products in face of stiff competition from any rival business companies if they are in such an area of business which is not a monopoly. The difference can be noticed in the Microsoft Corporation which has a monopoly in the operating system software which is predominantly used in the world. Still the company has to indulge in public relation activities when spreading across the globe in different cultural environments and languages. On the other hand, businesses which sell the hardware including computers have more or less the same products to sell and therefore have to indulge in public relations oriented towards proving their own products superior to the rival companies. Government public relations are sometimes akin to propaganda (http://education.yahoo.com), where the government organization has international interests coupled with a political nature and is mostly in the form of press releases. These press releases are then picked up by the mass media in the form of news stories which are then circulated and criticized using public platforms such as newspaper and news channels on television. Public relations techniques are generally used by government agencies for political motives to affect the general masses to form a positive opinion in favor of the government and their subsequent election campaigns. The public relations practiced within a country and internationally are two distinctive entities. Within a country the cultural identity, language and the social structure are usually identical and the audiences can be easily influenced. Internationally, however a number of variables come into play. Language, religion and culture are the biggest barriers as what may sound reasonable and logical in one country may not be so in another. Public relation activities have to be therefore accordingly modified with suitable changes for an international impact. For example promoting luxury items like jet planes, yachts and high end consumer goods may look silly in poor countries where economic development is still a distant dream. Garnering support for a poor country in a prosperous country by public relations alone without exposure to the public of the actual ground realities can also be equally difficult. Public relations therefore acquire many hues and colors depending upon the economic feasibility, geographical location, available media resources and the target population or audience when determining their objectives. The practitioner’s world views have a strong influence on public relations (http://iml.jou.ufl.edu). According to this article, the world view is of two types – ‘symmetric and asymmetric’. ‘The symmetric world view is characterized by interdependence between the organization and the public; it is an open system where views of the public are important, it is more de-centralized and open to innovation’. The asymmetric world view on the other hand is more ‘conservative, has an internal orientation where the matters are decided from within and not from the outsider’s point of view, is more authoritative and efficiency and economics of the operation are of prime importance’ ((http://iml.jou.ufl.edu). The variability in the definitions of public relations is therefore a matter of necessity, motive and the impact required as the end result, which influences the means and modes of using them in an effectual manner. References: Marketing Definitions:Public Relations, Online Article available at: http://www.buildingbrands.com/definitions/07_public_relations.php Official Statement on Public Relations, Available online at: http://www.prsa.org/aboutUs/officialStatement.html Public relations, Definition, available online at: http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/public+relations Public Relations, Definitions, Models and Principles, Online article available at: http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring2000/Calcote/latam_pubrel.html Public Relations, Online Article available at: http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=38857 Read More