UNIT - 1
Concept and
Evolution of
Public Relations
U-I 1. DEFINING PUBLIC RELATIONS:
FUNCTIONS AND TYPES OF PUBLICS
1.(A) PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public Relations
Public Relations is the way organsations,
companies and individuals communicate with
publics and media.
Acc. to Edward Bernays, the three main elements of public relations
are:
informing people
persuading people
integrating people
“Public relations is the management function
which evaluates:
public attitudes,
identifies the policies and procedures of an individual
or an organization with the public interest,
plans and executes a program of action to earn public
understanding and patience.”
DEFINITION
Public relations can be defined as a
‘management function that helps achieve
organisational objectives, define philosophy and
falicitate organisational change.’
-Baskin, Aonolf & lattimore
It is the deliberate, planned and sustained
effort to establish and maintain mutual
understanding between the organisation and its
various publics (all groups of people and
organisations which have an interest in the
service company).
- The British Institute of Public Relations
One of the first textbooks in the field,
Effective Public Relations by Scott Cutlip and
Allen Center, stated,
“Public relations is the management function that
identifies, establishes, and maintains mutually
beneficial relationships between an organization
and the various publics on whom its success or
failure depends.”
The management function was also
emphasized in Managing Public Relations by
James E. Grunig and Todd Hunt. They said,
“Publicrelations is the management of
communication between an organization and its
publics.” National and international public
relations organizations, including the PRSA, also
have formulated definitions.
1.(B) ELEMENTS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
1. Deliberate: Public relations activity is intentional. It is designed to
influence, gain understanding, provide information, and obtain feedback
from those affected by the activity.
2. Planned: Public relations activity is organized. Solutions to problems are
discovered and logistics are thought out, with the activity taking place over
a period of time. It is systematic, requiring research and analysis.
3. Performance: Effective public relations is based on actual policies and
performance. No amount of public relations will generate goodwill and
support if the organization has poor policies and is unresponsive to public
concerns.
4. Public interest: Public relations activity should be mutually beneficial to
the organization and the public; it is the alignment of the organization’s
self-interests with the public’s concerns and interests.
5. Two-way communication: Public relations is not just disseminating
information but also the art of listening and engaging in a conversation with
various publics.
6. Management function: Public relations is most effective when it is a
strategic and integral part of decision making by top management. Public
relations involve counselling, problem solving, and the management of
competition and conflict.
1.(C) WHY DO WE NEED A PR?
To win new customers
To retain the existing customers
To create and maintain a postive public image
To establish and maintain mutual lines of communication
Understanding
Acceptance
Co-operation between an organisation and its publics
Therefore, PR specialist create and maintain good
relationship among the media and the customers which in
turn increases the sales.
1.(D) FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
In general PR functions as:
1. It monitors the attitude of the publics in favour of the
company.
2. It sends out information and spreads communication to the
publics.
3. It builds goodwill of the organisation.
4. It counsels the top management to adopt positive
programmes.
5. It eliminate questionable practices so that negative publicity
does not arise against the company.
In particular PR functions as:
1. Counselling: PR departments advise the top
management on matters related to policies,
relationships, communications, public issues or product
mishap.
2. Research: Determining attitudes and behaviors of
publics in order to plan public relations strategies can
be used to:
(1) generate mutual understanding and
(2) influence or persuade publics.
3. Media relations: Working with journalists and bloggers
in seeking publicity or responding to their interests in
the organization.
4. Publicity: Disseminating planned messages through
selected media, including social media, to further the
organization’s interests.
5. Employee/member relations: Responding to concerns,
informing, and motivating an organization’s employees
or members.
6. Community relations: Planned activity with a
community to maintain an environment that
benefits both the organization and the
community.
7. Public affairs: Developing effective
involvement in public policy and helping an
organization adapt to public expectations. The
term is also used by government agencies to
describe their public relations activities and by
many corporations as an umbrella term to
describe multiple public relations activities.
8. Government affairs: Relating directly with
legislatures, government officials and regulatory
agencies on behalf of the organization. Lobbying
can be part of a government affairs program.
9. Financial relations: Creating and maintaining investor
confidence and building good relationships with the financial
community. Demonstrating the need for and encouraging the public
to support an organization.
It is also known as investor relations or shareholder
relations.
10. Industry relations: Relating with other firms in the
industry of an organization and with trade associations.
11. Multicultural relations/workplace diversity: Relating with
individuals and groups in various cultural groups.
12. Special events: Stimulating an interest in a person,
product, or organization by means of a well-planned event;
also, activities designed to interact with publics and listen to
them.
13. Marketing communications: Combination of activities
designed to sell a product, service, or idea, including
advertising, collateral materials, publicity, promotion, directs
mail, trade shows, and special events.
1.(E) PR OFFICER QUALIFICATION
Bachelor’s degree in communications or journalism
Excellent writing skills
Verbal communication skills
Able to work under pressure
Able to handle unpleasant queries and situations
PRO
PR Officer communicates with the target
audience directly/indirectly through media with
an aim to create positive image and build strong
relationship.
Public opinion is the barometer of Public Relations.
(Example: 1988, V. P. Singh Government’s decision to install a
bust of Mahatma Gandhi by removing a canopy at India Gate
to commemorate 120th Anniversary. But, Satish Gujral (artist
and architect) protested against the removal of the canopy.
And one person’s public opinion resulted in a national issue.)
1. PRO develops, executes, evaluates organizational programmes
and promotes the exchange of influence and understanding among
an organization's constituent parts and public.
Example: Press Releases, Newsletter, Conferences,
Blogs etc.
2. Understand the core values and competencies of the
organization.
It could be production processes, product formulae, assembly line
expertise, human resources.
3. Need to identify various stakeholders/publics
such as employees, union leaders, both internal and external supporters,
financial institutions, local and overseas stakeholders, banks, stock
exchanges, agents, wholesalers, dealers, consumers, local and national
governments, local and national administrations, special interest groups,
including various lobbies and professional groups, the media, both regional
and mainstream community etc.
4. Scanning the environment and keeping the organisation
aware of the latest development
PR officers keep a track of what is happening in the outside world.
5. Decide on the best cost-effective media
Half the battle is won when we are able to choose the right media.
6. Create a distinct corporate identity and manage the
reputation of the organisation
7. PR officers brainstorm and work on the core values of the
organisation and then plan the course of action with the top
management, a cross section of managers and workers.
PR PRACTITIONER ADDRESS
WHY- Why are we communicating? (OBJECTIVE)
WHO- Who are we trying to reach? (AUDIENCE)
WHAT- What is to be said to gain the desired
change? (COMMUNICATION PROPOSITION)
WHERE- Where do we say it so as to reach the
desired target audience? (MEDIA)
WHEN- When is the right time to launch a
programme to seek the desired response?
(SCHEDULING AND FREQUENCY OF MESSAGE)
HOW- What is the best route and strategy to
reach the target audience? (STRATEGY OF AN
ACTION ORIENTED PROGRAMME)
1.(F) PROCESS OF PUBLIC
RELATIONS
One popular way to describe the process, and to
remember its components, is to use the R.A.C.E.
acronym
It was first articulated by John Marston in his
book The Nature of Public Relations in 1963.
Essentially, R.A.C.E. means that public relations
activity consists of four key elements:
1. Research,
2. Action Plan/Objective setting/Programme Planning,
3. Communication Tools/Tactics/ Implementing Plan,
4. Evaluation
1. RESEARCH: WHAT IS THE
PROBLEM OR SITUATION?
Identify the three key elements:
1. Client or Organization
2. Problem or potential problem and opportunities
to do PR
3. Audiences or Publics
Also finalise what type of research methods will
be used: Formal or Informal research methods.
These may include feedback from the public,
media reporting and editorial comment, analysis
of trend data, other forms of research, personal
experience, and government pressures and
regulations.
1. PEST ANALYSIS –
1. It is used to identify the political, economic, social
and technological factors that may have an effect on a project and
its planning process.
2. A PEST analysis is a widely used strategic planning tool which helps
organizations take better business decisions and improve efficiency
by studying various factors which might influence a business.
3. Such external factors usually are beyond the firm's control and
sometimes present themselves as threats.
4. PEST is usually done before the SWOT analysis.
5. Sometimes it's expanded to include legal and environmental factors
and called a PESTEL analysis.
6. PESTEL is done to analyze the various external factors that can affect
an organization. The data from PESTEL is then used to add data to
the threats and weaknesses section of the SWOT analysis.
Follow these steps to analyze your business environment, and
the opportunities and threats that it presents.
1. Use PEST to brainstorm the changes happening around you. ...
2. Brainstorm opportunities arising from each of these changes.
3. Brainstorm threats or issues that could be caused by them.
4. Take appropriate action.
2. SWOT ANALYSIS- a study undertaken by an organization/company’s
competitive position by identifying its internal strengths and
weaknesses, as well as its external opportunities and threats.
A SWOT diagram analyzes a project or business venture by focusing
on each of these factors.
It typically consists of four boxes, one for each area, but the exact
shape may vary depending on the design.
How to Do a SWOT Analysis:
Determine the objective. Decide on a key project or strategy to
analyze and place it at the top of the page.
Create a grid. Draw a large square and then divide it into four smaller
squares.
Label each box. Write the word "Strengths" inside the top left box,
"Weaknesses" inside the top right box, "Opportunities" within the
bottom left box, and "Threats" inside the bottom right box.
Add strengths and weaknesses. Add factors that affect the project to the
applicable boxes. Components of a SWOT analysis may be qualitative
and anecdotal as well as quantitative and empirical in nature. Factors
are typically listed in a bullet form.
Draw conclusions. Analyze the finished SWOT diagram. Be sure to note
if the positive outcomes outweigh the negative. If they do, it may be a
good decision to carry out the objective. If they do not, adjustments may
need to be made, or else the plan should simply be abandoned.
2. ACTION (PROGRAM PLANNING):
WHAT IS GOING TO BE DONE ABOUT IT?
Develop strategy that involves:
1. identifying goals and objectives
2. identifying the Target Audience or Publics
3. Creating a theme for the program/campaign
4. Budget
Public relations personnel, as advisors to top management, make
recommendations on policy and what actions should be taken by the
organization.
Seven Golden Rules of Setting Objectives
Anne Gregory in her book, The Art and Science of PR, Volume 2, 2000 says
that there are 7 imperatives that must be borne in mind while setting
objectives:
1. PR objectives
2. Ally to organizational objectives
3. Be precise and specific
4. Do what is achievable
5. Quantify as much as possible
6. Work within the budget
7. Work to a priority list
3. COMMUNICATION (EXECUTION) :
HOW WILL THE PUBLIC BE TOLD?
For communicating the target audience/publics:
1. Develop communication tactics
2. Decide timeline for the program/campaign
Once a policy or action is agreed on, public relations staff begin
to plan a communications program that will further the
organization’s objectives.
They will set objectives, define audiences, and decide on what
strategies will be used on a specific timeline. Budget and staffing
are also major considerations.
How to Create a Communication Plan?
Develop a mission statement
Develop a punchline for the programme
Finalise a thematic logo for the communication programme
Consider the use of the mnemonic device to add power to the
programme
Design and develop communication material like handouts, brochures
and other literature
4. EVALUATION: EVALUATION IS DONE DURING
AND AFTER THE CAMPAIGN/PROGRAM
Identify research methods to be used to evaluate the
success of the program/campaign during and after.
Determine a way to measure whether the campaign
achieved its objective.
Role of Evaluation:
1. Demonstrate the effectiveness of the Public Relations
Programme
2. Ensure cost-effectiveness in terms of results
3. Facilitate accountability
4. Measure outcomes against objectives
5. Measure exposure of the audience to media and messages
6. Measure the impact of services and action plans
7. Measure the image of the organization in terms of the
services and draw inferences to guide future campaigns
Methods of Evaluation:
Formal Research: Qualitative and Quantitative
Tools:
Questionnaire
Interviews
Website/social media
Informal research
1.(G) PUBLICS
Publics may be defined as a group of people sharing a common
interest or common values in a particular situation.
In PR, publics encompasses any group of people who are tied
together, however, loosely by some common bond of interest or
concern and who have consequences for an organization.
Longman dictionary of Mass Media and Communication defines,
publics as “people, who have the same relationship to same person
or group, constantly changing and not necessarily organized, the
individual of a public may or may not know and communicate with
each other.”
Public in Public Relations management, by and large are
divided into two broad categories as internal public and
external public.
Internal public refers to the employees and
External public is referred to customers.
In the wake of globalization and information revolution,
international public has also emerged.
CATEGORIES OF PUBLICS:
1.Employees
2.Financial Publics
3.Suppliers
4.Distributors
5.Customers
6.Government
7.Opinion leaders
8.Media publics
9.General Community
10.International Public
CATEGORIES OF PUBLICS:
1. Employees – Internal Publics
Employees are the first in any organization. The
functioning of any organization-be it a
commercial or government department-is linked
with the employees working in the organization.
However, employees are the first among the
public relations publics, for the organization
cannot function without employees in providing
services either to investors or to the customers.
2. Financial publics-
The growth of any organization depends upon the financial
resources.
Without initial investment, one cannot start any company.
Investors who purchase shares or invest money constitute
financial public for an organization.
Investors rely on growth in share price over time and any
sudden or consistent fall may generate a merger or takeover
of the company.
The financial market is closely linked to investors and
bankers.
The financial public can be divided into three broad
categories:
a. shareholders
b. investment analysts, financial analysts,
stockbrokers, institutional buyers of large blocks of shares
such as insurance companies, unit trusts, pension funds
c. financial media of both print and electronic
3. Suppliers- the suppliers of materials and services are of
great importance to any manufacturing company.
Without raw material, no products can be manufactured.
The maintenance of good relations with suppliers and
services will help in smooth running of the
organization.
4. Distributors- One of the Ps in marketing represents
‘Place’ where the product is sold through distributors.
For manufacturers and service providers, distributors
mean wholesalers, department stores, supermarket
chains, malls and appointed dealers or agents,
franchises, hotels, Internet retailers, exporters and
overseas importers etc.
Distributor relations is an aspect of public relations and
marketing support which no manufacturer or service
provider can afford to neglect distributors are unlikely
to sell a new product in which they have no
confidence.
5. Customers- “Customer is the master” and the
“customer is always right” are the adages (proverb) that
are followed by all organizations.
A business will not be successful unless people like its
products.
The customers are vested with rights under the
Consumer Protection Act 1986. One of the rights is the
right to be informed, about the quality, quantity, purity,
standard and price of goods and services.
The target of public relations communication is not only
the current customer but also the potential customer of
the future.
The customers are to be carefully identified for
communication purpose and treated as very important
persons.
“Customers meet” is an important tool of customers’
public relations.
6.Government- Local, Central, State Government Departments,
Regulatory bodies, Bureaucrats, Ministries
In government, bureaucracy is the key role player.
All organizations need the support of the government, consisting
of several departments and regulatory authorities.
The government affects business through taxes and monetary
policies
It provides water, power, sanitation and municipal services.
Government departments, ministries, secretaries, heads of the
departments who run the public administration constitute the
key government public for most of the organizations both in the
government and in the private sector.
In government relations, business organizations primarily are
concerned with weighing impending legislation for its impact on
the company.
Therefore, it is necessary to identify government as a public and
make contacts to improve communications with government
officials and departments.
At the grassroots level, village panchayat president and its
secretary are the key government public.
7. Opinion Leaders- Community and Caste
Leaders, M.P.s, MLAs
Opinion leader is an important person in a
particular group of people who, as a ‘public
though leader’ will have an impact on thinking.
They are knowledgeable and articulate in
specific issues and subjects, well-informed on
the issue than an average person, avid
consumers of mass media, early adopters of
new ideas and good organizers who can get
other people to take action.
Therefore, we can describe them as
intellectuals in their subject and are well
respected in the society.
8. Media publics- Newspapers, radio, TV, films, Internet
9. General Community- Neighbourhood community
10. Special Publics- Women, Farmers, Tribals, Minorities,
Youth, Community Relations
11. International Publics Relations Association (IPRA)
U-1: 2. EVOLUTION OF PUBLIC
RELATIONS
Public Relations is as old as human civilization.
It has existed in one form or the other.
There are countless examples of its varied form,
content and end use.
An ancient clay tablet, found in Iraq, told the
Sumerian farmers how to grow better crops. That
was over 4000 years ago.
The Arabian tales relate how the celebrated Sultan
Haroon Al-Rashid used to wander about every night
in disguise to see for himself as to what the people
really felt about his administration.
In the Ramayana there is a character called Bhadra
who used to report to Rama about popular feelings
and perceptions.
Employing professionals to sing the glory of the king
was an ancient custom in India.
MYTHOLOGICAL PUBLIC RELATIONS
Two great epics and India‘s pride and treasure –
the Ramayana and the Mahabharata
Tells about the accounts of communication
techniques adopted by the renowned
characters of these epics to harmonize
relationships between the various rulers and
the ruled.
SageNarada, the first mythological public relations
personality, figured in both in Ramayana and the
Mahabharata, was disseminating rulers and the
ruled with the motive of establishing Lok Kalyan‘ –
the universal peace and prosperity.
The great religious teachers:
Gautama Buddha
Shankaracharya
Nanak
and Kabir were master communicators.
They preached, in an idiom (phrase/saying), which
the common people found easy to understand.
The rock inscriptions of emperor Ashok were
written in local dialects for easy communication.
He also sent his own children to Sri Lanka to
spread the message of Buddhism.
Mughal Rule / slavery
Englishmen: The rulers tried to put forth that
they were working for the people of this country
and that people should cooperate in their
continuance
James Augustus Hickey brought out the first
newspaper in India Bengal Gazette in 29 January,
1780 for catering to the interests of the European
settlers in Calcutta.
Resulted in, Newspapers which became a means of
educating and enlightening the people which
highlighted:
various socially important issues,
acting in the process as a catalyst (promoter) for the
growth of public opinion.
A master communicator: Mahatma Gandhi
On 9th August 1942, he gave a call to the British rulers
to quit India.
This resulted in hundreds of thousands of citizens
coming out for their exit once and for all.
Within five years, i.e., 15th August, 1947, centuries of
slavery ended and India became independent.
A systematic and organised practice of public
relations in India began with the Indian
Railways.
The Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) Railways, for
example, carried on a campaign in England in the
20s to attract tourists to India.
Within the country, its Publicity Bureau
introduced a travelling cinema which held
open air shows at fairs, festivals and other
places.
This Bureau also undertook extensive
advertising in newspapers and journals besides
participating in exhibitions abroad to popularize
the Indian Railways and tourist traffic.
During the first World War (1914-1918), the
Government of India set up a Central
Publicity Board.
This was the first organized PR/Information set-
up of the Government of India.
It was renamed as:
Central Bureau of Information,
afterwards renamed as Bureau of Public Information,
It functioned as a link between the Government
and the Press.
One of the items on its agenda was to find out
where the action of the Government was
criticized.
In today‘s jargon, we call it "feedback".
For the first time, an Indian, namely, J.
Natarajan of The Pioneer, Lucknow, was
appointed as its Deputy Principal Information
Officer.
The Bureau also formulated a policy in 1938
for release of government advertisements. As
of now, the functions of publicity and public
relations and of broadcasting, television,
advertising, films, professionals look after
publications etc.
After Independence (1947), the Government of
India set up a full-fledged Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting.
This was a revolutionary measure in the reorganization
of the information and public relations setup of the
Central Government.
All the State Governments and Union Territories also
have Departments of Information and Public Relations.
The activities of the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting can be broadly divided into three
sectors:
the Information Sector,
the Broadcasting Sector and
the Films Sector.
The functions of these sectors are complementary to
each other and cannot be strictly compartmentalized.
Each of these sectors operate through specialized media
units and their affiliated organizations.
In a developing country like India, communication of
Government programmes, achievements and
expectations are, no doubt, important. But equally
important is communication from and to the
economic sector - public sector, NGOs, public
utilities, academic bodies etc. - seeking to inform,
motivate, change the mind set and finally seek
public support for achieving the objectives of these
organizations.
After Independence, multinational companies
operating in India for several years, felt the need to
communicate with the Indian people more
meaningfully. In order to adjust their corporate
policies to the democratic milieu, these companies
increasingly turned to public relations.
Among the Indian giants, the Tatas had already set
up a Public Relations Department in Mumbai in
1943.
The public sector has, however, made a significant
contribution to the birth, nurturing, growth and
professionalism in public relations.
Public relations in its true sense started:
PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings) like:
HMT,
BHEL,
Bhilai Steel Plant,
NTPC,
Indian Oil,
VSNL,
NHPC,
ONGC
At the apex level, there is Public Relations Society of India
(PRSI) set up in 1958.
It is the national association for professional development of Public
Relations practitioners and communication specialists.
It seeks to promote Public Relations as an integral function of the
management.
As of now, it operates through 24 Regional Chapters throughout the
country with a membership exceeding 3000.
BRIEF HISTORY
People have been using PR (Content marketing) to capture the public’s
attention since the beginning of time.
Propaganda: Propaganda is the information, especially of a biased or
misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or any other point of view.
It was used by both sides to have domestic support and threaten enemies during
the First World War.
The term was born in the 7th century, when the catholic church set up its
“congregation for propagating Faith”
1900: In 1900, ‘Publicity Bureau’, is considered as the start of the modern
Public Relations (PR) profession. (the technique or process of
attracting public attention to people, products, etc., as
by the use of the mass media)
Historical figures such as Henry Ford and Theodore Roosevelt, Edward
Bernays have been attributed with being the first to utilize the basic
PR concepts: “positioning” and “ready accessibility.” In other words,
these men were able to position themselves as thought leaders who
were easily accessible to the press.
1906: But it wasn’t until 1906 that a man came along and changed PR
forever: enter Mr. Ivy Ledbetter Lee.
PR activists entered the private sector in the
1920s.
Basil Clark is considered as the founder of the
public relations profession in Britain with his
establishment of Editorial Services in 1924.
The second half of the twentieth century
was the professional development building
era of public relations.
In the early 2000s, press release services
began offering social media press releases.
Only the channels have changed with the
invention of the printing press, followed by
the Internet and social media.
COMPANIES OF PUBLIC
RELATIONS IN INDIA
It was in the 1990s that the PR industry originated in India. The initial
years were not easy for the PR industry as there were no thought leaders
and experts in the field.
Then came the growth period i.e. the 2000s when Burson Marsteller
bought Genesis, and MS&L a Publicis company invested in Hanmer and
Partners.
In the year 2002, companies like Blue Lotus Communications emerged
whose focus was on specific areas like healthcare, technology, brands and
finance.
er The end of the decade witnessed the arrival of i9 Communication which
showed up as the specialist in consumer communication. Apart from blue
chip companies, scores of boutique PR agencies also came up.
Post this, the world economic regression brought a storm globally, due to
which many international markets crashed. This led to companies
withdrawing the money allocated for marketing purposes. PR consultants
eventually suffered losses which urged them to move to lucrative and
developing markets like India and China. The Indian market was
prioritized due to obvious reasons like large number of English speaking
people and a stable government.
CURRENTLY: PUBLIC RELATIONS
‘Public Relations’ refers to the practice of regulating
the kind and the level of information shared
between individual or businesses and consumers.
Through Public Relations:
a company is able to elevate its brand presence by
informing the public about:
new launches,
latest appointments or
anything related to the organisation
in the form of news which does not require any direct payment.
While at a emerging stage, Public Relations(PR) did
not gain much acceptance by companies. But as time
passed and competition level rose, they started
embracing PR to survive in the Indian market.
U-1: 3 SCOPE OF PR
(A) ISSUE MANAGEMENT
(B) LOBBYING
(C) PUBLIC OPINION
(D) ADVERTISING
(E) PROPAGANDA
(F) PUBLICITY
(G) PR AS A MARKETING TOOL
(H) CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The scope of institutional PR widens with the expanse (range) of
business.
The nature of organization decides the prospects of PR in an institution.
Commercial: Commercial organisations with profit motto and result-oriented.
Non-commercial: Non-commercial institutions on the other hand are willing to
bear with sparse (thinly dispersed) budget even while seeking maximum returns.
The corporate sector deals with:
varied publics routinely for business purpose in the form shareholders,
distributors, dealers, consumers, financial institutions, fellow business groups,
competitors, media, state administration, employees, and others are at some stage or
the other, concerned with the activities and operations of the institution.
Their cooperation of the varied publics ultimately paves the way for
steadfast, successful existence in the market.
In this the Management philosophy and attitude remains
crucial for drawing the bottom lines for PR functions.
And Public Relations executives receive guidelines from the
management and also act as counsellors to construct corporate image.
As, the corporate image is cumulative perceptions about the institution.
This image management remains the primary function of the
Company’s PR team. This perception is carefully cultivated through
deliberate actions.
THE IMAGE MANAGEMENT IS
ACHIEVED THROUGH:
1. Identifying the current image among various public.
2. Determining the elements of desired image in
consultancy with management.
3. Achieving consistency with management philosophy.
4. Building and projecting human face of the
institution.
5. Conducting planned activities catering to different
public.
6. Measuring returns and feedbacks in terms of
institution's market performance and people's
perception.
7. Increasing communication activities within and
outside, to build healthy work environment.
While all PR efforts are directed towards image
management, therefore, the PR department is
entrusted with all kinds of communication activities.
Steps for Building Public Opinion for Image
Management
1. Identifying the Opinion among various public through
public opinion surveys, researches, feedbacks and one-to-
one interactions.
2. Locating the factors influencing public attitudes,
individuals and group opinions.
3. Analyzing the complexity of the meanings of attitudes, the
reasons and influences.
4. Devising a communication plan for each group of public in
order to shape and reshape the image.
5. Impressing upon the opinion builders and receiving the
criticism to adopt correctional measures.
6. Managing and facilitating the two-way communication
flow.
3.(A) ISSUE MANAGEMENT
Issue management is a proactive process of
anticipating, identifying, evaluating and
responding to public policy issues that affect
organisation’ relationship with their publics.
Two points to remember:
1.Early identification of issues with potential
impact on the organisation
2. A strategic response designed to mitigate or
capitalize on their consequences.
When issue management operates in areas of
public policy, it is part of public affairs.
W. Howard Chase, 1976 stated that;
Issue management includes:
identifying issues,
analyzing issues,
setting priorities,
selecting Programme strategies,
implementing program of action and communication
and
evaluating effectiveness.
Itis a process of closing the “gap between
corporate action and stakeholder expectation”.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
“Public Affairs is actually a highly specialized kind of public relations that
involves community relations and government relations. (that is dealing with
officials within the community.)”
Public Affairs is the professional maintenance:
of legislative, government and community relations.
Public Affairs is the planned management:
public and
political issues
which may have an impact on the reputation, performance or license to operate any
business or organization.
Public affairs focuses on relationships that have a bearing on the
development of public policy and issue management of
public concern which if acted upon by significant groups will have an
impact on the business activities.
It also includes management of external and internal communication.
Public Affairs focuses on relationships that evolve public policy such as:
monitoring policy,
representation to civil servants,
dealing with government relations as a specialised area is the task of public affairs.
FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC
AFFAIRS:
1. Testimony for government hearing
2. Producing brochures
3. Videos for political affairs committees and
parliamentary committees.
4. Develop a dialogue between company and
community.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUBLIC
RELATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
PR is concerned with the Public Affairs focuses on
management of overall relationships which evolve
relationships such as public policy such as
media relations, financial monitoring policy,
relations, employees representation to
relations, institutional
ministers, civil servants,
advertising.
legislative bodies.
Maintaining publics wise
relationships (employees, Dealing with government
shareholders, customers, relations and community
media suppliers, dealers) relations as a specialised
is the job of PR. area is the task of Public
Affairs.
PRSA (PUBLIC RELATIONS
SOCIETY OF AMERICA)
The PRSA also identifies public affairs as a
specialist of practice with public relations.
Many PR personnel use the term public
affairs to connote (apply) the functions.
It functions as:
One hand: The legislative, government relations
Second hand: welfare activities as part of social
responsibility
3.(B) LOBBYING
Lobby has been derived from the Latin word ‘Lobia’ which means
‘covered walk’.
corporate advocacy with
Lobbying is described as a process of
the intention to influence decisions made by the
government officials, legislators and regulatory bodies.
Lobbying is a process in which individuals or groups seek to
influence those in power. Lobbying is aimed at directing attention
to influence legislature and regulatory affairs in government at a
local, state and national level.
The term lobby agent appeared in the early 19 th century meaning
someone who visits the lobbies of government administrative
buildings to speak to officials or legislators.
A lobbyist is someone who act on behalf of a special interest group
tries to influence various forms of government regulations. He/she
is also a specialist whose prime activity is directed towards
ministers, politicians, legislators and the media persons for getting
things done.
ATTRIBUTES OF A LOBBYIST:
1. Access to decision makers and law makers with better image of
company.
2. Research on the issue.
3. Knowledge of government structures and hierarchy of officials.
4. The public interest on the issue but not on clients’ interest only
5. Knowledge of government rules and regulations
6. Support of public leaders and opinion leaders
7. Communication skills and presentation techniques
8. Effective targeting of officials and legislators
9. Good timing
Functions:
10 Favourable media coverage
1. Background information
2. Interpretation
3. Company’s issues
4. Advocate
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PR AND
LOBBYING
Lobbying aims at PR has diverse
reaching out to limited audience (internal
audience such as and external)
legislators and govt.
Officers PR strategy aims at
creating mutual
Strategy of Lobbying is understanding
to get either the between an
existing law amended or organization and its
a new law passed public including the
government.
3.(C) ADVERTISING
The word advertising originates from the Latin word
‘advertere’(Ad = to/towards + Vertere = to turn) which means
‘to turn towards’.
According to American Marketing Association (AMA) advertising
is:
“any paid form of non personal presentation or promotion of ideas,
goods and services by an identified sponsor”.
Advertising is the paid dissemination of information for the
purpose of selling or helping to sell commodities and services or
of gaining acceptance of ideas that may cause people to think or
act in a desired manner.
Advertising is paid space and broadcast time in which
organizations and individuals typically contact with the
advertising department of a mass media outlet for a full page ad
or a one-minute commercial.
An organization:
writes the advertisement,
decides the type and graphics,
and controls where and when the advertisement will run.
PR V/S ADVERTISING
1. Public relations relies on a number of
1. Advertising works communication tools—brochures, slide presentations,
almost exclusively through newsletters, handouts, house journals, exhibitions, TV,
mass media outlets; films, radio, public demonstration, internet, viral
marketing, special events, speeches, news releases,
2. Advertising is primarily press conferences, press tours, feature stories, and
online tools etc (digital press release, newsletters,
directed to consumers of
blogging, microblogging, twitter, Facebook, articles
goods and services and posted on other websites).
seeks to create awareness
and undertaking of the 2. Public relations presents its message to specialized
public for external audiences (stockholders, vendors, community
product/services. leaders, environmental groups, and so on) and internal
publics (employees). PR aims to persuade people to
3. Advertising is readily buy or take some desired action-creates desire,
motivates demand for product/service. PR is a top
identified as a specialized
management function.
communication function;
3. Public relations is broader in scope, dealing with
the policies and performance of the entire
organization, from the morale of employees to the
amount of money given to local community
organizations.
4. Advertising is often used as a 4. Public relations activity often supports
communication tool in public relations, advertising campaigns.
5. Advertising’s primary function is to 5. Public relations’ function is to create
sell goods and services; an environment in which the organization
can thrive. The latter calls for dealing
with economic, social, and political
6. Target audience is based on factors that can affect the organization.
market demographic distribution,
product/service, social background, 6. PR audiences are segmented as
age and sex. employees, customers, shareholders,
media etc.
7. To increase sales and motivate
people to purchase goods/services, 7. Mutual understanding, goodwill,
marketing effort, announce new building reputation of the organization
products, challenge the among its public.
competition, build brand image.
8. PR stories are unpaid for. It has no rate
card. PR editorial information is not paid
8. Media cost of advertising is high because of public interest. PR is time
as it is paid, based on time and cost.
space.
(D) PUBLIC OPINION
Public opinion is constant forming and revising
of people’s opinions on public figures,
organizations and issues. Therefore, PR
professionals attempt to influence the opinion
leaders as they can influence the public at
large.
Opinion leaders are knowledgeable experts who
articulate opinions about specific issues in public
forums.
Opinion leaders have interest and knowledge of a
subject, become experts and inform others.
Opinion leaders help frame and define issues that
often have their roots in an individuals self-interests.
(E) PROPAGANDA
Propaganda is defined as a deliberate manipulation by means of
symbols, words, gestures, images, flags, music- of other people’s
thoughts, behaviour, attitudes and beliefs.
Communication intended to influence belief and action, whether the
information is true or false is called propaganda.
In white propaganda, the information source is identified and does
not hide its origin or nature,
In black propaganda, information source is not divulged (revealed).
The recipient of the propaganda is discouraged from asking about
anything outside the content area.
Webster’s New World Dictionary:
“the systematic, widespread promotion of a certain set of ideas, doctrines
etc., to further one’s own cause.”
Joseph Goebells, the Propaganda minister of Hitler (1897-1945):
“an instrument of politics, a power of social control”.
Geobbells adopted the “you can” theory based on “man believes
anything, if you tell in a proper way’ and followed Adolf Hitler’s
principle, “more lies, more people would believe”.
Geobbels said that propaganda had no fundamental method, only the
purpose-the conquest of the masses.
The word propaganda is derived from the Latin word,
“Congregation de propaganda fide”, meaning the “Congregation
for the propaganda of the faith” of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Vatican established a College of Propagate in Rome in 1662
AD for training missionary priests and also for spreading the faith
of Christianity through foreign missions. Propaganda has been
used from the late 18th century to refer to a scheme or
organization for promoting a particular doctrine.
Propaganda acquired its modern meaning in the 1830s. From
this, it came to be known as spreading a belief of any
organization.
Propaganda is more or less a systematic effort to manipulate
other people’s beliefs, attitudes, or actions by means of symbols,
words, gestures, banners, monuments, music, clothing, insignia,
hairstyles, designs on coins and postage stamps and so forth.
Deliberateness and a relatively heavy emphasis on manipulation
distinguish propaganda from casual conversation or the free and
easy exchange of ideas.
To maximize effect, the propagandist may omit pertinent facts
or distort them, and he or she may try to divert the attention of
the reader from everything but his or own propaganda
• Propaganda uses lies, half- PR
truths, innuendo (an indirect
implication), smears,
misinformation and one- • Public relations uses truth if, for
sided arguments to influence no other reason, but because their
the public’s attitude toward claims can be checked. PR relies
a cause, idea or, usually, a on logic, facts and sometimes
political agenda. emotions to spread information
between an organization or
• Propaganda’s underlying individual and its publics to
promote products, services and
philosophy is, we are against build goodwill for the
them. (We have freedom organizations offering them.
fighters; they have
terrorists.) • Public relations’ underlying
philosophy is building trust
• Propaganda relies on one- between an organization and its
way communications. products and services with its
targeted audiences for mutual
Propoganda benefit.
• Increasingly, public relations relies
on two-way communications via
social media.
• Propaganda, however, is typically PR
used in a negative manner.
• Example: Political campaign ads
designed to attack an opponent • Public relations, on the other hand, is
is an example of propaganda. usually used to present truthful
information in a positive light.
• It is often used with the intent
• Example: Commercials and advertising,
to damage an opposing cause, celebrity interviews or talk shows for
organization, or individual. promotion of a movie would be
considered public relations.
• When an individual or organization is
facing a scandal or controversy, a public
relations campaign may be put together
in an effort to address the issue and
restore the person's or company's
Propoganda reputation.
(F) PUBLICITY
It is called a systematic distribution of public information about an
institution, individual, a product, an idea or a service.
It is controlled and managed by the media depending on the news
values, availability of space and time.
Scott M. Cutlip and Allen H. Centre:
“the dissemination of information, making matters public from the point of
view of one who wishes to inform others.”
If publicity is the front cover of a news magazine which is published
free of cost, advertising is the back cover which carries paid forms of
communication in the shape of an advertisement either to sell a
product or a service. The front cover is free, because it carries pictures
and messages of news values and public interest while the back cover
is a paid one. Newspapers offer free space for new products of
consumers’ interest. This is called product publicity. Publicity depends
much on media. Media publicity has news value. Publicity material
gives a lot of information to journalists who sort the wheat from the
chaff according to their needs and feed the media. Publicity is carried
in the media free of cost as against advertising which is a paid form.
PR V/S PUBLICITY
PR and Publicity are often used interchangibly but
they are separate disciplines.
• Publicity is the act of PR
attracting the media’s
attention and gaining
visibility with the public at
large. • Public relations is maintaining the
• The primary focus with reputation of an individual,
Publicity is to garner media organization or brand and
coverage or exposure about a strategizing for communications
goal of an organisation.
brand, product, event, etc.
• PR is often associated with the term
• Publicity is one of the tool “reputation management.”
that PR professionals use to
shape consumer opinions • The other tools of a PR are community
favorably towards a outreach, corporate social
responsibility programming and
particular brand. sponsorships, government relations,
grassroots communications and
Publicity engagement efforts, public
presentations, new media tactics, and
many more.
PR V/S PUBLICITY
• Publicity could be good PR
or bad. When something
goes bad, it might very
• Damage control is also part of PR . PR
well get a lot of controls when something goes bad. It’s
publicity. PR’s job to limit the damage to their
client’s reputation and come up with a
plan to bring it back up to par. This is
• Getting publicity doesn't known as crisis PR or crisis
communications.
mean that your brand's
credibility or reputation • A crisis PR team may work very closely
with a legal team to minimize the pubic
will be enhanced. opinion damage, while at the same time
avoid leaking any critical information that
can damage their case in court.
Publicity
Propaganda Publicity
One way traffic Two way traffic
Does not necessarily call Ethical content is necessary.
for ethical content. The Recognizes truth as the basic
objective is to persuade principle and also a long
even if the facts are term effort and seeks to
distorted or false. persuade to achieve public
acceptance for a cause,
service or product
(G) PUBLIC RELATIONS AS A MARKETING TOOL
Philip Kotler, professor of marketing at North-western
University and author of a leading marketing textbook,
says;
Public relations is the fifth “P” of marketing strategy, which
includes four other Ps—Product, Price, Place, and Promotion
As he wrote in the Harvard Business Review,
“Public relations takes longer to cultivate, but when
energized, it can help pull the company into the market.”
When public relations is used to support directly an
organization’s marketing objectives, it is called
marketing communications.
Thomas Harris, author of The Marketer’s Guide to
Public Relations, prefers the term marketing public
relations. This, he says, distinguishes the function from
corporate public relations that define the corporation’s
relationships with its non-customer publics.
Dennis L. Wilcox, in his text Public Relations Writing and
Media Techniques, lists eight ways in which public relations
activities contribute to fulfilling marketing objectives:
1. Developing new prospects for new markets, such as people who
inquire after seeing or hearing a product release in the news media
2. Providing third-party endorsements—via newspapers, magazines,
radio, and television—through news releases about a company’s
products or services, community involvement, inventions, and new
plans
3. Generating sales leads, usually through articles in the trade press
about new products and services
4. Changing the way for sales calls
5. Stretching the organization’s advertising and promotional activities
through timely and supportive releases about it and its products
6. Providing inexpensive sales literature, because articles about the
company and its products can be reprinted as informative pieces for
prospective customers
7. Establishing the corporation as an authoritative source of
information on a given product
8. Helping to sell minor products that don’t have large advertising
budgets
PUBLIC RELATIONS V/S MARKETING
Public relations and Marketing:
Both deal with an organization’s external relationships and
employ similar communication tools to reach the public.
Both also have the ultimate purpose of ensuring an
organization’s success and economic survival. Public relations
and marketing, however, approach this task from somewhat
different perspectives or worldviews.
MARKETING PR
1. Objectives 1. Objectives
The purpose of marketing is to sell The purpose of public relations is to build relationships with a
goods and services through variety of publics that can enhance the organization’s reputation
attractive packaging, competitive and establish trust in its policies, products, and services.
pricing, retail and online
promotions, and efficient 2. Audiences
distribution systems. Public relations deals with a much broader array of audiences, or
2. Audiences publics. They may include investors, community leaders,
environmental groups, vendors, government officials, and even
The primary audiences for employees, who can affect the organization’s success and
marketing are consumers and profitability through boycotts, legislation, and the generation of
customers.
unfavourable publicity.
3. Competition vs. 3. Competition vs. Opposition
Opposition Public relations professionals often perceive the problem as
Marketing professionals effectively dealing with opposition.
tend to rely exclusively on However, public relations professionals realize that pricing
competitive solutions, doesn’t make any difference if a consumer group is opposed to
the product because they think it is unsafe.
When meeting opposition Public relations, however, deal with all departments of the
to a product, marketing organization to advance overall business goals and objectives.
often thinks the solution is An organization, to be successful in the marketplace, must pay
lower pricing or better constant attention to its reputation and have policies that
packaging. enhance trust and credibility among its multiple publics.
Public relations, in its ideal form, directly deal with upper
management to shape and promote the organization’s core
values.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
CSR lie in philanthropic activities (such as donations, charity, relief
work, etc.) of corporations
CSR has evolved and now encompasses all related concepts such as
triple bottom line approach (TBL) (economic (financial),
environmental and social imperatives), corporate
citizenship, philanthropy, strategic philanthropy, shared value,
corporate sustainability and business responsibility while at the
same time addressing the expectations of shareholders and
stakeholders.
Definition of CSR is;
“the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society”.
To completely meet their social responsibility, enterprises “should
have in place a process to integrate social, environmental, ethical
human rights and consumer concerns into their business operations
and core strategy in close collaboration with their stakeholders”
CSR is defined as;
“the continuing commitment by business to contribute to economic
development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and
their families as well as of the community and society at large.”
According to the UNIDO ,
“Corporate social responsibility is a management concept
whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns
in their business operations and interactions with their
stakeholders.
In this sense it is important to draw a distinction between CSR,
which can be:
a strategic business management concept,
and charity, sponsorships or philanthropy.
Even though the latter can also make a valuable contribution to poverty
reduction, will directly enhance the reputation of a company and
strengthen its brand, the concept of CSR clearly goes beyond that.”
From the above definitions, it is clear that: •
The CSR approach is holistic and integrated with the core
business strategy for addressing social and environmental
impacts of businesses.
CSR needs to address the well-being of all stakeholders and not
just the company’s shareholders.
Philanthropic activities are only a part of CSR, which otherwise
constitutes a much larger set of activities entailing strategic
business benefits.
CSR IN INDIA
CSR in India has traditionally been seen as a philanthropic activity.
And in keeping with the Indian tradition, it was an activity that was performed but not
deliberated.
As a result, there is limited documentation on specific activities related to this concept.
However, what was clearly evident that much of this had a national character
encapsulated within it, whether it was endowing institutions to actively participating in
India’s freedom movement, and embedded in the idea of trusteeship.
As some observers have pointed out, the practice of CSR in India still remains within the
philanthropic space, but has moved from institutional building (educational, research
and cultural) to community development through various projects. Also, with global
influences and with communities becoming more active and demanding, there appears
to be a discernible trend, that while CSR remains largely restricted to community
development, it is getting more strategic in nature (that is, getting linked with
business) than philanthropic, and a large number of companies are reporting the
activities they are undertaking in this space in their official websites, annual reports,
sustainability reports and even publishing CSR reports.
The Companies Act, 2013 has introduced the idea of CSR to the forefront and through
its disclose-or-explain mandate, is promoting greater transparency and disclosure.
Schedule VII of the Act, which lists out the CSR activities, suggests communities to be
the focal point. On the other hand, by discussing a company’s relationship to its
stakeholders and integrating CSR into its core operations, the draft rules suggest that
CSR needs to go beyond communities and beyond the concept of philanthropy. It will be
interesting to observe the ways in which this will translate into action at the ground
level, and how the understanding of CSR is set to undergo a change.
KEY ELEMENTS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Organization
Corporate vision, mission,
products/services/reputation
Plan of action with public interest
Publics- internal & external
Management Principles
Two-Way Communication process
Effect or impact of action plan and
communication
Mutual Understanding
PR Practice
PR is a top management function and deserves as much attention as given
to the other assets as manpower, money, material, machinery etc.
PR has the responsibility of establishing relationship between an
organization and its various constituent public groups like employees,
customers, dealers, vendors, shareholders, media, community,
government, defense etc .
PR is considered to be the eyes and ears of a company, as it monitors the
awareness levels, opinions, attitudes, behaviours and responses of various
publics
As PR is considered to be the catalyst of change, it is entrusted with the
duty of engineering changes in the awareness, opinions, attitudes and
behaviours of the publics
PR is also expected to evaluate and measure the impact of organizational
policies, procedures and actions on various publics
PR also plays an advisory role of counselling the management to modify and
adjust those policies, procedures and actions conflicting with public
interest in the interest of smooth functioning of the organization
PR is the watch dog of corporate interests and public expectations and as
such counsels the management for the formation of new policies,
procedures and actions which are mutually beneficial to organization and
publics
Since the PR professional is expected to be communications specialist, the
job entails the focused responsibility to maintain two - way communication
between public and the organization
PR monitors the wind of change, has anticipation of the crisis and works as
an early warning system, for gearing up the management grapple with the
ETHICS IN INDIA
ETHICS IN PR
Ethics is the branch of study dealing with;
what is the proper course of action for man.
NS It is the method by which we categorize our values
IA and pursue them.
Ethics is concerned with how we should live our lives.
IC
It focuses on questions about what is right or wrong,
ON fair or unfair, caring or uncaring, good or bad,
responsible or irresponsible, and the like.
The principle behind professional ethics is that one’s
actions are designed to create the greatest good for
both the client and community as a whole rather than
to enhance the position and power of the practitioner.
-Cutlip et al
IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS IN PR
PR Ethics includes values:
honesty,
openness,
loyalty,
fair-mindedness,
respect,
integrity, and
forthright communication.
Ethics are important to help gain:
public trust,
retain employees and
lead to greater innovation in the industry
earning credibility: Credibility, in turn, begins
with telling the truth.
ETHICAL STANDARDS IN THE
INDUSTRY
Public relations people must adhere to a high standard of professional
ethics, with truth as the key determinant of their conduct.
-Seitel
Ethics in public relations really begins with the individual and is directly
related to his or her own value system as well as to the good of the
society. Although it is important to show loyalty to an employer,
practitioners must never allow a client or an employer to rob them of
their self-esteem.
-Wilcox, p.185
Principles of good practice:
Integrity
Competence
Transparency and avoiding conflicts of interest
Confidentiality(CIPR (The Chartered Institute of Public Relations) Code of
Conduct, section A of the document available in appendix)
Practitioners and public relations scholars alike suggest that professional
organizations can play a key and powerful role in advancing ethical practice.
ETHICAL ISSUES IN PR
There are various accusations on the PR
Ethics:
as clever strategies maker to convince the public
as manipulators of the public mind,rather than
conveyors of truth.
withholding information from the public
directly and indirectly paying for ‘independent’,
‘objective’ views and opinions
biased approach and loyalty
distorting the reality
propaganda
bailing out and promotion of questionable
industries and organisations
pseudo-events (publicity events)
IMPLICATIONS OF THE ISSUES TO THE
PRACTICE OF PR IN ORGANISATIONS
Unethical behaviour of one client can affect
both the PR agency and individuals in their
relationship with current and future clients
and employees
Trust and loyalty become undermined
Withholding the information generate more
interest and suspicion – this could be more
harmful than coming out clean
Once lost, credibility and reputation are hard
to get back
IMPROVEMENT OF ETHICAL ISSUES
Education about the importance of ethical
behaviour and its influence on long-term
strategy
Identification of ethical principles of the
organisation and communication of those
within it
Understanding and predicting crisis and
response to them
Following the industry’s code of conduct by
becoming members of e.g. CIPR (Chartered
Institute of Public Relations)
PROFESSIONAL IN PR
The professional status of public relations
necessarily begins with ethics.
A code of professional ethics separates
professions from other skilled occupations.
They are the added importance because
professionals with special expertise have
power in decisions that affect every aspect
of society.
Professional power and impact do not stop at
national or cultural boundaries.
Therefore, Ethics and Professionalism are
global concern with social responsibility.
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Right conduct suggests that actions are
consistent with moral values or norms in a
society or culture.
In professionals, the application of moral values
in practice is termed as applied ethics.
A professional institute turns the right conduct
and moral values into formal codes of ethics and
professional conduct.
The principle behind professional ethics is that
one’s actions are designed the greatest good for
both the client and community as a whole.
THE IMPERATIVE OF TRUST
Clients relationships with professionals differ
from their relationships with other providers of
skills and services.
Example: During a medical emergency, you will
have some degree of confidence on the doctors
and nurses about their qualification and expertise.
In comparison to the mechanic or repair shop when
your car needs emergency services.
When we seek the services of a professional, we
put yourself at risk. Our well-being is subject to
their judgement and actions of the professionals.
We trust the professionals with information and
the professionals holds you and your possessions.
This is termed as fiduciary relationship.
PROFESSIONAL PRIVILEGE
Professionals holds privileged positions in the
society because of the values and trust.
Their work is valuable because of the
preparation and practice needed to develop the
required knowledge and skills.
With monetary basis, the society extends
privileges to its practitioners.
So, when they perform substandard practice,
they threaten their clients welfare as well as
their profession.
Therefore, the professional privilege rests on
public trust in professional expertise, right
conduct, codes and ethics, valuable knowledge
and skills.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Professionals must fulfil the expectations and
moral obligations at the level of the society.
OTHER PROFESSIONAL
FOUNDATIONS
Professional status derive from the training
required of aspiring professionals and the
conduct of the basic research.
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
PR will never reach the status of professions
as long as people have completed a rigorous
course of study in the field.
The more rigorous the training and
knowledge, the higher the professional status.
The commission listed 5 core content areas of
study:
Principles,practices and theory of PR
PR techniques
PR research for planning and evaluation
PR strategy and implementation
Supervised PR experience
PRSI
PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OF
INDIA (PRSI)
PRSI CODE
• Public Relations Society of India (PRSI), the national association of PR
practitioners was established in 1958.
• It was establish to promote: the recognition of public relations as a profession
and to formulate and interpret to the public the objectives and the
potentialities of public relations as a strategic management function.
• The society functioned as an informal body till 1966 when it was registered
under the Indian Societies Act XXVI of 1966, with headquarters in Mumbai.
• The father-figure of professional PR practitioners in India, Kali H. Mody, was
the founder President of PRSI from 1966 to 1969.
• Chapters were launched in Mumbai, Delhi. Chennai and Kolkata till 1969.
• Earlier in 1965, another professional body, the Public Relations Circle” was
been founded and registered in Kolkata. It was the first ever association of
professional PR practitioners in Eastern India and was doing commendable
work.
• However, at the First All India PR Conference in 1968, at New Delhi members of
the Public Relations Circle, Kolkata, unanimously decided to disband the
regional organization to strengthen the national body, thus forming the Kolkata
Chapter of PRSI, in 1969.
• The management of the Public Relations society of India is vested in the
National Council, consisting of representatives elected by all the regional
chapters.
• The members of the society are public relations practitioners from
Multinationals, Govt,. Public and Private sector ,Academics and PR consultants .
MEMBERSHIP
• The membership of the society is open to any person and also to any firm, body
corporate or association of persons.
• Such membership take effect on admission and classification at the discretion of
the National Council.
• Each application for membership is forwarded by the Regional Chapter to the
National Council for consideration with their recommendations regarding
acceptance and classification, and forward the same to the Secretary-General for
consideration of the National Council.
There are following classes of members :
1.Members;
2.Life Members;
3.Associate Members;
4.Honorary Members; and
5.Student Members
• The society is recognized as the national PR organization by the International
Public Relations Association, and is one of the founder members of the Global
Alliance of Public Relations and Communications Management.
• The Regional Chapters of the society regularly organize seminars, lectures and
discussions on various facets of public relations.
• In order to promote professional training, the chapters run, with the
collaboration of universities and colleges, professional programme on public
relations for students of management, PR, advertising, mass communication and
journalism. PRSI today have 30 chapters and 3000 strong membership.
NATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS DAY
April 21, is a red-letter day in the history of Indian public relations.
It is because the National public Relations Day is celebrated on this
day all over the country since 1986.
The First All India Public Relations Conference was organised in
Delhi on April 21, 1968. The theme of the conference was
‘Professional Approach’. This was a very significant public relations
meet in our country, when a professional approach was given to
public relations ( a change from publicity, press a gentry,
information) besides adopting a Code of Ethics for PR profession. In
fact that was the beginning of professional public relations in India.
Since then, PSRI had 26 All India PR conferences including the 9th PR
World Congress in Bombay in 1982 and the first Asia Pacific PR Meet
in Kolkata during January, 1998 and International Public Relations
Conference at Bangalore in 2002.
The objective behind designating April 21 as National Public
Relations Day is to focus attention on public relations function and
public relations professionals in India who have an increasingly
important role in the development of the country.
Specific theme for the day is identified to organise events to
highlight the issues selected in the theme.
On 21st April PRSI adopted International
Code of Ethics.
Presently IPRA- India has following members:
Dr Ajit Pathak – National Chir
Prema SAGAR – Council Member
Anand AKERKAR
Zelma LAZARUS
Amit CHAUDHERY
Dilip CHERIAN
Pradeep KEWALRAMANI
T.C. Ajit MENON
Sudip MOZUMDER
Roger PEREIRA
Alok SAXENA
K.R. SINGH
Ashwani SINGLA
Rajunaidu SWAMINATHAN
Suvendu BANERJEE
Satyan BHATT
Suresh GAUR
Ravindra KUMAR
IPRA CODE
INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS
ASSOCIATION
INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION (IPRA)
The International Public Relations Association
was established in London on 1st May 1955
Y OF INDIA with the adoption of constitution and the
appointment of the first IPRA Council.
ASSOCIATION
At that time, it has 15 members in 5
countries.
The idea of organising public relations
professionals into a transnational society:
Raising standards of public relations practice in
the various countries
Improving quality and efficiency of practitioners.
IPRA CURRENTLY
Today, IPRA headquarters is in Geneva,
Switzerland.
It constitutes the international forum of public
relations practitioners worldwide.
Currently, it has 700 members in 80 countries.
It is recognized by UN and the members serves
as consultants to the UN Economic and Social
Council.
In 1965, it adopted the Code of Athens, based on
the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
In 1980, 25th Anniversary of IPRA, the French Post
Office Authority issued the first and only stamp
dedicated to public relations.
IPRA promotes:
Professional recognition
High standards
Ethics among practitioners working in international aspects of
public relations
IPRA supports development and recognition in parts of the
world where PR is developing and helps establish new
national associations.
IPRA engaged in promoting exchange of information and
co-operation in every sector of the profession and
building opportunities for professional development.
India has been actively associated with IPRA.
IPRA works:
Meets twice a year
Recognizes outstanding contributions to better world
understanding
Publishes quarterly: International Public Relations Review
Issues: ‘Gold Papers’ on major issues of interest to the global
relations community.
THE “IPRA CODE OF CONDUCT”
Adopted in 2011 the IPRA Code of Conduct for the public relations
practitioners worldwide are:
1. Observance
2. Integrity
3. Dialogue (moral, cultural)
4. Transparency
5. Conflict
6. Confidentiality
7. Accuracy
8. Falsehood
9. Deception
10. Disclosure (use any organisation to serve an undisclosed interest)
11. Profit
12. Remuneration (Do not accept any form of payment in connection
with those services from anyone other than the principal)
13. Inducement (Neither directly nor indirectly offer nor
give any financial or other inducement to public
representatives or the media)
14. Influence
15. Competitors (Not intentionally injure the
professional reputation of another practitioner)
16. Poaching (Do not use deceptive means)
17. Employment (Take care to follow the rules and
confidentiality requirements of other organisations)
18. Colleagues (Code with respect to fellow IPRA
members and public relations practitioners worldwide.)
IPRA members shall, in upholding this Code, agree to
abide by and help enforce the disciplinary procedures of
the International Public Relations Association in regard
to any breach of this Code.
PR TOOLS: PUBLIC RELATIONS RELIES ON A NUMBER OF
COMMUNICATION TOOLS
Media strategies Press tours,
Brochures: Feature stories,
Newsletters: Handouts,
Social Media (digital Press House journals,
release, Newsletters, Exhibitions,
Blogging, Microblogging, TV,
Twitter, Facebook, Articles Films,
posted on other websites, Radio,
Public demonstration,
Internet, Slide presentations,
Viral marketing,
Special events,
Speeches,
News releases,
Press conferences,
CASE STUDIES - CSR
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3
13837646_A_case_study_on_Corporate_Social
_Responsibility_in_NESTLE_TATA_ITC
http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catal
ogue/Business%20Ethics/BECG093.htm