Chapter1

This is PR 11th Edition Newsom, Turk and Kruckeberg

Chapter 1

PR Roles and Responsibilities


Objectives

• To understand the role and responsibilities of public relations – in public and private companies, nonprofit organizations, agencies and firms

• To recognize the difference between strategic planning and execution that relies only on tactics and techniques

• To appreciate the value of public relations in solving problems and making policy

• To understand why individual as well as institutional credibility is critical to public relations practice

• To appreciate the international scope of public relations practice


What is public relations?

• Responding to expectations of those who can influence an organization’s operations and development

• Harmonizing interests of an organization with those on whom its growth depends

• Serving as intermediary between an organization and all of that organization’s publics


Responsibilities of a PR Practitioner

• Distributing information to publics• Researching all audiences• Advising management• Helping to set policy• Evaluating PR program effectiveness


First World Assembly Definition

• PR is an art and social science• PR analyzes trends and predicts their

consequences• PR implements planned programs of action• PR serves both the organization and public

interest


PRSA Definition

• Management function• Counseling at the highest level with regard

to policy, courses of action and communication, taking into consideration the organization’s social or citizenship responsibilities

• Strategic planning for the organization


British Institute of PR Definition

• Reputation management• What an organization does and says, and

what others say about it


10 Basic Principles of PR

• PR deals with facts, not fiction• PR’s primary consideration is doing what’s

in the public interest• PR programs and policies must conform to

public interests• PR must protect the integrity of the media

channels it uses for its messages


10 Basic Principles of PR (cont.)

• PR involves effective communication back and forth between an organization and its publics

• PR depends on the use of scientific public opinion research

• PR practitioners must use the social sciences to understand what publics are saying and to communicate effectively with them


10 Basic Principles of PR (cont.)

• PR requires multidisciplinary application of theories and concepts

• PR has an obligation to explain problems to publics before they become crises

• PR performance should be measured by only one standard: ethical performance

Value of PR and Communications Management• Sustainability depends on balancing today’s

demands with ability to meet future needs• Governance empowers leaders to be directly

responsible for deciding and implementing stakeholder relationship policies

• Management of an organization’s decisions increasingly determined by their time of implementation


Value of PR and Communications Management (cont.)

• Internal communications enhance recruitment, retention, development of common interests and commitment to organizational goals

• External communications has to bring the organization’s “voice” and interests into stakeholder deliberations and decisions

• Coordination of internal and external communications often a multi-faceted, multi-stakeholder, inter-relational enterprise



Activities of PR• Press agentry• Promotion• Publicity• Public affairs• Research• Graphics• Advertising• Marketing• Integrated marketing communications• Merchandising


PR Practitioner’s Job

• More need for depth and diversity of knowledge

• More expectation of accountability• Less tolerance for hype• Constants over time: “go-for” attitude,

strategic thinking, writing, speaking, persuading, respecting deadlines, multi-tasking


Main Roles of PR Practitioner

• Staff member in organization– May be specialist in one area of PR if

organization is large– Likely to be “Jack/Jill” of all trades in a

small organization– May be technician at lower levels,

manager at higher levels


Main Roles of PR Practitioner (cont.)

• Employees of PR agency or firm– May be specialists or generalists

depending on size of firm– May be involved in “sales”: generating

new business– Often work as a member of team of

writers, designers, production staff who together produce a PR message


Main Roles of PR Practitioner (cont.)

• Independent practitioner or counselor– May work on project basis or retainer– May perform technical tasks for clients– May serve as counselor to client

management


Areas of Specialization

• PR for nonprofit organizations (also called NGOs)• PR for educational institutions• Fundraising and/or donor relations• Research and evaluation• Trend analysis• Issues management • Public opinion evaluation• PR for international, global organizations


Areas of Specialization (cont.)

• Financial PR (also called investor relations)• PR for industrial companies• PR for general business and retail• PR for government (all levels)• Political PR• Lobbying• PR for health care organizations• PR for sports teams• PR for leisure-time activities


PR: Career, Job (Field) or Profession?

Profession requires:• a body of knowledge• a commitment to continuing education• a standard educational curriculum to

prepare for entry into the profession• control over who enters, exits the

profession• a shared code of ethics that guides practice


Function of PR in Business and Society

• Manipulative model: control publics, direct what people think or do to satisfy an organization's needs

• Service model: respond to publics, react to their needs, desires

• Transactional model: achieve mutually beneficial relationships with an institution and its publics


Self-Described Roles of PR

• PR practitioner as communication technician (skills oriented)

• PR practitioner as communication facilitator (liaison)

• PR practitioner as problem-solving process facilitator (confrontational)

• PR practitioner as acceptant legitimizer (yes-person)

• PR practitioner as expert prescriber (authoritarian, prescriptive)


Roles Boil Down to Two

• Technician• Manager• Enacting of role is a function of the

organization, culture of the country and training of the practitioner


The Value of Public Relations

• PR can open and maintain a dialogue between an organization and its publics

• PR can encourage mutual adjustment between an organization and its society

• PR can focus on the greater good of society, not just the narrow interests of an organization


The Value of Public Relations (cont.)

• PR has the opportunity to improve cooperation between an organization and its publics/stakeholders

• PR provides useful information• PR can raise issues and concerns,

reminding management of ethical responsibilities


The Value of Public Relations (cont.)

• PR can help management formulate and advocate sound objectives

• PR can be problem solver• PR can uphold socially responsible

behavior


Obstacles to Ideal PR

• Economics: organizations and their managers’ role to make money

• Human nature: natural temptation to play up the good, ignore or deny the negative


PR as Problem Finder, Solver and Preventer

• Problems of– Production– Growth– Personnel– Financing– Advertising– Business acceptance


PR as Interpreter and Communication Link

• Bridges between an organization and its publics

• Helps organization, publics adjust to change

• Stimulates positive change• Enables groups to accommodate each

other

Documents

Chapter1