English
中文1.0 Introduction
The following essay will apply theories and models to evaluate the role that public relations plays in a corporate environment, relevant examples will also be used to demonstrate how public relations has a vital role in increasing brand and company awareness, protecting and enhancing a company’s reputation, educating an audience and crisis communications management. The critique of whether existing public relations models and theories are of use today will also be documented towards the close of the essay.
Communication is a key component in the strategic corporate plan and has earned a prominent status amongst many corporations worldwide. Public relations is a tool that supports corporate communication by utilizing the most ideal activities for the corporation to communicate their desired message, at the right time, according to Fall (2004). Corporate communications plays an increasingly important role in the functioning of an organisation, and often public relations is a very large part of this, according to Dolphin and Fan (2000). Corporate communication has developed into a discipline that, as commented by Dolphin and Fan (2000), has a strategic role within the growth and the maintenance of an organization. Sharing this view is Winner (1993) who proposes that public relations, as a facet of corporate communications, have a vital role in the development of the total business system. As public relations forms a strategic part of corporate communications activities it carries several roles, depending on the aims and overall goals of each specific company (Guth 1995). These roles will be explored throughout this essay; each role will be discussed in relation to its relationship with forming key issues in communication strategies.
2.0 Public Relations to Increase Brand Awareness for a Corporation
Public Relations is a form of promotion (Adcock et al, 2001) that is regularly being used to increase the awareness of company or brand, which is a vital part of corporate communications. An example of the successful application of public relations in order to increase the awareness about a brand issue has been documented by Hon (1997) who discuss how a healthcare institute regularly used public relations activities in order increase the awareness of their brand and company goals amongst the local community. Watson and Noble (2005) also suggest that a common goal of public relations activities is to raise the awareness of a company and its brand image, these goals however, are usually considered unhelpful as they are too broad for the application of what public relations could achieve according to Watson and Noble (2005). Public relations are described by Reuvid (2003) as being a part of corporate communications that can impact upon the public’s awareness of the company and its brand. Thus it can be suggested that public relations plays a role within corporate communications, to increase the awareness of a company. Investments in public relations are conducted by corporate communications departments, with the aim to also increase the overall awareness of the corporation amongst its target audience, Nye (1985) also suggests that the role of public relations in increasing corporate awareness can also be associated with the role of symbols which can provide for excellent methods for the target audience to remember, and hence become more aware, of a company and its brand image. Nye (1985) also proposes that by combining public relations and advertising, this should result in a more effective corporate communications campaign as awareness can be heightened amongst the target audience.
3.0 The Role those Public Relations plays in Protecting a Company’s Reputation
Organizations do not hold an image that is separate to that of their behaviour towards their target audience and additional publics, Hon and Grunig (1999) and therefore all corporate communication can either strengthen or damage an organisation’s reputation, Hon and Grunig (1999) also proposes that the reputation of an organisation is made up and determined by what behaviour it communicates to its publics, therefore the role of managing this reputation is vital in corporate communications strategy.
The role of managing and maintaining a corporation’s reputation is an important part of the corporate communications strategy and additionally is also a role for public relations activities, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (2006). Sharing this view is Caywood (1997); one of the benefits of public relations is that it can greatly improve corporate reputation. Thus, one of the many roles of public relations, within corporate communications is to improve and maintain the reputation of an organisation. An example of a company applying public relations as part of their corporate communication strategy is Sudberry Properties (PR Web, 2009). As documented in PR Web (2009), Sudberry Properties have made a large difference to their local community in the past thirty years and are applying public relations in order to enhance and spread the word about this great reputation that they have gained.
Public relations professionals exist with the aim to not only create, but also foster and maintain relationships amongst key publics, according to Bowman and Ellis (1969), and one key strategic part of this is the maintenance and enhancement of corporate reputation. White and Mazur (1995) also propose that public relations can enhance the reputation of an organisation, as it is the corporate communications tool, which can fill that gap between what an organisation communicates about itself and the way that it behaves. Thus suggesting that the managing of a corporations reputation is an importance part of public relations and therefore this is a vital role that public relations plays in corporate communications strategy. Calagione (2005) suggests that by focusing on publicity events, a company is in a great position to upgrade the public perception of their brand and as a result, improve the corporate reputation.
4.0 The Role that Public Relations Plays in Educating an Audience, and how this is importance to Corporate Communications
Public relations often has a role in educating a target audience. According to Jefkins (1984) public relations can be used by corporations, as part of their corporate communication strategies, to install an understanding in individuals, by persuading people that do not currently understand something, to understand and thus educating them and informing them of new developments. A definition of public relations by Dominick and Wimmer (1997) and Hiebing and Cooper (2003) also suggests that public relations is a practise that allows a message to be communicated that could inform, educate or alter an opinion of the recipient. Public relations could therefore be very much utilised in the context of educating an audience. In addition, public relations can be used to inform a market before a company or institution initiates a new advertising and promotional campaign as a way of reducing the audience’s ignorance to new ideas (Baines et al, 2004). Public relations can also be used educate the general public of the values that we should maintain so that hostility and prejudices are reduced, in addition public relations has been used by corporations to educate people about methods that can protect their own health (Baines et al, 2004).
Barkers Public Relations company has applied public relations activities on behalf of one of their clients, of which was a corporation, as the corporations has a need to educate their audiences. The campaign as outlined by Barkers Public Relations (2009) had the aim to raise awareness and educate the target audience about the Scottish Safety Camera Programme, in this case public relations was used to not only educate an audience but to also gain positive perceptions of the corporation.
A popular industry that regular applies public relations activities in order to educate their audiences includes corporations within the healthcare sector. Mass media communication strategies are often used, according to Hornik (2002) and Inst. Med (2002) to promote healthy behaviours in a target audience, whilst educating the audience to avoid unhealthy behaviours. Public relations have therefore become a popular tool of the healthcare industry when wishing to educate audiences. Thus it can be argued that public relations, forms a vital part of a corporate communication strategy in that it plays the role in educating audiences. However, Hornik (2002) also argues that public relations varies in effectiveness when the aim is to educate an audience. Whilst Randolph and Viswanath (2004) suggests that public relations campaigns which are supported by additional mass media corporate communication activities, which distribute the same message, can increase the effectiveness of the overall campaign and enable the campaign to educate a higher percentage of the target audience. Renger et al (2002) document a public relations campaign, which was supplemented by additional corporate communication activities, with the aim to educate the target audience about the benefits of physical exercise, and in turn the corporation hoped this would increase the self-sufficiency of the target audience to actively participate in sports. Therefore, it could be suggested that public relations plays a role, within corporate communications, to educate an audience, however with the support of additional corporate communication activities, this aim could be far more effective.
5.0 The Role of Public Relations in Crisis Communication Management as part of Corporate Communication Activities
The practice of effective crisis management has become a very significant factor for corporations in the 21st century, according to King (2002). Public relations plays an importance peacekeeping role within the corporate communications strategy, should a crisis occour (Fernandez, 2004). A crisis has been defined by Massey and Larsen (date unknown) as an activity, which is unpredictable and threatens to harm the corporations and its stakeholders. Public relations is often applied to build and sustain a corporate image, so as a result of these activities, public relations can also reduce the negative image from occurring if a crisis was to happen. Therefore public relations can play a role in pre-crisis management as well. As Fernandez (2004) proposes, crisis management is every corporation’s worse case situation, thus the role that public relations plays in regards to crisis management for corporations, is very important.
Crisis management has also often been viewed as a method and opportunity for the corporate to renew its image, through strategic communication activities, thus public relations, as a tool to enhance brand image (Hiebing and Cooper, 2003) is one of the most ideal activities for this. As a crisis can threaten the image of a corporation, as argued by Coombs (1999), then it has become vital for any corporation to incorporate crisis management planning into strategic communication campaigns, and thus public relations, as a result, plays a key role in crisis management for a corporation. Should a crisis occour; a corporation must have formal guidelines and procedures for communicating to stakeholders and the target audience, in place. There has been noted importance by scholars, for the use of a crisis communications plan, and hence for the understanding that public relations plays a vital role in crisis management, according to Fearn-Banks (1996).
Crisis communication can be defined as is “the communication between the organization and its publics prior to, during, and after the negative occurrence” (Fearn-Banks, 1996, p. 2). As this occurs, the corporation must appear to be in control of the crisis, public relations has been suggested as having a role here, as according to Heath (1994) communication to stake holders has to be direct and effective at reducing the negative image which could be associated with the crisis. Sharing this view is Ray (1999), who proposes that the type of corporate communication carried out during a crisis will greatly impact upon the impressions and perceptions formed by the corporations stakeholders, therefore the communication during a crisis must be strategic, such as the type of communication that public relations is concerned with.
6.0 Are existing theories and models in Public Relations useful in the 21st Century?
Public relations practitioners and agencies have to increasingly face the prospect of having to prove how useful their model and theories that they apply to their public relations activities really are, according to Geduldig, 1986). This is especially prevalent in the current organizational environment which is now associated with downsizing and reduction of the marketing and public relation budgets, therefore the justifiability of public relations models and theories has become a key debate, according to Hause (1993) and Lindenmann (1993). Much attention has been given to public relations campaign as a whole, (Bissland, 1990; Broom & Center, 1983; Broom & Dozier, 1983), but little attention has been applied to whether specific theories or models remain to be useful in the practise of public relations within the 21st century.
For the purpose of this report Grunig et al.’s (1992) theory of “excellence” in public relations is the theory which will be analysed in regards to how useful it is today as Grunig et al (1992) focus on the notion of symmetry when detailing how public relations functions. This theory of excellence in public relations can be argued as not being relevant in the 21st century due to the symmetrical approach, as according to Mackey (2003), public relations professionals believe that public relations activities operate along an asymmetrical method. The new ‘asymmetrical model’ of public relations demonstrates how public relation campaigns are aimed at enabling a corporation to increase or improve their current status in the view of their target audience, which is more so the case in our ever increasing competitive business environment. Although research carried out by Mackey (2003) supports the notion that two -way symmetrical models of public relations, such as Grunig et al (1992) theory of excellence in public relations, is seen as more ethical, currently organisations are less concerned with ethical communication and more concerned with how their bottom line will benefit from the type of corporate communications activity, according to Mackey (2003). Thus suggesting that Grunig et al 91992) theory of excellence in public relations is less relevant in the 21st century. Critique of the symmetrical approach to public relations, also argue against the relevance of Grunig et al (1992) theory of excellence, by stating that the interaction between, the Shell Oil company, for example and its publics, which consist of people that are less skilled in the Oil industry, is described as symmetrical only due to the form of communication, but it is clearly not symmetrical Leitch and Neilson, (1997).
Alternative models of public relations introduce the politics of public relations (Holtzhausen, 2000) A postmodern perspective of corporate communications has been researched by Holtzhausen (2000) who suggests that management have to start to challenge the dominant ideas that they are regularly communicating, through public relations, as they have to recognise that their audience is culturally diverse and need to be communicated in a more diverse manner. The Internet also encourages authors such as Blood (2000), to more easily protest against organisations as they most likely oppose capitalism, therefore public relations theory must recognise this in the 21st century and thus the simpler concepts of symmetrical corporate communications, which are demonstrated in the excellence theory by Grunig et al (1992) would start to seem redundant. Corman et al (2007) also propose that public relations should not be conceived to be in the same linear way that it was when Grunig et al (1992) created the theory of excellence.
Symmetrical public relations theory, which was prevalent prior to the 21st century, according to Mackey (2007), doe not often take place in ideal situations. Grunig et al (1992) developed the excellence theory of public relations with the view that public relations will be used to share equal social information between the corporation and its public. Rather we are seeing that public relations is moreover being used for a corporation to protect or enhance their own brand image (Mackey 2007). Due to this, the one way symmetrical model of public relations, such as the excellence theory by Grunig et al (1992) has become less relevant in the 21st century.
Public relations theory has therefore been developed, by theorists such as Heath (2001), who have taken the initiative to develop a rhetorical theory of public relations, which demonstrates two-way communication between an organization and its publics. Heath (2001) describes the rhetorical theory of public relations as showing how a corporation and its publics both test, values, choices and policies that are importance to both themselves and the person they are communicating to. This notion of public relations relates to the ever-increasing democracy and empowerment of the consumer and also relates to the strong and importance relevance that the Internet plays in communication between a corporation and its publics, nowadays, in the 21st century.
7.0 Conclusion
To conclude, public relations plays a vital role within corporate communications, in that it can increase a brand awareness, educate, protects and maintain a reputation and be a useful tool to conduct crisis management communication. Many corporations have successfully used and combined public relations with other promotional and communication activities as a way to achieve these aims, additionally, a large amount of the theory researched on this matter found that public relations was greatly concerned with image management, and as the image of the corporation forms the essence to what it needs to communicate, it can also be argued that public relations plays a vital role in the corporate communications of any organisation. As many authors have documented within this report have demonstrated how public relations is often also known as corporate communications, thus suggesting how the two functions of a corporation are so closely linked because they are vital to the successful communications between a corporation and its public. In addition, it was found that traditional public relations theories and models, that are concerned with the symmetrical theory of public relations are becoming made redundant by the development of post-modern public relations theories which not only recognise two way communication, but also that the Internet has affected the validity of traditional public relations through its alignment with the development of a plural and democratic society.
