week seven

PR practitioners serve as the bridge to communicate ideas and opinions from the public to the company. For example, knowledge that the people of Singapore, especially those from the lower income groups, are unhappy about the new increase in Government Service Tax from 5% to 7% in 2006, the government can come up with plans to especially help those from the lower income groups by providing them with tax rebates at the end of each year. Vice versa, PR practitioners also serve to transfer information from the organisation the public about their company, products and more through various forms of media channels. The most common form would be media releases where people can get some idea on the products, promotions, events and other details. A PR practitioner serves as the link between the company and the public, caught between the two, it can be difficult to resolve conflicting interests for both parties without offending one of them. For example, when knowledge of WalMart factories were emitting excessive carbon emissions and can pose a danger to the lives of people living in the area, the public can choose buy products from other similar brands that are manufactured in a safer manner. In this case, there is need for the PR practitioner to relate the situation at hand to the management to adjust their marketing strategy to retain their consumer base or risk having lower sales.

Operating in a closed system in current day is akin to a slow and painful death for the company, as it is isolated from other organizations and the public and are unwilling to improve to suit the needs of society. Thus, the company is unable to spot problems or improve situations that would be beneficial for the organisation. On the other hand, most organizations are operating as open systems, and there is constant exchange between the company and its environment (Cutlip, Center & Broom; Morgan, 1998). Open systems seeks to operate in a manner where the organizations complement each other and eliminate dysfunctional systems or systems that will affect their feasibility (Morgan, 1998; Witmer, 2006). It must be noted that of all the external pressures that the organisation faces, the PR practitioner has to prioritise and select the more pressing issues to deal with. Public relations serve to work together with the public to come to consensus and a solution, and not simply a reaction the pressures from the external environment.

The department of public relations operates alongside other departments in a company, including marketing, sponsorship, internal affairs and others. In theory, all the departments in a company are equal in a company. However, in reality, the public relations officer is less likely to be a member of the managerial team, but the financial officer would be. It must however be reminded that the role of public relations is important as it serves as a connection between the organisation and the public.

“Organizational or corporate culture is the system of shared actions, values and beliefs that develops within an organization and guides the behavior of its members” (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003). With a strong corporate culture in the company, it can establish some control over employees, and control the quantity and quality of output, standardize operating procedures and maintain high performance levels. This is important as it would affect the overall performance level of the company. In a company with a communications culture, language is used to facilitate communication and to “motivate themselves and others” (Cameron, 2000). This enables employees to understand the requirements of the company and know what is expected of them and the chances of miscommunication are lowered. Employers also know the concerns of their employees and can adopt various methods and strategies to allay their fears and lower employee turnover rates.

with love,
cookie biscuit.
(\__/)
(='.'=) V