PUBLIC RELATIONS AS A TOOL FOR ORGANIZATION EFFECTIVENESS (A CASE STUDY OF CHAMPION BREWERIES, UYO)

PUBLIC RELATIONS AS A TOOL FOR ORGANIZATION EFFECTIVENESS (A CASE STUDY OF CHAMPION BREWERIES, UYO)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0    Background of the Study

In contemporary business world, both public and private sectors want to succeed. To achieve this feat, public relations are necessary and must be part of the senior management since decision and policies are usually taken at the top. Adekunle (1994) uploads public relations practitioner as the EARS and often as the MOUTH of the organization, whose input has the greatest effect.

In other words, it is the function of public relations to advise management in determining policies and good-will for an organization with its public, since it can detect the problem areas between them.

However, why most organization fail in their business pursuits is because managers misconceive public relation to mean advertising, sales promoting, press agency, propaganda, lobbying, publicity, and or press relation therefore placing public relations below senior management level. They feel to be mentioned in the media often, can solve their problems. The fact is that a public relations practitioner may employ the above mentioned techniques in the practice for his client and all. These techniques are aspect of public relations. So, not every problem could be solved through these method or mere press exposures. Public relations as a functional concept of management is far more widespread in scope than these techniques and among other things serve to?

1. Protect organizations corporate image and
2. Help determine for organizations what they should do to gain the good-will of its publics.

According to (Ogunsaya, 1991) organizations can only fulfill the basic conditions of earning a favourable image through the three essential management qualities of its public relations personnel which are, strategic vision, effective management, and good leadership and social acceptance.

The philosophical dimension of public relations however sees organizations as social institutions which apart from maximizing profits have some social responsibilities to the community it operates or the entire society at large. According to the social system theory of management, organization is viewed as an “open system” which constantly interacts with its constituent publics. This inter-relationships helps to create a conducive business climate, good-will, public understanding and support through communication on the whole public relations, on an idealistic nation, is the moral aspect of business, an acknowledgement of the right of society to corporate relationship and benefits, and a striving to achieve satisfaction and happiness of not only an organization’s public but other people as well-Taiwo (1995).

Although public relations is viewed by many as an effective “apparatus” of management in today’s world, the power holding company of Nigeria, established as a federal government parastatal by degree 24 of June 1, 1972 with the amalgamation of Nigeria (ECN) and Niger  Dams Authority (NDA), mandated to maintain an efficient. Co-ordinate and economic supply of electricity to all parts of the country including Uyo, seems to fall short of public relations obligations.

1.2    Problem of the study