THE ROLES OF PUBLIC RELATION IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT

THE ROLES OF PUBLIC RELATION IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT (A CASE STUDY OF IKOT EKPENE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

Crisis emerged in the universe right from the beginning of man and has remain a reoccurring variable or decimal but not without effects. Man’s interaction with the environment coupled with the sophistication of the present age. Thus, people get involved in many activities with the prime objective to satisfy their basic or primary needs (Psychological and safety) and secondary needs (social, esteem and self fulfillment). In the process to achieve these need, crisis always emerge either between employee and employee and the management of an organization.

On the other hand organization and groups strive to win a bigger shame of the market as to make profit than rivals which will result in intensive. Competition and finally to crisis. Communities due to interest will engage in crisis. Crisis is a necessary evil with us.

Presently, hardly is there any day without news of crisis from our media whether religion, political or industrial crisis. Of a truth, crisis has been with us for centuries but the spate of current violent crisis in organization government and communities portent great anger and threaten the growth and stability of the mention areas and the society in general.

This situation requires appropriate measures and structures to manage properly these evil called crisis.

According to Nkwocha (1999), crisis is any event, issue, occurrence or situation that will be described as a turning point for better or for worse. Crisis is also a period of heightened uncertainty that increase the demand to plan at the time in which both external and internal pressure change the goals and operational practices of an organization.

Crisis is a departure or expected and usual. In other words it is dysfunctional and is a disturbance in the normal functioning of the organization. It is wise to comment that crisis and conflict occur because it is functional and strengthening for solid change as well as organizational change at specific time.

This is so because crisis can strengthen organization internally, that relations, among department and units could reinforced and grow for instance, challenge and competition with other organization with in the industry. This may bring about unprecedented co-operation and unity that further strengthened the internal unity of the organization.

It is interesting to know that crisis can empower organization with in an industry that many have been discriminated against, and could have been left out in taking part in coming together which will be healthy to these minority group by strengthening their unity bond.

In this direction, Salu (1994), view crisis as one of the agents and path of effective change unimaginable in organization. A crisis in some way causes something never to be the same again in a way.

We move further to define management as the process of planning, controlling, co-ordinating, directing and supervising to achieve the desired goal (Ewurum 2000).

But before we delve into defining the concept of crisis management let us look at various types of crisis to gives us a clear understanding of the concept.

Crisis management according to Nweke (2001) is advise advanced on the need to plan and possibly do everything within your reach to ensure and prevent an uncanny event not to occur.

Nwaocha (1999) view crisis management to involve the application of appropriate steps to either prevent a crisis not to occur or to promptly control it once it occurs. Crisis management is proactive, preventive and pre-planned in nature.

Public relations practitioners are mostly concerned in the proactive crisis management. To be effective and efficient the public relations experts are required to be skillful technical knowledgeable and aimed with full information necessary to the effective crisis management. One of the best methods of handling crisis is to plan ahead anticipate crisis at any moment or point in time, mapping of preventive control measures and strategies in the eventful occurrence of crisis at all look.

But one, the other hand management of crisis is a situation of already occurred. This usually involve five bridge and reactive approach which involve teaching sporadic and largely unco-ordinated actions to stop the crisis. Management of crisis is very wasteful compared to timely crisis management.

1.2     Statement of Problem

Crisis management is a positive element in managing organization, it bring about growth and stability in many firms. Many companies face insurmountable task communicating effectively with employees. Ferrabee 2011, tagged it “failure to communicate” yet, when diagnosed closely, the problems, experienced by most organization fall into one of this two categories