THE USE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICE IN GOVERNMENT INSTITUTION.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Many authorities have contributed immensely to the success of defining public relations. According to Jerkins (1985), defines public relations as the deliberate, planned and sustained the effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its publics.

According to International Public Relations Institute (IPRI) has in this regard offered this all-embracing definition of public relations as a management function of a continuing and planned character through which public and private organizations and institutions seek to win and retain the understanding, sympathy, and support of those with whom they are or may be concerned about evaluating public opinion about themselves in order to correlate as far as possible their policies and procedure to achieves by plan and widespread information more productive cooperatives and more efficient fulfillment of their common interest.

The concept of public relations is one of the fundamental principles in industrial relations, marketing and image building of corporate organizations, institutions of learning, government and individual interest.

Cutup, et al. (1985:4) posits that public relations is “the management function that identifies, establishes, and maintains a mutually beneficial relationship between the organization and the various public on whom its success or failure depends.

Bernays who is considered the founding father of modern public relations along with Ivy Lee in the early 1990s defines public relations as a “management function which tabulate public attitude, defines the policies, procedures, and interest of an organization… followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.

According to Roger Hayward as quoted by Adegoke (2001) public relations is the propagation of the personality of the organization. This states the importance of communication between the organization and its publics.

Roger Hayward’s definition has something to do with the British Institute of Public Relations definition because both stated the duty of public relations officers in promoting, projecting and representing the organization and at the same time relating to the public’s of the organization both the internal and external public.

Public relations project the management personality of which the public relations department represents, through their activities with the use of their perspective tools (i.e. Print and electronic media).

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) defines public relations as:

“a distinctive management function which helps to establish and main mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance, and operation between an organization and its public”

The international public relations association of Mexico in North America defines public relations as

“the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organizations’ leaders and implementing planned programs of action which serve both the organization’s public interest.”

It is obvious that the work of Public relations is needed in almost every society, organization, both the profit and non-profit organization, to include the higher institutions of learning (universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other colleges). In fact, an individual in society also needs the service of public relations especially those individuals that are profession or expert such as musicians, athletes, politicians e.t.c.

To this end, the research examined the use of public relations practice in government institutions using a case study of Isin Local Government, Kwara State. In this research PR efforts and usefulness shall be revealed especially as it helps in building and enhancing communication in the grass-root.