Public
relations for DaimlerChrysler
How
public relations helps management
What Public Relations Does
Public relations
helps our complex, pluralistic society to reach decisions and function more
effective by contributing to mutual understanding among groups and
institutions. It serves to bring private and public policies into harmony.
Public
relations serves a wide variety of institutions in society such as businesses,
trade unions, government agencies, voluntary associations, foundations,
hospitals, schools, colleges, and religious institutions. To achieve their
goals, these institutions must develop effective relationships with many
different audiences or publics such as employees, members, customers, local
communities, shareholders, and other institutions, and with society at large.
The
managements of institutions need to understand the attitudes and values of
their publics in order to achieve institutional goals. The goals themselves are
shaped by external environment. The public relations practitioner acts as a
counselor to management and as a mediator, helping translate private aims into
reasonable, publicly acceptable policy and action.
As a
management function, public relations encompasses the following:
·
Anticipating,
analyzing and interpreting public opinion, attitudes, and issues that might
impact, for good or ill, the operations and plans of the organization.
·
Counseling
management at all levels in the organization with regard to policy decisions,
courses of action, and communications, taking into account their public
ramifications and the organization's social or citizenship responsibilities.
·
Researching,
conducting, and evaluating, on a continuing basis, programs of action and
communication to achieve the informed public understanding necessary to success
of an organization's aims. These may include marketing, financial, fund
raising, employee, community or government relations, and other programs.
·
Planning
and implementing the organization's efforts to influence or change public
policy. Setting objectives, planning, budgeting, recruiting and training staff,
developing facilities-in short, managing the resources needed to perform all of
the above.
Examples
of the knowledge that may be required in the professional practice of public
relations include communication arts, psychology, social psychology, sociology,
political science, economics, and the principles of management and ethics.
Technical knowledge and skills are required for opinion research, public issues
analysis, media relations, direct mail, institutional advertising,
publications, film/video productions, special events, speeches, and presentations.
In
helping to define and implement policy, the public relations practitioner uses
a variety of professional communications skills and plays an integrative role
both within the organization and between the organization and the external
environment.