TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Declaration…………………………………………………………..i
Certification………………………………………………………….ii
Acknowledgement…………………………………………………...iii
Table of
contents…………………………………………………….iv
Abstract……………………………………………………………...vi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1: Background of the
study………………………………………...1
1.2:
Statement of the problem………………………………………..4
1.3: objectives of the
study…………………………………………..5
1.4: Research
hypothesis……………………………………………..6
1.5: Significance of the
study………………………………………..7
1.6: Scope of the
study………………………………………………7
1.7: Limitations of the
study…………………………………………7
1.8: Definition of
concepts…………………………………………..8
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
2.1: Public Relations
Definitions…………………………………….11
2.2:
Defining and identifying ‘Publics’ of public relations………….16
2.3: The importance and functions
of public relations……………….20
2.4: Major tools of public
relations…………………………………..23
2.5: Planning Public relations
program……………………………….26
2.5.1: Setting public relations
program………………………………28
2.6:
Communication in public relations……………………………...35
2.6.1: The uses of communication
in organizations…………………36
2.6.2: Importance of
communications in public relations……………38
2.7: Public relations in service
promotion…………………………...38
2.7.1: Need for
promotion……………………………………………39
2.7.2: Service
promotion……………………………………………..40
2.7.3: The role of public
relations in marketing services…………….41
2.7.4: Service promotion
planning……………………………………42
2.7.5: Appraising the service
promotion plan………………………..44
2.8: Different aspects of public
relations…………………………….44
2.9: Profile of Keffi Community
Bank………………………………51
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH
METHODOLGY
3.1: Data collection
methods…………………………………………54
3.2:
Steps in Sampling Process……………………………………….55
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION
AND ANALYSIS
4.1: Data presentation and analysis…………………………………..60
CHAPTER
FIVE: SUMMARRY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION
5.1:
Summary………………………………………………………….73
5.2:
Conclusion…………………………………………………………74
5.3:
Recommendation…………………………………………………..75
Bibliography……………………………………………………………77
Appendix
I………………………………………………………………79
Appendix
ii………………………………………………………………81
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTON
1.1 Background of the study
The banking sector in recent years has become very competitive that
without the use of good promotional tools, such as public relations, success in
business may become uncertain and elusive, if not impossible. Since the major
aim of every business is to make profit and continue to stay afloat by having
its products and services patronized, consumed and appreciated by its target
market, it has become important therefore that the organization must also
communicate with its present and potential consumers.
The constant changes being experienced in the business environment have
further made marketing of services and business operations harder, more
intensive and highly competitive. The dynamic nature of today’s business,
resulting from the stiff competition from competitors, necessitate the need for
a good promotional tool which can boost the image and goodwill of an organization
and position it properly among its publics.
In all facets of social, economic and political interactions and
interrelationships, the role and uses of public relations as a promotional tool
cannot be undervalued because it is associated with success especially when it
comes to establishing and maintaining good image. Public relations is therefore
a powerful communication tool which is available to every organization in
building up, sustaining good and mutual relationship with its target publics.
Over the years, organizations have come to realize that for them to
carry out their businesses effectively and efficiently, a good environment and
cooperative publics must be maintained, hence they see public relations as the
best tool in achieving their aims.
The importance of public relations was recognized early at the dawn of
civilization by the ‘‘Greeks who conceived the idea of the public will’’
(Bittner, 1989:229). From this recognition,
public relations has grown to become a part and parcel of every image conscious
cooperative organization. For public relations creates good business
environment, an understanding, cooperative external public, a dedicated and
hardworking internal public, who serve the external public by utilizing the
conducive environment.
In Nigeria, public relations have come a long way. Many organizations
have contributed to its practice and growth. With the indigenization decree,
several key positions in private
organizations afforded Nigerians the opportunity to pioneer the crusade for
public relations practice. For instance, in1949, the United African Company
(UAC), established its public relations department, and thus became the pioneer
in the private sector (Ajala, V.2001:6). The basic aims of the company then
were to inform business and commerce about business activities, as well as to
project UAC as a major Nigerian industrial, technical and commercial company
involved in the stability of the economic life and progress in Nigeria.
In the post independence era, there was significant development in
government public relations, with the formation of Information Departments
which handles and manages information-related activities in the different
government ministries and parastatals. In the private sector, the UAC example and
successes achieved motivated them into establishing public relations department
to carry out image laundry, building of goodwill, creating and sustaining
patronage for their goods and services. For long, therefore public relations
practice in Nigeria has been dynamic, and has been growing with the changing
tides of the country’s environment.
The dynamism of public relations in Nigeria, is that it adapts to
changes as the business environment, as well as the external and internal
publics changes with varying techniques
and methodologies. It is obvious therefore that the major job of public
relations are to establish, maintain and sustain good relationships with its
publics. Public relations are also a people oriented activity which seeks to
serve a purpose: maintain or improve an image, repair an image, create an
appreciable and acceptable reputation, and good market for services, and
sustain its activities in order to achieve goodwill and profits.
The
contribution of public relations to marketing, according to Kotler, (1988:657),
includes:
To assist in the launch of new products, to assist in repositioning a
mature product category, influence specific target groups, defend products that
has encountered public problems and build the cooperate image in a way that
reflect favorably on its products.
A public relations is therefore the wheel on which marketing activities
rotate. It creates awareness before and after the product is launched, turns
awareness into patronage, and retain the patronage for as long as possible. It
builds the cooperate image and reputation that projects the products of an
organization in such a way that subsequent products would be effectively
patronized. Furthermore, public relations carry out intensive research on the
target public on their perception about similar goods and services, and make valuable recommendations to the management. It also researches on
the activities of Competitors and reports accordingly to the management on ways
of checkmating them.
When one assesses the banking industry presently, it is full of what we
could call ‘‘public relations war’’. This is because each bank is trying to
outdo one another with distinctive unique service propositions: offering what
others do not offer, which are aimed at ensuring that old consumers are happy,
while potential ones are encouraged to patronize them.
Since survival in the banking industry depends largely on individual and cooperate patronage; it behooves on the public relations
personnel to create the path to distinguish one image from the others; one
service from the others, and one innovation from the others.
Public relations is defined, according to the Dansk Public Relations
Klub of Denmark as:
A sustained and systematic managerial effort through which private and public
organizations seek to establish understanding, sympathy, and support in those
public circles with which they have or expect to obtain contact (cf. Wilcox, et
al, 1988:131).
In similar definition, the British Institute of Public Relations,
according to Ibekwe, O. (1984:166), sees public relations as ‘‘the deliberate,
planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding
between an organization and its public.’’
The two definitions clearly show that public relations is ‘doing something
to achieve a desired aim’. This will form the foundation of this work.
1.2: Statement of the problem
The stiff environment of banking sector of the Nigerian economy has
necessitated an array of strategies adopted and being adopted by the
competitors towards attracting new customers, and maintaining old ones. In this
era of ‘distress and liquidation’ in the industry, public relations job is now
at its peak. This is because people are gradually loosing confidence in the
sector, and are at the point of withdrawing patronage from the existing ones,
so, in order to restore the much-needed confidence, public relations becomes
the only tool to effectively erase doubt and re-establish trust in the system.
One can reason that if many banks are still operating successfully presently,
it is because public relations has made it so, by identifying what people want,
how they want it, and providing it the way they want it.
The theoretical premise on which this work would be based derives from
the following premises:
1.
Are promotional tools effective in marketing?
2.
How useful is public relations in banking services?
3.
Is public relations as a
promotional tool able to sustain an organization’s competence?
4.
Is public relations able to checkmate competitors?
5.
Is public relations capable of projecting
organization’s image?
1.3 Objectives of the study
Since it is widely acknowledged that the main objective of every
business organization is to produce and market its products and services to a
target market in the best way possible, and at a profit, it becomes necessary
for such an organization to choose an effective promotional tool, like public
relations purposely to project its image and status in a better way than its
competitors.
The
objectives of this study include:
a.
Investigating the needs and
importance of public relations in a competitive marketing environment.
b.
Evaluating the general
contributions of public relations in the banking sector.
c.
Ascertaining how public relations
could enhance good image and goodwill for an organization.
d.
Finding out how public relations
activities presently in use at Keffi Community Bank Nig Ltd., have helped in
establishing and maintaining good relationship
with its customers, and thereby creating a conducive business environment for
cooperate survival and profit making.
1.4: Research Hypothesis
The formulation of hypothesis are always in line with the selection of a
research problem. According to Ndagi, (1989:43), ‘‘hypothesis is a testable,
tentative and probable explanation of the relation between two or more
variables that create a state of affairs or phenomenon’’.
For Osuala (1987:46), ‘‘hypotheses are guides for the investigator in
the entire process of research endeavor, and they keep the researcher on the
mainline of his study’’.
The hypothesis for this work will be based on the research problems and
objectives which could be tested for possible rejection. It is denoted by Ho, it
corresponds directly with the absence of the effect being tested. Alternative
hypothesis determines whether a particular hypothesis requires a one tail
tests. It is denoted by H1 , it could be tested in any
particular or particular direction at all.
This work
shall be based on the following hypothesis:
Ho: Public relations as a promotional tool adopted by an organization has
not been able to sustain the organization’s objectives and competence.
H1: Public
relations as a promotional tool adopted by an organization has been able to
sustain the organization’s objectives and competence.
Ho: Public relations has not contributed to the enhancement of good image
and goodwill for an organization.
H1: Public
relations has contributed to the enhancement of good image and goodwill for an
organization.
1.5: Significance of the study
The essence of a good promotional tool for any organization cannot be underestimated
in the overall survival and growth of its business. This research would be of
immense help to many organizations, because good public relations has become sine qua
non with business progress and
profitability. One of the major objectives of most business include to
communicate and create awareness on the importance of its services or products,
and to have the target audience to patronize them. This study intends to
acquaint such organization with basic and major ways, tools and techniques of
public relations in the achievement of such objectives or goals.
In addition, it would help organization build their corporate image in a
way that will project its products and services favorably. It will also help in
creating a mutually acceptable two way communication between it and its publics.
1.6: Scope of the Study
Public relations is used in almost every public oriented organization:
be it profit or non profit making. Since all of such organizations cannot be
covered in an academic exercise like this, the scope of this work would be
limited to public relations activities of Keffi
Community Bank Nig Ltd, at its Office in Keffi Local Government of Nasarawa
State.
1.7: Limitations of the study
This study would not be in any way exhaustive because of some apparent limitating
factors. The main reason being lack of some vital information and data which the
bank has dubbed ‘secret’, because they serve as the life wire of their
existence, the leakage of which will cause some corporate harm, as they may be
copied by their competitors. This fear is somehow general, as most organizations
are not usually willing to divulge personalized information which serve as
their albatross against their competitors.
This work would therefore relay on the information and data willingly
made available to this researcher.
1.8: Definition of concepts
For the purpose of clarity of this work, the definition of basic
concepts which would be used in this work is necessary. The concepts to be
defined form the bedrock of this study, and would be used as defined throughout
this work. Such concepts include, promotion, marketing and publics.
Promotion: This is derived from the word ‘promote’, which means, ‘to raise, encourage, organize or help the
progress of; to encourage the buying of ; to advertise… (Kirkpatrick,
1980:567).
The Oxford Advanced Dictionary of
Current English: 3rd Edition (1980:668), defines promotion as ‘‘encouragement by
publicity; advertising, publicizing ones’ products’’.
Promotion, therefore, is the act of encouraging buyers or customers into
patronizing or appreciating a product or service through publicity or adverts.
It is also the art of publicizing an activity, products, services through
publicity, and other means of communication.
Marketing: The Chartered Institute of Marketing, defines marketing as ‘‘ the management process responsible for
identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably’’. In
our own opinion, marketing here involves all possible activities carried out by
an organization leading to increase awareness of its activities: goods and
services, and patronage (Ajala, 2001:22).
Publics: Every public relations activity has its target group or point of focus within a given population. The target
group is regarded as ‘public’. Publics are therefore the group or individual to
which a public relations message or activity is directed.
The word ‘public’, as defined by Kotler, (1988:659), is ‘‘any group that has an actual or
potential interest in or impact on a company’s ability to achieve its objectives.’’ Publics, is an all-embracing term for customers
and potential customers of an organization.
Image: Image can be described as the impression, feeling or opinion which somebody has about an organization,
product, services or individual, as a result of his contact with any of them.
Wally, (1989:78), defines image as ‘‘the totality of all the impressions that
an organization makes on all its audiences.’’ Image is like a two-edged sword:
it is either good or bad, favorable or unfavorable, perfect or imperfect. What
every organization, aspires is to have a good, favorable and perfect image.
Communication: Communication is an instrument of social interaction. It helps us to understand ourselves, to keep in
touch with other people, to understand them and to predict their response to
situations. It is the means by which power is acquired, exercised and
sustained. It is the medium through which relationships are established and
extended. It provides a means by which
people in business, politics and the professions act and interact; exchange
information and ideas; develop plans, proposals and policies; make decisions
and manage men and materials (James, Ode, and Soola, 2000:2) Implicit in the above is that
communication is the lubricant that keeps the machinery of an organization
functioning. It is the means of transferring ideas, feelings, instructions,
etc., from one person or group to the others. Communication is today the
life-wire of every existing organization.
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