ABSTRACT
This study discussed the role of public
relations in building corporate image (A study of Dangote group of companies).
The field of public relations is all about developing understanding and
building good relationships with the various publics including government,
media, employees, investors, suppliers, customers etc. according to various
researchers in the area of public relations, it is a systematized effort in
order to build the image and reputation of a business in social context.
The result of what you do, Say and what others say about you. In this
interdependent world, it is really important for almost every kind of
organizations to keep a long term and trustworthy relations with the
communities or public in order to handle the up-coming challenges and also to
maintain the survival and success. The major problems to be solved in this
research work are Poor image of an organization or company and lack of
confidence in the mind of the organization various publics leading to poor
patronage ,Lack of mutual understanding between the organization and its public
(within and outside), Misunderstanding and conflict due to unimproved
communication within an organization and its public. Data were collected and
presented in the chapter four of this research work using Questionnaires,
Recommendations were made in the concluding chapter of the research work.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
1.2
Statement of the Problem
1.3 Objectives
of the Study
1.4 Research
Questions
1.5 Statement
of Hypothesis
1.6 Significance
of the Study
1.7 Scope of the Study
1.8 Limitations of the Study
1.9 Definition of Terms
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK.
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Literature Review
2.1.1
The Public Information Model
2.1.2 The Two-Way Asymmetric Model
2.1.3 The Two-Way Symmetric Model
2.1.4 The Roles and Functions of Public Relations
2.1.5 SPDC’s
Public Relations Programmes, Public Relations Policy Statement and Public
Affairs Operating Philosophy.
2.1.6 SPDC’s Public Relations Policy Statement
2.2 Theoretical Framework
2.2.1 Qualities of an open system
2.2.2 Opinion Review
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Population
of the Study
3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques
3.4 Research Instrument
3.5 Reliability and Validity of Instrument
3.6 Method of Data Collection
3.7 Method of
Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.0 Introduction
4.1
Data
Presentation
4.2
Biodata
Information
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS
TO KNOWLEDGE.
5.1 Summary of the Study
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendations
5.4 Contributions to Knowledge
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX: QUESTIONNAIRE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background
to the Study
According to Lamb and Mc Kee (2005), “no
formal organization is an island. Each is composed of an internal system of
social networks, and each exists within a framework of interrelated systems of
relationships with key stakeholders such as competitors, consumers, sponsors,
regulators, and the media”. Lamb and Mc Kee (2005), therefore, argue that
public relations is an important subsystem of an organization and the effective
practice of public relations is integrally bound to the health of an
organization. As such, it provides the avenue for the organization to
effectively monitor, interact and react with other key groups within the
organizational environment. Public relations is thought of as the communication
and action on the part of an organization that supports development and
maintenance of mutually beneficial relationships between the organization and
the groups with which it is interdependent.
Constantly, the world is becoming complex,
dynamic and modern. Public relations as a Profession have continued to play
tremendous revolutionary roles in changing the face of the earth. As the human
society becomes more challenging and complex, people become more enlightened
and aware of their fundamental human rights. This has led to series of crisis
and face off among business organizations and their host Public.
1.1.1 Petroleum Development Company
Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria
Limited is the pioneer and the largest hydrocarbon exploration and production
company in the country. Originally known as Dangote commenced geological survey
in 1937 and subsequently was granted an exploration license precisely on the 4th
of November, 1938. (2008 Dangote Immunization Campaign P.5)
After drilling several unsuccessful
wells, Nigeria in 1956 discovered the
first commercial oil field in the country at Oloibiri, River State (Now Bayelsa
State). Later, entered into a joint
venture with British Petroleum resulting in a joint venture operation known as - B.P.
In 1979, B.P’s share of participation in
’s operations was nationalized leaving the NNPC/ Upstream joint ventures with
an 80:20% split. Today, Dangote operated on behalf of a joint venture with
NNPC, , EIF and Agip in accordance with the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) and
within the legal and fiscal framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
agreement with the Federal Government of Nigeria. Nigeria operations concentrated mostly in the
Niger Delta region of Nigeria and the adjoining shallow offshore, where they
operate in an oil mining lease areas of about 31,000 square kilometers.
The operational divisions of Nigeria are:
The Eastern Division with Port Harcourt as
the Headquarters, Bonny in River State and Forcados in Delta State are its
export terminals with its corporate office at Lagos State. Ninety-five percent
of their workforces are Nigerians. With the discovering of more oil wells in
the country, the company has continued to increase its oil product capacity
from 6,000 barrels of crude oil pre day in 1958, when the first cargo was
exported, to millions of barrels per day now.
Today, Nigeria is one of the highest oil
producing nations in the world. In 2001, the joint ventures accounts for some
39 percent of Nigeria’s oil production and about 55 percent of the rations
hydrocarbon reserve base. Dangote has over 6,000 kilometers of pipelines and
flowline 87 flow stations, eight gas plants and more than 1000 producing wells.
The Joint Venture involves the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
which holds 55 percent, 30 percent,
TOTAL FINA ELF 10 percent and Agip 5 percent. The funding is in proportion to
their shareholdings (People and the Environment Dangote Annual Report 2008).
1.2
Statement of the Problem
Davis (2004) argues that the public relations industry simply lacks
credibility; people just do not take the industry seriously. Furthermore, the
discipline might be regarded dispassionately as being positively beneficial to
society but also questions why organizations are reluctant to let public
relations’ professionals “beat their own collective drum”. Public relations
deserves to be taken seriously by organizations, but, most times, it is
assigned solely ‘low end’ tasks, given impacts that invariably underestimate
its value. Therefore, the home for public relations functions is still not
clear in most organizations.
Henslowe (2003) postulates that the public relations discipline is
often either misunderstood or deliberately misinterpreted so that it is used in
a pejorative way, associating it with propaganda, ‘economy of the truth’ or
evasion. Most organizations disregard public relations as an integral part of
the organization. In most instances, organizations only acknowledge the
importance of public relations when things go wrong and in times of a crisis.
Consequently, public relations practitioners salvage the situation by
apologizing to the organizations’ publics, assuring them that all will be dealt
with and that the crisis is under control. Ströh (2007) maintains that it is
important to recognize that many cross-disciplines have been integrated to
build theory for public relations in terms of relationships and relationship
management. This postulation reinforces the view that public relations is a
communications process.
However, problems are often encountered with organizations not
understanding the difference between public relations as a discipline on its
own, and public relations as a marketing tool; to solve these problems,
organizations need to recognize and acknowledge and start from the premise that
public relations is the function that manages the communication between an
organization and its publics in order to build and enhance healthy
relationships to the benefit of all parties involved. Most organizations have
given little or no attention to public relations while some Organizations do
not understand the impact that public relations plays within an organization
and, therefore, have failed to position the discipline. This study, therefore,
sets out to seek and analyze the impact that public relations have on
organizations.
Bittner (2009) argue that in a bid to
ensure good Public relations, organizations expend shareholders money, cut down
workers salaries, waste precious time which should be used for other profitable
things. He calls it “a fundamentally subversive doctrine which offers insoluble
practical problems”. A socially responsible management of a business
organization must first of all have an awareness of the firms’ obligation to
solve some of the problems facing society. This awareness of social problem
facing society, exist in the firms’ relationship with its customers, owners,
employees, suppliers, creditors, management, government, Public and society in
general. There must be a willingness on all the part of the firms to help solve
some of these social problems. Obviously not all the problems of the society
can be solved by business organization, but the firm must be willing to tackle
some of these problems. More
specifically, it must attempt to make decision and actually commit resources of
various kinds.
Bowen (1995) further states that “when
business has a good relationship with its Public, it can make an important
difference in the quality of that Public. Communities look up to business for
civic leadership and for help in coping with urban problems, while business
expects to be treated fairly and in supportive ways by the local communities.
Therefore the problem of this study is to;
1.
Ascertain the reasons behind
the negative or positive public perception, about SPDC.
2.
Ascertain the role ’s Public
Relations has played on their corporate image.
3.
Determine whether this is a
result of its compliance or non-compliance to the business philosophy of
corporate philosophy and the positive or negative attitude of the management
and staff members towards the money expended on Public relations.
4.
Examine the extent to which
these perceptions and attitude are capable of affective the success or failure
of the organization.
1.3 Objectives
of the Study
The central goal of this study is to find
out the role Public relations has played on the corporate image of Petroleum Company of Nigeria (SPDC); with the
aim of evaluating their corporate philosophy, its benefits and peoples attitude
towards SPDC. This would be achieved through the following objectives:
i.
Examining the Public relations
programmes of SPDC.
ii.
Assessing people’s opinion and
attitude toward Dangote as a corporate entity.
iii.
Probing into the reasons for
such perception about SPDC.
iv.
Making recommendations based on
the research findings for effective Public relations programmes for SPDC.
1.4 Research
Questions
The following research questions will be
answered through the study:
1.
In what ways have Dangote
maintained good relationship with its host Public?
2.
How do people, the stakeholders
and staff, perceive SPDC’s effort at ensuring good Public relationship?
3.
What are the expectations of
the Public members from Dangote in their Public relations effort?
4.
What role have Public relations
played on the corporate image of SPDC?
1.5 Statement
of Hypothesis
H1 Dangote maintains good relationship with
its host Public.
H2 The people, the stakeholders and staff
do not appreciate the resources expended in ensuring good Public relationship
by SPDC.
H3 Public relations do not play a role on
the corporate image of SPDC.
H4 Public members do not have much expectation from Dangote in
their Public effort.
1.6 Significance
of the Study
This study is not only significant but
absolutely essential, because it will help students or practitioners of public
relations in diverse organizations to understand the usefulness of good Public
relations in the life of every organization.
Since public perception is very crucial in
every organization, the study will help Dangote in understanding people’s
feelings towards its Public relations practice. Other organizations will see
the findings useful as they will help them in ensuring good Public relations in
their host areas.
The study will help in furtherance of knowledge
in the areas of Public relations and the emergent business ethnics of corporate
social responsibility.
1.7 Scope
of the Study
The scope of this study is only limited
to Petroleum Development Company of
Nigeria. The researcher will not go into other related organizations as it will
be cumbersome. The results from the study are intended to be generalized.
1.8 Limitations
of the Study
This study is only limited to Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria and
the results from the study are intended to be generalized.
In the course of this research work, there
are confrontations which the researcher faced, they are;
1.
Time: The time given to the researcher
to carryout this study is obliviously short, therefore make it difficult for
the researcher to really go deep into this study.
2.
Finance:
The researcher is faced by financial constrain, and without finance
little or nothing can be done.
3.
Respondents: Like it is stated, limitations of the study
some people do not respond when they are given questionnaire, some are reserved
when it comes to giving vital information.
Adequate and complete information on hardly gotten from respondent.
1.9 Definition of Terms
It is pertinent to present and explain
some terms used in the study to the level that will facilitate understanding of
the inherent ideas. The terms include the following:
Public
Relations: It is a public relations activity that
tends to create and sustain environmental friendly programmes and actions of
mutual benefits to both the organizations and its host Public. It fosters and
nurtures good neighborliness in a reciprocal interest of both parties.
Corporate
Identity: This means and also includes the
totality of what an organization stands to its public and host Public, how it
does that, its communication process and environment. It serves as the
forerunner to corporate image; it hits the soil for corporate image to grow
without problem. This is seen by the physical manifestation of good deeds the
organization does.
Corporate
Image: This is the public perception of the
organization. This sums up the impressions formed about an organization based
on its corporate identity and general relationship with its public. It goes
with mental perception.
Corporate
Social Responsibility: This is a business philosophy
which is of the view that organizations in the pursuance of their profit motive
ought to be responsive to the needs of the society, socially and economically.
SPDC:
It is an acronym for Petroleum
Development Company of Nigeria.
Crisis:
Is any occurrence of difficulty, trouble or danger.
Also, a time when a difficult or important
decision must be made.
Host
Public: This is a group of peoples residing in
an environment where an organization operates.
Publics:
These are various groups of people who may directly or indirectly be affected
by the activities of an organization. They include the shareholders, employees,
host Public inhabitants and contractors.
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