CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1.      Background of the Study

Public relations is strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics, according to the PR society of America.  Organizations can use public relations tools and techniques to communicate effectively with customers, suppliers, employees, investors and the community.  Public relations techniques help organizations market their products and services and they influences attitudes toward the organization. 

1.1.1    Media Information

Newspapers, magazines, radio and television are important channels for communicating with customers, investors and the community; if you launch a new products, for example, stimulate interest by issuing a press release to newspapers and magazines that reach your target market.  When you want to attract investors, send a press release to the business or financial editors of newspapers and magazines that reach your target market.  When you want to attract investors send a press release to the business or financial editors of newspapers describing growth opportunities in your market or significant new business wins. If you want o gain public approval for your new factory plans, explains benefits to the community through press releases to local media.

1.1.2    Opinion polls

Providing the media with opinion or comments on important issues can help raise your company’s profile.  Invite editors and journalists to interview your chief Executive on legislation that affects your industry, for example, ask your technical director to comment or write an article on an important new technology materials and offer the content to trade magazines, speaking engagements at conferences or local business events, such as chambers of commerce, meetings, also to provide valuable opportunities to demonstrate your company’s expertise.

1.1.3    Social Media

Participating in social media gives an organization the opportunity to monitor attitudes toward the organization and fine-tune its public relations strategy.  One monitors references to the organization or products on social media, such as face book, twitter or product review sites, and negative comments.  By engaging in dialogue, you can help to build positive attitudes and manage organization’s reputation

1.1.4   Employee Communications  

Communication with employees is important, even in small organizations keeping them informed about new products, customer wins, important appointments or new business opportunities builds positive attitudes and commitment.  You can use newsletters or an employee page on your website to publish relevant organization news.  Sending press releases on organizations developments to local newspapers and help attract new employees if you are expanding your organization.

1.1.5     Corporate Social Responsibility

Volunteering for community projects or producing sponsorship for local sports or community events strengthens relationships with the public and demonstrates that the organization is social responsive.  If products or manufacturing processes have an environmental impact to the public, the organization’s policies through press releases or public meetings establish good credentials.

Much of the daily routine of organizations entails information exchange and coordination. To the extent that both these activities are dependent upon communication networks, communication thus becomes a plausible focus for comparative organizational analysis.

However, while communication has been a recurrent theme in organizational theory (March & Simon, 1958; Blau & Scott, 1962; Barnard, 1938), there has been little empirical research dealing with organizational constraints on communication.   The shifting of management focus towards ‘stakeholders’ rather than ‘shareholders’ had lead to the change in business communication and public relations which is defined to be the strategic management function in most cases in now focused on building and maintaining an impeccable  corporate

reputation.

Public Relations (PR) is not a recent invention.  The importance of communication with the pubic and maintenance of positive public image as known as early as in the ancient times but the beginnings of modern public relations are traditionally dated in the 18^th century London.  One of the first public relations was Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire who heavily campaigned for Charles James Fox and his Whig Party.   Public relations in the real meaning of the word, however dates only to the early 20^th century.  The first real public relations specialist was according to some Ivy Lee (1877-1934), while the others see Edward Bernays (1891-1995) as “the father of pubic relations”.

Individuals and organizations use public relations to gain public favor or enhance reputation.  Public relations rely on mass media and other communication tools to understand public sentiment and to disseminate information to the public successful public relations communication covers the five w’s, who, what, when, where & why.  Organizations often use the company website as a tool for communicating with the public, disseminating information about events, new services or other topics of public interest.  In some case, an area of the website is specifically designated for PR communication and may include press releases, online press kits and other traditional PR tools in digital format.

1.1.6   The Concept of Communication

The concept of communication is dynamic and has been utilized and defined differently by different scholars. They have studied communication as it relates to people in various social organizations. The term communication is of Latin origin. It comes from the word,

‘communicare’ which means to common. Communication is the answer to the general need of creating common understanding among people or organizations.

Okumbe (1998:126) defines communication as the "exchange of information and the transmission of meaning.” Durbin (1978:5) has defined it as the transmission of information between and among people in an organization. He further says that interaction between individuals and groups can only occur if there is communication between them. Hebert and

Gollet (1967) emphasize, “Talking with people is a process with no permanent sender and no permanent receiver. In communication the role of sending and receiving change hands depending on who is talking and who is listening. This implies freedom, equality and shared interests.

Effective communication is important tool in the performance of any organization and therefore communication skills are becoming increasingly important as an organization’s success depends on effective communication.  Communication can further be defined as giving, receiving or exchanging information, facts, opinions or ideas by writing, speech or visual means, so that the message communicated is completely understood by the recipient.  The key to effective communication is ensuring that your message is understood, stipulating the recipient to take appropriate action, or affecting the way the recipient thinks in some way.   

Communication helps to achieve interpersonal skills particularly the ability to manage one’s emotions, motivations and behavior.  It should also be used as an effective tool for improving an organization’s productivity and performance (Marilyn, 2003).

Effective communication as a public relations tool results in positive interaction.  This may be defined as individual’s encouraging and facilitating each other’s efforts to complete tasks and produce in order to achieve organizational goals and objectives.  However, poor communication results in low productivity due to workers setting low goals for themselves, lacking confidence in their ability and assuming that they will fail no matter how hard they

try.

According to James (2001) managing people in organizations, the principles of communication area as follows: - communication should always add value:  This means that each of us should always consider the decision on plan.  For instance what the receiver of any communication will make as a result of the communication itself.    Basic question we should ask ourselves before hand is what I am trying to achieve by this communication.  Therefore, communication is not just keeping people informed or up-to-date.  There should be opendoor-policy:  The way in which communication is managed is very important.  It not enough for manager or team leader to merely have an open-door policy, he or she has to actively take an interest in communication within the institution e.g. outcomes of some discussions,

policies etc.

1.2       Statement of the problem

Effective communication as public relations tool has been neglected in many firms or organizations.  Majority of the management may fail to make decisions due to communication.  Sharing knowledge also achieved through communication, co-operation with each other to do things which we can not do alone.  People in organization exist through effective communication and that knowledge, information, attitudes and judgment are shared (Bennet Roger 1998).  Some of the variables in an organization fit together in doing something and described communication as an intervening variable that might have several different results.   Communication has been improved by introduction of communication network through electronic systems.  They reduce constraints of time and space, increasing efficiency of communication process in speed and accuracy.  

An institution needs to examine whether its communication with the public is helping to bring a positive image.  A positive image leads to public support for and confidence in its goals and objectives.

Public relations used to be about getting positive messages out; it was a one-way communication designed to showcase the best of an institution to gain community support. 

Today, PR is less about conveying information but it it about establishing and promoting partnerships within the community.  Effective public relations ask for and receive information just as much as they transmit it.

Because today’s public demands accountability, institutions have to provide ever more detailed information about their operations, policies and functions.  Institutions must seek input stakeholders’ when formulating their policies. Similarly, institutions must gain the support of the community and decision makers.  Education is not the show in town and competition for adequate financing comes from numerous sectors of society.  Effective communication and PR is critical in these undertakings.

In an educational environment PR has been defined as: A planned and systematic two-way process of communication intended to encourage public involvement and to earn public understanding and support for the institution.  Yet, PR is more than communications in that it is more about relationships with students, staff, parents, community, stakeholders, suppliers, Government, NGO’s, that it is about provision of information.

Therefore this study aims at evaluating effective communication as a public relations tool in a learning institution.

1.3       Objectives of the study

1.3.1    General objectives 

The main objective of the study is to investigate challenges of effective communication as public relations tool in an institution/organization.

1.3.2. Specific objectives

The study has the following objectives:

i. To establish the factors which influence on the effective communication strategies and their influence on public relations in the department of extra mural-studies ii. To establish how the barriers to effective communication influence on public relations in the department of extra mural studies.

iii.             To identify the challenges facing the department of extra mural-studies in the implementation of effective communication strategies.

iv.             To determine how information technology contribute to effective communication as a public relations tool in a learning institution.

1.4.      Research Questions

i.          What are the influences on the effective communication strategies and their influence on  public relations in the Department of Extra Mural-Studies?

ii)                  How do the barriers of effective communication influence on public relations in the           Department of Extra Mural?

iii)                How do challenges facing the Department of Extra Murals affect effective            communication as a public relations tool?

iv)                How does information technology contribute to effective communication as a public         relations tool in the Department of Extra Mural Studies?

1.5.      Limitations of the study

Respondents are usually suspicious of the people soliciting for work related information but the research will attempt to build a rapport with the respondents.  Extra Mural Centres are usually busy with students from all walks of life enquiring about courses.  This will therefore make me not have much time with the Center Organizers and the students.  The research will overcome this challenge by meeting the respondents at their free time.

1.6. Scope of the study

This study will be carried out at the University of Nairobi, Department of Extra Mural Center which is under the College of Education & External Studies situated at Kikuyu Location,

Kiambu County and all their regional offices located in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Nyeri, Kakamega, Garissa, Meru, Eldoret, Busia , Bugoma, Kisii, Thika, Garissa, Kapenguria and Machakos. 

1.7.      Significance of the Study

The Information acquired from this project report can be used by other researchers as a reference in future, by being compelled to carry out further study on the same filed.  The findings of this study may help the management and staff members of the Institution to understand the importance of effective communication as a public relations tool in their institution hence able to take it seriously. Not only will this study help this institution but also other organizations to understand challenges facing communication and possible solutions to the problem.  Also the findings of this study may help the management in evaluating effective communication as a management function tool within the company’s management and its public for improved efficiency with a view to recommending changes that would improve its present communication systems. 

The study will add new information to the wide academic knowledge in this area which can be used by other researchers as references in the future.

The significance of his study therefore largely draws from the fact that there are very few other studies that have looked at effective communication as a PR tool any institution/organization.

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