Function of Public Relations

Functions of Public Relations

The line between organizational and societal functions of public relations is increasingly becoming blurred. For the purposes of this assignment, marketing communications and employee relations have been grouped into the organizational function while social responsibility and community relations have been grouped into the societal function. These segmentations have been derived primarily be examining direct links to profits and how much a company has focused on either inward or outward activities. However, companies that seek better profits are now realizing that they are tied to what they can do for the welfare of the members of society. Along with this realization comes a tighter linkage between organizational and society functions of public relations to achieve a new business vision called corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Marketing communications is more aligned with organizational functions because it helps meet the internal needs of promotion to advance sales of products and services. While there is attention on an external force, the customer, the primary motivator attention is on advancing the organization's internal techniques to maximize profit. Marketing communications programs are designed to: identify and acquire new prospects; retain and expand current customers; develop and support the sales channel; and create brand images that help the company sell (Riesterer). Successful programs help an organization save money by reducing the actual cost of selling by shortening the sales cycle and maximizing the effectiveness of expensive field sales staff.

Likewise, employee relations is organizational centric. Ultimately, the goal is to inform and motivate an organization's employees so that they will act in the best interest of the company, i.e. behavior that will maximize the company's profits. Bidirectional communication between management and employees is necessary for this to happen. Thus, the public relations department works closely with personnel or human resources to achieve good employee relations by performing activities such as publishing newsletters, explaining company policies and benefits, training, facilitating management/employee meetings, and creating employee productivity campaigns (Public relations FAQ).

Social responsibility is best categorized as societal because, in this instance, public relations is applied to the long-term public needs rather than attempting to generate interest by ignoring the negative consequences for society (Panteleeva) or by focusing solely on the income sheet. Examples of social responsibility include the economic impact of business decisions on a location, impact on the environment, the impact of products and services on the public's well being, and business participation in funding political candidates, to name a few. According to Pantelleva, public relations focused on social responsibility presents an organizations activities having impact on external groups as well as an organization's activities, aimed at solving common social problems not directly linked with the organization itself. To be socially responsible, a company must adhere to an organizational structure and policies that promotes responsible decision making and behavior.

Community relations also falls into the societal functional group. As the case with social responsibility, the organization turns its attention outward, in a way that does not directly contribute to a company's profitability. A company is a vital part of a community and as such has obligations to that community through various kinds of support such as encouraging employees to do volunteer work, providing a grant to the local orchestra or art museum, lending executives to a fund raising effort and donating needed equipment to local schools or hospitals (Public relations FAQ).

To be obsessed only about making more profits could be lethal for a company unless it focuses on ethics, transparency and the welfare of society. For example, a company that promotes a product that it knows is bad for society (think cigarettes) will eventually pay a high price for doing so. And, a company that gains employee productivity by sacrificing safe working conditions will soon discover that it has a public relations crisis on its hands. In both these instances short-term gain is achieved, but in the long-term society responds to bad behavior in a way that diminishes these achievements.