PRO251X
Public Relations II
Chapters 12, 13 & 14
Mrs Swart
TOPICS
• Chapter 12:
Public Relations in the public sector
• Chapter 13:
Dealing with crisis situations and Labour
unrest
• Chapter 14:
Multinational Organisations
PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE PUBLIC
SECTOR
Also referred to as …
Public Affairs … Public Information … Public Communication …
Government Communication … Government Public Relations
PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE PUBLIC
SECTOR
Democracy = “government of the people, by the people, for the
people” and therefore …
•public relations techniques is PEOPLE-ORIENTED
•communication aims to achieve mutual understanding
•all PR practitioners should understand the workings of the
public service
•in a true democracy the government serves the community
(citizens/public/society)
•government is answerable to the community – in other words it
must account for its activities
PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE PUBLIC
SECTOR
Responsibilities of a democratic government that will determine
how PR is planned and executed:
•government must keep track of the needs and interests of its
citizens and grow and adapt accordingly
•must maintain the involvement of citizens
Broad requirements for successful
government public relations
Report all
government
activities to the
citizens
Promote
effective
participation and
support by the
citizens
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE
GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS
• Public Apathy - lack of interest in government activities OR
lack of knowledge of government
Caused by:
 citizen frustration
 difficulty to access complicated government systems
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE
GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS
• Legislative Hostility to the PR function – suspicion of
governments activities
Caused by:
 struggle between the ‘people’s right to know and the view by
government who calls for discretion in certain areas
 struggle within government between the legislative (‘law
makers’) and executive functions of government
 struggle between political parties
 protests by industries/institutions when faced with new
regulations and laws
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
National Government (Parliament)
Provincial Government (nine provinces)
Local Government (283 municipalities)
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
National Government
Functions of PR practitioners:
 Implement public policy
 Support and assist the media
 Report back to the public
 Promote internal cooperation
 Promote relationship between government and the public
 Promote support by the private sector
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
Provincial Government
Functions of PR practitioners:
 Liaison between national and provincial level
 Provide information on policy level
 Deals with the immediate needs and demands of citizens
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
Local Government
Functions of PR practitioners:
 Report to residents about policy
 Provide relevant and adequate information to ensure
informed decisions are made
 Make sure residents have the channels to communicate their
needs to the councillors
 Provide information on local authority services
 Explain the need for regulations
 Informing residents about their rights and obligations
 Promote community pride
Government Communication and
Information System (GCIS)
Aims to provide communication services and support to
government, the media, the public and international
community
Objectives:
Ensure the voice of government is heard
Promote a positive communication environment
Ensure an understanding of the public’s needs and
government’s communication needs
Set standards for government communication
CRISIS SITUATIONS AND LABOUR
UNREST
A crisis can be categorised into eight types:
… natural, technological, confrontation, skewed management
values, deception, management misconduct, business and
economic.
It requires … proactive planning
• A pre-plan such as a crisis communication plan
• Coordination – who does what, when and how?
• Communication – beware of communication gaps
• Mediation – act as mediator between management and the
media
• Evaluation – evaluate plans and correct if necessary
LABOUR UNREST
The PR practitioner has the following responsibilities:
• Ensure management, employees and media are informed
• Needs to be prepared
• Ensure employees stay at work or return to work as soon as
possible
• Ensure initiatives to handle labour unrest rests with
management
• Prevent injuries and damage to property
• Establish the cause of the problem and get a complete view
• Assist with reaching an acceptable agreement
DEALING WITH STRIKES
The PR practitioner has the following responsibilities:
•
•
•
•
Tell the story in honest and strong terms
Inform employees immediately before it is known
Keep employees and the public informed
Assist the media to cover the story quickly, accurately and
impartially
• Keep management informed
• Be well-organised and ensure adequate assistance
PUBLIC RELATIONS IN MULTINATIONAL
ORGANISATIONS
Also referred to as …
International public relations
Objectives:
• Assist local companies to reach international markets or
audiences
• Assist foreign clients to communicate with local audiences
PUBLIC RELATIONS IN MULTINATIONAL
ORGANISATIONS
The importance of Public Relations in multinational
organisations:
• To bring understanding between an organisation and its
publics
• Create sensitivity for the dynamics of a specific country and
the fact that what applies in one country may not necessarily
apply in others – each is unique
• Ensuring there is no conflict between the organisation’s
unique properties and the socio-political environment of the
‘host’ country
• To know the specific objectives of the country to introduce
relevant methods to achieve the organisation’s objectives
PUBLIC RELATIONS IN MULTINATIONAL
ORGANISATIONS
Factors that could cause conflict in implementing a PR
awareness campaign:
• Some activities that impact on the country’s socially and
economically may cause conflict e.g. such as mining when
miners are retrenched due to poor economic times
• The Presence of an organisation can be a factor – e.g. larger
organisations are more visible and in the public eye
specifically ‘new’ organisations may experience initial
resistance
PUBLIC RELATIONS IN MULTINATIONAL
ORGANISATIONS
Factors that could cause conflict in implementing a PR
awareness campaign:
• Objectives of management affect the planning and the
execution the PR function (aggressive management style =
regular news coverage vs a ‘relaxed’ style = more time for
proactive action)
• Product or services marketed can be so ‘sensitive’ that the
host country could opt to manage the PR themselves
• Link with marketing will affect the awareness programmes –
some practices may be illegal in some countries
The PR structures in Multinational
Organisations
Public relations divisions are either centralised or
decentralised and it is determined by the organisation
Centralised Structure
Advantages
•The same policy is followed
•Public relations actions are
standardised
Disadvantages
•It takes a great deal of time to get
clearance
•Important opportunities can be lost.
•Action can be taken too late
•Poor coordination can lead to
problems
•It is possible that culture, language
and policy of the host country are not
considered
•In some instances it will not be
possible to immediately take
temporary measures
The PR structures in Multinational
Organisations
Decentralised Structure
Advantages
•Public relations can be executed
effectively
•It leads to effective communication to
prevent damage to the image of the
organisation
•Immediate decisions can be taken
•The country/region itself is
responsible for the PR and culture,
language, policy of the host country
can be considered
•It allows the PR practitioner to
sensitise and inform managers and
identify opportunities that can be
addressed by public relations actions
Disadvantages
•Action can be taken contrary to the
policy of the organisation.
•The situation does not receive the
necessary attention
Examination Preparation
Contact any of the responsible lecturers if you experience
difficulties during your preparation and need clarification of
specific issues:
Gibson Chauke
Tel: 012 429 6843
E-mail: chaukg1@unisa.ac.za
Christelle Swart
Tel: 012 429 2633
E-mail: cswart@unisa.ac.za
Louise van Dyk
Tel: 012 429 2148
E-mail: vdykli@unisa.ac.za
Vuyolwethu Seti
Tel: 012 429 6216
E-mail: setiv@unisa.ac.za
Examination Preparation:
To prepare and plan for all the examinations, you have to work
through all three assignments (and the relevant chapters in
your study guides).
It is important that you have an understanding of the basic
principles of public relations and its various activities. Make sure
that you know the different ways in which public relations is
practised by the different organisations/departments, for
example the role of public relations in non-profit and welfare
organisations, multinational organisations nd government
departments.
Examination Preparation
Make sure that you study the chapters in your study guide that
are relevant to your assignments and all the topics addressed in
your study guide.
For students who fail the Oct/Nov examination and qualify for a
supplementary examination, you will be required to write the
supplementary examination during Jan/Feb in 2013.
The supplementary examination is based on the same syllabus
and module content which you studied during the semester. If
you qualify for a supplementary examination please contact your
lecturers for more information or guidance on the
supplementary examination.
Examination Preparation
30 OCTOBER 2012: to be confirmed by examination department
The following aspects are important guidelines for examination
purposes; however you could be examined on any of the
chapters in the study guide:
•Familiarise yourself with the steps of the research process –
make sure you can identify and discuss it.
•Familiarise yourself with research terms and know the various
reasons why research is important in public relations.
•You should be able to explain questions that guide the
evaluation research.
•Know the PR budget.
•You should know the differences between a public relations
budget and an advertising budget.
Examination Preparation
• Make sure you are familiar with functions of a public relations
practitioner in financial programmes.
• Study the steps of a fund-raising campaign and make sure you
can apply it practically.
• Know the systems approach to public relations.
• You should be able to identify the steps in a public relations
programme for a non-profit organisation and how these steps
can be applied by a non-profit organisation.
• Know the features that distinguish non-profit organisations.
Make sure you can explain the features in meaningful
sentences.
Examination Preparation
• Sound relationships and mutual understanding between the
government and the organisation/citizens of a country are
important. You should know the barriers that hamper the
building of successful relationships.
• Familiarise yourself with the different levels of government in
South Africa and the role of public relations in each.
• Study public relations in multinational (international)
organisations – the structures and the conflict factors.
Examination Preparation: Sub-exam
JANUARY/FEB 2013:to be confirmed by examination Department
The following aspects are important guidelines for examination
purposes; however you could be examined on any of the
chapters in the study guide:
•Make sure you understand the difference between attitudes
and opinions.
•Make sure you can give a detailed discussion of public opinion.
•Familiarise yourself with integrated communication and the
prerequisites for an Integrated Marketing Model.
•Know the systems approach to public relations.
•Make sure you know the meaning of financial public relations.
Examination Preparation:
JANUARY/FEB 2013:to be confirmed by examination Department
The following aspects are important guidelines for examination
purposes; however you could be examined on any of the
chapters in the study guide:
•Study the importance of public relations in crisis and disaster
situations. Make sure you can discuss the role of the practitioner
and the importance of media relations.
•You should know how to plan a public relations campaign and
how to apply the ‘RAISE’ formula.
•Employee (internal) communication is very important – make
sure you know the accomplishments for using internal
communication.
Examination Format
• The paper consists of five questions, of which you will be
required to answer any four.
• It is a two-hour examination paper. It is not necessary for you
to give a table of contents or a list of references in the
examination.
• The examination paper counts 100 marks in total.
• Answer only what is asked, since you have limited time to
spend on each question.
• Make sure that you answer all the questions and complete all
the subsections.
Examination Format
• Some questions are longer and require an answer in an essay
style (introduction, body with relevant headings, and
conclusion). Use full sentences and paragraphs if a discussion
is required in the examination.
• Approach your examination questions in the same way as you
did your assignments – use the theory as background and
provide practical examples where required.
GOOD LUCK!