Defining Public Relations
MKT 438
Defining Public Relations
University of Phoenix
Your Name: xxxxxxx
Date: xxxxxxx, 2011
Defining Public Relations
Effective relations between an organization and its publics are one of the keys to business success. Given the fact that today’s society is now completely flooded with both electronic and traditional communications, the practice of public relations has never been of more value. In fact, “In the United States alone, public relations is a multibillion-dollar business practiced by 158,000 professionals, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, the Bureau says that “employment of public relations specialists is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through 2012 (book).” Public relations are clearly a growth industry and a recognized asset to successful business operations. However, one may find that public relations are commonly misunderstood and almost always difficult to define. This can be attributed to two main factors. Public relations do not apply to every organization in the same way, and PR research and application are constantly evolving fields. Most people falsely associate public relations solely with the act of maintaining publicity. The bottom line is that public relations actually encompass several functions such as writing, media relations, planning, counseling, researching, publicity, marketing communications, community relations, consumer relations, employee relations, government affairs, investor relations, special public’s relations, public affairs and issues management, and web site development. In the simplest sense, public relations as a field is concerned with creating and maintaining a positive public image for an organization. Public relations are also utilized in order to build rewarding relationships with an organization’s publics, such as customers, employees, shareholders, or the general public. Fraser P. Seitel, author of “The Practice of Public
Defining Public Relations
University of Phoenix
Your Name: xxxxxxx
Date: xxxxxxx, 2011
Defining Public Relations
Effective relations between an organization and its publics are one of the keys to business success. Given the fact that today’s society is now completely flooded with both electronic and traditional communications, the practice of public relations has never been of more value. In fact, “In the United States alone, public relations is a multibillion-dollar business practiced by 158,000 professionals, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, the Bureau says that “employment of public relations specialists is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through 2012 (book).” Public relations are clearly a growth industry and a recognized asset to successful business operations. However, one may find that public relations are commonly misunderstood and almost always difficult to define. This can be attributed to two main factors. Public relations do not apply to every organization in the same way, and PR research and application are constantly evolving fields. Most people falsely associate public relations solely with the act of maintaining publicity. The bottom line is that public relations actually encompass several functions such as writing, media relations, planning, counseling, researching, publicity, marketing communications, community relations, consumer relations, employee relations, government affairs, investor relations, special public’s relations, public affairs and issues management, and web site development. In the simplest sense, public relations as a field is concerned with creating and maintaining a positive public image for an organization. Public relations are also utilized in order to build rewarding relationships with an organization’s publics, such as customers, employees, shareholders, or the general public. Fraser P. Seitel, author of “The Practice of Public
Bibliography: Harlow, R. F. (1976). Building a Public Relations Definition. Seitel, F. P. (2007). The Practice of Public Relations, Tenth Edition. Prentice Hall.