Introduction
Some Organizations usually have several management functions, to help them operate at their maximum capacity; Research, Development, Finance, Human resources, Product distributions, Marketing and other operations. Each of these functions is focused on its own contributions to the success of the Organizations.
Most organizations or firms are facing critical challenges which is as a result of formulations of regulating laws and community issues, that have threatened the existence of these Organizations.
To ensure efficient running of organizations amidst these circumstances, management must bring the feelings and opinion of its publics to bear in the policy formulation and decision making process of the organization. It must also ensure that, enduring cordial relationship exist between the organizations and the general publics.
This is very necessary because the survival and effective performance of any organization depends largely on the relationship between the organization and its publics.
According to Adekunle Salu (1994) “to achieve their goals, organization must develop effective relationship with different audience or public such as employee members, customers, local communication, shareholders and other institutions and with the society at large”.
In recent times, many organizations have ignored the foregoing, thus paying little or no attention to public sentiment. This is against the background of the fact that as a goal seeking entity which depends upon the exchange with the environment, organizations must establish mutual relationship with its publics constitute the main forces within exercise the greatest influence upon its activities.
Indeed, recognizing and reacting to public need and anxiety is the practice of good public relations. Public relations have a positive role to play in the business system of every organization. It is a key to commercial success and also an indispensable management tool through which organization gets to know their publics better.
It is the task of public relations to monitor public opinion, predict and communicate the consequences to the management. It is also its duty to help maintain loyalty and sustain acceptance for organizations polices.
Furthermore, in a rapidly changing environment characterized by frequent economic political and social changes, for organizations to survive and perform creditably, it is the role of public relations to interpreted trends to management. Yet, the extent which public relations does this depends entirely on the degree of recognition which management accords it.
According to Culprit and Centre (1971), if management thinks of public relations operations in a small way, then it will occupy a small place in company’s scheme of things and its contribution will be small but if management thinks it is important, then it will occupy a prominent place and its contribution will be large.
Today, many organizations have not accorded the profession its rightful place in the organizational structure. Though it is against the background that management experts have opinioned that public relations should belong to management, where its input can have the greatest impact on the activities and success of an enterprise.
The purpose of public relations in management is to establish a two way communication between organization and its publics, seeking common areas of mutual interest and establishing understanding based on truth, knowledge and full information.
However, in many instances the performances of these roles have been made difficult, given the awkward position in which most establishments have placed the public relations officers. The practice has been for these institutions to make the public relations practitioners to perform a more press functions; that is projecting the organization and the chief executive of the press.
This research study was informed by the desire to ascertain the extent which public relations departments in organizations have fostered goodwill and understanding between the organization and its publics in times of crisis.
In doing this, more emphasis will be made on where exactly public relations is placed in every organization.
In 1983, the Emirates Telecommunication Incompetent Slow and Lousy and Thieves (ETISALAT) changed the ownership structure oft heir organization due to multiple ownership of the company, which resulted to them, being left with 60% share in the company, and the remaining 40% were traded publicly.
This change of ownership not only attracted public out cry but was latterly condemned by a great majority of the citizenry amongst them were persons who lost their jobs which was their only means of livelihood.
Today, many of these individuals are still unemployed and have blamed their misfortune on ETISALAT. This was because many persons who could not be employed in the state civil service or any other government owned companies were delighted having found employment with private owned telephone services center which was immediately terminated after the changes.
This research has been observed that in so many organizations, management neither recognizes nor appreciate Public Relations effort in Nigeria. The management does not realize the Public relations activities in building and enhancing a good image for the standard of the organizations
It has been observed that the management’s attitude is lukewarm and non-challant towards public relations department. Besides, they do not want to spend money on its activities such as organizing press conference, seminars, workshops and symposium.
Therefore, this study will look at public relation as an effective management tool in organizations, as study of ETISALAT communication.
This research work will provide an important feedback to Public Relations practitioners, on the extent which organization is Nigeria have to integrate public relations officers in management’s decision making.
It will also define in specific terms the exact place and role of public relations in organizational structure.
Finally, it will help to present the day to day managers and key management personnel to appreciate the practice of public relations in every Organization.
This scope of this study is mainly limited to the Management Staff and Public Relations Unit of ETISALAT network and also to ascertain how effective public relations department are in every organizations.
While understanding this study, some limitations were encountered
At the time of writing this study work, it was not possible for the researcher to lay hands on all necessary and vital concrete equipment that are relevant to the topic due to scarcity of some books in the school libraries.
The attitude displayed by some of the interviewees was not encouraging as some of them were illiterate and could not understand the questionnaire given to them let alone knowing how to fill it.
Again due to lack of funds, the researcher was not able to print enough questionnaires for this research. At a time, I had to terminate this study for a while to seek more funds.
The result of this study cannot be held absolutely conclusive; this is because the time given for the work was not enough to enable the researcher carry out an elaborate study on this topic of study.
Public Relations: The planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between organization and its publics.
Effective: producing the result that is wanted or intended, producing a successful result.
Management: Group of individuals who controls and directs the affairs of the organization, achieving its goals and objective.
ETISALAT: Emirates Telecommunication Slow and Lousy and Thieves or Everyday Testing Intelligence So Always Late at Transmission.
Organization: a group of people who form a business or club together, in order to achieve a particular goal.