The Effects Of Public Relations On Organization. Case Study: Zenith Banks In Anambra State

The Effects Of Public Relations On Organization. Case Study: Zenith Banks In Anambra State

Abstract

The study’s main goal is to use Zenith Banks in Anambra State as a case study to analyze the influence of public relations on organizations. The study utilized a survey research design, and the researcher engaged 36 participants for the study who are employees of three (3) chosen Zenith Bank branches in Anambra State. The responder was given a well-structured questionnaire, and a total of 30 replies were obtained, 30 of which were validated for the study. Tables and frequencies were used to present the data. Simple percentage, mean, and standard deviation analyses of the results provided answers to the study objectives.

According to study results, public relations plays a key role in helping organizations achieve their goals through managing content generation, media representation, brand reputation management, business value promotion, crisis communication, and community relationship management. The study also reveals the impact of PR, including its ability to direct management during times of change like corporate downsizing, maintain an organization’s reputation with its clients, and convey an organization’s message to its clients, investors, and the general public. Therefore, the study suggests that management of firms make sure that the public relations department has roles that are very well defined. To ensure the efficacy of public relations practice, they should make sure that no other administrative tasks are mixed with public relations operations. The management of Zenith Banks should foster a climate that supports excellent public relations work.

Chapiter 1

Introduction

the study’s history

Public relations is the social science and art of studying trends, anticipating their effects, advising organization leaders, and carrying out pre-planned action plans that will benefit the organization and its audience. Additionally, there is a conscious, well-thought-out, and ongoing effort to build and preserve trust between an organization and its audience. Public relations encompasses a wide variety of actions in all of those. The precise process used for these activities involved study, action, communication, evaluation, and efficiency because no public relations program is carried out carelessly. It is action before statement first and foremost.

In order to attract customers, generate interest in investments, improve financial performance, enhance the reputation of talented employees, increase return on assets of the organization, create a competitive advantage, and gain the trust of financial analysts, Mohd Hamdan (2008) claims that public relations practice is crucial to the organization. Regardless of the country, state, or district, government public relations (GPR) is one of the crucial jobs in the public sector. With the intention of producing people who act as intermediaries in the organization to communicate with the audience or between employees and other employees, each department in the public sector is required to designate a staff member known as the Public Relations Officer (PRO). To achieve the organization’s goal and mission, every employee must, nevertheless, demonstrate proficiency in public relations. Since the staff members are those who are responsible for delivering information and services to the community as well as the fulfillment of the organization’s objectives, mission, and vision, every employee in the manufacturing sector needs to practice relationships with excellence. Organizations are worried about the impressions they leave on the populations they serve. others in organizations react to the perception they have of the organization, not necessarily to its actuality. People who have a poor perception of an organization shun or criticize it, whereas others with favorable perceptions gravitate toward it. Clients can be satisfied by either products or services, but for this to happen, some information must pass from the organization to the clients as well as from the organization to the other publics the organization deals with (Kotler, 2002). This is how an organization creates real satisfaction for its clients and lets others know about it.

According to Wilcox et al. (2009), it is ideal to integrate public relations in decision-making to decide the path of the business and its personnel. This is especially true for organizations that engage in long-term planning. In order to effectively organize and bring about a favorable or bad impact on the company, public relations can identify and engage with stakeholders. A crucial component of a successful organization’s public relations program is strategic management. Public relations campaigns are not just restricted to media outlets like television and newspapers; in some circles, they are also utilized to promote goods and services like any other type of review (Toth, 2007). Instead, it entails using media as a tool for integration that can help an organization and the public retain a positive reputation and a shared understanding.

Description of the issue

To establish and sustain a common understanding with their publics, corporate entities have turned to public relations strategies.Price et al. (2007) claim that there is intense competition in the business world, and that businesses must set themselves apart from the competition in order to attract new clients and keep hold of current ones. However, they also need to establish and uphold a favorable public image. According to Poister and Streib (2005), public relations (PR) is the method by which businesses, organizations, and people interact with the general public and the media.Despite the fact that the Mukwano Group of Companies is a larger organization with numerous facilities, it still faces numerous challenges in the form of political, social, economic, and technological forces that are constantly changing, leaving behind useless equipment and workers with out-of-date skills. The production and distribution of low-quality products (like soap, Omo, etc.) that occasionally cause body itchiness, irritations, and other skin diseases have made the company unpopular in the public eye, which has a negative impact on its overall performance. As a result, the organization has received open criticism from the public. In order to close these loopholes, the company instead adopted successful public relations strategies that helped it build and maintain a positive reputation with the public and the media by speaking on its behalf and portraying its operations as a whole in the best light possible (Dozier and Broom, 1995). This has inspired the researcher to conduct further in-depth analysis and learn how Zenith Banks in Anambra State may be used as a case study to examine the influence of public relations on organizations.

Goals of the Study

The study’s main goal is to use Zenith Banks in Anambra State as a case study to analyze the influence of public relations on organizations. In particular, the study aims to:

to determine whether public relations practices are necessary for an organization to achieve its objectives.

to pinpoint particular tasks that public relations professionals can carry out to further an organization’s objectives.

It determines how public relations affect an organization.

to investigate how public relations might be improved to meet company goals.

1.4 Research Problem

Is the practice of public relations important for attaining an organization’s objectives?

What duties do public relations professionals carry out in order to advance an organization’s objectives?

What impact does public relations have on businesses?

How can public relations be strengthened to accomplish an organizational goal?

1.5 Importance of the research

The core of all communication, public relations is an expanding profession with many complexities. The study’s findings will be useful to businesses, managers, and academia. Because it discusses the value of public relations within an organization, this study is crucial. The study offers a framework because it defined public relations as a vital organizational subsystem. This study can be used as a reference by businesses to evaluate the success and overall value of their internal public relations departments, or any other department that falls under the purview of public relations. The research will also advance knowledge generally and provide as a resource for academics and students interested in pursuing future research in a relevant area.

1.6 Study’s purview

The study’s focus is on how public relations may help organizations achieve their goals. The study will go through the impact of public relations on organizations and provide further ways to strengthen them. However, the study is restricted to Anambra State’s Zenith Bank Plc.

1.7 Study’s limitations

Financial restraint: A researcher’s ability to collect data (through the internet, a questionnaire, and interviews) and locate relevant materials, literature, or information is often hindered by a lack of funding.

Time restraint: The researcher will do this investigation together with other academic activities at the same time. As a result, less time will be spent on the research project.