CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Most government and private organizations recognize the need and importance of public relations despite their different commitment to their various public.

As stated by Ajala (1993) the British institute of public relations (BIPR) defines relations as the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its public.

This definition shows that public relations practice is important to an organisation. As experience has shown that an organisation earns almost all the its revenue and marketing possibilities through public support. Any organisation without public support dies a premature death.

Funds spent on public relations of an organization are out looked upon as an avenue for revitalizing the organisation. It is an input which enhances the continued existence of the organisation.

Hamb (1972) stated that “public relations is a management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and co-operation between an organisation and its public. It also helps management to keep informed on problems or issues and responsible to public opinion, defines and emphasis the responsibility of management to serve the public interest, helps management to keep abreast of an effectively wanting system to help anticipate trends and use research and sound ethical communications as its principal tools.

Public relations helps an organisation to evaluate public opinion, decide organisational polices to suit public opinion and create good will amongst management and their internal and external publics. This research topic looks at the relevance of public relations practices in a business organisation and also helps to evaluate good will between an organization and its public.

1.2       ORIGIN OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

In ancient times, priests serve as the public relations advisers to their kings. They were experts in public opinion and persuasion. The kings consults them before any major decision or ceremonial events were undertaken. Furthermore, the priests produced literatures, poems of praise and lamentation even edict to govern the people.

The tools and techniques or public relations have long been an important part of the weapon in political and social conflict. These were sustained campaigns to move and manipulate public opinions.

In America, the work of Samuel Adams and his supporters during the evolutionary war of independence were the beginning of mass mobilization of public opinion. The used the pen, platform, pulpit, staged events, symbols and political organisation in a determined and unrelenting way, until the U.S.A was established in 1777.

The modern concept and terminology of public relations was met very well known in the past, this was because there were few events for its full scale development. Group relationship was relatively simple and people were self sufficient and independent. Prior to the advent of public relations as we know of today, the main antecedents of the twenty century publicity can be distinguished. These are:

a.           Press Agency

b.           Advertising

c.            Publicity for business critics and reforms

These three elements formed a compound public relations in the first decade a the twenty century.

The U.S. Government first used pubic relations ideas in the First World War when President Woodraw Wilson established the committee on public information to popularize the liberty Warbonds and for propaganda.

After the World War II, the U.S Congress established the United States Information Service (USIS) to interpret the U.S. foreign policy to the people of the world.

In Britain, the first organised pubic relations effort was made by the insurance commission in 1911 under the direction of Mr. Lloyd George to explain the National Insurance Act (NIA) to the public. The outbreak of the fist World War led to rapid expansion of publicity in Britain and overseas.

At first this was carried out by a number of separate bodies. By early 1918, such publicity was conducted by three organisation. The ministry of information responsible for work in Britain and in the dominion and in allied and in neutral countries.

The national war committee which carried out patriotic propaganda in Britain and a committee under Lord North Cliff which was responsible for a propaganda in every country.

The first world pubic relations congress was held in Brussels, Belgium in June 1955 and the second was in Venice May 1961. The aim was to do everything possible to raise the world’s standard for pubic relations.