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Functions Of Public Relations

Introduction

Economic developments of the last several decades have changed economic and social structures, leading to new business opportunities but also to social dangers and concerns. Companies and organizations are increasingly expected by their stakeholders to find strategies and ways to play a more active role in addressing social issues, and to take responsibility for their actions.
It is the task of public relations practitioners to balance these societal demands and stakeholders’ expectations with the goals of their company and to communicate in an effective manner by developing socially responsible strategies.
This is summarized in the following statement by Baskin and Aronoff:

"Public relations is a management function that helps achieve organizational objectives, define philosophy and facilitate organizational change. Public relations practitioners communicate with all relevant internal and external publics to create consistency between organizational goals and societal expectations. Public relations practitioners develop, execute, and evaluate organizational programs that promote the exchange of influence and understanding among an organization’s constituent parts and publics." (Baskin and Aronoff, 1992)

This paper examines some of the similarities and differences that exist between two organizational functions, publicity and marketing communications and two societal functions of public relations, community relations and social responsibility.

Societal Functions

Social Responsibility

The effectiveness of strategies and communication programs depends on how public relations practitioners communicate with their stakeholders and on how much effort they make to build and maintain good relationships. To guarantee good relations and effective campaigns, the public relations function must be involved in the overall strategic management process where public relations strategies can be managed by objectives. Furthermore, public...