Public relations as a management function

На русском языке.

II. Письменно своими словами изложите основное содержание текста

I. Прочитайте текст. Опираясь на информацию текста, найдите

Text B

ЗАДАНИЯ К ТЕКСТУ

ответы на следующие вопросы:

1. What is the essence of public relations as a management function?

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2. How are public relations activities generally handled?

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3. What kind of services do PR professionals perform?

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III. Задайте к тексту 6 – 7 вопросов разного типа.

(1) The term “public relations” has many interpretations and meanings. First, public relations involves working with public opinion. Most people are interested in what an organization is doing to meet their concerns and interests. PR professionals attempt to influence public opinion in a way that is positive to the organization. Second, public relations is concerned with communication which is actually two-way communication. Public relations specialists explain the organization’s actions to various public involved with the organization and communicate the opinions of the public back to the agency. It is also the function of the PR department to gather information from the public and interpret that information for top management as it relates to management decisions. Third,public relations is a management function as it helps a company define and set organizational goals, facilitate organizationalchange, and adapt to a changing environment. PR people regularly counsel top management, develop, execute, and evaluate organizational programs to create consistency between organizational and societal expectations.

(2) Public relations is practiced in a variety of areas: government, business, politics, education, etc. Although the general principles are the same, the annual duties of the PR practitioner will vary according to the setting. In business public relations helps the marketing process by instilling in the consumer a positive attitude toward the company. Public relations also helps promote healthy employee - management relations and serves as a major liaison between the firm and government regulators. Many government agencies hire PR specialists to help them explain their activities to citizens and to assist the news media in their coverage of the different agencies. A growing number of candidates for office hire a PR expert to help them get their messageacross to voters.

(3) PR activities are generally handled in two ways. Many organizations have their own PR department that works with the managers of all other departments. These departments are part of top management, and the PR director is responsible to the president of the company. Other organizations hire an external PR counsel to give advice on consumer relations, press, and government. In business and industry about one – third of the PR activity is handled by outside counseling firms. Many major corporations retain an outside agency in addition to their own internal PR department. Each of these arrangements has its particular advantages and disadvantages. An internal department has more in–depth knowledge about the company, and its operations tend to be less costly. On the other hand, it’s hard for a corporate PR team to take an objective view of the company. An outside agency offers more services to its clients than does an internal department. External counselors are also more objective observers, and many firms like the prestige associated with being a client of a respected PR firm. But the external agencies are more expensive and it takes time for them to learn the inner working of their clients` operations.

(4) Internal or external, PR professionals perform a wide range of services. These include counseling management, preparing annual reports, handling news releases and other forms of media coverage, supervising employee and other internal communications, managing promotions and special events, fund-raising, lobbying, community relations and speech writing, to name just a few.

(5) To handle PR activities adequately requires a planned and organized PR program. An effective effort of the PR manager is the result of a four-step process:1) information gathering 2) planning 3) communication 4 evaluation.

The information-gathering stage is an important one because what is learned from it will influence the remaining stages. Information gathering can be achieved through several means. Organizational records, trade journals, public records, and reference books serve as valuable sources for existing data. Personal contacts, mail to the company, advisory committees, and personnel reports represent other sources of information.

Phase two is the planning which is a vital part of the PR manager job. There are strategic and tactical plans. Strategic plans involve long-range general goals that the organization wishes to achieve. Top management usually formulates an organization’s strategic plans. Tactical plans are more specific. They detail the tasks that must be accomplished by every department in the organization to achieve the strategic goal. Some of the items involved in a PR campaign include setting the objectives, considering the alternatives, assessing the risks and benefits, deciding on a course of action, figuring up the budget.

Phase three is the communication phase. After gathering facts and making plans, the organization decides about the source of communication. Several key decisions are made by PR managers at this stage concerning the nature of the messages and the type of media to be used. Some common ways of publicizing a message through the mass media include press releases, photographs, advertising, films, videotapes, press conferences, and interviews, public meetings, speeches.

Evaluation of the PR program is the last phase. Some common techniques include questionnaires distributed to random samples of the audience, telephone, surveys, panels, reader-interest studies and many others.

(6) However, it should be pointed out that these four steps are not distinct stages. In reality, the PR program is a continuous process requiring managerial attention, and one phase blends into the next. The results learned in the evaluation stage, for example, are also part of the information-gathering phase of the next cycle of the PR program.

Примечаниe:

public relations связи с общественностью; взаимоотношение

(организации) с клиентурой (и обществом

в целом); реклама

public relations officer начальник/сотрудник отдела информации

instill (v) внушать, прививать

liaison (n) связь

consumer relations отношения с потребителями

fund-raising создание фонда; сбор средств (c целевым

назначением)

record ( n)протокол, документ

public records документпубличного характера

press –release сообщение для печати

questionnaire (n)анкета, вопросник

at random в результате случайного отбора, наугад

reader – interest study изучение интересов читателей

panel (n) зд. дискуссия

Контрольная семестровая работа (V семестр)

Вариант 1

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27