CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
In this are of multifarious organization for production, service or distribution and its subsequent water – tight competition among the concerns, it has become germane for an organization whether profit – oriented or public service type to continually adjust themselves to the needs of the environment in order to survive.
“No man island”. The same is applicable to an organization because no organization can function in isolation from its public that constitute its environment.
The public which constitutes the environment and forms the nucleus of any society has to be pleased and satisfied that an organization has its interest at heart for the organization to survive. There can be no escape in today’s world from the grinding wheels of public attitude. This is the era of “ the public be pleased”. For the obvious reason that every organization is dependent on its public for survival. And public support can only gained of the public are satisfied.
The prevailing notion that “the customer is always right” therefore needs to be treated courteously and respectively has heightened and intensified the relevance of the public relations in to day’s business organization. Subsequently business organizations should not keep away from the pubic, but should maintain a progressive cordial relationship with them.
The public relations role includes how well an organization has been able to elicit the understanding of its customers, which it needs to survive and grow in business.
The nature this relations with customers depend very much on how well the customer are treated and how well they are satisfied with the services of the organization which will invariable affect the reputation of the organization public relations can play an important role in safe guarding a reputation or in establishing a new public image, it can also do valuable work in improving or enhancing methods of communication with existing and potential customers.
An organization needs to be understood so as to fare well in the midst of competition. One way of doing this is to map out a programme of action that is to customer oriented and favourable to the general people. The idea is to establish a solid base and gain a competitive advantage over its competitions. This has given rise to a new business philosophy in which the orientation is to evolve a cluster and value satisfactions such that the targeted public would want to deal with an organization rather than its competitors. This marketing innovation strategy advanced by professor Theodore lavitt aids to form the pillar of public elations.
For threw to be cordial relationship and understanding, there must be communication which forms the main tools of public relations practice. Like wise for the comm. communication to be effective and profitable, it must be mixed with courtesy and politeness which is what public relations all about. The effective communication plays a relevant part in an organization’s relations with its customers. An organization should endeavour to integrate the interest of its customers in its policy; to give them a sense of belonging through interpreting the objectives and activities of the organization to them most people are interested in what an organization is doing to meet their concerns and interest. It is the function of the public relations progression to explain the organization’s actions to various publics involved with the organization. As offonry Kanu (1985.25) succinctly and maintaining public goodwill is