PRO251X Public Relations II Chapters 12, 13 & 14

1. PRO251XPublic Relations IIChapters 12, 13 & 14 Mrs Swart

2. TOPICS • Chapter 12: Public Relations in the public sector • Chapter 13: Dealing with crisis situations and Labour unrest • Chapter 14: Multinational Organisations

3. PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR Also referred to as … Public Affairs … Public Information … Public Communication … Government Communication … Government Public Relations

4. PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR Democracy = “government of the people, by the people, for the people” and therefore … • public relations techniques is PEOPLE-ORIENTED • communication aims to achieve mutual understanding • all PR practitioners should understand the workings of the public service • in a true democracy the government serves the community (citizens/public/society) • government is answerable to the community – in other words it must account for its activities

5. PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR Responsibilities of a democratic government that will determine how PR is planned and executed: • government must keep track of the needs and interests of its citizens and grow and adapt accordingly • must maintain the involvement of citizens

6. Broad requirements for successful government public relations Promote effective participation and support by the citizens Report all government activities to the citizens

7. BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS • Public Apathy - lack of interest in government activities OR lack of knowledge of government Caused by: • citizen frustration • difficulty to access complicated government systems

8. BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS • Legislative Hostility to the PR function – suspicion of governments activities Caused by: • struggle between the ‘people’s right to know and the view by government who calls for discretion in certain areas • struggle within government between the legislative (‘law makers’) and executive functions of government • struggle between political parties • protests by industries/institutions when faced with new regulations and laws

9. LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT National Government (Parliament) Provincial Government (nine provinces) Local Government (283 municipalities)

10. LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT National Government Functions of PR practitioners: • Implement public policy • Support and assist the media • Report back to the public • Promote internal cooperation • Promote relationship between government and the public • Promote support by the private sector

11. LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT Provincial Government Functions of PR practitioners: • Liaison between national and provincial level • Provide information on policy level • Deals with the immediate needs and demands of citizens

12. LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT Local Government Functions of PR practitioners: • Report to residents about policy • Provide relevant and adequate information to ensure informed decisions are made • Make sure residents have the channels to communicate their needs to the councillors • Provide information on local authority services • Explain the need for regulations • Informing residents about their rights and obligations • Promote community pride

13. Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Aims to provide communication services and support to government, the media, the public and international community Objectives: • Ensure the voice of government is heard • Promote a positive communication environment • Ensure an understanding of the public’s needs and government’s communication needs • Set standards for government communication

14. CRISIS SITUATIONS AND LABOUR UNREST A crisis can be categorised into eight types: … natural, technological, confrontation, skewed management values, deception, management misconduct, business and economic. It requires … proactive planning • A pre-plan such as a crisis communication plan • Coordination – who does what, when and how? • Communication – beware of communication gaps • Mediation – act as mediator between management and the media • Evaluation – evaluate plans and correct if necessary

15. LABOUR UNREST The PR practitioner has the following responsibilities: • Ensure management, employees and media are informed • Needs to be prepared • Ensure employees stay at work or return to work as soon as possible • Ensure initiatives to handle labour unrest rests with management • Prevent injuries and damage to property • Establish the cause of the problem and get a complete view • Assist with reaching an acceptable agreement

16. DEALING WITH STRIKES The PR practitioner has the following responsibilities: • Tell the story in honest and strong terms • Inform employees immediately before it is known • Keep employees and the public informed • Assist the media to cover the story quickly, accurately and impartially • Keep management informed • Be well-organised and ensure adequate assistance

17. PUBLIC RELATIONS IN MULTINATIONAL ORGANISATIONS Also referred to as … International public relations Objectives: • Assist local companies to reach international markets or audiences • Assist foreign clients to communicate with local audiences

18. PUBLIC RELATIONS IN MULTINATIONAL ORGANISATIONS The importance of Public Relations in multinational organisations: • To bring understanding between an organisation and its publics • Create sensitivity for the dynamics of a specific country and the fact that what applies in one country may not necessarily apply in others – each is unique • Ensuring there is no conflict between the organisation’s unique properties and the socio-political environment of the ‘host’ country • To know the specific objectives of the country to introduce relevant methods to achieve the organisation’s objectives

19. PUBLIC RELATIONS IN MULTINATIONAL ORGANISATIONS Factors that could cause conflict in implementing a PR awareness campaign: • Some activities that impact on the country’s socially and economically may cause conflict e.g. such as mining when miners are retrenched due to poor economic times • The Presence of an organisation can be a factor – e.g. larger organisations are more visible and in the public eye specifically ‘new’ organisations may experience initial resistance

20. PUBLIC RELATIONS IN MULTINATIONAL ORGANISATIONS Factors that could cause conflict in implementing a PR awareness campaign: • Objectives of management affect the planning and the execution the PR function (aggressive management style = regular news coverage vs a ‘relaxed’ style = more time for proactive action) • Product or services marketed can be so ‘sensitive’ that the host country could opt to manage the PR themselves • Link with marketing will affect the awareness programmes – some practices may be illegal in some countries

21. The PR structures in Multinational Organisations Public relations divisions are either centralised or decentralised and it is determined by the organisation Centralised Structure

22. The PR structures in Multinational Organisations Decentralised Structure

23. Examination Preparation Contact any of the responsible lecturers if you experience difficulties during your preparation and need clarification of specific issues: Gibson Chauke Christelle Swart Tel: 012 429 6843 Tel: 012 429 2633 E-mail: chaukg1@unisa.ac.za E-mail: cswart@unisa.ac.za Louise van Dyk Vuyolwethu Seti Tel: 012 429 2148 Tel: 012 429 6216 E-mail: vdykli@unisa.ac.za E-mail: setiv@unisa.ac.za

24. Examination Preparation: To prepare and plan for all the examinations, you have to work through all three assignments (and the relevant chapters in your study guides). It is important that you have an understanding of the basic principles of public relations and its various activities. Make sure that you know the different ways in which public relations is practised by the different organisations/departments, for example the role of public relations in non-profit and welfare organisations, multinational organisations nd government departments.

25. Examination Preparation Make sure that you study the chapters in your study guide that are relevant to your assignments and all the topics addressed in your study guide. For students who fail the Oct/Nov examination and qualify for a supplementary examination, you will be required to write the supplementary examination during Jan/Feb in 2013. The supplementary examination is based on the same syllabus and module content which you studied during the semester. If you qualify for a supplementary examination please contact your lecturers for more information or guidance on the supplementary examination.

26. Examination Preparation30 OCTOBER 2012: to be confirmed by examination department The following aspects are important guidelines for examination purposes; however you could be examined on any of the chapters in the study guide: • Familiarise yourself with the steps of the research process – make sure you can identify and discuss it. • Familiarise yourself with research terms and know the various reasons why research is important in public relations. • You should be able to explain questions that guide the evaluation research. • Know the PR budget. • You should know the differences between a public relations budget and an advertising budget.

27. Examination Preparation • Make sure you are familiar with functions of a public relations practitioner in financial programmes. • Study the steps of a fund-raising campaign and make sure you can apply it practically. • Know the systems approach to public relations. • You should be able to identify the steps in a public relations programme for a non-profit organisation and how these steps can be applied by a non-profit organisation.  • Know the features that distinguishnon-profit organisations. Make sure you can explain the features in meaningful sentences.

28. Examination Preparation •  Sound relationships and mutual understanding between the government and the organisation/citizens of a country are important. You should know the barriers that hamper the building of successful relationships. • Familiarise yourself with the different levels of government in South Africa and the role of public relations in each. • Study public relations in multinational (international) organisations – the structures and the conflict factors.

29. Examination Preparation: Sub-exam JANUARY/FEB 2013:to be confirmed by examination Department The following aspects are important guidelines for examination purposes; however you could be examined on any of the chapters in the study guide: • Make sure you understand the difference between attitudes and opinions. • Make sure you can give a detailed discussion of public opinion. • Familiarise yourself with integrated communication and the prerequisites for an Integrated Marketing Model. • Know the systems approach to public relations.  • Make sure you know the meaning of financial public relations.

30. Examination Preparation: JANUARY/FEB 2013:to be confirmed by examination Department The following aspects are important guidelines for examination purposes; however you could be examined on any of the chapters in the study guide: • Study the importance of public relations in crisis and disaster situations. Make sure you can discuss the role of the practitioner and the importance of media relations. • You should know how to plan a public relations campaign and how to apply the ‘RAISE’ formula. • Employee (internal) communication is very important – make sure you know the accomplishments for using internal communication.

31. Examination Format • The paper consists of five questions,of which you will be required to answer any four. • It is a two-hour examination paper. It is not necessary for you to give a table of contents or a list of references in the examination. • The examination paper counts 100 marks in total. • Answer only what is asked, since you have limited time to spend on each question. • Make sure that you answer all the questions and complete all the subsections.

32. Examination Format • Some questions are longer and require an answer in an essay style (introduction, body with relevant headings, and conclusion). Usefull sentences and paragraphs if a discussion is required in the examination. • Approach your examination questions in the same way as you did your assignments – use the theory as background and provide practical examples where required.

33. GOOD LUCK!