Public relations questions

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1. Explain PR's role and functions within an organization.

There are formal definitions of the term "public relations," yet its meaning is self-evident; it is the management of relationships between an organization and the constituencies upon which it depends.

Quite literally, public relations is managing relations with various publics, a role that grows in importance as reputation becomes ever more critical to business success. companies must make it a priority to value the needs of all publics, and to forge good relationships with them. The cornerstone of a good relationship is trust, and trust is based on open and honest communication. Effective public relations tells a company's story in a way that is accurate, honest, and easy to understand, helping to establish a reputation for credibility.

A good relationship also requires a willingness to listen, and true public relations is a two-way process. PR professionals recognize that to manage relationships, they must understand and respect public concerns and viewpoints. They must also go a step further, to serve as the public's advocate within an organization.

In effect, corporate public relations professionals frequently play the role of an outsider. By questioning decisions and their impact on customers, the community, employees, and others, public relation professionals bring the public perspective to an organization, fostering its ability to be responsive to public concerns.

source: http://www.ad-mkt-review.com/public_html/docs/fs050.html

2. Explain the impact of effective communications to internal publics.

Effective internal communication is crucial to the success of any organization. At its core is engaging internal audiences to carry out the organization's goals and strategy. Through strategic internal communication, communicators can build credibility from within, and impact decisions at the highest level within their organization, and drive bottom line results.

Effective communications helps in better coordination, cooperations and efficiency within the internal publics in any organization and thus is a key driver for the success of any organization.

source: http://www.ce.columbia.edu/masters/courses.cfm?PID=2&Content=Descriptions

3. Describe the differences between advertising and public
relations. Give specific examples of each. Describe when an organization
would use each.

1. Paid Space or Free Coverage

Advertising:
The company pays for ad space. You know exactly when that ad will air or be published.

Public Relations:
Your job is to get free publicity for the company. From news conferences to press releases, you're focused on getting free media exposure for the company and its ...