THE ROLE OF PUBLIC RELATION IN ENHANCING PEACE IN HIGHER INSTITUTION

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to appraise public relations activities in tertiary institutions, a case study of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu. The objective of this study is to appraise the public relations activities of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu on the image of the institution and to examine the level of students, staff and managements relation in the institution. To guide this study a review of Literature was done to expose the researcher to what has already been done to ensure a solid conclusion for the study. Structured questionnaires were developed and administered by the researcher to the respondents comprising the external public, staff and students of IMT. Bouleys formula was used to determine the sample size for the staff and students while Topmans formula was used to determine the sample size for external public. The data collected were from both primary and secondary sources and were duly analysed and presented in a manner in which they could be easily be understood and applied by whoever is interested in the work and its findings. Chi-square was used to test the hypotheses formulated.

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1Background of the study

Public relations have become a potent marketing tool in the modern business management in recent times.  Its influence is being felt on even greater expansion.  It is important to management organizations including IMT to understand its potentials and limitations. Nwokoye (1984:212) defined public relation as the activities of cooperation, unions, governments or other organizations in building and marketing sound and productive relations with special public at large so as to adapt itself to its environment and interpret itself to the society Busch and Houston (1995:2000) noted that public relations is management functions which evaluates public attitudes, identifies policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with the public interest and execute a programme of action to earn public understanding and acceptance. Chukwu (2000:3-4) stated that public relation is a management philosophy aimed at doing everything possible to create good relationship between an organization and its publics.  Public relations is aimed at making friends for the organization and building internal and external goodwill on the reasonable assumption that these are strongly needed for an organization to remain in business and make profit.  With the increase in the activities of an organization, the need for an adequate communication between the organization and those who in one way or the other are affected by these activities of the organization become imperative.  An organization while wanting to remain viable, need to have good relations with its employees, customers/consumers of its products and services, future investors, stock-holders and in fact the general public.  As an organization specialize in manufacturing or offering services its needs to show its staff existing or potential customers that is up to date, toward looking, concerned to produce and offer the best goods and services for the price it charges and make sure that its customers are satisfied. Edoga and Ani (2001:287) noted that a company should deliberately place and execute a continuous public relations programmes to develop a good relation between it and the various public amongst sought with public relation.  Stressing the position of public relation in the country, Olakunori (1999:194) noted that most officials occupying the public relations of various organizations in the country today are not professionals they generally have a fair knowledge of what they are supposed to do. Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) as an institution or organization has the students, members of its staff, parents teachers association, the management, the host society, the state and the federal government, Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) etc as its relevant publics.  This implies that the activities performed by IMT in one way or the other affect these aforementioned various publics.  Therefore in order to maintain its public relation with those bodies, IMT must at all times try to create rapport and understanding or goodwill with all those bodies.  This, it will do through proper information circulation between itself and those various relevant public to it.  This can be done by allowing the free flow of information paying of salaries as and when due to its staff, engaging in proper and standard academic work, abiding by the rules and regulations of NUC in the performance of its activities. Manufacturers and producers of goods and services are now aware that public relations does not only ensure good relations with the public but strive towards the profit making through increased customers patronage. It is in the height of the importance attached to public relations that the researcher seeks to appraise the effectiveness of public relations in institute of management in IMT.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

A good corporate image is usually regarded as to be essential for the existence of an organization.  The success and failure of a corporation depends on its relationship with its public consumer’s employees, stock holders, governments, community, distributors, suppliers and others.

A favourable corporate image creates confidence in an organizations, occasional troubles in territory institutions has become the order of the day, but IMT has always remained in section despites the occasional occurrence of this ugly indicants.  The questions that called for answer are:- Why has the problems been on the increase in our higher institution?  Why has IMT been able to maintain peace despite the facts that there are some policy that does not go down well with the staff, lecturers and the students of institution?  Why has IMT not witnessed the major breakdown of law and order despite the increase in school fees? To what extent has public relations contributed in maintenance of peace and harmony in the institutions, these and many more are the central task of this research work.