Defining Public Relations PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 5
Running head: DEFINING PUBLIC RELATIONSDefining Public RelationsTiffany Nicole JacksonUniversity of PhoenixPublic RelationsMKT/438John Kautenberger02 August 2007Defining Public RelationsWhat is public relations? Could it be a relationship occurring in the public? Or perhaps could it mean having relations (wink, wink) in public? In the business world, I think public relations means putting forth an effort to look good in the public eye. If there is a product or service your organization is selling to the public, the better your organization looks in their eyes, the more likely they will want to purchase your product or service. Therefo ...view middle of the document...
With so many definitions of public relations, which one is accurate? They are all accurate. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast these definitions.The Practice of Public Relations and Public Relations Practices: Managerial Case Studies and Problems both states that public relations is a planned process; the former is a process to influence public opinion and the latter is a process of practice, the methods used to influence public opinion. Both definitions show that public opinion is what matters in the final outcome of public relations.Public Relations and the Puget Sound Chapter of the PRSA definitions refer to public relations as a management function; the former is a function to help achieve organizational goals, while the latter is a function to maintain mutual benefits between the organization and the publics (consumers and non-consumers). Both versions are basically the same; the management function aspect of the definition is a must if the organization wants to succeed.Wikipedia, however, might be able to stand alone with its definition; it can be considered a combination of the other four. While it states that public relations is an ongoing process of managing the organization, it goes on to say that it promotes a positive image or influences the public opinion.With so many definitions of public relations, it makes...
