The Link Between Public Relations Theory And Public Relations Practice

THE LINK BETWEEN PUBLIC RELATIONS THEORY AND PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICE
By
Course Name
Professor’s Name
University
City, State
Date of Submission
The Link between Public Relations Theory and Public Relations Practice
Creation of a good public image is one of the most pursued interest by contemporary organizations. A dent on an organization’s reputation adversely affects the entire corporate existence of the organization. Moreover, reversing a negative reputation can take up many years and gobble up a lot of resources. Owing to this, organizations are increasingly investing in good public relations strategies. In simple terms, public relations refer to the strategic communication processes used by individuals and organizations to build and maintain a good relationship with the public. Grunig categorized models of public relations into four. They include public information model, press agent/publicity model, two-way asymmetrical model, and the two-way symmetrical model (Grunig, 1983). Persuasion is used to shape the opinions and thoughts of particular audiences using the publicity model. It usually involves one-way communication, and the accuracy of the information is usually not taken seriously. Moreover, organizations do not seek feedback from the audience. Newsworthy stories are created to attract the media and get the attention of the public. When used by an organization, manipulations, and persuasions are used to influence the audience to act in a way that favors the organization (Miller, 2017). The public information model diverts from the manipulative techniques employed in the publicity model and offers more accurate and reliable information. However, a one-way means of communication is still used, and the organization does not carry out an audience analysis to determine the tactics and strategies to be used. The two-way symmetrical model offers a more scientific approach to communicating with audiences. Research is carried out to understand the attitudes and behaviors of the audience better. The findings determine the strategies to be adopted. Using the two-way symmetrical model, liaison rather than persuasion is carried out between the organization and the public. Communication is used to ensure that all the parties involved benefit. It is taken as the most ethical model of the four.
The models developed by Grunig and Hunt have been widely practiced over the years. However, the evolution of the business environment has adversely affected the applicability of the models. The modern businesses are after profits, leaving little room for the two-way symmetrical model. Other than the models, there exist sub-functions of public relations that affect the applicability of the models. Corporate and agency are the main sub-functions of public relations. Corporate refers to a part of the business and seeks to create a good relationship between the public and the organization. On the other hand, the agency seeks to help the organization in particular areas of expertise. The sub-functions of public relations corporate include media relations, issues management, community relations, financial relations, corporate social responsibility, marketing communications, as well as government relations. The typ...