THE USE OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTICE

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY: In the contemporary competitive world of business/brand competition the ability to create maintain a positive corporate reputation has become an invaluable asset. It is this truism which inspired Macnamara (1999) to assert that the days of public relations practitioners performing solely press agentry roles are over. An organisation thrives on the goodwill of its multiple stakeholders to remain competitive (Blair, Blair, Fottler, Nix, Payne, Savage, 2002). This makes the management of stakeholder relationships an essential factor in organisational success; this management is done by PR (Ni, 2006).

At the same time public relations practitioners need to prove themselves valuable by making strategic contributions towards the realization of an organisation’s goals and objectives. To do this effectively, PR practitioners must demonstrate the capacity to provide analytical insight and professional direction on the choices and consequences of corporate decisions on potential audiences. This imperative of PR as a management function has been widely theorised and researched. Rawjee, Veerasamy and Gqamane (2012) stressing this contention note that “Organisations need to recognize the value of placing public relations at the boardroom table as strategic business partner and critical part of business planning and operations” (p. 7745). The questions that these arguments provoke for the present study are whether corporate entities in Nigeria recognize PR as a management function; and whether the publicly acknowledged positive corporate image of an organization can be (at least implicitly) accredited (at least in part) to the professional role and function of an effective PR unit.

PR facilitates the monitoring and interaction between the organisation and all of these stakeholders. It is therefore essentially bound to the survival and growth of the organisation (Steyn, 1999) and should play an integral role in the organisation.

These definitions all seem to agree on PR building and maintaining relationships with an organisation’s stakeholders through communication. According to Grunig (2001) the focus of PR has moved from communication to relationship building. PR has thus evolved from performing solely the technician role which has to do with the creation and dissemination of information to a managerial role, with building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders as its main focus (Macnamara, 1999).

It is essential that communication between an organisation and its publics is managed so that each side appreciates what is expected of the other side. When communication is two-way, where information is sent and feedback received, it creates better understanding and leads to a good relationship between the organization and its stakeholders.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

According to Esler (1996) top management is of the opinion that PR should be more focused on key organisational issues and outcomes and less obsessed with their technical activities and media. CEOs described the role of PR in terms of results or solutions to critical issues whiles communication executives in speaking of their role referred to products, programs and activities.

This lack of understanding affects the practice of PR and its contribution in the organisation. Even though PR performs important communication functions in the organisation there is still doubt that PR contributes to realizing organisational goals (Yeo & Sriramesh 2009).

According to the excellence study (a study conducted to test the excellence theory) for an organisation to achieve excellent communication there should be a shared agreement in expectations between the dominant coalition and the PR executive. Excellent communication demands that PR is part of strategic management (Ni, 2006). The strategic role of identifying and managing relationships, reducing conflict and uncertainty is only possible when PR is part of top management (Grunig, 1992).

As organisations become complex and try to survive in an increasingly complex, interdependent and turbulent world (Yeo & Sriramesh, 2009), PR becomes more and more essential because relationships with stakeholder publics become even more important. According to Wu and Baah-Boakye (2008b) PR as a strategic management function has become increasingly essential to help African corporations respond to economic, social and political changes, changes in information, technology and social institutions.

"There is added pressure on organisations to turn to public relations practitioners for advice on how to make sense of the increasingly complex environment" (Yeo & Sriramesh 2009, p. 425).

1.3 THE OBJECTIVES

This study was carried out to empirically assess the the use of information communication technologies in public relations practice by Stanbic IBTC . Specifically, it sought to:

1. Find out the level of usage of ICT in public relations practice in Stanbic IBTC.

2. Determine the effect of ICT on public relations practice in Stanbic IBTC.

3. Investigate the challenges of using ICT by PR officers in organizations in Stanbic IBTC.

4. Find out how ICT can be effectively utilized to achieve set PR goals.

5. Proffer ways by which ICT can be effectively adopted in PR practice in Stanbic IBTC.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following questions were raised to guide the study:

1. What is the level of usage of ICT in PR practice in Stanbic IBTC?

2. What is the effect of ICT on public relations practice in Stanbic IBTC?

3. What are the challenges of using ICT by PR officers in STANBIC IBTC?

4. How can ICT be effectively utilized to achieve set PR goals in Stanbic IBTC?

5. In what ways can ICT be effectively adopted in PR practice in Stanbic IBTC?

1.5 Significance of study

Public relations is gradually becoming an integral part of the organisation in developing countries. Modern Organizations are realising the importance of PR in the organisation. This research will serve as literature for subsequent studies on PR practice in a Nigeria modern organization. It will provide an overview of the roles and functions played by the PR department