The definition of Public Relations

Essay by ltabizonUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, July 2006

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The field of Public Relations is comprised of many different functions. In the following essay, I will envelop the definition of Public Relations based on my own interpretation of the assigned reading, as well as other outside resources. I will compare and contrast published definitions of what public relations is and attempt to explain the definition of Public Relations. Clinton (2004) defines public relations as a term used to encompass the strategies involved in positively impacting an organization's publicity, which reciprocates by positively affecting the growth, maintenance, or support of the organization.

I will first tackle what a person who works in public relations does. A public relations counsel man is an applied social scientist who advises a client on the social attitudes and actions he or she must take in order to appeal to the public on which it is dependent. He then advises what changes in attitude and action are demanded to reach the highest point of adjustment to meet social goals.

With this definition in mind, it becomes clear that PR also depends on the formation of a strict ethical code. Because the term has come to mean many things to many people, anything from corporate management consulting to passing around leaflets on the street corner has fallen under the public relations umbrella. Public Relations should not become a catch basin for failed lawyers, unemployed businessmen and inactive stockbrokers hoping for some additional income. The risks to the public and the value of the vocation are too great. I am afraid that without some seriously considered fundamental changes, it will suffer continued erosion of public faith and structural obtuseness.

Public relations have developed into a fully realized interdisciplinary field of study, and are ready to move toward becoming a profession of today's times. Progress, however, is being...