Functions of Public Relations

In today's business environment Public Relations is considered by some to be a complex profession and practiced by hundreds of thousands of professionals around the globe. Some organizations employ their own public relations professionals. Others hire public relation firms. Public relations professionals work in a wide variety of organizations including small, individually owned companies, large corporate run organizations, government agencies, professional and trade associations, charities, schools, universities, hospitals, and hotels along with many more. Some public relations professionals work primarily within their own country; others practice on a global basis. Although it is unclear about when, who or where public relations was first practiced, Americans have claimed that they invented public relations; however some Chinese scholars have used the reference that Chinese rulers practiced methods resembling contemporary public relations over 5,000 years ago. It is possible that public relations was practiced thousands of years ago, however public relations has only been an occupation for approximately 100 years.

English: Chart depicting the major kinds and inter...

English: Sunil Aggarwal, past president of Washing...

Organisation

Public relations as we know it today evolves and changes year to year with new techniques and technology. There are many different functions of public relations, weather they are organizational functions, such as Media Relations and Publicity or societal functions such as Social Responsibility and Community Relations, the functions are the driving forces behind the way public relations is practiced.

Media Relations

Media relations is an organizational function that is conducted through the media through channels such as, television, newspapers, magazines, etc. Similar to advertising and promotions, effective Media Relations often depends on designing and implementing a well-designed plan. The Media plan along with a calendar can be a very useful tool, which specifies what media methods are used and when. When discussing Media Relations, organizations must consider what type of media is most practical for them to use in terms of access...