AN ASSESSMENT OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN ACHIEVING ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS

Abstract

Although some works have been done about the practice of public relations in organisations in Ghana, not much has been written about the nature of public relations practice in tertiary institutions in Ghana. This research therefore sought to assess the contribution of public relations practice in achieving organizational goals in selected private tertiary institutions in the Ashanti Region. The study used Christian Service University College, Ghana Baptist University College, Garden City University College and University College of Management Studies as selected cases. The study sought for the views of persons who act as public relations practitioners in the four selected private tertiary institutions.

The objectives of the study were to establish the relevance of public relations practice to achieving the goals of private tertiary institutions, to identify specific functions that can be performed by public relations practitioners to achieve the goals of private tertiary institutions and to examine how public relations can be strengthened in private tertiary institutions. The Excellence theory in public relations was used in the study.

The study found that three out of the four selected private tertiary institutions do not have public relations department. The study also found that all the four tertiary institutions agree that public relations is very important in dealing with the external and internal publics of the various universities in achieving the organizational goals.

The study recommends that the three out of the four selected institutions which do not have public relations departments, should establish outfits which will be responsible for carrying out public relations activities; it is also recommended that the public relations department should be headed by a public relations officer with at least two assistants. According to the excellence theory in public relations, these people should have an academic qualification in communication studies. The public relations officer should be a qualified person with at least a minimum of a first degree with specialization in public relations.

This is necessary to improve public relations practice in the three out of the four selected private tertiary institutions in the Ashanti Region.