THE ROLE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN IMPROVING THE IMAGE OF TERTIARY INSTITUTION

Public Relations has become a potent marketing tool in modern business management in recent times. It influences is being felt on both big and small firm with the influences of even greater  expansion. It is important for the management of an organization including tertiary institutions to understand its potentials and limitations.

Nwokoye N.E (1984: 212), defined Public Relations as the activities of operations, unions, governments or others as an organization in building and marketing sound and productive relations with special public such as customer relations, employees of stock holders and with public at large so as to adopt itself to its environment  and interpret itself to the society.

According to Benson – Eluwa Virginia (1999:3). Public Relations is defined as a programme and activities whereby considered as a powerful tool for co-ordinated human and business image.

Bush Houston (1995:200), noted that Public Relations is management function which evaluate public attitude, identifies policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with the public interest and execute a programme of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.

Chukwu (2000:34), stated that Public Relations practice is a management philosophy aimed at doing everything possible to create good relationship between an organization and its publics.

Public Relations is aimed at making friends for organization and building internal and external goodwill on the reasonable assurance that will be strongly needed for an organization to remain in business and make profit with interest in the activities of an organization while wanting to remain liable needs to hear good relations with its employees, consumer and its products and services, future inventors, stock holder and the general public.

As an organization specialized in manufacturing or offering services, it needs to show itself existing to potential customer that is up to date, forward looking concerned to product and offer the best goods and services for the price it charge and making sure that its customers are really satisfied.

Edoaga and Ani (2001:287) noted that a company should deliberately plan and execute a contentious Public Relations programme to develop a good relation between it and various publics.

Complaining about the position of Public Relations in the country, Olakunori (1999:194), noted that most officials occupying the Public Relations office of various organizations in the country today are not professional , they generally have a fair knowledge of what are supposed to as Michael Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED) as an institution or organization has the student members of staff, parents, teacher’s association, the state and the federal government as its relevant publics. This implies that the activities performed by MOCPED in one way or the other affect those aforementioned various publics. Therefore, in order to maintain its public relations with those bodies MOCPED must at all times try to create a rapport and understanding or goodwill with information circulation between itself and those various bodies, the free flow of information, paying salaries as at when due to its staff, engaging in proper and standard academic work and abiding by rules and regulation in the performance of its activities. All the activities involved  on maintaining good Public Relations must be practised among its various publics.

Manufacturers and producers of goods and services are now aware that Public Relations do not only ensure good relations with the public but lit can strive towards profit making through increased customers  patronage. It is in the light of the importance attached to Public Relations that the researcher seeks to appraise  the role of Public Relations in Micheal Otedola College of Primary Education (MOCPED).