Prof Wilcox Visit

Feminization of Public Relations Practice in US
Public Relations in America was the fastest growing profession with over 2.lakh practitioners working in several in-house public relations departments and public relations firms said Prof. Dennis L. Wilcox, former Director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, San Jose State University, California. Addressing public relations professionals of Andhra Pradesh at a meeting organized in the last week of March in Hyderabad on the Topic “Overview of Public Relations Practice in US” Prof. Wilcox said 42 percent of professionals work in public relations firms while 22 per cent practitioners work in the corporate world. Only 3 per cent of total professionals in America work in government public relations.

This meeting was organized by the Public Relations Society of India, Hyderabad Chapter in association with Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Public Relations Council of India, Hyderabad Chapter and Global Forum for Public Relations,

Another interesting feature of this discipline is the feminization of public relations practice in US wherein 60 percent represent females and 40 per cent males. More and more women are joining PR profession. Since management support has increased in tune with the global competitive marketing environment, a majority of public relations professionals report to top management, Prof. Wilcox added.

Tracing the history of public relations in US, Dennis Wilcox referred to the first public relations counsel of US as Ivy Ledbetter Lee who established a publicity bureau in New York city in 1904. Later, Edward L.Bernays who is regarded as the Father of Modern Public Relations, not only promoted public relations education but also the practice. With the support of pioneers, public relations in America grew through four models such as Press agentry, public information model, two way asymmetric and two way symmetric public relations model.

In his presidential address the Editor, Public Relations Voice described Prof. Wilcox not only as one of the 10 top public relations educators in US but also an international PR Educator who taught PR in about 10 countries. Dr.Reddi referred to the Triangle Public Relations Model consisting of Capitalist PR model of US, Socialist Public Relations Model of China and Democratic PR Model of India and observed that a time had come when these three models could be converged into a universal PR model based on the principle Think & Act Globally and Locally.

The FAPCCI President, Suraj Prasad Agarwal, who was the guest of honour said Public relations in India has bright future as our country belonged to democratic and development process.

Three PR professional bodies which have organized this function presented to Prof. Wilcox, the International PR Award for Academic Excellence in PR Education for his outstanding contribution to the growth of education and practice. Prof.Dennis L.Wilcox also addressed the students of Communication and Journalism of Osmania University on “Public Relations: A Perspective on the Global Landscape”

K.R.K Chary, A.K.Agarwal,. Y.Babji and B,K,Sarala Anand spoke on different PR professional bodies as fora to professionalize public relations in India.

Inputs from Dr.C.V.Narasimha Reddi Editor, Public Relations Voice

IMPACT OF GLOBAL FINANCIAL MELTDOWN ON INDIA: PUBLIC RELATIONS PERSPECTIVE

Dr C V Narasimha Reddi
Editor, Public Relations Voice

Two economic earthquakes that hit the world have not only shaken the economy of all the countries including India but also affected the stakeholders such as shareholders, employees, customers, investors, and regulators. Credibility of financial institutions is in a great crisis.

The Global financial meltdown in the United States of America was the first economic earthquake that resulted in the bankruptcy of many investment banks like Lehman Brothers, American International Group etc. As we are in the era of Globalisation the bankruptcy of American banks, financial institutions have globally disturbed many banks, financial institutions in Europe and other countries including India. If US Government came forward with a recovery package of 700 billion dollars, Indian Government also announced economic stimulus packages as to increase the liquidity of banks and remissions in import and export duties.

The second economic earthquake that hit India in which Rs.7100 crore Hyderabad based Satyam Computer Services fraud, the biggest in the world surfaced. Can we imagine that Rs.5040 crores were shown fictiously as if cash in hand and in banks and dubious deposits worth crores of rupees were created? All these falsifications were nothing but to show profits and gain share value.

Globalisation:
What is globalisation?
Globalisation is the integration of trade, finance and information into a single market. It has both advantages and disadvantages. However, the Global financial meltdown is not only confined to US but it has spread all over the world including India. What is the impact of global financial meltdown on India?
· Experts in the economic field feel that 2009-2010 would be a different year for India.
· The GDP growth that was expected at 9% has come down to 7.1%
· There has been a credit crunch. The liquidity of banks has come down to provide credit facilities
· Low occupancy in hotels, airlines
· As many as 1600 subhiksha outlets are being closed
· Outsourcing has come down. Even US President, Barrack Obama cautioned his country that their companies must reduce outsourcing
· Our imports and exports were adversely affected. About 20 lakh people lost jobs and another 10 lakh are like to lose jobs
· About one-lakh H1B visa holders of India in US are in distress
· Stocks have become cheaper and shareholders have lost their share value
· Over dependence on IT sector has caused damage to India. We should have equally developed infrastructure

Crisis Public Relations
In any crisis, more so in a financial crisis when all stakeholders are affected, the importance of public relations communication increases to inform, educate and motivate the public and their role in solving the crisis. Public relations is the chief window of the organization through which inflow and outflow of information is managed.

In this financial crisis the role of public relations is four fold –
(1) To respond immediately to the media as to provide full information on crisis and also on salvage package
(2) To respond to the problems and aspirations of the affected employees. As many as 53,000 employees are involved in the Satyam computers scam
(3) To respond to shareholders, customers, suppliers, dealers, Government regulatory bodies.
(4) To make an assessment of the readers of the media, employees, shareholders and customers and keep the management informed so that policies could be evolved based on the pulse of the corporate public

In such crisis, what is the role of public relations professional? He should have been equipped with a crisis public relations plan for immediate implementation.

The basic principle in crisis public relations is “Expect the unexpected”. The following are the 10 point crisis public relations (1) Prepare crisis PR plan; (2) Prepare advance background information (3) Manage inside and outside two way information flow (4) Establish a crisis information center (5) Effective media relations (6) Issuing press releases giving official version (7) Project relief, recovery, rehabilitation measures (8) Crisis is no longer local, always local (9) Accuracy in information (10) Prepare a case study for future.

But in the present global financial meltdown, the public relations professionals have to acquire certain skills required to manage business and financial organizations.

Do you know? What SKILLS CEOs are now looking from their Chief Public Relations Managers or Chief Communication Officers? It is a big challenge. This challenge has to be converted into an opportunity to meet the present global financial crisis.

Authentic Enterprise H.R. Company asked FORTUNE 100 CEOs as to what skills they were looking for from their chief communication officers? The CEOs said: That communication skills were no longer enough – everybody has them or should have. The CEOs made no mention of online media or social media. But what CEOs said: They are really looking for ‘business savvy communicators’ who have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the company’s business, be its markets and its finances.

If you don’t understand the intricacies of the business you cant represent the company to the outside world. This is a challenge for PR professionals.

What is needed today? You need to brush upon your business marketing and financial skills to communicate well.

It is high time for PR professionals to put away their aversion to finance and learn how to speak (1) The true language of business (2) The language of money (3) The language of credibility.

Those who master this new world order of business and finance will be rewarded with enormously in terms of pay, prestige, recognition and advancement. The notion of the communications officer (generalist) who lacks strong financial understanding will die out.

Great wall of China between internal and external publics keeps two sides dark. With new skills these two paralleled lines, which are separated, must now be linked and coordinated for better understanding.

ARTICLE

Public Relations - comprehensive education
Y Babji
PR Practitioner & Teacher
Any profession, be it Journalism or Public Relations must have a technical basis or body of knowledge to distinguish it as a profession, distinct from others. Though Public Relations profession in India has grown, it is yet to gain identity as a strategic management discipline. Therefore, Indian Public Relations today requires a body of knowledge, professional skills, professional literature and research. Such a body of knowledge in the shape of public relations education will facelift the profession on par with engineering or management disciplines.
“There is a yawning gap between PR education and PR educators on one side and the Industry on the other”, observes Dr C V Narasimha Reddi, a legendary personality in Public Relations profession. He stresses that “(a) Professional education, (b) Continuing professional development training and (c) Research together becomes a matrix that is essential for growth of PR discipline”. His observations on the upswing in public relations activity in every sector demands the growing need for qualified PR professionals and this demand and supply are like testimonials for the present as well as for the posterity.
This kind of a situation is not exclusive to India. As far as PR profession is concerned, the situation is similar even in advanced countries as pointed out in the recent reports of Global Alliance and of a Commission on PR Education in USA. In western systems of education, there are “major” subjects to specialize along with ‘minors’ at certain levels to keep pace with trends and requirements. To some extent, corporate/private colleges in India whose business is to sell education are able to offer such kind of courses. They can even fly the faculty from different parts of the Globe. But the fee is prohibitive. Can an ordinary student who aspires to prosecute such studies afford to it? After all, ours is a welfare state. Indian Universities, on the other hand make efforts sincerely to update patterns of courses, structure of syllabi etc but by the time these things could take a shape, they become out-moded, yet relevant, because Indian system of education is wholesome at every level. For example, if PR is to be taught even at post graduate level, a dose of history, a dose of economics, a dose of management, a dose of media, a dose of masscom, a bit of ethics, a dose of sociology are also taught to give an idea of closely as well as remotely related subjects. Because of this, India is able to produce both generalists as well as specialists in every field of knowledge.
In terms of employability, those who roll out of corporate colleges with Pg Certificate or Pg Diploma of 9 months or 12 months duration either in Journalism or Masscom or Public Relations are acceptable to industry to the extent of 95%. The simple reason behind this is ‘what a candidate possesses is what Industry expects’, a mere stylish communicative English and a few personal selling techniques. Are we mis-judging the Industry expectations? This is a debatable issue.
Faculty
When we talk about PR Educators and their suitability we have to be prudent. The permanent faculty in Universities and Colleges is insufficient. The right kind of visiting faculty is scarce. Can any PR practitioner, public or private, whose economic objective is different, spare an hour a week to teach? The remuneration offered by the conventional universities is less than the travel cost of a shuttle. Only those who are committed to teaching and committed to profession are doing it for decades and producing excellent PR managers. It is nothing but ‘devils chanting Vedas’ if an unprofessional teaches a subject that can be taught only by professionals.
Syllabus
There is a criticism that the syllabus for PR courses right from Certificate Course to Master’s Degree is repetitive. We read lessons about the Emperor Ashoka in primary classes. We also read about the same Emperor at PG level as part of Ancient Indian History. Repetition is neither wrong nor unwarranted. Course contents are not novels to impress or entertain somebody, but written to inform and educate the knowledge seekers. It all depends on how effectively it is taught and how interestingly it is learnt.
“Education begins when schooling ends”. “Teacher is a guide”. “Syllabus is a guiding light”. “The actual process of learning starts only after entering into the practical world”. To understand the above statements, have a look at the following explanations.
What is education?
Education is the learning of knowledge, information and skills during the course of life. Teachers may draw on many subjects, including reading, writing, mathematics, science and history. Teachers in specialized professions such as astrophysics, law, or zoology may teach only a certain subject, usually as professors at institutions of higher learning. There is much specialist instruction in fields for those who want specific skills, such as required to be a pilot, for example. Finally, there is an array of educational opportunity at the informal level- such as with museums, libraries and the Internet. Informal education also includes knowledge and skills learned during the course of life, including education that comes from experience.
Education is a broad concept, referring to all the experiences in which students can learn something:
1. Instruction refers to the intentional facilitating of learning toward identified goals, delivered either by an instructor or other forms.
2. Teaching refers to the actions of a real live instructor designed to impart learning to the student.
3. Training refers to learning with a view toward preparing learners with specific knowledge, skills, or abilities that can be applied immediately upon completion.
While so, PR education in India is at the cross road trying to find its way. Public Relations is being taught as one of the subjects of Communication and Journalism courses. A very few educational institutions offer exclusive PR courses.
AP Model PR Courses
Based on the initiatives of Public Relations Voice which has organised a Round Table on PR Education, the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) has constituted an Expert Committee to revamp Journalism, Public Relations & Communication education for Andhra Pradesh. Three Subject Committees were formed for PR, Journalism and Mass Communication separately. These committees met several times, studied and recommended courses and model syllabi in tune with changed circumstances.
The State Council of Higher Education, has issued guidelines vide their letter dated 26th Feb 2009 for implementation of model syllabus and courses. So far as Public Relations is concerned, the following three courses have been recommended by the subject committee headed by Dri CV Narasimha Reddi. (The author of this article is a member of this committee)
1. BA with Mass Communication and Public Relations as one of the three core subjects – three years course
2. MCJ with Public Relations specialisation – one year course
3. MS in Public Relations – two years course
These three courses will have to be implemented by various Universities from the year 2009-10. These courses are to be called as AP Model PR Courses. National Councils of PRSI, ABCI, PRCI, GFPR may have to consider these courses together with model syllabi and recommend to their chapters in the country to take initiative to approach the State Councils in each State to adopt similar model. National councils may also approach UGC to issue guidelines to all the Indian Universities for introduction of these courses, in the interest of the profession.

What is Learning?
Learning is acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. Human learning may occur as part of education or personal development. It may be goal-oriented and may be aided by motivation.
Learning may occur as a result of habituation or classical conditioning or as a result of more complex activities such as play, seen only in relatively intelligent animals and humans. Learning may occur consciously or without conscious awareness.
What is Training?
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at educational institutions. In addition to the basic training required for an occupation or profession, observers recognize [update] the need to continue training beyond initial qualifications: to maintain, upgrade and update skills throughout working life. People within many professions and occupations may refer to this sort of training as professional development.
Some commentators use a similar term for workplace learning to improve performance: training and development. One can generally categorize such training as on-the-job or off-the-job:
1. On-the-job training takes place in a normal working situation, using the actual tools, equipment, documents or materials that trainees will use when fully trained. On-the-job training has a general reputation as most effective for professional work.
2. Off-the-job training takes place away from normal work situations — implying that the employee does not count as a directly productive worker while such training takes place. Off-the-job training has the advantage that it allows people to get away from work and concentrate more thoroughly on the training itself. This type of training has proven more effective in inculcating concepts and ideas.
Training differs from exercise in that people may dabble in exercise as an occasional activity for fun. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, and performance.
What is Teaching?
In education, a teacher is a person who teaches. A teacher who teaches an individual student may also be described as a personal tutor. The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out by way of occupation or profession at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person wishing to become a teacher at state-funded schools must first obtain professional qualifications or credentials from a university or college. These professional qualifications may include the study of pedagogy, the science of teaching. Teachers may use a lesson plan to facilitate student learning, providing a course of study which covers a standardized curriculum
What is Accreditation in PR?
One next step all seasoned practitioners should consider is earning the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation. Earning the APR certification is a proof of successfully demonstrated competency in the knowledge, skills and abilities required to practice public relations effectively in today’s business arena. The APR Accreditation is the only professional certification program open to public relations professionals. The Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), a consortium of 9 leading industry organizations, including PRSA, administers the Accreditation program.
"The value of accreditation is that at minimum it lets others know that you possess the skills required to be an effective practitioner and that you have a working knowledge and understanding of the profession and its development that sets you apart from others. To a prospective employer, accreditation signals your seriousness about the profession and that you possess a certain level of competency and preparedness." - Ted Richardson, APR Vice President, Corporate Relations United Insurance Co. of America
“APR is a symbol of professionalism. It demonstrates that individuals have the knowledge, ethics and experience that set them apart. It also demonstrates that they care about their own profession and that they are dedicated to enhancing their own personal abilities." - Joe S. Epley, APR, Fellow PRSA, Chairman and CEO, Epley Associates, Charlotte, NC.
Public Relations shall rest on its tripod of Education, Literature and Professional Organisation. Its trident weapon is Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. The triangle approach to professional advancement is through learning, training and teaching. Of course, Research, Accreditation & Achievements are the height of it. One who pursues all the above triplets would have educated oneself comprehensively in Public Relations and sure to find his place in the annals of PR History, just as Dr CV Narasimha Reddi did.
In fine, the future of public relations profession in India as discussed in this article is based on a 6-point formula – (1) Public Relations education (2) Public Relations Training (3) Professional skills (4) Research to measure PR programmes (5) Accreditation of professionals and (6) a strong professional body to promote all these attributes