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Public Relations
The audit of each public is frequently an opinion survey with questions designed to probe the attitudes
and opinions of a public as they pertain to the company. Public relations audits should be standardized
to enable management compare the results on yearly basis.
TECHNIQUES OF OPINION SURVEY
The techniques employed conducting opinion surveys are:
- MOTIVATION RESEARCH: This is concerned with the causes of people’s behaviour. It
seeks to relate behaviour to underlying motives, desires and emotions. It is concerned with
finding out how the environment sees the organization and how the environment sees itself.
The research procedures used in motivation research come from the techniques used in
psychoanalysis and from Gestalt psychology. - OPINION RESEARCH: opinion research techniques involve beliefs, attitudes, feelings
and knowledge of the organization’s public and the environment. The mathematical
basis of sampling, preparation of quotas and the evaluation of results should be done by
research experts.
Another method of researching public opinion is by using the PANEL technique – a number
of persons are asked to serve as a panel and to express their views on various questions
which are put to them. The technique is valuable for following changes in public opinion
if the same panel is called together from time to time.- MARKET RESEARCH: this approach is the systematic gathering, recording and analyzing of
data about problems relating to the marketing of goods and services within the marketing
environment. This approach relies mostly on survey, sampling and mathematical analysis
which should involve research expert.
EVALUATION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAMMES
The total public relations efforts must be reviewed periodically and its results measured against assigned
objectives.
Public relations evaluation has posed much problems in practice because its effect on the organization’s
publics could not be directly quantified, except expressed by the public in terms of goodwill.