ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to know the effectiveness of public relations in service industries. A case study of the Enugu State University of Sciences and Technology (ESUT), Enugu.

To guide this study, three hypotheses were formulated. A review of related literature was done to expose the research, to which has already been done to ensure solid conclusion for the study.

A structural questionnaires was developed and administered by the researcher to respondents comprising of the students and staff/management of the institution, the data collected were from both primary and secondary sources and were duly analyzed and presented in a manner in which they could be easily be understood and applied y who so ever may be interested in the work and its finding.

From the analysis the following findings were made:

a)   Public relations activities of ESUT had led to industrial harmony; the fact is that they lied not to have major strike that lasted for a long time.

b)  Public relations activities of ESUT also to impact positively or student’s patronage of the institution based on the following recommendation on that.

c)   Public relation activities of ESUT also led to impact positively on student’s patronage of the institution based on the above findings the researcher made the following recommendation on that.

d)  ESUT public relations department should be well fenced to enable them acquire more sophisticated equipment to improve public relations activities.

e)   ESUT should upgrade the quality of their services they provide by creating awareness so that people will no about them.

Public relations functions should be clearly defined to avoid confusion in the institution from this researcher its concluded that public relation is a potent tool for marking of goods and services. So ESUT must embrace it for the satisfaction of its numerous public.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      BACKGROUND OF STUDY.

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

Nwokoye N.G. (1984: 212) defined public relations as the activities of

-operations, unions’ government or other 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 programmes and activities were by considered as a powerful tools for coordinated human and business image.

Bush Houston (1995:200) noted that public relations is management function which evaluated public attitude identifies policies and procedures of an individuals or an organizations with the public interest and execute a programme of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.

Chukwu (200:3-4) 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 the organization and building internal and external goodwill on the reasonable assumption that will be strongly needed for an organization, to remain in business and make profit with interest in the activities of an organization profit with the increase in the activities of an organization while wanting to remain liable needs to here good relations with its employees, consumers of its products and services future inventors, stock holder and the general public. As an organization specialized in manufacturing or offering services its 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 charges and make 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 official occupying the public relations of various organization in the country today are not professional they generally have a fair knowledge of what that are supposed to as Enugu State University of Sciences and Technology (ESUT) as an institution or organization has the student members of its staff, parents, teachers association, the management, the lost society, the state, and the federal government, Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) etc, as its relevant publics. This implies that the activities performed by ESUT in one way or the other affect those aforementioned various public. Therefore in order to maintain its public relations with those bodies, ESUT 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 of salaries as and when due to its staff, engaging in proper and standard academic work abiding by the rules and regulations of NUC in the performance of its activities. One all the activities involved in maintaining good Public Relations practice among its various public.

Manufacturers and producers of goods and services are now aware that public relations do not only ensure good relations with the public but, it 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 effectiveness of public relations in services industries in Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) as a case study.

1.2   STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM.

        A good corporate image is usually regarded to be essential for the existence of an organization, the services or failure of a corporation depends on its relationship with its public consumer, employees, stock holders, government, communities, distributions, supplies etc.

        A favoured corporate image creates confidence in an organizations or institutions.

        There has been occupational troubles in tertiary institutions has become the order of the day. But ESUT always remain in sector despites the occasional occurrence of this ugly incident.

        Why has ESUT not witness the major breakdown if law and order despite the increase in school fees?

        Why has ESUT been able to maintained peace despite the facts that there are some polities that do not go down well with the staff, lecturers and the students of the institute?

        To what extent has public relations contributed in maintaining peace and harmony in the institution, these and many more are the central tasks of this research work.

1.3   OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

        To give focus to the study, the following objectives are formulated.

1.       To find out the level of attention given to the publics of Enugu StateUniversity of sciences and Technology (ESUT)

2.       To find out whether the institution have good relationship with the press.

3.       To examine the level of students, lecturers, staff and management relations in ESUT.

4.       To know how public relations help in improving communication between people and the organization.

5.       To recommend solution to problems on public relations identified.

6.       To determine the impact of public relations identified.

7.       To appraise the public relations activities of Enugu State University of Sciences and Technology (ESUT).

8.       To stimulate the students imagination.

1.4      RESEARCH QUESTION

1.      Do public relations activities in ESUT make you to be aware of the services provided by the school?

2.      Can public relations activities lead to an increase in performance?

3.      What are responsible for poor corporate governance in the institution?

4.      Can you relate the poor relationship existing between the staff and student to the inefficient public relations activities in the school?

5.      Can public relations activities be used to clear misconcept in the institution?

6.      Do you feel that sustained negative public opinion can adversely affect the growth of the institution?

7.      Can public relations activities be used to bridge the gap between the staff and students?

8.      Do you feel that public relations are image maker activities?

1.5   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY.

        The most outstanding hope of this study is that, its finding will be of immense benefit to students, lecturers and staff of management of tertiary institutions.

        The study also gives an insight into the problem and practice of public relation in Nigerian Institutions of higher learning. This study by its objectives, will not only asses the effectiveness of classified public relations but all its application and uses generally. Therefore when successfully carried out and documental, this study will serve as a sources of relevant information to many Institution and organization on ways of using public relations.

        Finally, public relations practitioners have been deprived of excellent performance in their operations because of scanty and insufficient data and inadequate literature available in their area.

This study when successfully completed and adequately supervised will be an addition to the essential literature needed in public relation. Practitioners will therefore use it extensively for reference based on forgoing it become indisputable that the need for this study is worth while.

1.6   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study cover public relations activities in service industries and it will equally cover an over view of public relations in services industries. The role of public relations activities is in improving the image of service industries especially tertiary institutions. Due to limited time and other constraints emphases was placed on Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) as a case study.