CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND

The practice relations has been with man since time immemorial. Man, both in the past and in the present, wishes to be identified as one ho is kind, truthful, credible, emphatic and generous? All these attribute will enable him to earn goodwill, confidence, trust and support in his bid to accomplished a task from others, therefore, the relegation of effective public relations action and practice by an individual or a corporate organization will no doubt elicit doom and disaster. In fact, public relations practice has been overwhelmingly cultivated buy modern business to help them achieve and consolidates their successes in their modern day of market competition.

It is on the basis of this that individual corporate organization thus carry out some sort of social services to their host communities to make their (organizations) acceptable to their public thereby establishing good report with and create favorable image for himself.

1.2     PROBLEM STATEMENT

Public relations is not just writing of news for an organization. Attention has not been given to how these organizations get their customers; retain them, get new customers and their significant is the fact that people are aware that public relations practice entails more than just new writing. However, people have never pondered on why public relations practitioner do not content themselves with other assignment such as crisis management, corporate business among others.

The dire need for organizations to embrace and supply public relations principles into their practices also prompted this research work.

In order to debunk the erroneous impression that they are in business to make money and nothing more, public Relations practitioners have to be socially responsible to the immediate community where they operate. Besides, the creation of peaceful environment where the role of the public Relations profession can be carried out is vital, but the extent to which this has been establish shall be addressed in this research.

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH

The core objective of this research is to examine the importance of strategic planning in the practice of public relations.

The research work aims at findings out what the Anambra State Primary education Board (SPEB), Awka, does to give herself favorable image in the eyes of her publics.

The aims of this research is also to give an insight into understanding why organizations need to strategically plan their activities for advantageous results.

Finally, the research work is combine to the body knowledge already existing on the subject matter being research into. Knowledge, as a mater of fact, is an integration of proven fact and assertions by various individuals, for the sole purpose of informing the generality of human beings, thereby eliminating ignorance.

1.4 SIGNIFICANT OF RESEARCH

This research will serve as the Anambra state primary Education Board (SPEB). Awka, public relations practitioners in general, public and private organizations (who may) erroneously believe they can overcome difficulties that confront their

organizations without planning for them) so they can improve their strategies adopted in solving problem. The research is also to help public relations student to whom the project will serve as a ready reference material, given the dearth of books in the field of public relations.

Finally, the desire for national identify in all the field of human endeavour exhibited in the sprit of pride in indigenous writing, cultures and music make this work one of the few in public relations.

This work will go a long way to reduce the over dependence on foreign works in the field public relations. It is the researcher’s ardent belief that the challenge posed by the death of indigenous materials on any subject can be adequately addressed as student research into such subjects each time there is an opportunity to do so, particular as thee are cultural divergences involved.

1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF RESEARCH

The scope of the research is expected to be all public and private organizations and institution in Awka. However, due to the constraint of time within which this project must b submitted, a sample of Anambra State Primary education Board (SPEB), Awka shall be used for the research work.

Furthermore, the research has limited time within which to carry out this task among other academic assignment. It has therefore become impracticable to sample all organizations within Awka metropolis.

Suffice to say that financial constraints have also forced the researcher to limit the scope of this research work to (just) a parastatal of Anambra State Ministry of Education. However, the researcher believe that this, on long run, will open a wider area for other researcher to do a thorough

work on other parastatals within the same ministry, i.e Anambra state Ministry of education.

1.6 METHODOLOGY

The approach to be adopted on carrying out this research is the dependence on secondary data such as books written on the subject matter or those related to it. Such data will not only be reviewed, they will also be critiqued. This is necessary because any research work done without recourse to some recorded work will fall short of the standard requirement of an academic research as this one.

However, because of the limitation of secondary data, due to obsolesce or errors, primary data shall, through the instrument of questionnaire, supplemented by oral interview, obtain data for this research work.

1.7 LITERATURE REVIEW

Related literature which shall be reviewed in the course of this research, include those on social research strategy and tactics in Nigeria: the history of public relations in Nigeria: a survey of the origin of public relations in commercial organization.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

PUBLIC RELATIONS: “A deliberate, planned and sustained effort to

established and maintain mutual understanding and promote goodwill between an organization and it public.” From BIPR (1963).

PUBLIC:

A group

of people an organization

comes in contact with when carrying

out  its  activities.   The  public  of

Anambra

State primary

education

Board

includes

directors,

administrative staff, pupils, Parents, schools and headmaster.

TEACHER:

A person who is employed to teach in schools.

PUPIL:

A child that is enrolled in a school for the purpose of learning.

STRATEGIC PLANNING:

“An exercise of foresight that takes

informed decisions about the future” (Bernard Phillips, 1971).

PLAN: