PUBLIC RELATIONS AS A MANAGERIAL TOOL IN BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

Abstract

This paper investigated Public Relations as a managerial tool in business organization in Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The primary data for the study was sourced through questionnaire administered to 180 respondents. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients as well as t-test for significance (r) were used to verify the claims of the null hypotheses. All tests were carried out at 0.05 level of significance. The researcher equally used the chi-square test, pie charts and frequency tables. The research revealed that there is significant contribution of Public Relations to the achievement of business organization’s objectives in the area under study, as the calculated value of 6.4454 is greater than the critical value of 5.99. Public Relations strategies are ethically committed to truthful and verifiable information. So, there is a premium on finding out the facts, getting the right data and information together on clients, events and issues. This contributes to the better understanding of clients' needs and enables the consideration of the right responses to problems and the construction of appropriate messages. The paper recommends that Public Relations should be seen as a compulsory tool in the maintenance of peace and order. Public relations should also be recognized as a formidable management tool for organizational development while government should create the enabling environment for effective public relations to thrive.