Week three's readings

This week’s readings were rather interesting as it made me see PR in a different light, that not only are external public relations important, internal public relations and community relations are just as important as well, from a organisation’s point of view.

I think the key points to remember from this week’s readings were how good internal and community relations can help contribute to an organisation’s success. All organizations depend on its people, its employees, to work as a team to help the company grow/make money/progress. Its been said that people are an organisation’s most valuable resource. This is very true. It is the people in the organisation that makes or breaks it.

Disgruntled and unhappy employees can hurt a company in the long run, and one way to keep employees happy besides paying and treating them well is to show them that they are valued. The way to do this is to ensure that they are in the know with regards to all the latest developments and issues that are surrounding the company by keeping them in the loop. If employees understand the big picture and the role that they play, they are more likely to support their organisation’s goals. Organisations too, need to maintain good relations with their communities. Good community relations can help an organisation avoid unnecessary conflicts that may arise.

The readings made me think more about public relations theory/practice in that sometimes community relations are forged not because a company is concerned about the well being of that community, but purely for compliance reasons.