ROLE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN REPUTATION MANAGEMENT.(SURVEY OF MASS COMMUNICATION STUDENTS IN UNIBEN).

 ABSTRACT

This study, investigated Mass Communication students' assessment on the role of public relations in reputation management in University of Benin (UNIBEN). The study became necessary following the continued and detrimental effects of a bad reputation to an organization. This study was anchored on the tenets of Two-way symmetrical Model and System Theory. The survey design was adopted for the study with the aid of 8-item questionnaire administered to 389 respondents purposively selected from the four levels in the department of Mass Communication in the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State. Data obtained were analyzed and presented with the aid of Frequency Tables, Simple Percentage and Mean Scores. It was found that public relations activities are effective in enhancing reputation management of an organization as perceived by Mass Communication students in UNIBEN, the activities includes: crisis management, media management and community relations. This study discovered that the role of Public relations in reputation management includes creating mutual understanding and favourable image, establishing communication within an organization and its publics and customer relations. Also the challenges facing public relations in reputation management such as: misconception of public relations, financial constraints and public relations not being a top management function was addressed. Therefore, the study recommended that public relations regulatory bodies like Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) with support from the federal government should introduce a policy that makes it mandatory for every organization to have public relations as part of their top management function.