The importance of Research in International Public Relations

International Public Relations

Refers to the strategic communications and actions carried out by private, government or non- profit organizations to build and maintain relationships with publics in socio-economic and political environments outside their home location. (William, J. 2002).

The following are importances of research in the practice of international public relations;

 Research is a fundamental part of identifying important issues to the organization, developing strategically based publicrelations programs, and measuring the impact of those programs on the organization. Without public relations research, practitioners are left with little but outputs and hunches to report. Without research, practitioners cannot show how public relations make a difference. So in the practice of international public relations this helps a practitioner to identify important issues like public awareness and perceptions towards an organization.

Researchgives the hard data necessary to provide value to the organization, and helps provide information to make decisions that have real impact. Research is critical to international public relations practice because it focuses on providing necessary and first important data that gives an organization a profit and provide a gate way for the organization to succeed in the international business.

Research helps to maintain the two-way symmetrical model, the role of researchin the practice of international public relations should not be simplyto deliver the organization’s messages, at times referred to as an inside out approach to communication. In the open systems model, public relations research also takes an outside-in approach by communicating the beliefs, feelings, and concerns of key publics back to the organization. So by doing that it helps an organization to understand the needs of the public and the type of the public they are dealing with so as to satisfy the needs of the customers.

Research provides a means for the organization to scan the environment to identify key publics and issues early. Research uncoverspotential areas of concern so that the organization can build relationships, develop programs and take corrective action to prevent small problems from becoming major issues. And by doing that an organization can be able to know different issues that facing an organization and solving those problems early before they become a crisis in the practice of international public relations. And also research helps an organization to know the targeted publics and their preferences a fact which helps an organization to succeed in the international business.

 Research helps in maintaining a good relationship between the public and the organization, research emphasizes that the organization and its publics should be engaged in an ongoing dialog to build mutually beneficial relationship, practitioners use research and dialog to bring about symbiotic changes in the ideas, attitudes andbehaviors of both the organization and its publics. So in the practice of international public relations research makes the relationship between organization ant publics to be effective and beneficial to both of them.

Research helps in gaining publicity, through research an organization in international business can able to influence the media to promote the business in a beneficial and effective manner. That means by doing research an organization will be well informed over different issues concerning the media and their policies and influence that particular organizational to promote that organization business in international market hence success on that particular organization.

Research helps identify the existing knowledge, predisposition or behaviors of key publics, their preferred information sources, and how best to reach them,Excellent public relations department scan the environment and continuously bring the voices of publics,especially activist publics, into decision making so as to make those decision reflect the needs of  the target public.

Public relations research is essential for helping to determine what an enterprise’s goals should be, identifying possible barriers to achieving those goals, and providing knowledge about the environment and key publics so the organization can achieve those goals. This will ensure success of the campaign and the overall performance of an organization.

By Madelemo Hardson
BAPRM 42694