The study focuses on the impact of effective public relations practice in the
marketing expansion of banking services in Enugu metropolis. a case study of
All State Trust Bank Plc operating in Enugu state. It aims at identifying the
areas of potential problems in order to enable corrective measures to be taken.
Although All States Trust Bank plc maintains a corporate affairs department
that performs public relation functions, yet the management is not happy
because the bank does not have good image, in the opinion of it’s customers.
It was based on this that the research decided to embark on the present study,
with the following objectives in mind;
i) To determine whether All State Trust Bank
considers as important the public relations policy of the organisation as
strategic.
ii) To determine whether All States Trust Bank plc
communicates effectively major policy issues to its publics.
iii) To ascertain and discuss whether public relations
activities of the bank has any significant impact on the existence, growth,
profitability and survival of the bank.
iv) To make appropriate recommendations based on the
findings.
Both primary and secondary data were used. Some high – ranking
executives of the bank were interviewed. The information gathered from the were
quite helpful in pursuing certain areas of inquiry and which later formed the
basis for construction of the questionnaire and the formulation of hypothesis.
The questionnaires was meant for two categories of respondents as
follows: the staff and management of All States Trust Bank, the customers of
the bank. The questionnaire was structured to contain both the multiple choices
and the open – ended questions.
Major findings of the study were:
a) The management of All States Trust Bank does not
considers as strategic the impact of public relations on its customers.
b) There is no effective communication between All
States Trust Bank and its customers.
c) The public relations department of All States
Trust Bank is not adequately funded.
d) The company does not meet the expectation of its
customers in services delivery.
Base on the findings the following recommendations were made
i) The management should consider the public
relations practice of the bank as a strategic decision.
ii) The public relations departments should be
adequately funded.
iii) The bank should organized on regular basis
customers forum/meeting so as to meet the expectation of the customers.
The study occludes that effective public relations is a necessary
ingredient for the survival and continued relevance of an
organisation.
TABLE
OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
1.2 Statement of
problem
1.3 Objectives of the study
1.4 Significance of the study
1.5 Formulation of hypothesis
1.6 Scope of the study
1.7 Limitations of the study
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Historical background and definition of public
relations
2.3 Public relations function and business expansion
2.4 Public relations as a marketing tool
2.5 The public relations in banking operations
2.6 Factors that influence the functions of public
relation department in banking operations.
2.7 The implication of public relations in all
States Trust Bank. 42
Research design
Area of study
Population of the study
Sample size and sampling procedure
Sources of data collection and instrumentation
Validation and reliability of instrument
Method of data analysis
CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS OF DATA AND TESTING OF
HYPOTHESIS
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Analysis
of data
4.3 Discussion
of results
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY OF FINDING, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
5.1
Summary of findings
5.2
Recommendation
5.3
Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The success of an organisation can be derived from the efficiency
and effectiveness of its resources use. Some organisation can do well with
minimum resources, but thee are others which do not do well even with abundant
resources – both human, financial and material resources. The difference
between depends on the method of allocation of resources and the use to which
they are put. As a result, the importance of resources management in achieving
organizational success cannot be under estimated.
And so, the need for planning arises. Planning is the part of
management process that attempts to define the organisations future (Dalton,
1986) it is the process by which managers examine their internal and external
environments, ask fundamental questions about their organisation’s purpose and
establish a mission, goals and objectives (Ivancevich et al, 1994).
Simply put, planning is the process of determining organizational
objectives and identifying the ways and means of realizing them. since
objectives are derived from plans, organisations are bound to set objectives so
that they can, in the long-run, achieve corporate goals.
It is in this perspective of achieving corporate goals and
objectives that public relations is a half-way house between transforming
corporate objectives into corporate goals. This is why public relations
practitioners are always on the lookout for time bombs and landmines.
Therefore, the first assignment of the corporate affairs people/department in
any organisation is to have full grasp of an organisation’s objectives.
Having done this, it believes them to use relevant public
relations strategies and tractics to achieve a corporate culture that is profit
driven.
All over, whether private or public companies, organisations’
first aim is to make profit. This is because profit maximsation is the core of
a business, this claim is justified by the fact that most companies that have
not been able to break even, talk les of making profit, have gone under. To
this extent, profit maximization is a thigue measurement of efficiency,
just as it ensures the sustainability of the company.
Since good public relations can be a catalyst to profit making,
the public relations unit of an organisation as an engine room of corporate
reputation of their organisations are saddled with the responsibility of not
only creating sales, but also of making customers and sustaining them. and so,
public relations professionals have no choice than to dabble into market
research, branding, advertising and other promotional campaigns. As such public
relations people are always in the vanguard of finding out how customers could
be better served life the Chinese saying goes “a man without a smiling face
must not open a shop”. In a nutshell, customers’ care is all that it takes to
keep business flourishing, no matter the size of the business.
In a hostile environments, companies would face a lot of troubles
because of negative attitudes by their host communities. Instances abound where
companies have been made to lose a great chunk of their host communities.
Consequently, the public relations unit has the responsibility of
ensuring that it’s organisation is a good corporate citizens and is socially
responsible to the community in which it is situated. The central argument here
is that companies which widely accepted by their host communities is likely to
translate the collective patronage of the host communities assistance well as
that of other customers, into revenue.
It is common knowledge that some business organisations which paid
up service to their host communities has left in their trail adverse, social
and political consequences which effects snow-baled into negative publicity of
unimaginable dimensions. In some cases, these organisations have been made to
retreat rather than much forward.
This study is aimed at exploring the impact of effective public
relations in marketing expansion of banking services in Enugu metropolis. In
the banking sector the banks needs their customers to remain relevant in
business and ensure the sustainability of customers patronage, the bank image
must be maintain through stimulating quality customer service and creating good
public relations. It is in this sense that public relations – automatically
becomes the basic foundation for organisation, particularly bank in this age of
global competition, that strive towards profit maximization and marketing
expansion of banking services.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Communication as a profession is multifaceted. It helps to
establish and promote goodwill and mutual understanding (rapport) between an
organisation and its various publics.
This explains why most companies in this country have adopted the
practices, and All States Trust Bank is not an exception.
Although All States Trust Bank maintains pubic/corporate affairs
department charged with the responsibilities of performing public relations
functions, yet the management is unhappy because there is a lot of complains by
customers of the bank of poor services (bad image), despite efforts to promote
mutual understanding and corporate image among it’s various publics.
The following problems arises:
i) Most policy decisions by companies operating in
Nigeria, including All States Trust Bank are taken without regards to the
effects they will have on the life’s of the people in the area in which they
operate provided such policy will maximize the companies profits.
ii) Majority
of companies operating in Nigeria do not consider social responsibilities as a
managerial function and as such they regards it as an obligation not as a right
of society or community in which it operates.
iii) Several
factors accounts for their effectiveness in the performance of corporate social
responsibilities in Nigeria.
iv) Non
performance or discharge of social responsibilities creates instability in
operating environment of these companies, thereby having serious negative
effect on the companies turnover, profitability, growth and survival.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Base on the problem identified, the purpose of the study includes:
1) To find out whether All States Trust Bank
Management consider the public relations effects of it’s policies to it’s
customers as strategic.
2) To ascertain whether All States Trust Bank
Communities effectively major policy issues to it’s public.
3) To ascertain whether corporate gifts contributes
to good image management of the organisation.
4) To ascertain the factors which are responsible
for the effectiveness of the performance of corporate social responsibilities
in Nigeria that contribute to bad image.
5) To ascertain and discuss whether public
relations activities of the bank has any significant impact on the existence,
profitability and survival of the bank.
6) To make recommendations based on the findings.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research study is of importance because it is done at a time
when most organisations, including the All States Trust Bank, are saddled with
image problems. The significance includes:
i) The outcome of this research will enable All
States Trust Bank discover the extent of harm the company had suffered due to
it’s bad public relations practices and consequently improve on it’s promise to
provide effective, efficient and reliable services to its customer publics.
ii) It
will be used by the company’s management to decide on how to improve on it’s
customers relations and public relations practices.
iii) Similar
organisations will use it as a tool in repositioning their business practice
and how to avoid negative image.
iv) It
will be of help to future researchers on how public relations can be used to
strengthen relationship between customers and stay afloat in business.
1.5 HYPOTHESIS
Ho1:
The management of All States Trust Bank does not considers the
public relations effects of it’s policies on it’s customers
publics as strategic.
Ho2:
All States Trust Bank does not communicate it’s policies effectively
to it’s customers.
Ho3:
The company’s public affairs as well as public relations department is
not adequately funded.
Ho4:
The public relations practice of banks is not effective.
Ho5:
The banks social responsibility profitle has no significance effect on it
performance and image management.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study is limited to the achievement of the
objectives of this study, impact of effective public relations in marketing
expansion of banking services in Enugu metropolis – a case study of All States
Trust Bank Enugu.
In other words, the study will be focused on All States Trust Bank
and it’s customers located along Okpara avenue Enugu as representative of the
banking industry, which constitute the population of this study. Therefore, the
research will be carried out in Enugu metropolis.
Department | Marketing |
Project ID Code | MKT0058 |
Chapters | 5 Chapters |
No of Pages | 76 pages |
Methodology | Chi Square |
Reference | YES |
Format | Microsoft Word |
Price | ₦4000, $15 |
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Contact Us On | +2347043069458 |