Retrospective Blog/Last Blog

Public relations blogs can help promote specific firms and their successful case studies. If a firm wants its effective public relations campaigns publicized, a blog could be a great way to announce its achievement to the public. However, the firm must be clear that it is the author of the blog. Otherwise, the firm could be accused of pretending to be an outside evaluator. Wal-Mart and FEMA both faced this problem in the past. Public relations practitioners behind Wal-Mart created blogs without clarifying the stories’ origins. A secret blog is the equivalent to a fake news release, which is what FEMA staged in the midst of the California wild fires in October (see earlier blog on FEMA). Public relations blogs are only beneficial if the authors are upfront about their identities.

I will not be continuing my blog. I created it solely for the purpose of developing my research, thesis, and understanding of my topic. Now that my research paper is complete, I do not need to continue blogging. However, I found the blog helpful in terms of the mental organization necessary for writing research papers. My blog forced me to question my topic and challenge my ideas by analyzing case studies and research. Ultimately, my blog contributed to my research paper because it made me look outside the box. I utilized youtube.com and discovered the public’s perspective on public relations through viewing videos related to the keywords “public relations.” This led me to validate public relations, which was a key theme in arguing that public relations is a valuable management tactic in business.

Corporate Success vs. PR Success

One of the articles that I found for the literature review has proven to be an extremely useful source for my paper. The article, entitled “Navigating a Path to Smart Growth” found in the Spring 2007 MIT Sloan Management review, discusses corporate growth and explains the importance of balancing a company’s inherent need to grow with the management’s ability to handle the growth. The article cites Wal-Mart as a prime example of a company that has “grown smart.” It provides statistical information, including the corporation’s net worth, and associates that as success. The article, however, ignores all the highly public problems that Wal-Mart has experienced. As I stated in my paper, this article depicts a dangerously selfish measurement of corporate success, which often leads corporations into the much-needed hands of public relations professionals. As my research has clearly indicated, the definition of success differs significantly whether you seek out a business journal or a public relations book.

This article has helped to define my thesis, which is that public relations techniques should be inherently incorporated within business models. Because public relations takes community, social responsibility, and image so seriously, the inclusion of these ideals within corporate management would help to prevent crises. Currently, the majority of major corporations seek out public relations assistance once a crisis has already surfaced. I believe that the intertwining of business plans with “management by objective,” a public relations program plan, can greatly benefit businesses, in terms of profit and reputation.

The goals of public relations plans and businesses are very similar. Hence, their definitions of success should be similar as well. In order for this to happen, I submit that strategic public relations should be an inherent part of corporations’ managements.