Wing Clipping

Who could clip the wings of women?

Be it praising or commenting - talking less about women is always safer both at home as well as workplace. However, I dare to talk this, but briefly, because there is a move to create a women’s wing of PRSI. There is also some discussion elsewhere for & against the caption, these days. 

In population, sex ratio, literacy and in muscle power the women may appear slightly less (see my writing ‘Women’s Wing’ in http://prsihyderabad.blogspot.com dtd 15^th June 2011), but they are superior in creation. Constraints apart, in each of the following quotes, you will find the fairer sex having an edge.

“Sure God created man before woman.  But then you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece” ~Author Unknown

“A woman can say more in a sigh than a man can say in a sermon” ~Arnold Haultin

“Women get the last word in every argument.  Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument” ~Author Unknown

“A man's face is his autobiography.  A woman's face is her work of fiction” ~Oscar Wilde

“If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning” ~Aristotle Onassis

Straight to the point, a peep into the 37 years history of Hyderabad Chapter of Public Relations Society of India, you will find only one Woman (Mrs Prameela Nanda – 1986-88) as Chairperson out of the total 19 men. Similarly, out of the 15 recipients of Best PR Manager Award, you will have only one Woman (Mrs G Aneeja – 2011). See the tables below.

For this kind of a situation, “Who is to be blamed and who could clip the wings of women”? is a question. “Feminization of PR profession is possible but existence of women in any PR professional body is impossible” is certainly not an answer to the question, but a hypothesis. Research needed.

Personally, I feel, no one can clip the wings of women. It is their wish to fly or not to fly. 

Chairpersons of PRSI, Hyderabad Chapter

Chairpersons	Term
Prof. S. Bashiruddin	(1973-1976)
P.L. Raghu Ram	(1976-1977)
Prof. S. Bashiruddin	(1977-1979)
Dr. C.V. Narasimha Reddi	(1979-1982)
Mathew Joseph	(1982-1983)
S. Venkata Ratnam	(1983-1984)
K. V.  Rajgopal	(1984-1986)
Smt. Pramila Nanda	(1986-1988)
Dr. C.V. Narsimha Reddi	(1988-1989)
R. Neelamegham	(1989-1990)
C. Ramakrishna	(1991-1992)
N. L. Narasimha Rao	(1992-1994)
VSR Naidu	(1994-1995)
N. L. Narasimha Rao	(1995-1997)
Krishna Baji	(1997-1999)
K. Govindaraj	(1999-2000)
N. Radhakrishna Rao	(2000-2001)
Y. Babji	(2001-2002)
N. L. Narasimha Rao	(2002-2004)
Dr. C.G.K. Murthy	(2004-2006)
M. Pramoda Rao	(2006-2008)
K.R.K. Chary	(2008-2010)
N.L. Narasimha Rao	(2011- to date)

Recipients of ‘Best PR Manager’ Award

Year	Recipient of the Award
1997	PSN Murthy
1998	P Krishnaiah
1999	C Elbert
2000	Krishna Baji
2001	M Krishnanand
2002	Dr J Chennaiah
2003	A Vishveswar Reddy
2004	S Chandra sekhar
2005	Mohana Murthy
2006	D Virinchi
2007	FR Michael
2008	Y Babji
2009	K Manohar Achary
2010	S Krishnan
2011	Smt G Aneeja

Media & the Law

Mass Media systems of the world vary from each other according to the economy, polity, religion and culture of different societies. The media world has expanded its dimensions by encompassing within its orbit, the widening vistas of cyber media etc. As a consequence, the laws governing them are also numerous. The subject of “media laws”, is to make a person aware of the various important legislations affecting the various branches of Media Communication, making him aware of his rights and facilitating him to exercise them within the framework of law existing in India and in the end furthering the cause of “Freedom Of Speech And Expression” and “Dissemination of Knowledge”.

Pre-Independence scenario

The earliest regulatory measures can be traced back to 1799 when Lord Wellesley promulgated the Press Regulations, which had the effect of imposing pre-censorship on newspaper industry.

The onset of 1835 saw the promulgation of the Press Act, which undid most of the repressive features of earlier legislations on the subject.

Thereafter in 1857, the government passed the ‘Gagging Act’, which among various other things, introduced compulsory licensing for the owning or running of printing presses; empowered the government to prohibit the publication or circulation of any newspaper, book or other printed material and banned the publication or dissemination of statements or news stories which had a tendency to cause a furore against the government, thereby weakening its authority.

Then followed the ‘Press and Registration of Books Act’ in 1867 and which continues to remain in force till date.

Governor General Lord Lytton promulgated the ‘Vernacular Press Act’ of 1878 allowing the government to clamp down on the publication of writings deemed seditious and to impose punitive sanctions on printers and publishers who failed to fall in line.

In 1908, Lord Minto promulgated the ‘Newspapers (Incitement to Offences) Act, 1908 which authorized local authorities to take action against the editor of any newspaper that published matter deemed to constitute an incitement to rebellion.

Post-Independence era

The most significant day in the history of Media Regulations was the 26^th of January 1950 – the day on which the Constitution was brought into force. The colonial experience of the Indians made them realise the crucial significance of the ‘Freedom of Press’. Such freedom was therefore incorporated in the Constitution; to empower the Press to disseminate knowledge to the masses and the Constituent Assembly thus, decided to safeguard this ‘Freedom of Press’ as a fundamental right.

Although, the Indian Constitution does not expressly mention the liberty of the press, it is evident that the liberty of the press is included in the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a). It is however pertinent to mention that, such freedom is not absolute but is qualified by certain clearly defined limitations under Article 19(2) in the interests of the public.

It is necessary to mention here that, this freedom under Article 19(1)(a) is not only cribbed, cabined and confined to newspapers and periodicals but also includes pamphlets, leaflets, handbills, circulars and every sort of publication which affords a vehicle of information and opinion

Thus, although the freedom of the press is guaranteed as a fundamental right, it is necessary for us to deal with the various laws governing the different areas of media so as to appreciate the vast expanse of media laws.

The Freedom of Press and the Freedom of Expression can be regarded as the very basis of a democratic form of government. Every business enterprise is involved in the laws of the nation, the state and the community in which it operates. Newspaper publishers find themselves more ‘hemmed in’ by legal restrictions than many other businesses do – despite the fact that the freedom of press is protected by the Indian constitution.

The various Acts, which deal with Print Media, are:

The Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867 – This Act regulates printing presses and newspapers and makes registration with an appointed Authority compulsory for all printing presses.

The Press (Objectionable Matters) Act, 1951 – This enactment provides against the printing and publication of incitement to crime and other objectionable matters.

The Newspaper (Prices and Pages) Act, 1956 – This statute empowers the Central Government to regulate the price of newspapers in relation to the number of pages and size and also to regulate the allocation of space to be allowed for advertising matter.

Defence of India Act, 1962 – This Act came into force during the Emergency proclaimed in 1962. This Act aimed at restricting the Freedom of the Press to a large extent keeping in mind the unrest prevailing in India in lieu of the war against China. The Act empowered the Central Government to issue rules with regard to prohibition of publication or communication prejudicial to the civil defence/military operations, prevention of prejudicial reports and prohibition of printing or publishing any matter in any newspaper.

Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act, 1954 – According to this Act, the publishers of books and newspapers are required to deliver, free of cost, a copy of every published book to the National Library at Calcutta and one copy each to three other public libraries specified by the Central Government.

The Working Journalists and other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1955 – It lays down the minimum standards of service conditions for newspaper employees and journalists.

Civil Defence Act, 1968 - It allows the Government to make rules for the prohibition of printing and publication of any book, newspaper or other document prejudicial to the Civil Defence.

Press Council Act, 1978 – Under this Act, the Press Council was reconstituted (after 1976) to maintain and improve the standards of newspaper and news agencies in India.

Although on one hand, the Constitution confers the fundamental right of freedom of the press, Article 105 (2) provides certain restrictions on the publications of the proceedings in Parliament.

Due to the restrictive scope of this Article, it is not possible for us to delve into all the other statutes; however, a few of the legislations, which are worth mentioning, are the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 and The Official Secrets Act, 1923.

The Broadcasting Code, adopted by the Fourth Asian Broadcasting Conference in 1962 listing certain cardinal principles to be followed by the electronic media, is of prime importance so far as laws governing broadcast medium are concerned. Although, the Broadcast Code was chiefly set up to govern the All India Radio, the following cardinal principles have ideally been practiced by all Broadcasting and Television Organization; viz.,

To ensure the objective presentation of news and fair and unbiased comment

To promote the advancement of education and culture

To raise and maintain high standards of decency and decorum in all programmes

To provide programmes for the young which by variety and content, will inculcate the principles of good citizenship

To promote communal harmony, religious tolerance and international understanding

To treat controversial public issues in an impartial and dispassionate manner

To respect human rights and dignity

Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 basically regulates the operation of Cable Television in the territory of India and regulates the subscription rates and the total number of total subscribers receiving programmes transmitted in the basic tier. In pursuance of the Cable Television Network (Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2002, the Central Government may make it obligatory for every cable operator to transmit or retransmit programme of any pay channel through an addressable system as and when the Central Government so notifies. Such notification may also specify the number of free to air channels to be included in the package of channels forming the basic service tier.

Direct-to-Home Broadcasting – Direct-to-Home (DTH) Broadcasting Service, refers to distribution of multi-channel TV programmes in Ku Band by using a satellite system and by providing TV signals directly to the subscribers’ premises without passing through an intermediary such as a cable operator. The Union Government has decided to permit Direct-to-Home TV service in Ku band in India.

Film – India is one of the largest producers of motion pictures in the world. Encompassing three major spheres of activity – production, distribution and exhibition, the industry has an all-India spread, employing thousands of people and entertaining millions each year. The various laws in force regulating the making and screening of films are: -

The Cinematograph Act, 1952 – This Act has been passed to make provisions for a certification of cinematographed films for exhibitions by means of Cinematograph. Under this Act, a Board of Film Censors (now renamed Central Board of Film Certification) with advisory panels at regional centres is empowered to examine every film and sanction it whether for unrestricted exhibition or for exhibition restricted to adults. The Board is also empowered to refuse to sanction a film for public exhibition.

The Copyright Act, 1957 – According to this Act, ‘copyright’ means the exclusive right to commercially exploit the original literary, dramatic, artistic, musical work, sound recordings or cinematographic films as per the wishes of the owner of copyright subject to the restrictions imposed in the Act.

Although this Act is applicable to all the branches of media, in some areas it is specific to this particular genre. In the case of a Cinematographed film, to do or to authorise the doing of any of the following acts would lead to the infringement of copyright. Those acts are namely: -

To make a copy of the film

To cause the film, in so far, as it consists of visual images, to be seen in public and in so far as it consists of sounds to be heard in public

To make any record embodying the recording in any part of the soundtrack associated with the film by utilizing such sound track

To communicate the film by radio-diffusion

The Act also makes it a cognizable offence for anyone to sell, hire, distribute, exhibit, possess or view any unauthorised recordings and prescribes severe penalties, including imprisonment, fines as well as confiscation of the equipment used for the purpose of such recording and exhibition. The Amendments to The Copyright Act also prohibit unauthorized transmission of films on the cable television

Cine Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1981 – This legislation affords a measure of protection to those employed in the industry by imposing certain obligations on motion picture producers and theatre owners concerning the former’s condition of service.

Cine Workers Welfare Cess Act, 1981 and the Cine Workers Welfare Fund Act 1981 – They seek to create means of financial support to cine employees, the seasonal and unpredictable nature of whose employment often leaves them impoverished and helpless. Besides these, there are also a few local legislations, which affect the film medium; viz.

Advertising communication is a mix of arts and facts subservient to ethical principles. In order to be consumer-oriented, advertisement will have to be truthful and ethical. It should not mislead the consumer.

In order to enforce an ethical regulating code, the Advertising Standards Council of India was set up with basic guidelines in order to achieve the acceptance of fair advertising practices in the interest of the consumer: -

To ensure the truthfulness and honesty of representations and claims made by advertisements and to safe guard against misleading advertising;

To ensure that advertisement are not offensive to generally accepted standards of public decency;

To safeguard against indiscriminate use of advertising for promotion of products which are regarded as hazardous to society or to individuals to a degree or of a type which is unacceptable to society at large; and

To ensure that advertisements observe fairness in competition so that the consumers need to be informed on choices in the market places and canons of generally accepted competitive behaviour in business are both served.

The other legislations affecting the area of advertising are: -

Drug and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954 – This Act has been enacted to control the advertisements of drugs in certain cases and to prohibit the advertisement for certain purposes of remedies alleged to possess magic qualities and to provide for matters connected therewith.

Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969 - Section 36 A of the Act deals with 5 major Unfair Trade Practices: -

Any misleading, false, and wrong representation either in writing (i.e. in advertisements, warranty, guarantee etc.) or oral (at the time of sale) actual or intended, even if actual injury or loss is not caused to the consumer/buyer constitutes as unfair trade practices;

Sales, where there is element of deception;

All business promotion schemes announcing ‘free gifts’, ‘contests’, etc. where any element of deception is involved;

Violation of laws existing for protection of consumers;

Manipulating sales with a view to raising prices.

Exhibition – a visible medium of public communication

“Seeing is believing” is the principle on which the philosophy of exhibition is based. According to MacMillan Dictionary, Exhibition is “a public show where art or other interesting things are put so that people can go look at them”. Exhibition is a public display, as of the work of artists or artisans, the products of farms or factories, the skills of performers, or objects of general interest. It can be an exposition or a large fair of extended duration. The word "exhibition," is usually, but not always, used for a collection of items.
Exhibition may thus be described as an attractively organized public show of certain objects. It also includes eye catching display. It has both merchandising and public relations value. The main function of an exhibition is to attract the attention of the visitor or potential users of the products and services and see for themselves and judge their merit for use. Apart from the selling impact, exhibitions have an informative and educative function of no mean importance to audience. The modern exhibition emerged from our hoary past of fairs and festivals. Exhibition is used as a medium for marketing as well as a public relations effort. They provide ample opportunities for marketing and public relations disciplines in achieving the set-objectives and reaching the target audience with messages on products and services. Thus, an exhibition is both a marketing medium and a public relations effort.
An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. Exhibitions include (1) art exhibitions, as in major art museums and small art galleries; (2) interpretive exhibitions, as at natural history museums and history museums and (3) commercial exhibitions, or trade fairs.
Exhibitions may be permanent displays or temporary, but in common usage, "exhibitions" are considered temporary. While many exhibitions are shown in just one venue, some exhibitions are shown in multiple locations; such exhibitions are called mobile or traveling or touring or portable exhibitions. Though exhibitions are common events, the concept of an exhibition is quite wide and encompasses many variables. Exhibitions range from an extraordinarily large event such as a world’s fair exposition to small one-artist solo shows or a display of just one item.
Commercial Exhibitions or Trade Fairs
Commercial exhibitions, generally called trade fairs, trade shows or expos, are usually organized so that organizations in a specific interest or industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent trends and opportunities. Some trade fairs are open to the public, while others can only be attended by company representatives (members of the trade) and members of the press.
Art Exhibitions
Art exhibitions may present any array of artifacts from countless forms of human making: paintings, drawings, crafts, sculpture, performances, interactive art etc. Art exhibitions may focus on one artist, one group, one genre, one theme or one collection; or may be organized by curators, selected by juries, or show any artwork submitted. Fine arts exhibitions typically highlight works of art
Informative Exhibitions
Interpretive or Informative exhibitions are exhibitions that require more contexts to explain the items being displayed. This is generally true of exhibitions devoted to scientific and historical themes. Interpretive exhibitions generally require more text and more graphics than fine art exhibitions do. The topics cover a wide range including archaeology, anthropology, history, science, technology, natural history etc.
General objectives
The main objectives of an exhibition are (i) to display a selected range of products or services (ii) to meet existing and potential customers (iii) to secure the largest possible number of inquiries which can be followed up after the event (iv) to publicize the company’s or organizer’s name and products (v) to avoid being conspicuous by absence, thus preventing competitors insinuating that you are no longer in business and your own customers likely to believe (vi) to aid market research and long range planning (vii) to take orders (viii) to back up the company’s agents or local distributors or to secure new and better distributors (ix) to distribute corporate literature of the organization and (x) to create awareness and building the image of the organization.
Essentials for success
The theme, design, exhibits, titles, design, construction, pictures, words, colors, lighting, parking, entertainment, eateries, visitors’ book, publicity are only a few essentials in organizing exhibitions.
The success of any exhibition depends on the interest that the visitors have shown in witnessing the things displayed and purchases made. If it is a trade fair, its success is judged in terms of business and sales it had handled. If it is an information exhibition, the success is based on the grasp of ideas by the visitors.

Public Relations - Comprehensive Education

Public Relations - comprehensive education

by Y. Babji 

PR Practitioner & Faculty

Hyderabad

Any profession, be it Journalism or Public Relations must have a technical basis or body of knowledge to distinguish it as a profession, distinct from others. Though Public Relations profession in India has grown, it is yet to gain identity as a strategic management discipline. Therefore, Indian Public Relations today requires a body of knowledge, professional skills, professional literature and research. Such a body of knowledge in the shape of public relations education will facelift the profession on par with engineering or management disciplines.
“There is a yawning gap between PR education and PR educators on one side and the Industry on the other”, observes Dr C V Narasimha Reddi, a legendary personality in Public Relations profession. He stresses that “(a) Professional education, (b) Continuing professional development training and (c) Research together becomes a matrix that is essential for growth of PR discipline”. His observations on the upswing in public relations activity in every sector demands the growing need for qualified PR professionals and this demand and supply are like testimonials for the present as well as for the posterity.
This kind of a situation is not exclusive to India. As far as PR profession is concerned, the situation is similar even in advanced countries as pointed out in the recent reports of Global Alliance and of a Commission on PR Education in USA. In western systems of education, there are “major” subjects to specialize along with ‘minors’ at certain levels to keep pace with trends and requirements. To some extent, corporate/private colleges in India whose business is to sell education are able to offer such kind of courses. They can even fly the faculty from different parts of the Globe. But the fee is prohibitive. Can an ordinary student who aspires to prosecute such studies afford to it? After all, ours is a welfare state. Indian Universities, on the other hand make efforts sincerely to update patterns of courses, structure of syllabi etc but by the time these things could take a shape, they become out-moded, yet relevant, because Indian system of education is wholesome at every level. For example, if PR is to be taught even at post graduate level, a dose of history, a dose of economics, a dose of management, a dose of media, a dose of masscom, a bit of ethics, a dose of sociology are also taught to give an idea of closely as well as remotely related subjects. Because of this, India is able to produce both generalists as well as specialists in every field of knowledge.
In terms of employability, those who roll out of corporate colleges with Pg Certificate or Pg Diploma of 9 months or 12 months duration either in Journalism or Masscom or Public Relations are acceptable to industry to the extent of 95%. The simple reason behind this is ‘what a candidate possesses is what Industry expects’, a mere stylish communicative English and a few personal selling techniques. Are we mis-judging the Industry expectations? This is a debatable issue.
Faculty
When we talk about PR Educators and their suitability we have to be prudent. The permanent faculty in Universities and Colleges is insufficient. The right kind of visiting faculty is scarce. Can any PR practitioner, public or private, whose economic objective is different, spare an hour a week to teach? The remuneration offered by the conventional universities is less than the travel cost of a shuttle. Only those who are committed to teaching and committed to profession are doing it for decades and producing excellent PR managers. It is nothing but ‘devils chanting Vedas’ if an unprofessional teaches a subject that can be taught only by professionals.
Syllabus
There is a criticism that the syllabus for PR courses right from Certificate Course to Master’s Degree is repetitive. We read lessons about the Emperor Ashoka in primary classes. We also read about the same Emperor at PG level as part of Ancient Indian History. Repetition is neither wrong nor unwarranted. Course contents are not novels to impress or entertain somebody, but written to inform and educate the knowledge seekers. It all depends on how effectively it is taught and how interestingly it is learnt.
“Education begins when schooling ends”. “Teacher is a guide”. “Syllabus is a guiding light”. “The actual process of learning starts only after entering into the practical world”. To understand the above statements, have a look at the following explanations.
What is education?
Education is the learning of knowledge, information and skills during the course of life. Teachers may draw on many subjects, including reading, writing,  mathematics, science and history. Teachers in specialized professions such as  astrophysics, law or zoology may teach only a certain subject, usually as professors at institutions of higher learning. There is much specialist instruction in fields for those who want specific skills, such as required to be a pilot, for example. Finally, there is an array of educational opportunity at the informal level - such as with museums, libraries and the internet. Informal education also includes knowledge and skills learned during the course of life, including education that comes from experience.
Education is a broad concept, referring to all the experiences in which students can learn something:
1. Instruction refers to the intentional facilitating of learning toward identified goals, delivered either by an instructor or other forms.
2. Teaching refers to the actions of a real live instructor designed to impart learning to the student.
3. Training refers to learning with a view toward preparing learners with specific knowledge, skills, or abilities that can be applied immediately upon completion.
While so, PR education in India is at the cross road trying to find its way. Public Relations is being taught as one of the subjects of Communication and Journalism courses. A very few educational institutions offer exclusive PR courses.
AP Model PR Courses
Based on the initiatives of Public Relations Voice which has organised a Round Table on PR Education, the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) has constituted an Expert Committee to revamp Journalism, Public Relations & Communication education for Andhra Pradesh. Three Subject Committees were formed for PR, Journalism and Mass Communication separately. These committees met several times, studied and recommended courses and model syllabi in tune with changed circumstances.
The State Council of Higher Education, has issued guidelines vide their letter dated 26th Feb 2009 for implementation of model syllabus and courses. So far as Public Relations is concerned, the following three courses have been recommended by the subject committee headed by Dri CV Narasimha Reddi. The author of this article is a member of this committee)
1. BA with Mass Communication and Public Relations as one of the three core subjects – three years course
2. MCJ with Public Relations specialisation – one year course
3. MS in Public Relations – two years course
These three courses will have to be implemented by various Universities from the year 2009-10. These courses are to be called as AP Model PR Courses. National Councils of PRSI, ABCI, PRCI, GFPR may have to consider these courses together with model syllabi and recommend to their chapters in the country to take initiative to approach the State Councils in each State to adopt similar model. National councils may also approach UGC to issue guidelines to all the Indian Universities for introduction of these courses, in the interest of the profession.
What is Learning?
Learning is acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. Human learning may occur as part of education or personal development. It may be goal-oriented and may be aided by motivation.
Learning may occur as a result of habituation or classical conditioning or as a result of more complex activities such as play, seen only in relatively intelligent animals and humans. Learning may occur consciously or without conscious awareness.
What is Training?
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at educational institutions. In addition to the basic training required for an occupation or profession, observers recognize the need to continue training beyond initial qualifications: to maintain, upgrade and update skills throughout working life. People within many professions and occupations may refer to this sort of training as professional development.
Some commentators use a similar term for workplace learning to improve performance: training and development. One can generally categorize such training as on-the-job or off-the-job:
1. On-the-job training takes place in a normal working situation, using the actual tools, equipment, documents or materials that trainees will use when fully trained. On-the-job training has a general reputation as most effective for professional work.
2. Off-the-job training takes place away from normal work situations — implying that the employee does not count as a directly productive worker while such training takes place. Off-the-job training has the advantage that it allows people to get away from work and concentrate more thoroughly on the training itself. This type of training has proven more effective in inculcating concepts and ideas.
Training differs from exercise in that people may dabble in exercise as an occasional activity for fun. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity and performance.
What is Teaching?
In education, a teacher is a person who teaches. A teacher who teaches an individual student may also be described as a personal tutor. The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out by way of occupation or profession at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person wishing to become a teacher at state-funded schools must first obtain  professional qualifications or credentials from a university or college. These professional qualifications may include the study of pedagogy, the science of teaching. Teachers may use a lesson plan to facilitate student learning, providing a course of study which covers a standardized curriculum.
What is Accreditation in PR?
One next step all seasoned practitioners should consider is earning the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation. Earning the APR certification is a proof of successfully demonstrated competency in the knowledge, skills and abilities required to practice public relations effectively in today’s business arena. The APR Accreditation is the only professional certification program open to public relations professionals. The Universal Accreditation Board (UAB), a consortium of 9 leading industry organizations, including PRSA, administers the Accreditation program.
"The value of accreditation is that at minimum it lets others know that you possess the skills required to be an effective practitioner and that you have a working knowledge and understanding of the profession and its development that sets you apart from others. To a prospective employer, accreditation signals your seriousness about the profession and that you possess a certain level of competency and preparedness." - Ted Richardson, APR Vice President, Corporate Relations United Insurance Co. of America
“APR is a symbol of professionalism. It demonstrates that individuals have the knowledge, ethics and experience that set them apart. It also demonstrates that they care about their own profession and that they are dedicated to enhancing their own personal abilities." - Joe S. Epley, APR, Fellow PRSA, Chairman and CEO, Epley Associates, Charlotte, NC.
Public Relations shall rest on its tripod of Education, Literature and Professional Organisation. Its trident weapon is Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. The triangle approach to professional advancement is through learning, training and teaching. Of course, Research, Accreditation & Achievements are the height of it. One who pursues all the above triplets would have educated oneself comprehensively in Public Relations and sure to find his place in the annals of PR History, just as Dr CV Narasimha Reddi did.
In fine, the future of public relations profession in India as discussed in this article is based on a 6-point formula – (1) Public Relations education (2) Public Relations Training (3) Professional skills (4) Research to measure PR programmes (5) Accreditation of professionals and (6) a strong professional body to promote all these attributes

Consumer Relations - Rights & Responsibilities of Consumers

Consumer Relations

Consumer relations is often confused with marketing, and in fact it is important that the public relations professional work with the marketing professional when developing goals for a consumer relations program. However, consumer relations differ from marketing in that the goals of the program are to develop positive relationships with consumers rather than to sell a certain number of a product. It is necessary to note, however that the assumption is that more positive relationships with customers will result in higher sales.

Consumer Relations is an integral part of public relations and cannot be over looked. After all, who is the most important public in an organization, the customer is right? If an organization did not have customers, could not attracted them nor maintain them, how would the organization exist. What purpose would the organization serve? Consumers literally make or break an organizations future.

With that in mind, how does an organization create, attract and maintain consumers for their product? This is the fine line where Marketing and Public Relations often blurs. Marketing and Public Relations share some basic concepts such as research methods, selection of target audiences, development of communication and action plans as well as final evaluations. Even with these similarities, the two are not exactly the same. Marketing tends to be more product and field specific, where as, Public Relations is much broader.

Public Relations takes into account such things as internal relations, external non-customers and the surrounding environment, and overall consumer behavior. Therefore, with an understanding of the roles each plays in an organization it would seem a combination of the two would create the best-case scenario for attracting and maintaining new customers. (“Relationship Marketing” department, as it were, would be ideal.)

So, how would this “Relationship Marketing” department deal with the consumer? First, it would have to understand that consumers make buying decisions based on five buying habits that include, product quality, the organizations method of handling consumer complaints, how they handle a crisis, product safety, and trading practices. They must also understand that consumers want to be served and not just sold.

Consumers want, and need, products and services that are not only of good quality but useful as well. Finally, the “Relationship Department” has to be aware of how to “delight” customers so they will become “regular, repeat, and loyal” consumers. Achieving customer delight is done by first making a promise of consumer benefits (what the consumer has to gain) and second they must meet the consumer’s expectations. The third step is to involve the employees so they can help deliver the product and service and fourth they must take into account the aftermath and maintenance of the customer base and service they provide.

Although Consumer Relations is only one aspect of an organization, it can easily be ranked among the highest in importance! Therefore building and maintaining a regular, repeat and loyal customer basis (customer relationship) is the proven lifeline to an organization.

In today's business environment, company success depends on understanding your customers and exceeding their demands for service. As products become less differentiated and demand growth slows, the profitability of a firm increasingly depends on its ability to find, expand and retain valuable customers.

Customer relationship management is critical to the profitability and long-term success of companies across all industries. This traditional and personalized consumer liaison management technique allows a company to identify and resolve problems, as well as create an extensive database. Exceptional customer service is the only thing that will differentiate your business from your competition. In order for a business to grow, it is therefore essential to develop a strong customer-focused culture.

It is far more cost-effective to build loyalty with existing customers than to keep replacing them. Value the customers and believe that consumer care is a vital part of our organization. Personal approach enables one to tackle all consumer issues effectively, creating positive company perceptions.

Consumer Rights

In the 20th century, the presence and influence of the market grew dramatically in consumer life. We began to purchase things from the market for a price. Soon, mass production and industrial production came into being, giving the consumer world an entirely new dimension. Urban consumers depend on the market for fulfillment of even their basic needs. This over-dependence on the market and the inherent profit motive in mass production and sales has given manufacturers, and dealers a good reason to exploit consumers. As a consumer, you would know how market products are constantly under-weight, of inferior quality and do not prescribe to quality standards specified by quality-control agencies. Consumers not only do not get value for their money but also often have to suffer losses and inconvenience due to market manipulations.

The 8 Consumer Rights

In order to safeguard consumer interest, consumer rights activists of the West initially envisioned 6 consumer rights, namely:

Right to Safety

Right to Information

Right to Choice

Right to be heard

Right to Redress

Right to consumer education

These rights were conceptualized in the developed world's consumer context where consumers are wealthy and completely dependent on the market to fulfill their needs. These rights had to be redefined keeping in mind the realities of a developing country like India. Consequently, two very important rights were added viz.:

Right to Basic Needs and

Right to a healthy and sustained environment.

These two rights are very closely linked with the realities of developing countries where environment plays a very important role as a resource and support-structure for the people. In a country like India, a large section of the population looks for food security, assured safe water supply, shelter, education and health services. Most consumers relate very little to imported goods stacked in supermarkets or for choice among latest models of cars, as is the case in the developed world. For India's 1 billion population, food security and a safe environment are more pressing needs than any other consumer options and rights. The developing country natural resources also serve as a resource base for the developed world's industrial output.

Consumer Responsibility

While one likes to know about our rights and exercise them, hardly ever accord the same importance and urgency to our consumer responsibilities. Consumer rights and responsibilities are intertwined together and without sharing consumer responsibility, consumers will find it very difficult to enjoy their rights on a long-term basis.

Consumers need to tread cautiously in the market place. While buying a product, ask yourself these questions:

· Do you really need this product?

· For how long would you like to use it? Will it last as long as you would like it to?

· What are the health fallout of that product? If it is a food product, does it give you any health benefits? Check the labeling of the product to see the nutritional chart of the product.

Consumer can also empower himself by knowing the law. For e.g., ISI mark on bottled mineral water has been made mandatory by the government and now labelling of non-vegetarian ingredient in food products will also mandatory for the industry.

Consumer responsibility can play a very important role in not only checking the market but also in restricting unnecessary consumption. It is not the sole responsibility of the market or of the government to provide consumers with detailed information. A consumer, on his part, must make every effort to inform himself of the product or service. For example, if a consumer consumes a health product, he must make efforts to inform himself beforehand about its possible side effects, and must also exercise caution regarding his eating habits, diet and physical exercise, to take full advantage of the product.

Consumer responsibility is based on ethics and rationale. There is no definitive set of consumer responsibilities and a consumer must exercise restraint in consumption to consume responsibly. For example, conservation of the environment cannot be forced upon consumers but a consumer must make a conscious effort to reduce consumption, choose environment-friendly alternatives and conserve energy.

Consumer responsibility needs to be shouldered by different consumer segments. Every segment has its own special consumer profile and consumption patterns. These patterns define the kind of consumer responsibility that a segment must discharge.

Responsibility towards safe waste disposal

Most often we consume without sparing any thought for what's going to be left behind as waste. More and more percentage of waste generated in urban areas today consists of non-biodegradable waste. Urban consumers are making use of plastic, paper and cardboard packaging, disposables batteries, plastic throw-away pens, use and throw nappies, empty cans etc are becoming a common feature of an urban dustbin. India's urban population is around 300 million. By 2011, the total quantity of solid waste generated in urban areas is expected to cross 56 million tonnes, creating a waste management crisis for urban India. Consumers need to become accountable for their consumption patterns and their serious environmental and economic implications. The 4 Rs of consumption (Reduce, Recycle, Refuse and Reuse) are not just a consumer's prerogative but also his consumer responsibility.

Responsibility to endorse safer products – Eco-labelling

Eco-friendliness is an important criterion in judging a product's feasibility. It is a way of assessing how much damage a product has caused to the environment. ‘Eco-mark' is one way of knowing which products conform to environmental standards and are more environment-friendly than others. Ecolabelling is a methodology practiced by many countries in the world, including India. The Indian government has formulated a scheme whereby some categories of products are awarded the ‘Ecomark' if they conform to certain standards set by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Unfortunately, in India, the scheme has not taken off due to consumer apathy and lack of response. The market has manipulated this situation to lobby with the government to make Ecolabelling a voluntary scheme, which will allow manufacturers to disclose and cover information at will.

Consumer Bonding

The consumer movement needs active participation of consumers to lobby with the government, pressure the market to deliver better quality, and to support consumer rights campaigns. Empowerment of consumers by NGOs and public campaigns is a two-way process and without continuing consumer support, no campaign can flourish.

The concepts like Caveat Emptor (beware the buyer) and Caveat Venditor (beware the seller) together are still relevant for India.

Consumer Protection Act 1986

Industrial development in the field of manufactured goods has led to the influx of various consumer goods into the Indian market to cater to the needs of the consumers and a variety of services such as banking, financing, insurance, transport, housing construction, entertainment have been made available to the consumers.

In order to protect the consumers from exploitation and to save them from adulterated and substandard goods and deficient services the Consumer Protection Act came into force on 15^th April, 1986 and it applies to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.