Public Relation

Public Relation is a management function that involves monitoring and evaluating public attitudes and maintaining mutual relations and understanding between an organisation and its public. Public could include shareholders, government, consumers, employees and the media. It is the act of getting along with people we constantly come in touch with. PROs ensures internal cohesion in the company by maintaining a clear communications network between the management and employees. Its first objective is to improve channels of communication and to establish new ways of setting up a two-way flow of information and understanding. Public relations as a separate career option has came into existence when lots of private or government companies and institution felt the need to market their product, service and facilities. Public image is important to all organisations and prominent personalities. The role of public relation specialist becomes pertinent in crisis situations when the correct and timely transmission of information can help save the face of the organisation. In terms of career opportunities, Public relations is broadly practiced for product publicity, corporate publicity, to have better relations with the government, to publish corporate publications like newsletter, bulletins, magazines for employees etc. Eligibility Educational: Bachelors degree in any discipline preferably with social sciences, liberal arts and humanities is required to take up a course in this field. There are diploma as well as post graduate diploma courses in Public relations. Duration of most the courses is of one year. Apart from this there are also short term certificate courses. Most training programmes in Advertising also includes public relations. Some institutes have entrance exams while others prefer admission on merit basis. These courses mainly cover areas like public relations principles and techniques, public relations management and administration, including organizational development, writing, emphasizing news releases, proposals, annual reports, scripts, speeches, and related items, visual communications, including desktop publishing and computer graphics, and research, emphasizing social science research and survey design and implementation. Personal Attributes: One must have excellent communication skills, both spoken and written so has to express thoughts clearly and simply. An effective personality and the ability to get along with a wide range of people both inside and outside an organisation is necessary. Must be polite always as he has to work under pressure or provocation. An organising ability is required too, as one may have to organise press conferences, lectures, exhibitions and events. Must have self-confidence and farsightedness. He must be able to understand human psychology and take decisions apt to the situation. Analytical skills are required to interpret research information and plan activity. Purchase Management Purchasing of material is an important organizational function. Even though type of materials purchased may vary from organisation to organisation, the role of purchase manager is of great significance in each establishment. Purchasing managers are responsible for buying variety materials- from stationary to materials used for manufacturing, farm products and even services for institutions and organizations. Purchasing managers play an important role in a company's supply chain management. In large organisations, there is a department for purchase of materials, with purchase manager as the main head who is responsible for adequate and in-time purchase of all required material for the organisation. In this case the purchasing manager's role will sometimes be more supervisory, with other employees in charge of placing the orders. However in small concerns purchase manager is in charge of the entire responsibility of purchase. Purchasing managers identify global sources of materials, select suppliers, arrange contracts, and manage relationships. Purchasing managers direct the buying activities for a company/organization and factories. They buy products for organizations to use or resell them for profit. Their goal is to purchase the highest quality goods at the lowest possible cost in order to obtain the best deal for the company. Purchasing Managers job also involves forecasting accurately the company’s purchasing requirements, which means being aware of the cost of raw materials in world markets and the ability to predict the best time to buy to avoid potentially costly rises. Purchasing managers keep track of inventory levels, sales figures, competition sales activities, and general economic conditions that influence consumer behavior. Eligibility Educational The minimum educational requirement varies depending on the size of the firm. However most preferred qualification is bachelor degree in Business Management or administration. For advanced positions masters degree (MBA) is required. One can also go for courses in material management in which purchase management is a core subject. There are also various Post graduate diploma and certificate courses in purchase management. Useful areas of study to prepare for a career in purchasing management include business law, finance, negotiation tactics and business ethics. Purchasing managers need to be computer literate. They must be able to effectively use the Internet as well as supply databases and word processing software. Personal skills Leadership quality and the ability to motivate others is necessary for this position. Problem solving and analytical skills used in mathematics are also an essential part of a career as a purchasing manager. Being able to express yourself well both verbally and in writing are important, especially where managing people is part of the job requirement. Foreign language skills are useful for those who want to work for international businesses. Computer literacy is a main requisite with the rise on online purchases these days. Another important personal requirement is negotiation skill. They also must be skilled at finding cost savings. Job Prospects Purchase managers nature of work varies based on the organisation. A key component of a purchasing managers job is finding and evaluating vendors and suppliers. A Purchasing Manager often supervises purchasing agents and buyers, but in small companies the Purchasing Manager may also be the purchasing agent or buyer. They take responsibility for the buying or approving of acquisition of goods and services required by the company. This job can also be referred to as Procurement Management. Most purchasing managers work in comfortable offices. There are also negative aspects - for them working hours are not fixed, evening and weekend work are also common during peak period to meet the goal. Traveling is also part of their work especially for those in fashion industry, to know the changing trends. Purchase managers have wide spectrum of employment opportunities in public as well as the private sector. They can seek employment in government departments and various public sector undertakings, Industries such as manufacturing, pharmaceutical, logistics, corporate house, banks, financial corporations, and trading corporations. These professionals also have options in media, entertainment and fashion industries. Tourism, travel and hospitality industries also throw open a lot of opportunities for purchase managers. In recent times, Telecom and IT sector has also opened the door of employment for these professionals. Remuneration Earning of a purchase manager varies from industry to industry. Salary mainly depends upon individual skill, qualification, experience, nature of job, location and nature of the employer. However, generally purchase managers have monthly salary of Rs 15,000-20,000 at the starting stage. With experience and ability this can go up, there is no bar for the right candidate.