PR Dissertation 2011

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Exploring the Equation between Public Relations Education and Practice:

A Study Based in Mumbai and New Delhi, India.

Nida Umerjee (BMM) University of Mumbai

Dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MSc/Dip. in Strategic Public Relations and Communication Management, University of

Stirling.

University of Stirling2010-2011



DECLARATION

1. This work is composed by me.

2. This work has not been accepted in any of my previous applications for a

degree

3. The work of which this is a record is done be me

4. All verbatim extracts have been distinguished by quotation marks and the

sources have been successfully acknowledged.

Signature:

Date: 22 September 2011

(i)



AGREEMENT

I agree to Film, Media & Journalism using my dissertation for teaching

purposes. I understand my dissertation may also be made available to future

students in the library.

Signature:

Date: 22 September 2011

(ii)



This dissertation is dedicated to Shayaan,

My adorable nephew

For the limitless joy you have bought in my life...

(iii)



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I’m immensely thankful to all the public relations academicians and practitioners who

shared their invaluable views and experiences for this dissertation. I’m grateful to you

all for your time and generosity in guiding me on this research. Special thanks to Ms.

Mini Ribeiro, for helping me reach out to the best people in the business and for

inspiring me to take up Public Relations as a subject for my Master’s degree.

My deep gratitude to Dr. Jacquie L’Etang for your expert guidance on the direction and

structure of this dissertation and your co-operation in working with me through this

period. I have immensely valued your views and critique on this study which have

enabled me to improvise my work and challenged me to do better.

I thank my parents for their constant support and unconditional love which they have

showered on me all through my life. Every conversation with both of you through the

writing of this dissertation has only made me feel more positive about it and has

motivated me to keep the battle on. A big thank you to my sister for entertaining me

with her ‘new mom’ stories and for bringing my little bundle of joy, Shayaan, into this

world. I would also like to thank my aunt, Mumtaz Choonara, for making up for the

absence of my parents in the United Kingdom and for looking after me like her own

child.

Last but not the least; I would like to thank my closest bunch of friends, Sunny, Riddhi,

and Kritika for making this one year the most beautiful experience of my life. I miss

you all and I’m looking forward to our fun times soon.

(iv)



ABSTRACT

This research study was undertaken to discover the relationship between public relations

education and the practice in two cities, Mumbai and New Delhi, in India. The limited

research conducted on public relations in India was another important reason why this

study was commissioned. The question of how education plays a vital role in

establishing a professional status of an occupation was an initial trigger to this enquiry.

This study employs qualitative methods to collect the views of eighteen participants

which comprised of public relations academicians and practitioners. The in-depth

interviews were conducted in person and over the telephone between July-August 2011

in Mumbai, India. Exploring the current level of PR education in India, the curriculum

and pedagogy of these programs, the qualifications of the faculty, the employability of

the PR graduates and the expectations of the industry from these graduates are some of

the overarching elements of this study. It was also a goal to understand the

interdependency of the institutes that offer PR education and the agencies that hire these

graduates. But the most vital question governing this research study was whether

academicians and practitioners feel that PR education is important to achieve success in

this occupation and whether the present education that is offered meets the industry

requirements.

After conducting primary and secondary research on this topic, it was found that PR

education is at an infant stage in the country. There are many institutes that are offering

PR programs but very few focus on PR alone and the lack of any accreditation raises a

question on the credibility of these institutes. On the other hand, the public relations

practitioners feel that the curriculum of these programs lacks practical knowledge of the

occupation and produces an inefficient work force. Also the PR professional bodies are

found to be inactive on advancing the mandate of PR education in the country.

(v)



TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration...............................................................................................................(i)

Agreement ....................................................................................................................(ii)

Dedication....................................................................................................................(iii)

Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................(iv)

Abstract ........................................................................................................................(v)

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale of the study..............................................................................................1

1.2 Research Question...................................................................................................21.3 Aims & Objectives..................................................................................................41.4 Research Approach..................................................................................................51.5 Brief overview of the chapters...............................................................................6

[1,468 words]

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................72.2 Brief history of PR education......................................................................................7

2.3 Education & professionalization.................................................................................82.4 Background of public relations education in India......................................................92.5 Critique of the literature.............................................................................................122.6 Gap in the body of knowledge...................................................................................152.7 Summary....................................................................................................................16

[2,711 words]

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction................................................................................................................17

3.2 Research question .....................................................................................................173.3 Research paradigm.....................................................................................................183.4 Empirical research.....................................................................................................203,5 Sampling....................................................................................................................213.6 Data Analysis.............................................................................................................223.7 Limitations of the research............................................................................. ..........233,8 Summary....................................................................................................................24

[2,094 words]



CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS & FINDINGS

4.1 Introduction................................................................................................................254.2 Role of PR education in the professionalization

of the occupation in India..........................................................................................25

4.3 Academic background of the interviewees................................................................274.4 Current level of PR education in India......................................................................294.5 Curriculum design & Pedagogy.................................................................................314.6 Faculty.......................................................................................................................334.7 Employability of PR graduates..................................................................................354,8 Role of PR professional bodies in advancing

the mandate of PR education.....................................................................................374.9 Lacunae for a body of knowledge.............................................................................394.10 Summary..................................................................................................................40

[5,016 words]

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Introduction................................................................................................................425.2 Recommendations of the interviewees to improve

the current structure of PR education in India...........................................................425.3 Discussion of the findings.........................................................................................435.4 Recommendations for future research.......................................................................455.5 Conclusion.................................................................................................................46

[1,279 words]

BIBLIOGRAPHY..........................................................................................................47

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1- Interview guide...........................................................................................52Appendix 2- Email sent to potential interviewees...........................................................54Appendix 3- List of Interviewees....................................................................................55Appendix 4- Example of transcribed interview highlighting the coding process...........57Appendix 5-List of PR courses offered in different states of India.................................65

Appendix 6-IPRA Gold Paper No.7 (1990)/A typical curriculum..................................70Appendix 7-PR course at XIC, Mumbai.........................................................................73Appendix 8- PR course at SIMC, Pune, Maharashtra.....................................................74Appendix 9-PR course at EMDI, Mumbai......................................................................76Appendix 10- A print advertisement of EMDI in Mumbai Mirror newspaper...............77

Total word count = 12,568 words

Excluding all references, tables, appendices and acknowledgements.



1.1 RATIONALE

The researcher has b

reason. After graduat

(specialising in Journ

Public Relations in

program of the discip

the established and r

the researcher disco

advertising degree

diploma/short-term

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and practical aspects

degree in Strategic P

of Stirling, Scotland.

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Public relations, is

practitioners in gover

1

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

F THE STUDY

en intrigued with the idea of PR education

ing with a Bachelor’s degree in Media and

alism), the researcher decided to pursue a

he United Kingdom, because of the lack

ine in India. After researching for PR cours

puted Media and Mass Communication ins

vered that what was on offer was eithe

ith public relations as a subject in the

rogram. Also the credibility of the facul

these institutes were questionable.

hand when the researcher looked at si

n in the United Kingdom, there were a ran

line at a masters as well as an undergraduate

s explicit and focused on a detailed study of

of the discipline. Therefore, the researcher c

blic Relations and Communication Manage

Therefore, the search to find a qualified pro

disappointing but intriguing as well.

a 50 billion industry in India and e

ment, private, public and non-profit sectors

because of a personal

Mass Communication

ostgraduate degree in

of a specific degree

s of a masters level in

titutes in the country,

a marketing or an

curriculum or a PR

ty and the academic

ilar opportunities of

e of options available

level. The curriculum

the various theoretical

hose to study an MSc

ent at the University

gram of PR education

ploys over 100,000

(Reddi, 1999, cited in



2

Bardhan and Sriramesh, 2004, p.71). A survey on ‘PR & its future prospects’ carried

out by ‘The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India’ (ASSOCHAM)

states that the Indian PR industry is growing at an annual rate of 32% and is likely to

double its size to over US $ 10.56 billion by 2012 from over US$ 6 billion presently,

since corporate are relying more on public relations to improve their brand image (IIFL,

2011).

In contrast to these figures, a latest industry report ‘Public Relations Practice – Ground

Realities’ authored by the Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI,

2011, p. 17) claims that ‘acquiring and retaining best talent in the industry has turned

out to be a key challenge.’ To add to that nearly 80% of the interview participants of

this report believed that the Indian education system is not geared up to cater to the PR

industry needs (PRCAI, 2011, p. 19). According to Reddi, education in this area is an

imperative for the professional growth and repositioning of public relations in India

(1997, cited in Singh, 2000, p.307).

Therefore, having studied a postgraduate degree in PR from United Kingdom, and

having learnt the historical and theoretical underpinnings of the discipline in the western

world, the researcher was intrigued to study about the public relations industry in her

own country. PR education was chosen to be a more specific topic of research so as to

draw a comparison of the current status of the same in India in contrast with the western

countries like USA and UK. Although some scholars like Sriramesh Krishnamurthy

(1992, 1996, 2000, 2004), Nilanjana Bardhan (2003, 2004), Raveena Singh (2000) and

Seema Gupta (2007) have contributed detailed studies on the public relations industry in

India, education in particular has not been the main focus of those. The findings of these



3

studies present criticisms on the lack of specialised educational programs in PR at a

masters/postgraduate level and the credentials of the faculty on these programs. But the

need for structured and formalised PR education has been the concern for most of the

participants of these research studies. Another issue raised in these studies has been the

lack of a body of knowledge for the discipline in India.

India’s history in public communication spans centuries and could be explained in three

component parts and phases: propaganda (1500 BC- 1858), publicity and public

information (1858-1947), and public relations (1947 onwards) as it is known today

(Reddi, 1999, cited in Singh, 2000, p. 300). But unfortunately only two authors, C.V.N.

Reddi and M.L. Kaul have documented the evolution of the public relations practice in

India (Sriramesh, 2000). Therefore, the researcher wanted to make a contribution to the

scarce body of knowledge in the country with this study with the hope that it will draw

the attention of academicians and practitioners who in turn may be motivated to build a

scholarship base for public relations in India.

1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION

The main research question of this study is:

To explore the equation between PR education and practice through the views of

academicians, practitioners and senior members of the PR professional bodies

based in two cities, Mumbai and New Delhi in India?

Supplementary research questions have been listed in the forthcoming Methodology

chapter.



4

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This research will aim to study the relationship between PR education and practice in

two cities, Mumbai and New Delhi, the capital of India. The study will attempt to

explore the scope of PR education, the academic level at which it is imparted, the

curriculum’s and pedagogy implied by the faculty, the credentials of the faculty and the

employability of the graduates from these courses. On the other hand, the study also

attempts to record the views of practitioners on the quality of PR education available in

these cities and whether it matches up to the skills and talent they expect from new

hires. Also the study shall explore the reasons for the lack of a scholarship base in the

country in the opinion of academicians, practitioners and the representatives of PR

professional bodies. These cities have been chosen as large PR companies are based out

of Mumbai and New Delhi, primarily because of the large corporate head offices and

key media offices located in these cities. Also more than 60% of the PR business comes

from these locations, followed by Bangalore and Chennai (PRCAI, 2011, p. 12).

Another reason for limiting the study to these cities was the constraint of time and

resources to cover a country as vast in size as India.

The main objective of this study is to gather as much information possible about the

existence and extent of PR education in India, research and critique the work of other

academicians and scholars on this topic, and lay the foundation for an original piece of

research based on the data collected from the interviews of academicians, practitioners

and senior members of the PR professional bodies based in two cities, Mumbai and New

Delhi, in India during the months of July-August 2011. Collecting data from the

appropriate participants and analysing the results of this study in an efficient, valid and

reliable manner will also be the goal of the researcher. Finally writing this piece of



5

research in a logical, coherent and detailed manner will be an ultimate objective for this

piece of research.

1.4 RESEARCH APPROACH

The researcher has adopted the qualitative research paradigm and the in-depth semi-

structured interview method was used to collect information from the suitable

participants for this study. A total of eighteen interviews were conducted, of which ten

were face-to-face, seven were telephonic and one was an email response. It was

discovered that most practitioners interviewed for this study were also part of the

visiting faculty of the PR education programs conducted in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Full-time faculties were rare and belonged to other disciplines like journalism,

marketing and advertising. Therefore it was deemed appropriate to interview some

academicians and mostly those practitioners who taught as visiting faculty for these

programs. Further the interviews were audio-taped and transcribed to assist in the

thematic analysis of the data.

1.5 BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE CHAPTERS

The next chapter discusses the relevant literature on this research topic and underpins

some theoretical concepts which offer a foundation for this study. Though the

researcher found limited literature on PR education in India, contributions of other

scholars on this topic have been discussed and critiqued. Further, the Methodology

chapter will provide explicit details of the research procedures and methods used for

sampling, data collection and analysis. It shall also enlist the supplementary research

questions and offer the limitations of this research. Next, the Analysis and Findings

chapter shall present the data collected from the interviews under appropriate themes or



6

sub-categories to present a coherent description of the participant views provided for

this study. The difference in the findings with the previous research studies carried out

will be exemplified. The Conclusion and Recommendations chapter will collate the

overall summary of this study as well as offer some suggestions for commissioning

future studies that can help build a body of knowledge of the PR discipline in India.



7

CHAPTER TWO

LITRETURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

The aim of this chapter is to trail a history of PR education in the Western world,

namely the United States of America and the United Kingdom, where the initial efforts

to shape the educational curriculum for the discipline of Public Relations in relation to

practice, actually began. This chapter will also attempt to relate the concept of

professionalization to education and explore their long standing equation. Further, the

researcher will frame the background of PR education in India and discuss the literature

that influenced the inception of this study. The methods and findings of other authors

who have conducted research on PR education in India will also be critiqued and lastly

the gaps in the body of knowledge will be addressed including a brief justification for

the structure and direction of this study.

2.2 BRIEF HISTORY OF PR EDUCATION

The roots of PR education can be traced back to journalism courses where students were

able to specialise in PR by choosing options. The first PR course was offered in the

journalism department of the New York University School of Commerce, Accounts and

Finance, taught by Edward Bernays in 1923 (Theaker, 2001). The 1981 Commission on

Public Relations Education recommended that the content of undergraduate and

postgraduate courses should include mass communications, PR theories, media relations

techniques, research methodology, case studies, work placements and PR management

(Cutlip et al, 1985, cited in Theaker, 2001, p.54). The International Public Relations

Association (IPRA) proposed ‘a model for Public Relations education for professional

practice’ by publishing the Gold Paper No. 4 in 1982 in which it made various

recommendations for commencing post graduate/masters level specialised programs on



8

Public Relations education, it advised on the qualifications of teachers, to promote a

dialogue between academics and practitioners and to evaluate the effectiveness of

Public Relations.

While many undergraduate programs were already being conducted on mass

communication and journalism with PR options in both USA and UK, the

recommendations of the IPRA Gold Paper, No. 4 propelled the introduction of many

new courses such as the full time MSc degree programme at the University of Stirling in

Scotland in 1988 (IPRA, Gold Paper No. 7, p.3).

The first UK undergraduate degree in PR was launched at Bournmouth in 1989,

followed by Leeds Metropolitan University and the College of St Mark and St John,

Plymouth in 1990 (Tench, D’Artrey and Fawkes, 2009, p 60). Although PR education

did commence in the West but it was soon adopted by other countries as a means of

legitimizing the occupation.

2.3 EDUCATION AND PRODESSIONALIZATION

Grunig and Hunt (1984) introduced the idea of education and training as being an

important prerequisite for a practitioner to be called a professional. In presenting the

characteristics of a professional, Grunig and Hunt (1984, p. 66) emphasise that a

professional has the technical skills needed to provide a unique and essential service and

they acquire these skills during a long period of prescribed professional education’.

Theaker (2001, p. 54) adds that ‘one element of a claim to a professional status is an

emphasis on well-qualified practitioners’.



9

Also Cutlip et al included ‘specialised educational preparation to acquire knowledge

and skills based on a body of theory developed through research and an emphasis on

public service and social responsibility’ in their list for prerequisites of a profession

(1985, cited in Theaker, 2001, p. 53). Also L’Etang and Pieczka ( 2006, p.276) stated

that ‘education is an instrument for the public relations occupation to achieve status by

contributing to the legitimizing process of social acceptance and by helping to define

public relations expertise and the scope of its operations’. In the view of Grunig and

Hunt (1984), professionals can be distinguished from the average citizen due to their

skills and knowledge base:

True professionals possess a body of knowledge and have masteredcommunication techniques that are not known by the average citizen.They also have a set of values and a code of ethics that discourage theuse of their knowledge and technical skills for antisocial purposes.(Grunig and Hunt, 1984, pp. 5)

The use of professionalism normally is linked in our field [Public Relations] with the

expression of a need to improve the occupational standing (L’Etang and Pieczka, 2006,

p.270). Therefore, one can deduce that education has a direct relationship with the

concept of professionalism and is imperative for legitimizing the occupation of Public

Relations. The relationship between education and professionalization has also been

explored in the Indian context in the analysis chapter of this research and theoretically

influenced the researcher in the development of this study.

2.4 BACKGROUND OF PUBLIC RELATIONS EDUCATION IN INDIA

The main source of literature on public relations education in Asia has been contributed

by Krishnamurthy Sriramesh. In the book, the Encyclopaedia of Public Relations,

Sriramesh (cited in Heath, 2005, p.46) suggests that the reasons why Asia has not been

well represented in the public relations body of knowledge is because of a relatively



10

small number of graduate public relations programs in Asian universities. He further

explains that the ‘few public relations graduate programs that currently exist in Asia are

predominantly skills oriented and generally lack theoretical and methodological rigor,

which inhibits efforts at advancing education and the profession’ (cited in Heath, 2005,

p.47). Therefore, there is little literature available on public relations education in

specific countries in Asia.

However, Bardhan & Sriramesh (2004, p.70) offer a detailed study of the public

relations profession in India and highlight that ‘the lack of trained professionals in the

country and a dearth of quality new entrants into the profession is a matter of concern.’

They also attribute the reasons for this situation as follows:

Only a handful of universities and institutions offer postgraduate diplomas in

public relations and many of these programs are not exclusive to public relations

but offer courses in advertising and journalism as well.

A sizeable number are not recognized by the government and therefore lack the

stamp of legitimacy (Mehta, 1977, cited in Sriramesh, 2004, p. 71)

Most people who currently teach public relations are themselves practitioners

who do not have formal education in the field.

(Bardhan & Sriramesh, 2004, pp.70-72)

All these points have helped the researcher develop the direction of enquiry of this

study. The researcher had personally conducted a search for post graduate programs on

Public Relations in India to pursue a master’s degree in the discipline. It was observed

that there were very few courses that only focused on public relations as a major and it

was difficult to gauge the credibility of these institutes due to a lack of government

accreditation.



11

The first public relations program in India was started at the Dr. Ambedkar Open

University in Hyderabad, a non-traditional university for adults who do not have

undergraduate degrees and attend on a part-time basis, in 1986 (Bardhan & Sriramesh,

2004, p 71). This was later upgraded to a Bachelor’s degree in 1992 – the first in public

relations in the country (Reddi, 1999, cited in Bardhan & Sriramesh, 2004, p 71).

Madurai Kamraj University also started a master’s degree in 1998 and the Indian

Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi, was set up by the government for

training personnel in journalism, advertising and public relations at the postgraduate

diploma level (Mehta, 1997, cited in Bardhan & Sriramesh, 2004, p 71). According to

Reddi (1997, cited in Singh, 2000, p.307), ‘Indian PR must be established through more

research and the higher education system must be revamped for PR education. PR is not

yet offered as a fully fledged tertiary qualification in India. Rather, it only comprises

one or two subjects in other areas of study, mainly in journalism.’

This statement throws light on the similarity between the evolution of PR education in

India and the western world which progressed through the same disciplines of

journalism, marketing, advertising and mass communications at large. Prof Ujjwal K

Chowdhury, Director, Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication (SIMC), Pune,

India, in his interview in the PR-e-Sense electronic magazine (2007a), said that ‘largely

people with an MBA degree in marketing or general communication and journalism

degrees including former journalists have usually come into PR profession but

professionally trained PR professionals are very rare.’ Curriculum design and content is

now a pressing issue for education and training. Sriramesh (1996) also criticised that

there is too much dependence on imported concepts and textbooks and more local

research needs to be conducted on the public relations practice in the Indian context. At



present, there are few

Gupta (2007) conduc

PR industry by quest

the identification of p

of 108 professionals

communications and

that PR practitioners

training for the field

instruction in mana

practitioners should c

Gupta (2007, p.306)

about 700 public rela

In 2004, the public

billion. The industry

consolidation. Becau

shortage of trained m

schools offering publ

pool of talent.

2.5 CRITIQUE OF

The most crucial li

Sriramesh Krishnam

2004, 2011), Raveen

12

publications on Indian PR and a paucity of l

ted a study to measure the extent of profess

oning the influence of gender, education an

rofessional standards. It was found in the st

of which 67 worked with a PR agency, 3

worked in other areas such as marketing, e

id not think that marketing or a business de

while agreeing to the fact that most practiti

gement skills and techniques. However

ontinue to enhance their skills through traini

lso presented the following facts in her stu

ions firms in the country with a workforce o

elations industry in India had revenues in

is growing at a healthy rate of 30% per

se of the pace of growth, these agencies

anpower. The industry takes in only 90–150

c relations as a specialisation, making those

THE LITERATURE

erature on public relations in India has

rthy (1992, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2004), Nila

Singh (2000) and Seema Gupta (2007). B

terature and research.

onalism in the Indian

d work experience on

dy (which comprised

worked in corporate

ent management, etc)

ree is the appropriate

ners have had formal

they did agree that

g.

y: at present there are

about 10,000 people.

he range of 1.2–1.6

year and undergoing

are facing an acute

students from various

schools an inadequate

been contributed by

njana Bardhan (2003,

ardhan and Sriramesh



13

(2004) used a mixed method research including quantitative surveys, in-depth fieldwork

and ethnographic interviews over the span of twelve years to study public relations in

India. Sriramesh Krishnamurthy has also contributed various articles on the impact of

societal culture on public relations, the lack of multiculturalism in PR education and the

various models of public relations in India.

But the study conducted by Bardhan (2003) which combined ‘a cultural analysis

approach with ethnographic fieldwork’ laid the foundation of this study. She carried out

eighteen in-depth, face-to-face interviews with practitioners and educators in New Delhi

during the summer of 1999 and the winter of 2000–2001. Initially the researcher gained

access to the interviewees by using her professional contacts and then gradually moved

to a snowball network sample. The questions asked to the educators pertained to (a) the

history and state of public relations education in India; (b) the types of programs

(graduate as well as undergraduate) that are available, including matters pertaining to

curriculum, content, texts used, and the importance of accreditation; (c) the state of

endogenous research in public relations in India; and (d) culturally specific definitions

of public relations in the Indian landscape and definitions of practitioner roles

(Bardhan,2003, p 231-233).

The key findings of this research have been discussed in the preceding section of this

chapter and have influenced the researcher of this study to conduct a similar research

after eight years in the city of Mumbai and New Delhi, to explore the equation between

PR education and practice, the sample interviewees of which would be senior

practitioners, academicians and representatives of PR professional bodies. The

researcher wanted to trace the notable developments in PR education, the practitioner



14

roles and the contribution of the PR professional bodies to encourage higher education

in these previous years. Bardhan’s (2003) study traced the evolution of the public

relation’s practice pre and post independence in India, marking the changing roles of

practitioners, the educational developments and the efforts of the PRSI (Public

Relations Society of India) to professionalize the occupation. Therefore the findings of

the same have laid the historical and theoretical foundation for this study to explore the

changes in the PR education structure as well as the perceptions of practitioners about

the same.

On the other hand in a recent study, Gupta (2007) has attempted to understand the

identification of professional standards amongst Indian practitioners who are members

of the Public Relations Society of India, but the method used to do so was

questionnaires which presented a general consensus amongst the participants rather than

provide an in-depth analysis of their beliefs and opinions. The ethnographic study of

southern Indian organisations conducted by Sriramesh (1996) used qualitative methods

to interview key employees of the public relations agencies and corporates to study the

phenomenon of power distance in an organisation. In his study on ‘the models of public

relations in India’ (2000), data was collected from eighteen organisations and forty

public relations professionals using the survey method and ethnographic analysis.

Thus, qualitative research has been used in the past to conduct research on public

relations in India, using ethnographic studies and in-depth interviews which have

produced an enriched analysis of the various perspectives of key practitioners, educators

and senior members of the PR professional bodies. Therefore, this study shall also

follow suit and imply qualitative methods like in-depth interviews to investigate the



15

equation between PR education and practice in the two cities, Mumbai and New Delhi

in India.

2.6 GAP IN THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

As the researcher has been able to access limited literature on PR education in India, it

can be confirmed that more research needs to be added to the public relations body of

knowledge in the country. Although some studies have been conducted on PR education

in India, they have largely presented an overview of the Indian economic, political and

social landscape. M. L. Kaul and C.V.N Reddi have been the only authors to trace the

evolution of public relations in the country in great detail (Singh, 2000, Bardhan, 2003,

Sriramesh, 2000 and Bardhan and Sriramesh, 2004). Kaul has authored two editions

(1976 and 1988) of the book ‘Public Relations India’ while Reddi has authored books

like ‘Public Relations in Municipal Government’ , 1978, ‘Public Relations in Public

Transporters’ , 1992, and ‘Effective Public Relations and Media Strategy’ , 2009. C.V.N

Reddi is also the editor of the ‘PR Voice’ , the only journal of PR professionals,

published since October, 1997.

There is yet a paucity of research conducted on the current curriculum of public

relations programs in India, the academic level at which they are imparted, the

pedagogy used for imparting this education, the credentials of the faculty, the response

of the PR industry towards these programs and the employability of the graduates of

these courses. Therefore, this study attempts to bridge this gap in knowledge by

presenting an in-depth research on the various aspects of PR education in the country at

large but more specifically in two cities, Mumbai and New Delhi in India. This study

will also present the relationship between the PR education and the occupational



16

practice in the country and will analyse their interdependency on each other. The

qualitative method of in-depth interviews shall be used to explore the various aspects of

this topic in great detail from the key participants best suited to this study.

2.7 SUMMARY

This chapter provided a roadmap of the development of PR education in the Western

World together with analysing the relationship between education and

professionalization. The available literature on PR education in India was discussed

thereafter, highlighting the need of redesigning the curriculum of these programs and

the severe shortage of qualified talent in the country. It was proved that qualitative

research has been conducted in the past to study public relations in the country but the

views of academicians and practitioners and the relationship between the education and

practice in the country has not been researched earlier. The following methodology

chapter shall present the detailed methods used to conduct this research along with

highlighting the underlying research paradigm and the research questions of this

original study.



17

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLGY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter will inform about the research process and tools adopted for the same. It

will highlight the main research questions of this study and introduce the research

paradigm followed. Then the empirical data collection and sampling details will be

discussed along with the data analysis procedure. Lastly, this chapter shall conclude

with the underlying limitations of this piece of research.

3.2 RESEARCH QUESTION

At the onset of this research study, the objective of the researcher was to explore the

existence and scope of PR education in India. This involved searching for various

educational institutes throughout the country that offered PR education at an

undergraduate as well as postgraduate level. It would then be imperative to interview

the PR academicians attached to these institutes to gauge the current scenario on the

quality of PR education in the country and its scope in relation to the practice. At this

point, the researcher realised that covering the expanse of a country as large as India

with the limited period of time and resources was not feasible and hence it became

crucial to narrow the scale of the study to two key cities in India, those being Mumbai

and the capital of the country, New Delhi.

Thus the overarching research question that this study attempts to investigate is to,

‘Explore the equation between PR education and practice. A study based in Mumbai

and New Delhi, in India.’ In other words, this research will examine whether the

contemporary PR education in these two cities relates to the current practice or not. To



18

probe this topic area in further detail, the researcher framed the following

supplementary questions that assist in the further investigation of the research topic:

1. What PR education exists? (What kind of syllabus is designed for this discipline

and at what level are these imparted – undergraduate or postgraduate?)

2. What does the faculty comprise of? (Are they just visiting PR practitioners or is

there a full time faculty in place?)

3. How do PR practitioners in Mumbai and New Delhi view the quality of PR

education in the country? (Also does PR education enhance the chances of

employability? Do practitioners who studied PR deliver better results at work

than those who have not?)

4. Does PR education hold any importance for practitioners? Is it a mandatory pre

requisite for new practitioners entering the occupation? (Is PR education

important to achieve success in this occupation?)

5. Do PR education programs deliver practical skills or are they theory focused?

6. What have the PR professional bodies in India contributed towards creating

education and training programs for practitioners and students alike?

7. Why is no initiative taken either by academicians and practitioners to develop an

intellectual and scholarship base for the public relations discipline in India?

3.3 RESEARCH PARADIGM

This research study forms its base in the philosophical concept of phenomenology

(concerned with how individuals make sense of the world and how in particular the

philosopher should filter his perceptions about his own grasp of that world) and the

theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism (that views social interaction in terms

of the meanings actors attach to action and things) Bodgan & Biklen (1992) and



19

Bryman, (2008). Both of the above concepts in turn form the underpinning assumption

of the qualitative research paradigm. Jankowski and Wester (1991) suggest that

'qualitative research is performed in a naturalistic setting with emphasis on everyday

behaviour and is often descriptive in nature.’ But to understand this paradigm in deeper

context, it would be helpful to look at Bryman’s (2008, p. 366) definition:

Qualitative research tends to be concerned with words rather than numbersand provides an inductive interpretivist view, where a theory is generatedfrom the research, based on understanding the social world through anexamination of the meaning deduced of that world by its participants.(Bryman, 2008, pp. 366)

Thus, this study which will attempt to gather the perceptions and opinions of PR

practitioners and academicians in Mumbai and New Delhi, India, on the importance of

PR education and will be following the qualitative research paradigm by ‘enquiring’ and

‘exploring’ this topic through the eyes of its participants. This study will also be

acquiring ‘intensive observation of a few cases which will be examined in great detail’,

which is considered the primary strength of qualitative research (Broom & Dozier,

1990, p. 143).

Qualitative research is lauded for its rich description, a natural setting being its direct

source of data and the researcher being the key instrument (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992,

pp.29-30). Besides these Daymon & Holloway (2011) regard its ability to embrace

complexity and contextualized subjectivity as its biggest strength. They also

acknowledge the characteristic nature of qualitative research as being emergent and

provisional as one of its strengths. This is because the research is flexible and builds a

theory on the way by incorporating inputs which are discovered during the process of

the research.



20

3.4 EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

As there has not been any prior research on this particular topic in India, the researcher

could not find any secondary data and had to make a start from scratch in enquiring

about PR education in the country. It began with a desk search of the institutes and

universities that offer PR education and their corresponding websites were looked at for

details about the program duration, curriculum and entry levels. The institutes in

Mumbai and New Delhi were shortlisted to make contacts with the course head/director

of the PR programs in the respective institutes. After the researcher personally visited

some of these institutes in Mumbai, it was found that most of these programs were

taught by visiting faculty from the industry (PR practitioners) and there were very few

full time faculties. Therefore, the researcher chose to conduct face-to-face semi-

structured interviews with PR practitioners who taught as visiting faculty at most of

these institutes. This would fulfil a dual objective which is to get the views of both the

academicians as well as PR practitioners.

Daymon and Holloway (2011, p. 221) suggest that ‘the key features of interviews are

that they are flexible and allow you (the researcher) to develop an understanding of the

perspectives of interviewees.’ Also Deacon et al. explain that semi-structured face-to-

face interviews enable the interviewer to gain control over the discussion by referring to

an interview guide, which sets out issues to be covered during the exchange (2007,

p.67). The interview guide used by the researcher can be read in Appendix 1. Therefore,

the researcher conducted eighteen semi-structured interviews of which 10 were fact-to-

face, seven were telephonic and one was responded via an email due to the busy work

schedule of the interviewees.



21

3.5 SAMPLING

In the beginning, the researcher sent emails (see Appendix 2) to those individuals whom

she felt were suitable participants for the research. Contacts for these participants was

found on the website of the institute or taken from the PRCAI (Public Relations

Consultants Association of India) and PRSI (Public Relations Society of India) website

through the member agencies section and then accessed through the corresponding PR

agency website. Creswell has stated that the idea behind qualitative research is to

purposefully select participants or sites that will best help the researcher understand the

problem and the research question (2009, p. 178).

Thereafter a snowball sampling process was adopted where some contacts were selected

on the basis of their relevance to the research and then those were used to establish

contacts with other potential participants of the study (Bryman, 2008, p. 184). It was

kept in mind that an equal number of participants are chosen from Mumbai and New

Delhi and that academicians, PR practitioners as well as representatives of PR bodies

are interviewed. This method, as suggested by Deacon et al. is widely used in research

into ‘either very closed or informal social groupings, where the social knowledge and

personal recommendations of the initial contacts are invaluable in opening up and

mapping tight social networks’ (2007, p.55).The primary criterion for selecting

participants was their designation and work experience. Individuals who had an

experience of minimum fifteen years in the PR practice were chosen for the study and

hence they were amongst the senior most practitioners in their respective organisations.

Finally, only two interviewees were based in New Delhi but all the participants had

worked all over the country throughout their career, though most of them are currently



22

based in Mumbai. All the interviewees are visiting faculty at various institutes which

imparted PR education and two interviewees were representatives of the PRCAI

professional body in India.

Each interview lasted for half an hour on an average and some were even a little over an

hour. All interviews took place in the respective offices of the participants except for the

telephonic interviews and one face-to-face interview took place at the participant’s

residence. They were all audio taped to assist in analysis along with maintaining

concurrent notes. A complete list of the interviewees can be read in Appendix 3.

3.6 DATA ANALYSIS

To begin with all the audio recordings of the interviews were heard twice to get a sense

of the views of each participant. Phenomenological research uses the analysis of

significant statements, the generation of meaning units and the development of an

essence description (Moustakas, 1994, cited in Creswell, 2009, p. 184) Next, the

interviews were thoroughly transcribed, read and re-read to categorise the data into

codes and later coding schemes were used to record recurring themes from all interview

transcripts (see Appendix 4). Coding is the process of organizing the material into

chunks or segments of text before bringing meaning to information (Rossman & Rallis,

1998, cited in Creswell, 2009, p.186). Some of the codes were reviewed and re-coded

and some data was grouped under similar codes to eliminate overlapping themes.

Relevant quotes pertaining to every theme were highlighted in a separate document for

quick references during the writing of the analysis and findings chapter. The coding

schemes were used to generate the following themes; ‘Role of PR education in the

professionalization of the occupation in India’, ‘academic background of the



23

interviewees’, ‘current level of PR education in India’, ‘curriculum design and

pedagogy’, ‘faculty’, ‘employability of PR graduates’, ‘role of PR professional bodies

in advancing the importance of education in the occupation’ and the ‘lacunae for a body

of knowledge’, which enabled the presentation of ‘multiple perspectives from

individuals and were supported by diverse quotations and specific evidence’ (Creswell,

2009, p.189). At the same time supplementary information from books, journals and

websites has been used to complement the findings of this study.

3.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH

A limitation but also a uniqueness of this study is that it is the first of its kind in India.

As mentioned in the previous chapter there is an inadequate body of knowledge for the

public relations industry in the country. Lack of books and authentic statistics on the

size and scale of the occupation are also negligible and posed a deficit to conduct any

form of secondary research. On the other hand, since this study was the first of its kind,

gaining access to the participants was also a challenge. Repeated emails, calls and

mobile text messages had to be sent to gain an appointment with the desired

participants. Also the time of conducting the study was the summer season during which

many participants were away on a holiday while for some their busy schedules could

not allow any time to participate in this study. Secondly, few participants were not

prepared to part with some vital information due to confidentiality issues, which they

accepted as being an inherent function of their job responsibility as a PR practitioner.

But at the same time the information received from the final interviewees has also been

invaluable because of their expertise and experience in the field of Public Relations.

Lastly, this study limits itself to two cities in India where as there is ample scope to

further the findings of this research in the form of an intensive all India study if



24

sufficient time and resources are employed.

3.8 SUMMARY

In order to yield the maximum findings pertaining to the research question, a qualitative

approach was considered to be the best way to investigate this research topic. Semi-

structured in-depth interviews enabled the researcher to probe the participants in detail

to access substantial information for the study. The thematic analysis of the data

collected was beneficial in incorporating different perceptions and opinions of the

participants in this study under varied headings and hence encouraged a systematic and

logical representation of the findings.



25

CHAPTER FOUR

ANALYSIS & FINDINGS

4.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter contains the main findings of this study. It presents the diverse views of the

interviewees with respect to certain themes. As mentioned in the previous chapter, these

themes have enabled the researcher to present the data collected through the medium of

interviews in a coherent argument that contradicts or supports the findings of earlier

studies on public relations in India and relates the analysis of this study with that of

some theoretical concepts such as education and professionalization. The themes have

been developed through the process of coding after the relevant information was aligned

under similar categories. The themes have been chosen to draw a link in the analysis of

this study and enable a clear understanding of the equation between PR education and

practice, in the views of academicians, practitioners and senior members of PR

professional bodies, from two cities, Mumbai and New Delhi. All the quotes and

excerpts presented from the eighteen interviews conducted for this study have been

attributed to the corresponding interviewees unless specified otherwise.

4.2 ROLE OF PR EDUCATION IN THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF THE

OCCUPATION IN INDIA

As it has been stated in the literature review, education has a direct relationship with the

professionalization of an occupation. Hence, the researcher first decided to seek an

answer to the question ‘does the PR occupation lack a professional status in India and if

the lack of formal PR education has contributed to this falling? Most of the respondents

believed that PR has lacked a professional status in the country but that was when the

practice started back in the 1990s, however things are now beginning to change. The



26

following excerpt of an interview with Ujjwal Chowdhury provides an account of how

this change has occurred:

Public Relations is a young profession in this country. Most of the

agencies mushroomed post liberalization in 1992 and a largeamount of the PR growth has actually started in 2000. Earlier the

purpose of public relations was not clear, both to the client as wellas the practitioners. Initially all it was to do with was to get your story up in the media. However in the last two decades it [the publicrelations occupation] has emerged from a wining, dining andlobbying activity to a communication advisory to the CEO. Today,PR is considered more intellectual than advertising, because in thelatter you tell your story but in PR you make a third party tell your story so therefore there is an increasing acceptance to intelligentPR. (Chowdhury, 19/07/11)

On the other hand, Ashwani Singla, MD & CEO, South Asia, Penn Schoen Berland

believes, “There is no lack of legitimacy in the profession. It may not have the

sophistication, in terms of education, techniques and the experience as the West because

the profession in much younger [in India], so professionalism may be a problem but not

legitimacy” (Singla, 04/08/11). Some respondents even credited PR education as the

reason for the ‘awakening in the PR occupation’. Kavita Lakhani, President, Linopinion

PR, says, “Ten years ago we did not have any formal training in PR, we were training

on the job, we were all self and book taught. Today at least there is some understanding

of what is PR due to the communication schools that offer this education.” (Lakhani,

26/07/11). Mini Ribeiro, Course Director, Public Relations and Corporate

Communications (EMDI Institute of Media and Communication) & Director, Litmus

PR, adds, “We have a long way to go by the means of education but I think we are

getting there… Private institutes have realised that there is a lacuna in specialised PR

education and that just communication graduates won’t fit the bill of the industry hence

there has been a stronger focus on PR education in the last few years” (Ribeiro,

26/07/11).



27

However, the general consensus amongst the interviewees directed towards the fact that

the occupation has evolved in terms of offering more services which has helped it earn a

professional status. “MNCs have brought in a lot of respect for Indian public relations

because they come from countries where PR is considered a more matured industry and

they value and respect the services of the PR department,” say, Zeenat Khan, Director,

Corporate Communications, Turner General Entertainment Networks, India (Khan,

20/07/11). Besides the multinational companies setting base in India, another important

aspect that has led to the growth of the PR practice in India has been the globalization

effect. “Indian companies are going global and realize the value of on-going PR plus the

innovative work that is being done through PR sometimes overshadows the advertising

campaigns. Since PR is able to demonstrate good results, it is given more respect now”,

concludes Veena Gidwani, Chief Executive Officer, Madison PR (Gidwani, 01/08/11).

Therefore, most of the participants of this study believed that PR education has played a

small role in the professionalization of the occupation in India. The shift in the

professional status of the PR practice can be contributed to the economic growth in the

country as well as the expansion of PR services and practitioner roles.

4.3 ACADEMIC BACKGROUND OF THE INTERVIEWEES

As the interviewees of this study have been working in the PR industry in India since

the last fifteen-twenty years, the researcher felt it was imperative to determine their

academic backgrounds and the contribution it has made in their successful PR careers.

Most of the interviewees were found to have studied communications either in

Journalism, Advertising and Marketing. Some participants had even studied Business

Management, Accountancy, Engineering and Economics. Therefore, they had varied

academic backgrounds but only 3 participants had studied Public Relations either as a



28

part of a mass communication degree or at a post graduate level. Vishwanathan

Ganapathy, General (Manger West), 20:20 MSL, possess a post graduation degree in

commerce along with a couple of part-time evening (diploma) courses in advertising

and marketing. Although he has been working in the public relations industry for nearly

two decades he says, “My commercial knowledge has helped me run a business but the

rest is all practical training. I believe this [Public Relations] business doesn’t need great

qualification, all you need is common sense, creativity and the ability to write”

(Ganapathy, 19/07/11). The same thought is echoed by Gidwani (01/08/11), “I think

having a degree in business management gives you an overall perspective on various

aspects of business though it doesn’t have a direct bearing to PR, but it still helped me.”

Deepshika Dharamraj, Chief Talent Officer, Genesis Burson Marsteller, India, who

holds a Master’s degree in Business Economics, confesses:

Practitioners who come from a business background in academics are ableto apply their communication knowledge to the business of their clientsand keep an eye for figures and details. This way they add value to the

business of their clients. In my case, it helped me become a good businessmanager and a strategic advisor to my clients” (Dharamraj, 27/07/11)

On the other hand, an engineering graduate, Pavan Karimbil, Partner, Mutual PR,

unconsciously drew closer to communications, “I always liked to be talked to and

communication came easy to me, but I could not imagine myself sitting in a room doing

coding all day. So I took up consulting initially which is very similar to PR and it helped

me move across various platforms and companies” (Karimbil, 30/0711). While, Sharif

Rangnekar, Director & CEO, Integral PR and President, PRCAI, offers a different

perspective on academics, ‘people overstate the relevance of degrees they have. When it

comes to professions like medicine and Law, the degree matters a lot. But when it

comes to media, public relations and advertising I think your own sense of



29

communication and people is important and that’s something you don’t learn in school”

(Rangnekar, 04/08/11). It is also crucial to note that when the interviewees of this study

began their respective careers in public relations, there were very few programs that

even offered PR as a subject in a communications course let alone the option of a

standalone PR program. To sum up this section, Khan (20/07/11) makes a valid point:

In public relations, I think it’s more experience than the qualification thatmatters. Off cause when you are getting your first job I think your degreehelps but beyond that I don’t think it matters. You need to be street smartin this business and have a very strong command over the [English]language. I have seen very average people become great PR professionals.

Khan (20/07/11).

4.4 CURRENT LEVEL OF PR EDUCATION IN INDIA

Professor Jethwaney of the Indian institute of Mass Communication (1999, cited

in Bardhan, 2003, p. 242), claimed that until the early 1990s, public relations

diplomas were mostly offered at the postgraduate level by a handful of institutions

and universities. Public relations education was often lumped with journalism and

advertising or subsumed under the umbrella of communication studies. The

situation was similar with undergraduate - level education. Twenty-one years

later the level of PR education in the country has changed for the better in some

aspects and is stagnant on others. The number of specialised PR programs being

conducted in the country have increased by leaps and bounds and also most of

these programs now focus only on public relations. Appendix 5 displays a list of

PR programs being imparted in several states all over India (PR-e-Sense, 2007).

But since there is no uniform accreditation of these institutes, it is difficult to

judge the credibility and quality of these programs. Atul Dev (former chair of the



30

Delhi PRSI chapter and Founder of the Indian Institute of Public Relations)

believes “much like the agencies, several private public relations education

‘shops’ [have] mushroomed almost overnight. These are often led by staff with

little or no expertise in or understanding of public relations pedagogy” (1999,

cited in Bardhan, 2003, p. 242).

As this study focused on two cities, Mumbai and New Delhi, the participants were more

aware of the PR education programs conducted in these cities. Although a few institutes

were graded better than the others but overall the participants of the study unanimously

agreed upon the fact that PR education in the country is still in its “infancy or nascent

stages”. Ribeiro, Course Director, Public Relations and Corporate Communications

(EMDI Institute of Media and Communication, Mumbai), suggests, “We should be

happy that it [specialized PR education] has at least started. But instead of offering short

term and half baked courses, proper research needs to go into what the industry needs

and the programs must be designed accordingly” (26/07/11).

To this, Chowdhury (19/0711), adds, “There have been attempts to structure PR

education in this country and several private universities have taken efforts to develop

better courses. However this [PR education] is much younger than marketing education

and comparatively younger than advertising education so it will develop more in the

future.” Another point to be taken into consideration is the quality of the curriculum and

the pedagogy used by these institutes to impart PR education, “the trick here is that as

[public relations] is an evolving discipline, by the time you put the curriculum together

the trends have changed,” laments Amitesh Banerjee, Secretary, Managing Committee,

(PRCAI) and Managing Partner (West), Genesis Burson Marsteller, India (22/07/11).



31

4.5 CURRICULUM DESIGN & PEDAGOGY

This section shall focus on the curriculum contents and pedagogical instruments

of study implied by some of the institutes which have been acclaimed by

interviewees of this research. On a general note, Newsom, Turk and Kruckeberg

(2001, p.651), have recommended a worldwide topical syllabus for public

relations programs, which include the following:

definitions of public relations and explanations of its use;

public relations’ management role and its strategic communication

functions;

the environment for public relations practice in terms of socio economic,

political and cultural characteristics and

the expectations of public relations efforts and the measurement of

outcomes.

Also, the IPRA Gold Paper No. 7 (1990) had published the responses of 1,500

public relations practitioners and academics, in the 1987 report of the US

Commission on Public Relations Education, on a typical PR curriculum (see

Appendix 6). However, the curriculum design and suggestions made by

international PR bodies have had little impact on the Indian educational systems.

Barring a few programs that focus entirely on PR, most of the courses in India

still offer PR as a part of advertising, event management or marketing studies.

The respondents of this study however have graded certain institutes over others

in the quality of PR programs. Most of the interviewees, listed Xavier Institute of

Communications (XIC), Mumbai, as one of the best institutes offering PR

education in Mumbai (see Appendix 7 for its curriculum), followed by Symbiosis

Institute of Media & Communication (SIMC), Pune, Maharashtra (see Appendix



32

8 for its curriculum), EMDI Institute of Media and Communication, Mumbai (see

Appendix 9 for its curriculum) and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication

(IIMC) in New Delhi. In the words of Rajeev Chawla, Course Head, Public

Relations and Corporate Communications (Diploma), Xavier Institute of

Communication, Mumbai:

Our USP at XIC is our industry relevant program. The industry lovesour students and they are absorbed as soon as the graduate, so Iguess we are meeting the demand with the right supply. Weconstantly seek the feedback of industry practitioners to keep in linewith the latest trends in the occupation so that we can produce

graduates with specialised PR knowledge and practical skills.(Chawla, 01/08/11)

While most of the practitioners seemed to acknowledge the curriculum of these

programs, some pointed out certain gaps in the structure of these programs. “The

institutes promise to cover several topics under the umbrella of PR education but

what they teach in those topics is a question mark. Unfortunately its left pretty

much on the discretion of the lecturer’s knowledge as there is not much written

material on PR to rule our curriculum,” says Dharamraj (27/07/11). Gidwani adds,

“Current curriculums don’t include topics like measurement of PR activities and

digital PR as many of these things are bit hazy for the occupation as well. So I

think that they [curriculums] will get defined and refined as we go along and I’m

sure they will be more focused and comprehensive” (01/08/11).

Further, Vinod Nair, Chairman & Managing Director, Clea PR, raises few other

questions on the pedagogy of these programs, “I think at a theoretical level, the

structure, the curriculum, is pretty right and robust. I think it’s to do with what finally

gets translated in terms of imparting the knowledge, who does it and how do they do it?



33

I don’t think there are full time professors who are garnering a lot of domain knowledge

and therefore imparting it well” (28/07/11). Lakhani makes another crucial point,

“These programs are unable to give the students a practical exposure. It’s very

important for these graduates to be industry ready when they go into their jobs but as of

now they are not. A minimum of six months internship program must be a part of the

course duration otherwise there is always going to be that gap between theory and

practice” (26/07/11). Another point to consider is the reason why most of these PR

programs reward a diploma rather than a degree at the end of the course. To this,

Chowdhury (19/07/11) clarifies,

Universities usually function in the traditional established formatsof education. I mean advertising, design and PR are comparativelymuch younger in comparison to say journalism. So journalism hasmore structured university degrees whereas in advertising, PR andsome others which are just evolving in India do not follow theUniversity format. It’s a question of time, over time things willevolve… as of now some universities are offering degrees but therewill be more in times to come.(Chowdhury, 19/07/11)

Lastly, another crucial reason for running these programs for 1 year is suggested by

Ganapathy (19/07/11):

If students study PR for 2 years then their salary expectationsincrease and the start up salaries for PR graduates are minimal at

present. The institutes that conduct a 2 years PR program expect ahigh salary for their graduates but in turn what happens is that noagencies recruit these students. Also I don’t know how much thereis to teach in PR as it is really not that vast a subject. (Ganapathy,19/0711)

4.6 FACULTY

As it has been established in the Literature Review chapter, the qualifications of the

faculty which impart PR education in India has always been a concern. Most people



34

who currently teach public relations are themselves practitioners who do not have

formal education in the field (Bardhan and Sriramesh, 2004, p.70). Chawla (01/08/11)

attributes the following to be the reason for the same, “When these practitioners started

out there were no formal PR education programs but they have the invaluable

experience of an evolving discipline and that I think is important for students to

absorb.”

Unfortunately, the situation has not changed much. Most of the institutes that offer PR

education in the country are still relying on visiting faculty in the form of practitioners

to fill up their staff requirements. Further, there is no structure to the lectures imparted

by these faculties and neither are they committed to teaching. Deepa Thomas, Head-

Corporate Communications, Partnerships & Pop Culture, eBay India, Philippines &

Malaysia, is a visiting faculty at institutes like EMDI and SIMC, she recalls, “I will be

given a module to teach on corporate communications and I will have to probably cover

ten topics but what I cover in those topics is pretty much up to me and a person ‘B’ may

teach it in a completely different way as well. So I think to some extent that might be a

disadvantage [to the students] where the faculty would decide the subject matter that is

covered in the program” (03/08/11).

Nair, voices another concern, “I know how we professionals are… if I have to give a

lecture today, what do I do? Simply brush up on whatever I can read before I go there

and then try and get past their 1 ½ hour. So I don’t think there is any commitment

involved. We need adequate and full time professionals to teach the curriculum so that

the quality promised can be delivered” (28/07/11). Another important aspect to hiring

faculty is the cost involved. Most respondents suggested that in order to bring in more

commitment and time from the visiting faculties, one must at least consider teaching a



35

as a lucrative option for them to spend their time in doing so. Otherwise retired senior

practitioners should be approached to teach students as a need to ‘give back’ to the

industry, the experiences and skills they earned throughout their careers.

To contradict this thought, Ribeiro (26/07/11), says, “There’s no point asking senior

academicians to teach who are totally out of touch with the industry trends, issues and

demands. While retired practitioners bring their old school thought to the classroom

which is again unfavourable. Faculties need to be able to connect with the youth and

use the latest technology for teaching instructions.” Although the qualifications of the

faculty who teach PR education in India is an ongoing debate, the fact still remains that

there are no pure academicians in the PR discipline in India since the education itself is

in its infancy and so not many practitioners or academicians have had the chance to

pursue a PhD or an equivalent qualification to be able to impart formal PR education in

the country.

4.7 EMPLOYABILITY OF PR GRADUATES

One of the research questions of this study is, ‘Does PR education enhance the chances

of employability? Do practitioners who have studied PR deliver better results at work

than those who have not? The researcher felt that it was important to seek the answer to

this question as then one could judge the importance of PR education in the eyes of

practitioners and understand the interdependency of education and practice. Khan,

throws light on this aspect, “PR education is important and having some basic

knowledge helps. But today even an MBA wants to get into PR and people with

marketing degrees are working in PR so I don’t think it’s mandatory to study PR to

make a career out of it” (20/07/11). Dey, elaborates further:



36

To achieve success in PR one needs to have a sound academic backgroundwith strong fundamentals in language proficiency. But specific PR knowledge is not a prerequisite. Any good Marketing and Communicationcourse can offer the fundamentals that are required. On the job trainingand learning are obviously where the rubber meets the road and gives

young talent a true picture of what the profession really has to offer. Oneof the big problems I see is that people are drawn in [public realtions] bythe perceived glitz and glamour that this industry seems to offer from theoutside but when they actually get in and see how much hard work theyneed to put in they often want to opt out. (Dey, 01/08/11).

Most of the interviewees did not disapprove of the benefits of having studied PR and

accepted the fact that it would give someone who had obtained this education an edge

over others. However, when it came to hiring PR graduates, the interviewees declared

that PR education alone would not be a selection criterion. “When I hire for my

organisation, I would definitely want the candidates to have a communications

background, ideally in public relations, but if not than a larger mass communication

background. I would want them to be technology savvy, use social media actively, have

an eagerness to learn, a sense of curiosity and a huge amount of creativity”, says,

Thomas (03/08/11). On the other hand, Karimbil, shares a personal experience, “If I

look at any fresh graduate from any educational background and pit him against a PR

graduate for a job, I don’t see too much difference between their skills and knowledge.

So I don’t think that they [PR graduates] bring anything extraordinary to the table”

(30/07/11).

The employability of PR graduates is becoming a potential concern for most agencies

and corporates. Nikhil Dey, President, Public Relations, Genesis Burson Marsteller,

India, shares a solution to this problem:

We only hire postgraduates in our agency with a valid communications or

equivalent degree. In fact at an entry level, we ensure that all new hiresspend about a year in our own education cum practical program called



37

‘Associated Learning Program’, where we train our employees both in theclass room and on the job environment. We realized it’s crucial to take thisstep to improve the quality of new talent entering the PR industry. It’slucrative for the students as well because they are paid a stipend whilethey are on the program but off cause they do enter into a 3 year work

contract with us. (Dey, 01/08/11).

The Associated Learning Program is one of its kind in India and has proved to be an

asset for the Genesis Burson Marsteller, India, employees and clients alike. But whether

other agencies will follow suit to improve the efficiency of the new entrants in the PR

industry is yet to be seen.

4.8 ROLE OF PR PROFESSIONAL BODIES IN ADVANCING THEMANDATE OF PR EDUCATION

The Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) is the first association of public relations

in India and it sets ethical standards for the occupation. It was established in Mumbai in

1958, and it currently boasts of 3000 members and 28 chapters nationwide (Bardhan

and Sriramesh, 2004, p. 69).The education and training arm of the PRSI is known as

The India Foundation for PR Education and Research (IFPR) and was “registered as a

trust by the PRSI in 1990 to provide an academic and professional base for PR

education and training (Singh, 2000, p. 304). Toward its contribution to educational

courses, the IFPR has also offered diploma-level examinations for practitioners and has

launched a PR fellowship for basic research in PR and related areas. Within its charter,

the IFPR maintains contact with universities and institutions of mass communication to

improve and contribute to the standard of education in the field (Singh, 2000, p. 304).

The Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI), modeled on the

successful UK PRCA, was founded by a group of seven likeminded PR firms, with the

aim of furthering the cause of the PR industry in India. The PRCAI is a trade

association that represents India's public relations consultancy sector while providing a



38

forum for Government, public bodies, industry associations, trade and others to confer

with public relations consultants as a body (PRCAI, 2011). Besides these two

professional bodies, the Global Forum for Public Relations (GFPR) and the Associated

Business Communicators of India (ABCI) have also been striving to conduct several

programs to enhance the skills of practitioners and represent the PR profession in India

on an international platform.

While researching on the topic of PR education in India, it was found that the two

bodies PRSI and PRCAI have not contributed any efforts to bring about any

standardisation or accreditation in the PR education imparted in the country. In fact the

respondents of this study were mostly unaware of the activities conducted by these

bodies and some of them had even ceased to be their members. Table 1. presents the

views shared by senior members of the Public Relations Consultants Association of

India (PRCAI) for its shortcomings:

Deepshika Dharamraj

Past President,

PRCAI

Amitesh Banerjee

Current Secretary, Managing

Committee, PRCAI

Sharif Rangnekar

Current President,

PRCAI

“PRCAI has got the rightkind of purpose and agendathe only thing is that theManaging Committee keepschanging so its activitiesdepend on who is in theManagement Committee atwhat time and how muchtime they have to give todrive the agenda. PRSI andPRCAI have no office bearers… it is managed by

industry professionals whohave full time jobs and

“I feel associations likePRCAI and PRSI can play amajor role in at leastendorsing PR curriculumsand have someone review itevery now and then. Theycan bring in internationalfaculty to teach in India because of their internationalassociations with PR bodiesin other countries. ..But here just to get people to meet and

have an event is such aneffort… People have their

“We are trying to developcertifications of PR programsthat will be endorsed by thePRCAI and working to haveaccreditations across thecountry. We have a singular model right now which wehope to start at a universityin Kolkata… we need to startsomewhere…there needs to be a pilot and a goodexample for others to

replicate it… ”



39

have to extract time out of those to do this associationwork…it’s not easy and its pretty thankless …”

own personal interests toachieve and it is a breedingground for politics and egoclashes.”

Table 1. VIEWS OF PRCAI MEMBERS

Another aspect attached to the functioning of the PR bodies is the difference in their

ideologies. Schubert Fernandes, Vice-President, Member-Leadership Team (Mumbai),

Hanmer MSL, reveals, “The PRSI represents practitioners that work for government

organisations and their views are archaic in comparison to the new breed of

practitioners. Hence, the PRCAI was founded to use the young generation (agency

practitioners) to bring more structure and value to the PR industry.” (03/08/11),

However, Pal, believes that PR bodies must adjoin their efforts to bring in more capable

and talented professionals into the industry and that would mean working from the grass

root level by redesigning the PR education available in the country.

PR as an industry is still struggling to find its feet in the business....Todaywe don’t have the right set of professionals entering the industry which

poses talent as the biggest problem for the industry. If these are theinstitutes we are looking at to get them from then the PR bodies mustensure that we get some decent practitioners into the industry so thateverybody can benefit from that. Pal (28/08/11).

4.9 LACUNAE FOR A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

The researcher has stated early on in this study that the PR occupation in India lacks a

body of knowledge. There are very few books written on Indian PR and there is no trade

journal of the practice as well. PR education dwells more or less on borrowed concepts

and case studies taken from Western countries and on the practical knowledge shared by

the visiting faculty at these institutes. However, a lack of a body of knowledge did seem

to bother a few respondents of this study while a few were of the belief that less can be

documented in terms of case studies and knowledge sharing because of the confidential

nature of the PR practice. Gidwani shares a similar thought, “Not many people are



40

willing to share what they are doing. So I think that’s one of the reasons why nothing

has been documented. It’s a confidentiality issue, clients don’t want to get exposed so

that’s one of the reasons…. and not many Indian authors have taken the initiative so

may be when I retire I will write a book on my journey as a PR practitioner” (01/08/11)

In contrast to the above, Chawla, feels, “There has been some good stuff written in the

West so I don’t see any reason to recreate the wheel” (01/08/11). However, Natasha

Pal, Chief operating officer, Vitcom Consulting, feels the PR bodies should have

initiated such a contribution from academicians and practitioners, “today we don’t have

a cohesive body that is facilitating knowledge share…I don’t think anyone has put any

thought into it.” (28/07/11). At present there seem to be limited efforts taken by the

PRSI and the PRCAI in establishing a body of knowledge for the PR discipline in India.

But the onus to do so does not fall on the PR bodies alone. Ideally there should be more

active participation by the PR academicians and practitioners in seeking membership of

these bodies and actively contributing case studies and original research to build a body

of knowledge of public relations in India.

4.10 SUMMARY

This chapter presented the original findings of this study in a coherent structure using

suitable themes. The perspectives of the interviewees on various aspects of PR

education in India were highlighted and both the academic as well as practitioner views

were taken into account. It can be deduced that the PR education in the country is

lacking in many elements like, practical training of the students, full time faculty and an

insufficient curriculum. Also the duration of these programs is restricted to one year and

the certification awarded is usually a diploma rather than a degree. Though post

graduate programs on PR are being offered throughout the country, the same can’t be



41

said for undergraduate PR education. On the other hand, the practitioners don’t view PR

education as a necessary pre requisite for achieving success in the PR practice. The PR

graduates are also not quite efficient at the work place due to gaps in the academic and

practical training. Therefore, there is a need for revising curriculums, establishing full

time faculty and including practical training in the course duration. It can be said that

skilled talent is the biggest concern for the public relations industry in India and the

education being provided is not meeting the expectations of the PR industry. Also more

efforts need to be taken by the PR professional bodies to enhance the education in the

country and create a body of knowledge for the occupation.



42

CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter aims to discuss the findings of this research and summarise the study by

offering recommendations for future research on the topic of PR education in India. At

first the chapter will highlight some of the recommendations of the interviewees to

improve the current structure of PR education in the country, followed by the discussion

of the findings and lastly the researcher shall offer some recommendations for building

the body of knowledge in India.

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INTERVIEWEES TO IMPROVE THE

CURRENT STRUCTURE OF PR EDUCATION IN INDIA

On an average almost all the interviewees of this study felt that the lack of practical

training in the current curriculum of PR programs is a major concern for them. BK

Sarala, National President, Global Forum for Public Relations, suggests, “It will be

helpful to include more practical aspects in the curriculum rather than stressing more on

the theory part” (04/08/11).

There were some recommendations made on the curriculum content and the duration of

the programs as well. “Make all public relations courses from one year to at least two

years…more specializations should be made available within the PR domain with a

foundation of communication studies” recommends, Singla (04/08/11). While Lakhani,

lays more stress on practical training within a curriculum, “ If we have a 1 ½ year

program, I would recommend six months of intensive theory and the rest one year

should be focused on gaining practical experience in the industry, may be two hours of



43

class room teaching and six hours of practical exposure. That would be so much more

beneficial for a student and any institute that designs a model like this will have a

winning proposition… ” (26/07/11).

Most of the respondents also made suggestions to include internships as part of the

program duration, but the question of how much do the students learn in these

internships was also raised. “Interns are cheap labour, exploitable to the extent of long

working hours so therefore we use them for back end work more than front end work.

For the 2 months that they are here, I don’t think they learn anything except for making

some observations”, says, Nair (28/07/11). Therefore, Karambil (30/07/11) recommends

that the interns should be treated like a temporary hire so that they compete for that

position and both the organisation as well as the intern take this training period more

seriously.

Some respondents also suggested frequent updating of the curriculum to keep track of

the evolving trends and practices of the PR occupation and bringing more accountability

and a system of evaluation of the faculty so that the quality of education is not

compromised. Overall the practitioners agreed that the PR industry is measured by the

quality of the skilled talent that it comprises. Therefore, since PR institutes are directly

feeding into the requirements of the industry, there should be a more responsible

contribution by the practitioners towards these institutes in terms of offering guidance

on curriculum as well as creating internship opportunities.

5.3 DISCUSSION OF THE FINDINGS

This study started with an aim to explore the relationship between PR education and



44

practice in two cities, Mumbai and New Delhi, in India, based on the eighteen

interviews conducted with academicians, practitioners and senior members of the PR

professional bodies. The following points of discussion reveal that the objective of this

study has been achieved.

The views of the respondents show that there is a symbiotic relationship between the PR

educational institutes and the practice. The educational institutes are using practitioners

as faculty for their programs and the PR industry is absorbing the graduates from these

institutes. However there are discrepancies in the expectations of both sides. The

practitioners feel that the curriculums do not create industry ready graduates while the

academicians feel that the industry does not provide adequate opportunities for the

students to take up internships and gain practical exposure. Also the PR professional

bodies seem to be absolutely inactive in advancing the mandate of PR education in the

country and bringing more cohesiveness in the industry by promoting knowledge

sharing.

Therefore on one hand, the institutes offering PR education need to restructure the

curriculum to incorporate the changes of the evolving practice of public relations, bring

in more full time faculty and increase the duration of the courses, while on the other

hand the PR agencies need to provide more on job training opportunities for students as

well as the new hires. Another important aspect of PR education in the country is that

some of the institutes offering these programs, create a very glamorous image of the

occupation (a print advertisement of the EMDI institute seen in Appendix 10 depicts

this phenomenon).Hence more and more students come into the occupation with

sparkles in their eyes and once they realise the hard work that the occupation demands,



45

they want to opt out of it.

In comparison to the findings of Bardhan (2003), the PR education in the country has

grown as a lot of institutes offering these courses have sprung up in country. However,

their dependency on visiting faculty from the industry remains the same. Few institutes

are offering a PR standalone course while many institutes are still offering PR education

as part of an advertising or mass communication program. Thus, some progress has

been achieved in developing the PR education in the country but there seems to be a big

gap between theory and practice which needs to be bridged in the near future.

5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

The researcher strongly believes that this study is a minute fraction of a body of

knowledge that India needs to develop for the public relations discipline. Although this

study has made a start in that direction, it can influence other students both from India

and foreign countries to add to the findings of this study. There is ample scope of

conducting a similar study in other cities in the country and using a quantitative method

of inquiry. The student perspectives about PR education and its implications can also be

studied which can add another dimension to this area of research.

Also, public relations academicians and scholars can gain a new insight into the aspect

of PR education in India with the help of this piece of research. Present and forthcoming

students can base their research on the findings of this study and use it to commission

further research in different cultural contexts. PR practitioners from other parts of the

world can gain an understanding of the occupation in India and mark similarities or

dissimilarities in their own opinion of the importance of PR education with those



46

mentioned in this study. This study can help garner further interest of students,

academicians and scholars to the aspect of PR education so that more research in this

specific area can be contributed and thus help in shaping the future of the occupation

worldwide.

5.4 CONCLUSION

The relationship between education and professionalization is similar in all countries

and a sound academic base of any occupation does contribute a lot to the status that it

enjoys. The same is true for PR education in India and the practice at large. Though the

pace at which the practice has evolved in the country has been faster than the academic

progression, they still depend on each other for shaping and utilizing the most important

resource of the PR practice, which is talent. As India is a developing country, it can be

said that the PR education in the country needs to match up to the practice so as to

sustain the demand and value for public relations in this new age.



47

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52

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1

Interview Guide

1. How long have you worked in the Public Relations/Corporate Communications

industry and how did you get into it? Please share a brief account of your

academic and professional history.

2. How has your academic background helped you in your career?

3. Do you think that the PR occupation lacks a professional status in India? If yes,

do you think lack of formal PR education is one of the reasons why people don’t

consider the practice as a legitimate profession?

4. What is your opinion of the current level of PR education in India? Are you

aware of institutes that impart undergraduate/postgraduate PR education?

5. If your answer to the second part of the previous question is yes, what do you

think of the syllabus and quality of these programs?

6. In your opinion, what is the importance of PR education and do you think it is

necessary in achieving success in this profession.

7. Basically what counts at work, an academic background in PR or on job training

and real time learning experiences?

8. As a senior professional in this industry, what are the key responsibilities in the

PR practice which can be enhanced with education?



53

9. Most of the faculty teaching in various institutes that offer PR education have

never studied PR themselves but have valuable work experience. Do you think

even though the faculty lacks an academic background in PR, it is acceptable as

long as students are given vital insights into the industry?

10. Have you ever delivered a guest lecture at any of the PR institutes in the

country? If yes, what has been the topic of the lecture and when/where was it

delivered?

11. What in your opinion is the reason for most courses or programs that offer PR

education to reward a diploma rather than a degree?

12. Can you recommend any changes to the present structure of PR education in the

country?

13. What is your opinion of the functioning and work of the PRSI and PRCAI

bodies in India? Do you think these bodies should commission education and

training programs for practitioners or design a universal PR syllabus which

educational institutes should adapt?

14. There is a dearth of books written on PR in India and the academic content in

most programs is largely influenced from PR industries in western countries like

USA and UK. Also there is no research conducted on public relations practice

in India to increase the body of knowledge. Comment.

15. Lastly, would you recommend PR education to existing and future practitioners?



54

APPENDIX 2

Emails Sent to Potential Interviewees

Dear Sir/Madam,

I'm a Public Relations student pursuing a Master’s degree at the University of Stirling,

Scotland, United Kingdom, and I'm currently undertaking a thesis on Public Relations

education in India. My research focuses on the available Public Relations education

options in Mumbai and how does the PR education relate to PR practice. I intend to

explore the syllabus and scope of the various undergraduate and postgraduate Public

Relations courses taught in Mumbai and New Delhi and hope to interview the senior faculty members and practitioners from the industry to understand their views on the

importance of education and training for Public Relations practitioners in India.

I have approached Ms. Mini Ribeiro, Director, Litmus Public Relations, for an interview

for my thesis and she has recommended your name as a potential interviewee for the

same. Hence, I would be extremely grateful for an hour of your time to be interviewed

for my thesis.

I would greatly appreciate any guidance and help you could offer me with my thesis and

look forward to speaking to you. Alternatively, you can contact me on the below

mentioned contact details. I'm also attaching an authorised letter from my program

director at the University of Stirling for your reference. I look forward to hear from you.

Kind Regards,

Nida Umerjee

Mobile: +91 98********9

Email: [email protected], [email protected]



55

APPENDIX 3

List of Interviewees

Sr.No

Name Designation Organisation Date of Interview

Length of Interview

Type of Interview

1. VishwanathanGanapathy

General Manager (West)

20:20 MSL 19 July,2011

33minutes,25 seconds

Face-to-Face

2. Ujjwal .K.Chowdhury

Dean WhistlingWoods Schoolof Media &Communication

19 July,2011

1 hour, 8minutes,23 seconds

Face-to-Face

3. ZeenatKhan

Director,CorporateCommunications

Turner GeneralEntertainment

Networks IndiaPvt. Ltd.

20 July,2011


Face-to-Face

4. AmiteshBanerjee

Secretary,ManagingCommittee,(PRCAI) andManaging

Partner-West

Genesis BursonMarsteller,India

22 July,2011


Face-to-Face

5. MiniRibeiro

Course Director,Public Relationsand CorporateCommunications(EMDI Instituteof Media andCommunication)& Director

Litmus PR 26 July,2011

1 hour Face-to-Face

6. KavitaLakhani

President Linopinion PR 26 July,2011


Face-to-Face

7. DeepshikhaDharamraj

Chief TalentOfficer


27 July,2011


Telephonic

8. Natasha Pal Chief OperatingOfficer

VitcomConsulting Pvt.Ltd.

28 July,2011


Face-to-Face



56

9. Vinod Nair Chairman &ManagingDirector

Clea PR 28 July,2011

I hour, 4minutes,27 seconds

Face-to-Face

10. PavanKarimbil

Partner Mutual PR 30 July,2011


Telephonic

11. Nikhil Dey President -Public Relations


01August,2011


Telephonic

12. RajeevChawla

Course Head,Public Relationsand CorporateCommunications(Diploma)

Xavier Instituteof

CommunicationMumbai &Founder (BlueTree)

01August,2011

30minutes

Face-to-Face

13. VeenaGidwani

Chief ExecutiveOfficer

Madison PR 01August,2011


Face-to-Face

14. DeepaThomas

Head- CorporateCommunications,

Partnerships &Pop Culture

eBay India,Philippines &

Malaysia

03August,

2011

29minutes,

18 seconds

Telephonic

15. SchubertFernandes

Vice-President,Member-Leadership Team(Mumbai)

Hanmer MSL 03August,2011


Telephonic

16. Sharif Rangnekar

Director & CEO Integral PR 04August,2011

57minutes,05seconds

Telephonic

17. AshwaniSingla

MD &CEO,South Asia

Penn SchoenBerland

04August,2011


Telephonic

18. BK Sarala NationalPresident

Global Forumfor PublicRelations, aninitiative of Brahmakumaris

04August,2011

________ Email



57

APPENDIX 4

Example of a transcribed interview highlighting the coding process

Interview No. 13 with Veena Gidwani, Chief Executive Officer, Madison PR,1 August 2011, 30 minutes and 28 seconds.

1. How long have you worked in the Public Relations/Corporate

Communications industry and how did you get into it? Please

share a brief account of your academic and professional history.

It’s a long history.I have done my Bachelors in BusinessManagement from Sydenham college in Mumbai and a postgraduation in advertising marketing and then started in advertisingas a client servicing executive and then moved to the client sidehandling advertising to client’s advertising and sales promotion.Then moved to media then moved to again corporate and there Iwas involved in first heading marketing and then starting thecreative services business at Tata Donnelley and then got into PR.The PR journey has been of 16 years now. I started with LudgatePressman, it was a joint venture, and then set up an agency calledPrima Communications for Pressmen then moved to Madison. Ihave been with Madison for 11 years now and I started the PR

business in Madison. Madison is a 23 year old agency and I

started the PR business for Madison.

2. How has your academic background helped you in your career?

I don’t think it has a direct bearing to PR but I think having a

commercial degree in business management gives you an overall

perspective on various aspects of business. It helps you in

understanding how businesses work what are the various

elements. To that extent I think it’s useful.

3. Do you think that the PR occupation lacks a professional status inIndia? If yes, do you think lack of formal PR education is one of

the reasons why people don’t consider the practice as a legitimate

profession?

I think so to some extent yes. In India sometimes it does not

recognize the kind of value it deserves because in a way it’s a

little complex situation because what happens is ideally we are

partners and we work as partners with the media. We help them

source good opportunities stories share information help them in providing data and information, identify various things but

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sometimes media feels because it’s a little complex, sometimes

PR agencies employ very young people who are not very

experienced and they do not talk to the media in a very mature

manner or they hound journalists, so what happens thereafter is

that senior journalists sometimes feel it’s better for them to talk tothe corporate directly rather than go through a PR agency and

that is what sometimes gets a negative feeling. Also sometimes

when people push things which are not very news worthy then

also the media feels that PR consultancies don’t identify what is

news worthy and what is not and they just want to get exposure

for their client at any cost. So these are some of the things that

lend the occupation an image of being not very mature and

professional. But I think on the other hand the whole situation has

changed, today PR is doing a lot of creative work, very good

innovative campaigns and sometimes PR campaigns really

overshadow the advertising campaigns and they set the

benchmark for the advertising they set the platform for the

advertising so that is also happening. I also think there are other

factors for the growth of the PR industry in India, like the entry of

multinationals and it is also the Indian brands that are going

global, Indian companies that are becoming more professional

and realize the value of ongoing PR plus the innovative work that

is being done in PR and I think also very importantly it is the

results that PR is able to demonstrate so it’s a combined effect.

I wouldn’t say it’s because of that, education is one aspect but I

also think it is the marketing and advertising professions being

older. They are also more organized they have bigger and better

industry bodies and associations focusing the work they do which

is not the case with PR and I think that’s one of the other reasons

why PR lags behind than the marketing and advertising

disciplines.

4. What is your opinion of the current level of PR education in

India? Are you aware of institutes that impart

undergraduate/postgraduate PR education?

Answer included in next response.

5. If your answer to the second part of the previous question is yes,

what do you think of the syllabus and quality of these programs?

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I think some of the institutes are doing very good work, not all, I

would say some. MICA is good. XIC is good and there are a few

others, SIMC is quite good. Considering the one year program that

most of these institutes run, I think they try to I mean in fact they

take a lot of inputs from us as well and they blend it with agency practitioners coming in and delivering lectures to the students and

giving them a hands on view of the actual working of the business

rather than only theoretical knowledge. So I think it will evolve

more as we go along because right now there are many things

which are hazy. Measurement techniques, digital PR, many of

these things are a bit hazy right now so I think that they will get

defined and refined as we go along and I’m sure they will (the

curriculums) be more focused and comprehensive.

6. In your opinion, what is the importance of PR education and do

you think it is necessary in achieving success in this profession.

I would say that it helps you to get off to a new start if you have it.

I wouldn’t say it’s mandatory. I din’t go through any PR education

myself so I wouldn’t say its mandatory but I will definitely think

that for young people who want to pursue PR as a career it’s a

good thing to have and it puts you onto a sound footing if you have

the education rather than just coming in raw.

7. Basically what counts at work, an academic background in PR or

on job training and real time learning experiences?

I think it’s both. The point is that you will learn on the job also but

it will take you much longer to adapt for example if I have two

candidates, one who is fresh without any PR training and one I

have who has studied PR in a 1 year program who has done

projects, assignments and all of that so definitely the person who

has been through such training will pick up much faster than the

other because all of this is very familiar what we do and then what

it does is all the theoretical knowledge they see it being

demonstrated in what they do so the learning is very quick. Also

for the employers it’s easier to work with such people than with

absolutely raw people.

8. Most of the faculty teaching in various institutes that offer

PR education have never studied PR themselves but have

valuable work experience. Do you think even though the

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faculty lacks an academic background in PR, it is acceptable

as long as students are given vital insights into the industry?

No I don’t think so. Because what the PR curriculum teaches today

for all of us who have not had formal training in PR have definitelylearnt and mastered over the years. So I don’t think the students are

at any disadvantage. I think they get a lot of value because every

principle that the lecturers discuss with the students we explain it

with several actual examples and case studies which have

happened which is a huge learning for them because they see how

every concept or every principle is actually put into practice. So

they get the benefit of this huge amount of experience very

quickly.

9. Have you ever delivered a guest lecture at any of the PR

institutes in the country? If yes, what has been the topic of the

lecture and when/where was it delivered?

Yes I do deliver lectures at many institutes. Xavier’s, SIMC,

EMDI, N.L. Dalmia etc. I talk only on PR largely. All my sessions

are on PR. I have done various subjects. It could be creativity in

PR, managing a PR agency, a career in PR, what is a career in PR

like?, it could be case studies, it could be lobbying in PR, crisis

management so there are several issues that I discuss through my

lectures. Today’s youngsters who get out of college are very

intelligent and creative in their thinking. They are quite technology

savvy and they have high ambitions so I think all these elements

are extremely positive so that is something which is my experience

across the board with all young people and I think they have high

energy levels so all those aspects are very good. I think sometimes

where they go wrong is that they get swayed by peer pressure so if

there are a bunch of 3 people who join an organization and if after

1 year 1 person decides to quit very soon the other 2 will also go.They don’t look at it from a long term perspective. That is one

thing that I think youngsters today have, they look at everything

very short term and that is an area where I think they could

possibly lose out.

10. What in your opinion is the reason for most courses or

programs that offer PR education to reward a diploma rather

than a degree?

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I think the reasons could be that once people have a graduate

degree and some specialization they want to get on the job and

start earning quickly that’s one aspect. The second thing is that

perhaps some of the institutes have not created such detailed

modules that they would need 2 years to complete the program.They think they are imparting the adequate training to students in 1

year so that could be another reason. Also there is a huge shortage

of people so every batch that gets produced gets absorbed by the

industry very quickly so they want more people to get into the

business quickly to meet the industry demand. I think for a

business like PR the on job training is as important as getting

theoretical knowledge so I think 1 year gives you a fair amount of

basic knowledge and then once you get on the job and you start

working, your learning is faster.

11. Can you recommend any changes to the present structure of

PR education in the country?

I think my suggestion would be to introduce students to more

international and national case studies and when I say case studies

I mean really successful campaigns sharing a lot of consumer

insight and research that went into them and give them in-depth

understanding rather than just superficial knowledge so that is one.

The other I would say get more regular faculty who are moresenior industry people because I think they are better able to build

relationships with students in terms of understanding and making

them understand and maybe we could look at midterm getting

companies to help them for example a college that teaches students

to conduct events so these institutes must request an agency to use

their students like every quarter give them a project which they

could so they get on the job as well so they interact they learn so I

think those kinds of things if they do it will be good.

12. What is your opinion of the functioning and work of the PRSI

and PRCAI bodies in India? Do you think these bodies should

commission education and training programs for practitioners

or design a universal PR syllabus which educational institutes

should adapt?

I think both enjoy a limited membership so it needs to be more

broad based and the kind of activities that are conducted need to bemore wider so we need to do more because I think we are one

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industry where are professional associations are not strong. So if

you look at any other industry whether the advertisers, whether

you look at the ISA, you look at advertising agencies, you look at

the advertisers club of Mumbai they are all so active and strong. So

I think it will happen but I guess it will take time. It’s a viciouscycle, the point is the industry practitioners who become members

will get more people or organizations to join these bodies if the

calendar of activity is active. For example when you look at the

advertisers club Mumbai when it started I was involved with that

organisation and I remember that for at least some several years

the activity calendar was so packed that virtually twice a month

you had at least 10 committees on that thing and you had a

combination of activities so they had at least twice a month they

would have tea meetings when they would get together at 6 pm in

the evening and get a speaker to come and talk on a subject which

is of interest to everybody and then you have a question answer

round and then you have a snack and then you leave by 7.30 pm.

So twice a month they would do that then they would have

workshops then they would so something separately for

copywriters then they would do something for the newer trends

that were happening then they would organize professional events

and trips for people to go and then they would do an annual review

of the business where they got an expert to present a review in a

awards function. So all of these activities make people feel that alot is happening and they make people want to keep abreast with

everything but if you do something once in 6 months only then I

may not be able to attend if I have some other thing to attend to

and so for me then I have nothing else happening the whole year.

I don’t think at the stage right now that they are they can

commission education programs for students or practitioners

because I think it needs a stronger base for it to be able to do it at

an industry level on a small scale they may be able to pull it off but

at a full fledged level say at a national level where u have multi

city things to be done I think that might be difficult to do right now

as it stands. These bodies are not frequent and the level of activity

is very low so because the point is that it is a very chicken and egg

kind of situation. Professionals don’t have time then obviously

there are very few people who can spare time then it falls short and

today costs are very high so to do any activity it costs a lot of

money so it’s got multiple reasons why I think it doesn’t happen.

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13. There is a dearth of books written on PR in India and the

academic content in most programs is largely influenced from

PR industries in western countries like USA and UK. Also

there is no research conducted on public relations practice in

India to increase the body of knowledge. Comment.

That is true because not many people are willing to share what they

are doing so I think that’s one of the reasons why nothing has been

documented. It’s a confidentiality issue, clients don’t want to get

exposed so that’s one of the reason and not to many Indian authors

have taken the initiative so may be when I retire I will write a book

on my journey in India. We do write articles regularly but that’s

largely with magazines with websites and all of that but not as a

book as such.

14. Lastly, would you recommend PR education to existing and

future practitioners?

Definitely but that’s recommended if you want a career in PR

because as I said it does give u a strong footing and I definitely feel

that it’s essential to have it if you want to make a career but I think

one of the other things that sometimes concerns me is that studentsdon’t know what they are getting into and they just think PR is all

glamour and glitz by working with celebrities, Bollywood, fashion

and beauty but it’s not all of that. It is with that to some extent and

some amount of the work we do does revolve around that but at the

same time I think it’s a lot of serious work. It’s a lot of analysis,

ideation, thinking, research and it’s a business that needs you to be

on call 24/7 so it’s a lot of hardwork as well which then many

young people get disillusioned that oh this is not what I wanted so

there needs to be clarity that’s why. Once a student is aware of

what is PR and what is it really going to be that is why in the

career classes that I take I always tell students how different is PR

from other disciplines ad then what it takes to be a good PR

professional what are the prospects for growth, what are the

opportunities that you have and what are the pros and cons of this

business and if they are fully aware of that then they make the right

choice those who want to get into it they go into whole heartedly

than those who feel it’s not for them it’s better that they go into

something else.

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15. Does PR sit in the boardroom in India? Has it reached the strategic

level or is it still sort of an operational tool?

No I think with many of the professionally managed companies its

being recognized as an activity or a communications function but it

gives a lot of value and it helps substantially to enhance the image

of the organisation or the brand and the results are clearly

demonstrate able. There are clients that we have worked with who

have done no advertising in 8-10 years and today they are the most

respected in the business so obviously it is PR that has worked for

them. I won’t say PR as a strategic tool across the board is thought

like that because there are different types of organizations in the

country for example while you have the professionally managed

companies that are modern in their outlook who understand its

value they see it as a board room function or as a strategic function

because also the other thing is that I mean PR can play a very

critical role in situations like corporate issues like crisis situations

etc I mean your advertising doesn’t have the credibility in such

situations. It is PR which really helps you to build their equity or

retain the equity of the organisation so many of them realize it but

many of them realize it but I won’t say that every organisation

realizes it I mean some still do feel that they will measure PR efforts by how much square centimeter you got and what’s the

value so there are things like that but I think its slowly changing.

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APPENDIX 5

List of PR courses offered in different states of India



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67



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Source: PR-e-Sense (2007a) Prime Point Foundation. Available at:


2011



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APPENDIX 6

IPRA Gold Paper No. 7 (1990)

A typical PR curriculum

Source: IPRA Gold Paper No. 7 (1990, p.28)



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Source: IPRA Gold Paper No. 7 (1990, p.29)



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Source: IPRA Gold Paper No. 7 (1990, p. 30



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APPENDIX 7

PR COURSE AT XAVIER INSTITUTE OF COMMUNICATIONS (XIC),

MUMBAI

Name: Post Graduate Diploma in Public Relations & Corporate CommunicationsDuration: 9 months, full time

Curriculum:

A: Core Concepts 125 sessions 25 credits

Management Studies 25 sessions 5 credits

P.R. Concepts, Structures & Practice 15 sessions 3 credits

The Mass Media Industry 15 sessions 3 credits

The P.R. Campaign / Strategic P.R. 5 sessions 1 credits

Effective Business Communication15 sessions 3 credits

P.R. & Media Relations 20 sessions 4 credits

Integrated Communication 10 sessions 2 credits

Corporate Branding 10 sessions 2 credits

Law & Media Studies 10 sessions 2 credits

B: Core Skills 235 sessions 47 credits

Client servicing 10 sessions 2 credits

P.R. Industry Practice and Application 20 sessions 4 credits

Corporate Communication Concepts 10 sessions 2 credits

Corporate Communication Practice 15 sessions 3 credits

Corporate Strategy Concepts 10 sessions 2 credits Event Management 10 sessions 2 credits

Event Planning and Execution in P.R. 20 sessions 4 credits

News Reporting 15 sessions 3 credits

Computer Skills for Media and

Communication

30 sessions 6 credits

Audio Visual Communication Production 20 sessions 4 credits

New Media 25 sessions 5 credits

Public Speaking & Presentation Skills for

P.R. Professionals


P.R. Case Studies: Research, Analysis and

Solutions


Research and Research Writing 10 sessions 2 credits

C: Workshops 30 sessions 6 credits

Relationship Management: 2 days (Non-credit)

Crisis Communication: 5 sessions 1 credit

The Making of a P.R. professional: 5 sessions 1 credit

Measurement of P.R. Objectives/Campaigns: 10 sessions 2 credits

Professional Etiquette & Standards for P.R.

Professionals:


D: Industry Internship

Total: 390 sessions/78 creditsSource: XIC (2011) Xavier Institute of Communications. Available at:http://www.xaviercomm.org/diploma-courses/courses-pr.htm (Accessed: 10 July 2011)



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APPENDIX 8

PR COURSE AT SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF MEDIA &

COMMUNICATION (SIMC), PUNE, MAHARASHTRA

Name: MBA (Communication Management)

Duration: 2 years, full time

Curriculum

Semester I

Sr. No. Modules

1 Principles & Practices of Management -I

2 Business Economics

3 Marketing I

4 Introduction to PR

5 Event I

6 Introduction to Media( Communication Theories, Films, Broadcast& Print Journalism)

7 Introduction to Advtg mgnt

8 Ad copy & creative

9 New Media-I

10 Case Studies in General Mgmt

11 Business Communication

12 Computer Applications

Semester II

Sr. No. Modules

1 Principles & Practices of Management -II

2 Stats I

3 Marketing II

4 Consumer Behaviour

5 PR-II & Introduction to Corp Comm

6 Events-II

7 Advertising Management- II

8 Account planning & Media planning

9 Ad Creative-II

10 IMC & New Media-II

11 Research Methodology

12 Business Communication II

13 Global Business Environment

14 Design Technology II

15 Project-I



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Semester III

Sr. No. Modules

1 Market Research I

2 Statistics II

3 Brand Management

4 Finance Management

5 IMC II & Services Marketing

6 Rural , Retail & Direct Marketing

7 Culture Studies

8 Business Communication

9 Design Technology III

10 Human Resource management & Organisational behaviour

11 Public Relations III & Corporate Communication II

12 Event Management III

13 PR Client Servicing, Account Planning II

14 Projects II

Semester IV

Sr. No. Modules

1 Market research II

2 Design technology IV

3 Dissertation4 Projects III

5 Projects IV

6 Specialised Public Relations

7 Exhibitions, Event production & Marketing

Source: SIMC (2011) Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication. Available at:

http://www.simc.edu/PublicRelations.aspx (Accessed: 10 July 2011)



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APPENDIX 9

PR COURSE AT EMDI, MUMBAI

Name: Graduate Diploma in Public Relations and Corporate Communication

Duration: 1 year, full time

Curriculum

o Introduction to Public Relations

o Marcom : Advertising, Marketing & Branding

o Understanding Media

o Better Writing for Effective Communication

o Communication Soft Skills

o Creativity & Lateral Thinking

o Basic Finance

o Event Planning, Operations & Management

o Corporate Communication

o PR Strategy

o Media Relations & Writing for Media

o PR in different sectors

o Measuring & Evaluating PR

o Crisis Management

o PR Management & Entrepreneurship

o PR Dissertation

Source: EMDI (2011) EMDI Institute of Media & Communication, Available at:

http://www.emdiworld.com/india/courses/pgdprcc.html (Accessed: 10 July 2011)



APPENDIX 10

A print advertisement of EMDI Institute in Mumbai Mirror, 7 August,

2011.

PR Dissertation 2011

Documents

Transcript of PR Dissertation 2011