Impact of Information Communication Technologies On Public Relations Practice

INTRODUCTION
This chapter includes the Background of the study, the statement of the problems, objectives of the study, Significance of the Study, Research Question, Scope of the study and definition of terms.

Background of the Study
According to Chapman and Oliver (1990), Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is defined as a technology which supports activities involving the creation, Storage, Manipulation and Communication of Information, together with related methods, management and applications.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can also been defined as a seamless integration of Telecommunication, data processing and personal computing with manual business processes which improve effectiveness, efficiency and qualify of working definitions of Information Communication Technology. It must be understand that public relations must understand the information Communication Technology as being essentially a communication system that emerged as a result of Jason’s integration of many other technologies but essentially the computer telecommunication and satellite technologies: that is why it has in its earlier days been discussed as or associated with communication Technology (Nwosu 1987).
However, public relations is defined as the management function that helps the management team in any organization to effectively, identify, analyze and understand the changes in their internal and external environment. Public relations is also as the management team in an organization as well as using these data and information to come up with decision, action and two way communication that will help to ensure the existence of mutual understand between an organization and its publics. These two information technology oriented definition of public relations are of curse in time with the Mexican statement definition of public relation practices which sees it as the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organization leaders and implementing planned progarmme of actions which will save both the organization public interest (IHEKE 2010:2).
Information and communication is used mainly to provide and process information to keep records or store information to provide more qualitative services to the customer in this era of total quality management (TDM) to speed the provide of information production and utilization to reduce the cost in modern business or organizational management.
Information and communication technology can also be used by many business and government organization as a strategic weapon for gaining competitive advantage, improving productivity, communicating in new business development (IHEKE 2009: 2) this explains why it has been widely accepted that information and communication technology has become the new key to business, organizational and national survival an development.
Management Information System is an indispensable support sub-system for modern managers in the persistent pursuit or effort to attain their organizations goals and objectives more effective. This is why it has been described as the development and use of effective information system in organizations (Koroenke, 1992-6-10). With regard to elaborateness depending on the size and nature of an organizations business. Its management information system includes any of these transactions processing system (TPS). A Decision Support system (DSS) including a group decision support system (GDSS) and a expert system (ES) which includes artificial intelligent (AI) or the process of making computer think and mimic the human mind. And to be truly effective, a management information system must be accessible timely, user-friendly, secure and accurate.

Statement of the Problems
The impact of Information Communication Technologies on public relation practice in Nigeria on mobile telecommunication Network (MTN) is to teach the managers the process to follow when making decisions and putting things into actions.
However it is not clear on the extent to which public relations practitioners can depend on information communication technologies Iheke (2010) said that it is not clear whether Information Communication Technologies (ICT) enhance public relation practices in Nigeria for mutual and effective boom of their work in providing wider coverage.
The problem of this study therefore is help find out what specific contributions of mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) has made to help public Relation practitioners in providing ICTs for effective use.

Objective of the Study
The objectives of the study is to:
i. Determine whether public practice Relations depends on ICT resources for wider coverage?
ii. Determine whether modern public Relation Practitioners depends on Information and Communication Technology.
iii. Ascertain if the use of ICT resources affect the operational efficiency of MTN’s public relations?

Significance of the Study
It is the researcher’s belief that Information and Communication technology is a very powerful too in opinion formation. And it is very important to our society. Information is to inform while communication is to communicate effectively to one another.
However the significance of the study, includes that:
It will exposure the public relations practices to the vast opportunities available in the area of ICT as regards information generation and dissemination.
The result of this study shall be immense benefit to mobile telecommunication operators as it will afford them the opportunity of appreciating the contribution of ICTs in their public relation task of increasing the number of their subscribers.
It shall also serve as a feedback mechanism from the subscribers to the public relation practitioners in corporate organizations as well as serve as a veritable reference material for any communication scholars that comes across it.

Research Questions
This study will be guided by the following research questions:
i. Do public relations practice depend on ICT resources for wider coverage.
ii. Does the use of ICT resources affect the operational efficiency of MTN’s public relations?
iii. Do modern public relations practitioners depends on Information and Communication Technology?

Scope of the Study
The scope of the study is to know the impact of Information Communication Technology on public Relation Practices in Nigeria on Mobile Telecommunication Network.

Definition of Terms
For the purpose of clarity, some terms uses in this work are defined operationally this
i. Impact: The powerful effect which something has on somebody or something.
ii. Information Communication Technologies: These study or use of electromagnetic equipment especially computers for storing and analyzing information.
iii. Public Relations: Planned and sustained programmes and activities executed by a corporate body armed at creating goodwill between it and its internal and external publics.
iv. Impact: The effects which the rise of computers and other electromagnetic equipment have on the practice of public relations.
v. Information Communication Technologies: This refers to modern equipments used to enhance communication effectiveness like the computers and interment.
vi. Public Relations: All the planned corporate social responsibilities of MTN Nigeria in Enugu and at retaining their customer and attracting new ones.