A Study at UoB Examines the Organizational Structures of Public Relations

University of Bahrain – Sakhir

March 22, 2022

A study at the University of Bahrain has confirmed that there is a link between the importance attached to the public relations and communication departments in institutions and their position in the organizational structure of the industrial sectors, noting that the farther the public relations departments are from the top of the pyramid in the institution, the greater the challenges they face.

The study called for linking the public relations department in the organizational structure to the top of the pyramid, to ensure its internal effectiveness with employees, and its external effectiveness with stakeholders.

The study, prepared by the student in the Master of Media, Faculty of Arts, University of Bahrain, Bashir Hassan Al-Tarouti, was entitled “Factors Affecting the Formation of Organizational Structures of Public Relations in the Industrial Sector: Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia as a Model”, in fulfillment of the requirements of a master’s degree in media.

Al-Taroti’s thesis, which was supervised by the faculty member, Department of Mass Communication, Tourism and Fine Arts, UoB, Dr. Ashraf Ahmed Abdelmogeth, is the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, touching on public relations and communication departments in companies in an industrial city.

The study revealed that there is a clear discrepancy in the companies’ interest in public relations departments, and their communicative role on the one hand, and in improving their image on the other hand. This is why some of these companies do not have a department concerned with public relations, despite their large capital and investment size.

The researcher applied his study to a sample of 31 industrial companies in the city of Jubail in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The companies included three categories: services, oil and gas, and petrochemicals. The researcher used the survey research method to describe and analyze the administrative structures in public relations.

The study indicated that the required importance is not attached to the position of public relations departments in the organizational structures of companies in Jubail Industrial City, as only 13 companies were found to have a structure containing a department for public relations, while 18 companies lacked such department in their structures, i.e. 58% of the companies.

The study reviewed the challenges facing public relations officials in these companies, as such challenges increase when these departments move away from the top of the pyramid, noting that there are six companies of the study sample that place public relations departments in the middle of the pyramid.

The study recommended allocating budgets for public relations activities and motivating those in charge of them to perform their communicative and interactive role with the public, in a way that enhances and supports the institutional presence of companies and increases their competitiveness.

The researcher proposed creating a guide for the organizational structures of the public relations departments to contribute to strengthening the roles of the public relations and communication departments in a way that helps deliver the companies’ mission and vision.

The discussion committee consisted of Associate Professor of Media and Public Relations in the Department of Mass Media, Tourism and Fine Arts, University of Bahrain, Dr. Ashraf Ahmed Abdel Mogheth, as a supervisor, Associate Professor in the same department, Dr. Shuaib Abdul-Moneim Al-Ghobashi, as an internal examiner, and Associate Professor at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates, Dr. Hamza Saad, as an external examiner.

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