Final Assignment

THE ROLES OF PR IN INCREASING COMPANY IMAGE WITH THE INTERNAL PUBLIC AT NOVOTEL SEMARANG

THE ENGLISH DIPLOMA III PROGRAM
FACULTY OF LETTERS DIPONEGORO UNIVERSITY
SEMARANG
2008

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Nowadays, we live in a modern life style that depends on each other especially in economic field and technology field. Company with individual, organization with government, had created a function that can call as relation. Some profit or non-profit effort sectors competes to keep a good relation with their stakeholder. We can call that activity as public services done by a PRO (Public Relations Officer) on the company recommendation.
PR is a reflection of a company or a person that function as a deputy of company. PR should be increasing a good relationship between internal and external sides of the company, especially company that runs in services field like hotel management. In hotel management, PR claimed to be an attractive and a smart person as possible in order to keep quality and image of a company.
According to the statement above, the writer is interested in discussing the Role of PR in Increasing Company Image to the Internal Public at Novotel Semarang.


B. Scope of the Study

The writer focuses the topic on the Role of PR in Increasing Company Image to the Internal Public at Novotel Semarang by explaining the definition of PR, the duties of Public Relations, the internal public of the company, and the ways of how they increase the image of the company.

C. Aims and advantages

The aims are :
1. to explain the Role of PR in Increasing Company Image to the Internal Public at Novotel Semarang
2. to describe the duty of PR at Novotel Semarang;
3. to compare the theory and practice related to the Role of PR in Increasing Company Image to the Internal Public at Novotel Semarang;
4. to fulfill one of the requirements for finishing the English Diploma III Program Degree;
The advantages are :
1. to get a lot of information about the role of PR at Novotel Semarang;
2. to gain the working experience at Novotel Semarang;
3. to enlarge the writer’s knowledge and vision on Public Relations studies;
4. to get the best result after processing;

D. Technique of Data Collection

The writer used three kinds of techniques to collect the relevant data. Three of them are used to complete the report in order to produce a systematic report. They are explained in detail below:
1. Interview
In collecting the data, the writer asked some questions to PR staff in charge about the role of PR, the duties of PR, the internal public of the company, and the ways of how they increase the image of the company.
2. Observation
During the job training at Novotel Semarang, the writer observed directly the activities of PR at Novotel Semarang in order to get the data about the implementation of Public Relations roles in increasing company image to the internal public. The observation focused on the performance of PRO in work.
3. Library study
By this method, the writer collected the data and the information by using library research method by reading and taking notes of many important points.


E. Organization of the Report

CHAPTER I : Introduction which includes background of the study,
scope of the study, aims and advantages of the study, methods of data collection, and organization of the report.
CHAPTER II : Review of the literature that includes the definitions
of Public Relations, the roles of Public Relations,
Definitions of the Internal public, the Relationship of
Public Relations with the Internal Public.
CHAPTER III : Discussion which presents the General Description of
Novotel Semarang, the Roles of PR at Novotel
Semarang, Kinds of the Internal Public at Novotel
Semarang, the Roles of PR in Increasing the
Company Image with the Internal Public at Novotel
Semarang
CHAPTER IV : Conclusion that puts forward summaries of the main
points.

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

1. Definitions of Public Relations
W. Emerson Reck quoted by Abdurrachman (2001:25) states that Public Relations is the continued process of keying policies, services and actions to the best interest of those individual and groups whose confidence and goodwill an individual or institution covets, and secondly, it is the interpretation of these policies, services and actions to assure complete understanding and appreciation.
Jefkins (2003 : 10) stated that Public Relations consists of all forms of planned communication, outwards and inwards, between an organization and its public for the purposes of achieving specific objectives concerning mutual understanding.
According to Cultip and Center in Suhandang (2004 : 45) Public Relations is the communication and interpretation, and the communication and ideas from an institution to its public, and the communication of information, ideas, and opinions from those publics to the institution, in a sincere effort to establish mutuality of interest and this achieves the harmonious adjustment of an institution to its community.
From the statement above shows that Public Relations is a communication process with public based on confidence and togetherness to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its public.

2. The Roles of Public Relations
Cutlip, Center and Broom (2005 : 32) stated that there are four categories of the roles of Public Relations:
1. Expert Prescriber
As an experienced public relations expert prescriber that has high ability can assist to look for solution in solving relations problem with its public (public relationship). Expert prescriber undertake to define problem, developing program, and hold full responsibility of its applying.
2. Communication Facilitator
In this case, public relations practitioner act as a communicator or mediator to assist management party in the case of to hear what wanted and expected by its public from pertinent organization, at the same time they have to can explain desire back, organizational expectation and policy to its public party.
3. Problem Solving Facilitator
Practitioner taking the role of problem solving facilitator cooperate with other managers in defining and finishing the problems, applying the usage of management process, outlining alternative approaches for solving problems, and pointing out the need to follow systematic public relations plan.
4. Communication Technician
This role is different from three previous role of Public Relation, because it only provides technical services of communications or recognized with method of communication in organization and that communications system depended on each level or shares. Recruitment of communication technician needs condition skill of journalistic and communications addressed to write and edit employees’ magazine, write mass media broadcast and story of feature, develop content of situs Web, and deal with media contact.

3. Definition of the Internal Public
According to Rachmadi (1996 : 13) Internal Public is a public from its company. He further said that there are three internal public in a company;
1. employees;
2. senior official;
3. stake holder;
Uchjana Effendy (1993 : 110) stated that internal public is a different people or covered by organization, all the employees start from staff till subordinate employees (include stock holder in a company).
From the statement above shows that internal public is a part of community that is basis of a company reflection.

4. The Relationship of PR with the Internal Public
Public Relations will have a number of job relationships with staff at the other functions in a company organization. It needs a professional direct support of each department in the company to a PR. According to Rachmadi (1996 : 43) there are four objectives of the relationship of PR with internal public:
1. Build job climate conductively.
2. Create the image of company that has a good culture corporate.
3. Make it easy to definite the mission and the perspective of company.
4. Make it easy in controlling each department.


CHAPTER III

THE ROLES OF PR IN INCREASING COMPANY IMAGE
WITH THE INTERNAL PUBLIC AT NOVOTEL SEMARANG

A. General Description of Novotel Semarang

1. History of Novotel Hotel
Novotels hotels and resorts are managed by Accor. With 147,000 associates in 140 countries, Accor is the European leader and one of the world’s largest groups in travel, tourism and corporate services with two major international activities, viz. Hotels and services to corporate clients and public institutions.
Novotel comes from a combination of “nouveau” for new and “hotel”. The first Novotel is opened in Lille, France in 1967. Novotel was one of the first European brands to expand into Asia Pacific, opening its first hotel in Singapore in 1982 followed by gradual expansion in countries such as Thailand, Korea and China in the decade to follow.
In the 1990s, Novotel in Europe launched its “Back to the Future” program of renovation (at a cost over 228 Euros) to revitalize bedrooms, bathrooms, and public areas to ensure Novotel remained at the forefront of the continent’s hospitality industry.
Other significant event for the group in Asia Pacific was the opening of Novotel Sidney on Darling Harbor in 1991. Sidney became the new base for Accor Asia Pacific and with a rapid growth strategy Novotel expanded across the nation, quickly establishing the brand as Australia’s premiere business class hotel chain. Since then, Novotel has continued its impressive rate of expansion throughout the region, with major growth in Indonesia, Thailand, China, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Indochina.

2. Description of Novotel Semarang

Novotel Semarang is a four starry hotel which is located at Pemuda Street Semarang and has 8 floors. Novotel Semarang located in the Central Business District (CBD) of Semarang and it is very close to the Tugu Muda Monument and only 5 minutes drive to Simpang Lima. Novotel Semarang is also within easy access to the airport (10 minutes) and railway station (4 minutes). Novotel Semarang is an ideal choice for both business and leisure guests, because it has banquet facilities that can accommodate over 250 people for meetings with the latest media visual equipment and up to 700 people for cocktail party.


B. The Roles of Public Relations in Increasing company Image with Internal Public at Novotel Semarang

As mentioned in Chapter II, there are four categories of the roles of Public Relations. At Novotel Semarang, there are six kinds of The Roles of Public Relations:
1. Public Relations has the right to give good input in the form of suggestion and criticism to increase the company image and also finish a problem faced by Novotel Semarang.
2. Public Relations at Novotel Semarang as a representative of the entire internal parties try to submit their aspiration and desire either through spoken (by meeting or briefing twice a day), and written (by paper or brochure media).
3. Public Relations at Novotel Semarang connect each part of internal party, employees to senior official, senior official to stake holder, and even stake holder to employees. Novotel Semarang also has internal communication to build employees relations, know and understand about everything related to employee’s necessity in order to increase the company image, namely:
a. Downward Communication
This communication means that the senior official make a communication to the employees. It usually happened when the manager of the company giving some explanations, instructions, and ask the reports to all of the employees. This communication will not experience of many difficulties.
b. Upward Communication
This communication is the opposite of the downward communication. It usually happened when the employees communicate with the manager and then gives complaint, criticism, suggestion and giving report. This communication will possibly experience of many resistances. This is caused by psychological, sociological, and education factors.
c. Horizontal Communication
This communication means that the communication happened when the internal public who has a same position talk to one another in the break time or in the informal situation (employee to employee, senior official to senior official, and stake holder to stake holder).
This internal communications can be done by various ways like doing some events (for example: the best employee’s event), training (welcome guest training), and also small things like gathering when noon rest.
4. Public Relations at Novotel Semarang can become a fasilitator in the problem solving process faced by Novotel Semarang. Each internal public (senior official or employee) has right to submit problems either through spoken or written to the Public Relations of Novotel semarang. In this case, Public Relations become link which implicitly can assuage problems of each party personally or familiarity.
5. Public Relations at Novotel Semarang collect some points of problems and then classified according to its problems quantity. Public Relations also cooperate with a few parties like senior officials to look for and solve a problem together.
6. Public Relations at Novotel Semarang has some ways in communicating to employees and its senior officials, for example passing fact finding, planning, communicating, and evaluating.
7. Public Relations conducts upgrading and giving an opportunity for the employees to participate in other educations given by the hotel that psychologically can raise their prestige and status.
8. Public Relations gives an opportunity to the employees to express their opinion and suggestion freely, this is one of the ways to increase the hotel image at the customers’ perception.
9. Public Relations tries to know and understand about all of the things that have connection with the employee’s importance and needed, and also the hotel’s importance.
10. Public Relations performs analysis about personnel policy, including salary/fee, honorarium, and other prosperities of the employees. PR also analyzes what have been executed in the hotel, performs a survey about the employees’ attitudes toward the hotel and the customers.

C. Kinds of the Internal Public at Novotel Semarang

There are seven types of internal public at Novotel Semarang that can increase the company image, namely:

1. Stake Holder (Owner)

In this case, the owner of Novotel Semarang is Sun Motor Group which is one of the vastly expanding groups of companies in Indonesia whose mainline business is automotive dealership.
Sun Motor Group was founded in Solo 1972 by Mrs. Imelda Sundoro, the current Chairman, UD Sun Motor as it was called then pioneered the provision of auto credit facilities in Central Java area. For the past 20 years, Sun Motor Group has kept a constant and solid growth towards development.

2. The Highest levels of Novotel Semarang that lead and command all of the departments:

a) General Manager
b) Executive Assistant, and
c) Executive Secretary

3. Head of Departments:

a) Director of Sales (DOS)
b) Executive House Keeper (EHK)
c) Front Office Manager (FOM)
d) Financial Control (FC)
e) Human Resource Manager (HRM)
f) Executive Chef (EC)
g) Food and Beverage Manager (FBM)
h) Chief Engineering (CE)

4. Assistant Managers who assist the Head of Departments:

a) Assistant Front Office Manager (Under the authority of FOM)
b) Laundry Manager (Under the authority of EHK)
c) Accountant (Under the authority of FC)
d) Spa Manager
e) Chief Security (Under the authority of HRM)
f) Executive Sous Chef (Under the authority of EC)
g) Outlet Manager (Under the authority of FBM)

5. Supervisors:

a) Front Office, Reservation Agent, Guest Relation Officer Supervisor, Night Manager, Bell Captain (Under the authority of Assistant FOM)
b) Laundry Supervisor / LS (Under the authority of Laundry Manager)
c) House Keeping Supervisor / HKS (Under the authority of EHK)
d) Senior Sales Executive / SSE (Under the authority of DOS)
e) PR Coordinator (Under the authority of DOS)
f) Account Supervisor (Under the authority of Accountant)
g) Spa Supervisor / SS (Under the authority of Spa Manager)
h) Personnel Supervisor (Under the authority of HRM)
i) Training Coordinator (Under the authority of HRM)
j) Security Supervisor (Under the authority of Chief Security)
k) Chef de Partie (Under the authority of Executive Sous Chef)
l) Service Supervisor/ Artist (Under the authority of Outlet Manager)
m) Engineering Supervisor (Under the authority of Chief Engineering)

6. Senior Staff:

a) FO Staff, Receptionist, Operator, Guest Relation Officer (Under the authority of Front Office, Reservation Agent, Guest Relation Officer Supervisor, Night Manager, Bell Captain)
b) Order Taker, florist (Under the authority of HKS)
c) Sales Secretary, Sales Executive (Under the authority of SSE)
d) Administration (Under the authority of Account Supervisor)
e) Senior Cook (Under the authority of Chef de Partie)
f) Captain (Under the authority of Service Supervisor)
g) Engineering Staff, Mechanic, Plumber (Under the authority of Engineering Supervisor)

7. Staff:

a) Driver (Under the authority of FO Staff, Receptionist, Operator, Guest Relation Officer)
b) Laundry Staff (Under the authority of LS)
c) Room attendant, Linen, Minibar, Public Area, gardener (Under the authority of Order Taker and Florist)
d) Fitness attendant/therapist (Under the authority of Spa Supervisor)
e) Security Staff (Under the authority of Security Supervisor)
f) Cook (Under the authority of Senior Cook)
g) Waiters/ waitresses/ bartenders (Under the authority of captain)

CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION

The writer summarizes that Novotel Semarang can increase the company image by using the roles of Public Relations with the internal public. The roles are: firstly, Public Relations at Novotel Semarang gives a chance to the employees to express their opinion and suggestion freely, this is one of the ways to increase the hotel image at the customers’ perception. Secondly, PR conducts upgrading or giving an opportunity for the employees to participate in other educations given by the hotel that psychologically can raise their prestige and status.
Novotel Semarang also has some types of internal public in order to support the company image. The internal public of Novotel Semarang are: stake holder (owner), the highest levels of Novotel Semarang thath lead and command all of the departments (General Manager, Executive Assistant, and Executive Secretary), head of Departments, Assistant Managers who assist the Head of Departments, supervisors, senior staff, and staff.


REFERENCES


Abdurrachman, Oemi. 2001. Dasar-Dasar Public Relations. Bandung : PT.
Citra Aditya Bakti.


Cutlip, Scoot M., Allen H. Center, Glen M. Broom. 2005. Trans. Effective
Public Relations. Translated by Ch. Renate Pohan, Chendra Leva. Jakarta : Indeks.

Jefkins, Frank. 2003. Public Relations. Jakarta : Erlangga.

Rachmadi, F. 1996. Public Relations dalam Teori dan praktek. Jakarta : PT.
Gramedia Pustaka Utama.

Suhandang, Kustadi. 2004. Public Relations Perusahaan. Bandung : Nuansa.

Uchjana Effendy, Onong. 1993. Human Relation dan Public Relations.
Bandung : Bandar Maju.