A study of the role and activities of the Publicity Club of Chicago

Includes bibliographical references.The central concern of the investigation was to evaluate the role and activities of the Publicity Club of Chicago (PCC). The problem of the study was twofold: (1) to determine whether the Publicity Club of Chicago had met the six goals originally established, and (2) to determine whether the PCC had served its members by meeting their goals and objectives. The plan of the study as regards member subjects was to conduct a random survey. The two populations of the investigation included all members of the PCC and nine former PCC presidents. The first population was sampled, yielding 71 respondents designated as Group I of the study; the second population, designated as Group II, was studied in its entirety. The past presidents were solicited directly to take part in the study. The study utilized a post-test only: a control group research design. Two test instruments--the Presidents' Questionnaire (PQ) and the Publicity Club of Chicago Questionnaire (PCCQ), designed specifically for the purposes of the study, were administered to the two groups. Presidents' responses were tabulated by a simple frequency count of the responses. Factors or variables were then ordered according to frequency of mention and presented in table form. It was found that past presidents agreed, generally, that the two central purposes of PCC have continued over the years to be to further develop the effectiveness of the public relations practitioner and to provide a social environment for peer exchange and dynamics. In general, presidents believed that the club's practical education course and Job Mart were the two most important and valuable PCC services. Data analysis of members' responses revealed that members saw the PCC Media Directory as useful and tended to agree with past presidents with regard to the value of Job Mart. Members and presidents also generally agreed on the importance of peer contact and exchange as a continued function of the club. Data obtained from members were subjected to chi- square analysis and testing. Only 11 item-to-item relationships were found to be significant. Of these, seven were relevant to the central questions of the study. Two relationships were perceived as less than positive: (1) serving on the board and winning the Golden Trumpet award, and (2) serving on the board and obtaining a job through Job Mart. The results of data analysis led to the conclusions that the PCC had progressed toward fulfillment of its original goals and was meeting the goals of members in general, but that there was still room for substantial improvement. Duplication of services, for example, was perceived by members as existing between PCC and the Chicago chapter of the Public Relation Society of America. Members indicated that the club needs to be more responsive to member needs as well.M.A. (Master of Arts