final year project topics and materials

ABSTRACT
This study is an appraisal of the Effectiveness of public Relations in the oil
industry as it concerns few oil producing communities in Eastern Division,
which is in the South-South Geo-Political region of Nigeria.
Shell petroleum Development Company Nigeria Limited was selected in the
oil industry while the oil producing communities used for this work are
Oloibiri, Nembe and Bonny. The researcher carried out this to enable firms
in the oil industry to redirects or refocus their public relations programmes
and policies to be congruent to the interest of the host communities.
Relevant data were collected through the use of questionnaires. Two sets
of questionnaires were designed and administered to Government and
Public Affairs Department of Shell Development Company Limited and the
host communities. The data were carefully collected through extensive
fieldwork. Personal but oral interview was used to collect data from the less
literate members of the sample population and to check for consistency of
data supplied by senior officers of Government and Public Affairs
Department Company.
The major findings of this research include the following: that the
relationship between the host communities and the SPDC remain strained
in spite of the public relations activities of latter, contributions of SPDC to
social and economic development of the host communities fall below the
expectations of the communities and the host communities have no impact
in the initiation, planning and execution of the project designed to benefit
them in the course of SPDC’s public relations activities.
The major recommendations are as follows: that Oil companies who drill oil
in the host communities should establish a well organized public/community
relations department and research/survey should be regularly conducted to
determine changing needs of the host communities in order to improve
cordiality in the relationship. Government should be able to relinquish a
small percentage of its share of the proceeds of the crude oil in order to
meet the economic and social needs of the host communities, and oil
companies should involve the oil communities in initiation, planning and
execution of public relations activities in their host communities so as to
give them a sense of belonging and responsibility.