A Study on the Image of Rotary Club of Cabuyao Circle as Perceived by its Members and the Community of Cabuyao

Abstract

Communication covers the whole range of ways people pass information back and forth: it includes the information they give and receive, the ways that information is used, and how people make meaning out of this information. An organization’s image and identity strategy is the most critical part of any corporate communication function. The terms ‘identity’ and ‘image’ are frequently used in descriptions of company communication strategies. It has been generally accepted that image is the ‘picture of an organization as perceived by target groups’ while identity is associated with the way in which a company present itself to its target groups’ (Riel, 1995). Constituencies then form perception based on the messages that the companies send out in tangible forms. If these notions accurately reflect an organization’s reality, the identify program is a success. If the perception differ dramatically from the reality, then either the strategy is ineffective or the corporation’s self-understanding needs modification (Argenti, 1998). The researcher and this study have the main objective of examining the image of the Rotary Club of Cabuyao Circle as perceived by its members and the community of Cabuyao. Specifically, its objectives are as follows: 1. To know what is the existing internal image the Rotary projects. 2. To determine how it builds an image and assess if and how it uses Public Relations programs in image building. 3. To know the perception of the public specifically the community of Cabuyao on its external image. 4. To validate the congruency of Rotary’s internal and external image. 5. To analyze the use and effectiveness of good image in influencing the community to participate in the program of the Rotary. Internal image or the image inside the organization is defined in two perspectives. The Corporate identity of the organization goes hand in hand with the Dimensions which underlie their Personality. These dimensions are the: Origin, Interests and Attitude of the organization. a) Origin is primarily concerned with the attributes that have shaped the company in the past. b) Interests are the concrete objectives of the company in the medium and long term. This dimension is concerned with what the company wants to do in the future. c) Attitude is the philosophical and political background of a company. This is the dimension in which the company view itself and its environment. External image or the image outside the organization is defined in two perspectives. The Corporate image of the organization goes hand in hand with again the Dimensions which underlie the Personality of the organization as mentioned above. The framework included who the specific external target groups are, which include the ff: Representatives from the external interpersonal communication, from the previous programs / projects, and from the support by the distribution channel. Representatives from the External Interpersonal Communication are defined as those who interact interpersonally with the members of the Rotary outside the club. They can be family members, friends or peer groups of the members themselves. The representatives from the Previous Projects / Programs were chosen from the beneficiaries of the certain projects / programs they have already accomplished. Furthermore, the representatives from the Support by Distribution Channel are those who became a part of the Rotary’s projects / programs. They are those who have been partners, tie-ups or government and non-government organizations whom the Rotary shared and became unified with accomplishing distribution of certain projects / programs. This framework shows that after defining the internal image of the organization, we can validate or test the congruency of the internal and the define external image. And the external image of the organization in turn also defines the internal image it projects. For the methodology, the researcher made use of the descriptive research design is used to explain the perceived internal, external image and its effects and importance on building a good reputation. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in answering the research problems. The data were gathered from the Focus Group Discussion and a survey questionnaire. Purposive sampling was used for the questionnaire and Accidental Sampling for the FGD. The respondents are 50 community members and the researcher characterized the sample community as that which is a member of the: External Interpersonal Communication, Previous Product Experience (Projects / Programs), and Support by Members of the Distribution Channel while in FGD the respondents are 12 members of the Rotary Club of Cabuyao Circle. The level of analysis, which was employed in this study, included descriptive statistics. Percentage and Ranking were used to measure the qualitative data gathered from the questionnaires. The statistical tool used is frequency distribution. On the other hand, Qualitative data analysis was used for the data gathered in the FGD. After analyzing the data which the researcher have gathered from the Focus Group Discussion, based on the quantitative data summary, it shows that the internal and external image of the Rotary Club of Cabuyao Cricle is congruent. It is clearly shown in the Data analysis that the internal image they project reflects the external image that the community of Cabuyao perceives. For the Origin of the Organization, al of the respondents say that: a) They are aware of the Rotary, that they have friends, family member or acquaintance in the club. b) They perceive the club as that which has friendly and approachable members, and that there is warmth in every member’s smile towards every one. Moreover, almost all of the respondents believe that the club is a stable organization that grows with the area. For the Interests of the Organization, all of the respondents believe that: a) The club renders humanitarian services for the purpose of sharing to the community and not compete with other civic organizations. b) The club is one you can turn to for help also because they care and share. In addition, almost all of the respondents say that: a) The club participates responsibly in community affairs, such as civic functions, park and recreational activities, education, welfare, and support of government projects. They also render projects and programs, which are unique and creative. By doing so, the club can help “put the community on the map” by just being there. For the Attitude of the Organization, all of the respondents feel that: a) The members of RCCC have a harmonious relationship with each other and that the organization contributes positive to the life in the area. b) The members can be proud of their club, as it is one of the most popular clubs in the district. For the findings, 1. The existing internal image of the Rotary Club of Cabuyao Circle is that which is “A strong club which lends itself to friendship, fellowship and service to the community”. Friendship, as reflected in each of the member’s friendliness and warm smiles for everyone. The harmonious relationship of each of the members proves it. Fellowship, as seen on the various social and interpersonal they have with others and themselves. Service to the community, as they give their efforts and hearts for the betterment of the community through their projects and programs. And because of this, a good image for RCCC has been established. 2. The Rotary Club of Cabuyao Circle has no formal, distinct image building processes. Their PR strategies are Friendliness, Warmth and Sincerity. Their smiles and sincerity when with the community is enough for them to build their image. 3. The external image of the Rotary Club of Cabuyao Circle is that which is “A strong club which lends itself to friendship, fellowship and service to the community”. Friendship, as reflected in each of the member’s friendliness and warm smiles for everyone. The harmonious relationship of each of the members proves it. Fellowship, as seen on the various social and interpersonal relationships they have with others and themselves. Service to the community, as they give their efforts and hearts for the betterment of the community through their projects and programs. And because of this, the Rotary has established a good image as described above. 4. Since the internal and external image of the RCCC is similar then it is conclusive to say that the external image of RCCC validates and is congruent to the internal image that the RCCC projects. 5. After defining the internal and external image that the RCCC projects, and that they have a generally good image, the Rotary has established too an image in influencing the community to participate in their programs and projects. Constituencies then form perceptions based on the messages that the companies send out in tangible forms. If these notions accurately reflect an organization’s reality, the identity programs is a success. If the perception differ dramatically from the reality, then either the strategy is ineffective or the corporation’s self-understanding needs modification. Based on the findings, RCCC is successful in rating a sound image which strengthens its reputation on the target groups. The community can easily trust and give their high regard for the efforts and hardwork of the Rotary Club of Cabuyao Circle. The community and its members have a picture of Rotary and can still be developed through time. Regarding the umbrella project, the audio-visual presentation will be able to succeed in its objectives. Since it is presented in a more creative and unique way, together with the sound reputation of RCCC, influencing the youth to the aims of the project will not be hard to accomplish. The researcher therefore ends with the recommendations: FOR SUCCEEDING RESEARCH a) Since this study is concerned with a non-profit organization, succeeding researchers could give an emphasis and make a study on business or for profit organizations. By doing so, you would have to take into consideration the factors in which the difference would lie and know what is more appropriate for the said organizations. These are the: 1. Kind of image measured 2. The target audiences 3. The aids in measuring the image 4. The different Public Relations strategies they apply 5. The role of corporate communication in image building. Since the study was conducted in a rural-based organization, there are still various factors that will affect the study if it were conducted in an urban-based organization. The researcher then recommends succeeding studies to give emphasis and attend on these. Since the study took only 50 respondents from the target audience, for more generalized results and less statistical error, the researcher then recommends a larger sample from the poluation. FOR THE ORGANIZATION The researcher recommends that the club engage in other forms of Public Relations programs so that they can be known and build an image to a greater audience. It can further enhance their good image from the community. Building an image, a sound reputation is one task, but maintaining it and further enhancing is a continuous endeavor. For the success of the “Career Orientation” and other various programs of the RCCC, continuous and much effort to developing Public Relations Programs is surely a plus factor.