Public Relations Practices and Corporate Image; a Case Study of Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Public relations are crucial to an organization's reputation, performance, and public perception. In light of this, this research study aimed to investigate the public relations practices employed by Westgate Shopping Mall after the September 2013 terror attack and the subsequent reopening in 2015. The study sought to examine how the management of Westgate Shopping Mall conducts public relations activities to build a sustainable image after the terror attack, the types of public relations strategies utilized in building a sustainable corporate image, and the extent to which the usage of public relation strategies contributed to building a sustainable corporate image of Westgate Shopping Mall. The research employed a descriptive design and a qualitative data collection approach. The study purposively selected Westgate Shopping Mall brand managers and the representatives of the Mall. The study was grounded on Kotler's theory of corporate image and used both primary data, Content, conceptual, and descriptive analysis were used to analyze the data.