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BIA Professional Bachelor’s Program in Public Relations
BIA Multidisciplinary Research Centre
Fifteen years ago the BIA professional study program Enterpreneurship began to explore
public relations subjects. Gradually, it was concluded that students’ profound interest in
marketing, public relations (PR), advertising and the acquired academic experience of the
Academy provided grounds for establishing a completely new program - the program in Public
Relations.
Seven year ago such program was developed in accord with Latvian Professional Standards
for Public Relations Managers and following recommendations of international PR bodies. The
study program code is 4234202. The BIA study program Public Relations has been licensed and
accredited by 2014. Upon the successful completion of the program, students receive a staterecognized diploma. The awarded degree is the Professional Bachelor’s degree in Marketing
an the qualification is that of a Public Relations manager.
The quality of any study program correlates with scientific research undertaken by
academic staff of that program. To facilitate and enhance the quality of research conducted at the
program and having considered the aspects outlined in Table 1 below, the Program Council has
set a general framework for research activities within the theme of PR and integrated
marketing communications in territorial marketing.
Table 1: Aspects that have affected the development of the general theme for research activities
in the program
1.Among paramount goals of development, set by the State of the Republic of Latvia for
the development of Latvia, is complex regional development based on the interplay of
economic, social and cultural factors. To facilitate such development, proper research needs to
be conducted. Also, the Latvian Science Board acknowledges the importance of this goal in its
recommendations to Latvian scientists.
2.Among most promising areas in contemporary marketing and public relations research is
the area of territorial marketing.
To even further promote and support research and methodological activities of academic
staff as well as reserach activities of students, there was established a new structure - The Public
Relations Division and BIA Multidisciplinary Center (henceforth Centre). Research activities of
all members of academic staff are coordinated and supported by the Center. In a joint effort with
this Centre, the program publishes the journal CommunicatoR whose main goal is to provide
students of Public Relations and other programs with an opportunity to publish important
findings in papers developed on the basis of students’ internship experience outside the
Academy.
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The main goals of the Multidisciplinary Research Centre are the following:
 Conduct scientific research activities in the field of interdisciplinary PR, media, marketing
and marketing communications.
 Prepare students’ research papers for publication.
 Participate in international research projects that are financed by Latvian and EU
organizations.
Territorial Marketing: Development of Latvian Cities and Regions
Territorial Marketing: Concept, Structure and Projects
Concept of Territorial Marketing
Territorial marketing is a technological complex, grounded in research, that allows to
identify advantages of one or the other territory (that of a city, region or state), such as various
natural or work resources, manufactured products and services, potential of culture, sports etc.
Positive characteristics rationally demonstrate the advantages of a particular territory, and this
promotes this territory both within the local and global context.
The development of a territory is determined by a variety of factors, such as:
 The size of the market
 Development of the infrastructure
 Solvency of the population
 The number of specialists of various qualifications
It is reasonable to regard any territorial formation (city, district, region, county etc) as a
subject capable both of rational consideration of the various factors mentioned above and of
appropriate provision of consumers to itself and other subjects. The beneficial use of the
territory in the context of a city, region or beyond correlates with the successful presentation
and promotion of this territory as well as with the development of the potential and
opportunities in this area. The same aspects of promotion and development attract
investments, tourists, students etc. Finally, what shapes and enhances the prosperity of the
territory is the appropriate use of technologies of territorial marketing.
All that has been stated above fully pertains and in fact applies to Latvian cities and regions.
Vsevolods (Visvaldis) Kačans, prof.,Dr.Phil.
Director
Professional Bachelor’s Program in Public Relations and
Multidisciplinary Research Centre
Mob.tel: 29760204
Business e-mail: [email protected]
Tel.-faks: 7100235
Assistant’s tel.: 7100227
Home e-mail: [email protected]
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Structure of Territorial Marketing
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Goals of Territorial Marketing
Shape and enhance the image, prestige, business and social competitiveness of the territory
Expand participation of the territory and its subjects in various interntational and regional
programs
Attract to the territory orders, commissioned by the state and other related territories
Stimulate acquisition of resources and deployment of external opportunities in the interest
of and for the wellbeing of the territory itself.
Subjects that Promote the Development of the Territory
The so-called sales opportunities of the territory are shaped by:
Power over and control of territorial structures
Local agencies of economic development
Tour operators and agencies
Trading houses
Sports committees and federations
Any other structures that are situated and are active in the territory and whose goal is to
attract potential consumers, on the one hand, and on the other hand, to support and sustain
existing consumers
Consumers of the Territory
Target groups of the consumers of the territory are natural and legal persons. Natural
persons, for examples, are:
- tourists
- persons who undertake longitudinal study in a particular territory
- persons who arrive to work in a particular territory for a definite period of time
- specialists of various profiles
- workers of various levels of qualifications
- special category of arrived business people: enterpreneurs (manufacturers and traders),
potential investors, visitors of exhibitions and fairs, business travellers
- separate group of persons who have arrived for a visit or for some other personal reason,
or else travellers
- special target groups of legal persons: enterprises, institutions and organizations;
headquarters, branches and representative offices of corporations, holdings and
associations
Projects of Territorial Marketing
Offered by BIA Multidisciplinary Reserach Centre
1. Goals and Outline of Activities
1.1. The goal of any territorial marketing project includes two components:
1. Identification of strategic goals by the administration of a territorial formation (city,
district, region etc); for example, a City Council develops a complex research strategy for
marketing potential of its city.
2. Usage of obtained results in the development of marketing programs; boost to the
competitive advantage of the territory, attraction of various target groups and the increase of the
prestige of the territory.
The implementation of the overall goal should result in the attraction of investments and
their increase, development of businesses and tourism. This, in turn, should enhance residents’
and non-residents’(natural and legal persons with short-term residence in a city) standards of
living.
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1.2. General outline of activites. With the consideration of the two components of the
overall goal mentioned above, the research group undertakes the following steps toward the
development of a project. It ...
1. researches marketing opportunities in a city or region.
2. develops a program of marketing activities, including advertising and PR
campaigns in a city, region, Latvia and abroad.
3. implements this marketing program, introducing proper amendments during the
implementation process and applying the efficiency monitoring of particular
stages of the program.
4. evaluates the implementation of this marketing program and develops
recommendations for the forthcoming stages of marketing events.
2. Issues and Stages of Resolution of Issues
The development and implementation of a territorial marketing project presupposes
research activities whose goal is to both identify the contemporary representation of a city or
region in relation to its marketing potential and to determine issues that can become such
in the foreseeable future.
Stage I: Identification of advantages of a particular territory. Effective development of the
marketing potential of a city or region lies in research of the following aspects:
1. Interests of real and potential consumers
2. Implications of the competitive advantage a city or region for life, business
undertakings or short-term location
3. Identification of a competitive advantage, for example, for a city and research of the
following aspects:
1. Size of the market of goods and services
2. Solvency potential of the population
3. Development of the infrastructure
4. Cultural potential
5. Potential of healthcare and resort facilities
6. Level of life comfort
7. Characteristics of workforce (number of specialists of particular profiles, levels of
qualifications, workforce payment levels)
Stage II: Evaluation of the real image of a city or region and development of its new model for
target groups in Latvia and abroad. One important and real issue for a city might be the lack of a
strong image of the territorial education for potential investors, entrepreneurs, tourists and
potential students of educational institutions. In this light, it is essential that the ways in which
the image of a city or region (or Latvian image) affects the flows of investments, tourists
and students from neighbouring and faraway territories be thoroughly researched. The
precise evaluation of the real image, for example, that of a city, facilitates the development of
attractive and unsual image models that are both public-oriented and accessible for the
population in the neighboring and faraway lands.
Stage III: Identification of a target group, or else, the most promising consumers of the territory.
To identify real and potential target groups of a city or region, it is necesary to determine types
of target groups that (might) have an interest in the city or region. What are their real and
potential consumers’ characteristics and distinctive features? These groups might be classified
according to various criteria, such as, territorial belonging, legal status, social and economic
status, idea of a city or region, interests in this city and region etc. It is also important to identify
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most probable and realistic expectations of potential consumers of a city or region pertaining to
the types of information about the resources, products or services available in the territory and to
the types of information that is both of interest and is demanded by consumers. In addition, it is
vital to determine the types of development and communication channels that are likely to be
most effective in communication with target groups.
Stage IV: Development of the Program of Marketing Activities that Includes Advertising and PR
Events. The development of such a marketing program is conducted on the basis of 4 factors.
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