PR Research Trends

PR and Gender

2005-12-06T14:21:00.000Z

Public Relations is said to be a typical women's profession. In my MA class for Public Communications and Public Relations 4/5 of the students are female. But is this phenomenon also analysed in PR research? It is. Here are some recent studies about the gender topic:

Feminists Shaping News: A Framing Analysis of News Releases From the National Organization for Women (University of Wisconsin)

Female managers’ ethical decision-making: A multidimensional approach.
(University of St. Andrews, UK)

The influence of nationality and gender of ethical sensitivity: An application of the issue-contingent model.
(Bilkent University, Turkey)

Differential gender orientation in public relations: Implications for career choices
(University of Iowa/ University of North Carolina)

Future professionals’ perceptions of work, life, and gender issues in public relations
(San Diego State University/University of Maryland)

Academic/Educational PR Links

2005-11-30T00:22:00.000Z

Kirk Hallahan of the Colorado State University brought together a very good link list. Thank you.

A&PR Worldwide (University of Alabama links)
Advertising World (University of Texas)
American Communication Association - University of Arkansas (Various useful pages of links, including organizational communication, political communication, technology topics)
AEJMC Public Relations Division (Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication)
Argentinean Internet Site on Public Relations: REDRRPP (for students and practitioners; edited by Maria del Sol Rodrigquez Gallego)
Community Relations, Center for Corporate (Boston College)
Corner Bar PR. Resources, articles on current issues (Rich Barger)
Grunig Web Site. Fun tribute to Jim and Lauri Grunig, University of Maryland (under construction). Includes current articles by these leading researchers in the field.
Hallahan Course Resources (Kirk Hallahan, Colorado State)
Institute for Public Relations (formerly Institute for PR Research and Education)
Media Researcher's Companion (Vincent Graceffa)
Mitchell Friedman (Media trainer, also teaches at UC-Berkeley Extension)
PR Navigator.com (Mark R. Phillips, USAF, University of Maryland)
PRSA Educators Section http://cs.art.rmit.edu.au/pr/pr_industry.html (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia)
National Communication Association, Public Relations Division PRaxis-Public Relations Resource Centre Massey University, New Zealand
Smith, Ron - Buffalo State Witmer, Diane - Cal State Fullerton
Swiss Public Relations Institute (training in four languages)
Tim Traverse-Healy's Papers - UK practitioner
Also see Academic Research Gateways section of CSU J-Links

(Source: Public Relations Links, Kirk Hallahan, Colorado State University)

Book recommendation (German)

2005-11-29T20:10:00.000Z

(This book is available in german only)
Die gezielte Anwendung von Forschungsergebnissen auf Problemstellungen der Kommunikationspraxis, und gleichzeitig die daraus resultierende Förderung neuer wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse, ist das Anliegen des vorliegenden Buches. Die Beiträge namhafter Autoren aus der deutschen und internationalen PR-Forschung und der Kommunikationspraxis bündeln die aktuelle Fachdiskussion und liefern Anregungen für erfolgreiches Kommunikationsmanagement.

Mehr zu diesem Buch.
(Quelle: Amazon)

Book recommendation

2005-11-29T16:59:00.000Z

Perspectives on Public Relations Research

This book examines public relations from a variety of different perspectives: a management perspective, a rhetoric theory perspective, a practitioner perspective, a social psychology perspective and a historical perspective. This volume of papers brings together contributions from some of the leading international academics and practitioners working within the public relations sphere. Collectively they provide valuable insights into the theories underpinning current public relations thinking and practice, and illustrate the diversity of perspectives that characterise this evolving area.

read more...

(Source: www.amazon.co.uk)

PR research commission

2005-11-29T15:02:00.000Z

A new commission on International Public Relations was launched in Gainesville, FL, USA in May 2005. “The Commission on International Public Relations will explore and document the science beneath the art of our practice, distinguishing between ‘what we know’ and ‘what we don’t’ in terms of real research. We will then be able to tell professionals, educators and students where to find essential knowledge that already exists, and to develop priorities for future research,” said Peter D. Debreceny, co-chair of the Institute for Public Relations and vice president-corporate relations for Allstate Insurance.

The Institute will serve as publisher for the commission’s initial assessment of international PR knowledge and subsequent research projects. The new initiative will examine international practice in terms of its contribution to business and management, and to international relations. The Institute, an independent foundation located at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, makes all of its publications available free through its website, www.instituteforpr.com.

read more....

(Source: www.globalpr.org)

PR Controlling

2005-11-26T23:25:00.000Z

Controlling in PR is more than measuring media coverage. With more and more tools in PR coming up, new ways of evaluation have to be found. PR researchers today try to give an overview of existing tools, create new tools for traditional and new instruments and try to define the impact PR has on its publics. The following papers are examples of these current efforts:

Bibliography of Public Relations Measurement
(Institut of Public Relations)
Designing and Implementing Your Communication's Dashboard: Lessons Learned
(Institut of Public Relations)
A New Model for Media Content Analysis
(Institut of Public Relations)
A scale for measuring media relations efforts.
(University of Central Florida)
Using evaluation techniques and performance claims to demonstrate public relations impact: An Australian perspective.
(Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane/Charles Sturt University, Bathurst)

More actual papers on PR controlling can be found here.

Issues Management

2005-11-26T22:55:00.000Z

Issues management is 'the process of identifiying issues, analysing those issues, setting priorities, selecting programme strategy options, implementing a programme of action and evaluating effectiveness' (Cutlip et al., Effective Public Relations, 1985:15). A content analysis of the journals 'Public Relations Quarterly' and 'Public Relations Research Annual' shows that issues management is not a big issue itself in anglophone research. Only a few articles were published in the last years. Quite different is the case for the issues management research in Germany and Switzerland where it is quite in vogue (read more). A few research projects shall be mentioned here:

Communications Excellence Survey - Integrating Strategic Issues Management
(University of St. Gallen, Switzerland)
Constitution of Reputation in a Media Society. Media Society. Structures, Characteristics, Dynamics of Development.
(University of Zürich, Switzerland)
Constitution of Reputation, Issues Monitoring and Issues Management in a Media Society.
(University of Zürich, Switzerland)
Strategic Issues Management.
(Universität of Münster, Germany)

PR Strategy

2005-11-26T22:39:00.000Z

The important research topics for PR and strategy are:
- The strategic role of PR
- PR strategies
- The impact of PR to business strategy

It is noticable that research is often based on the strategy of a specific field of PR (crisis management, issues management, media relations) and not on a holistic view of PR strategy. This could be because PR does not yet have an important influence on business strategy and PR practitioners are still more PR technicians than PR managers.

Current works on PR strategy are:
Strategic Issues Management.
(Universität Münster, Germany)
Crisis communicative strategies in Taiwan: Category, continuum, and cultural implication. (National Chengchi University, Taiwan)
Communications Excellence Survey - Integrating Strategic Issues Management
(University of St. Gallen, Switzerland)
An Empirical Analysis of the Influence of Perceived Attributes of Publics on Public Relations Strategy Use and Effectiveness.
(University of South Florida)

PR Ethics

2005-11-26T22:25:00.000Z

PR ethics are discussed controversially in PR research since the interest of PR practitioners and clients/employers do not necessarily meet ethical standards. In my own research, I analysed the question: "Professional Codes in the field of Public Relations: An effective tool for PR practice or sophisticated PR for PR?" and came to the conclusion that PR Codes are neither an effective tool for PR practice nor sophisticated PR for PR. As they are not enforcable, they do not enhance ethics in PR.

A lot of other studies on the topic of PR ethics are available. They analyse ethical theories for PR in general, if PR theories are ethical, the ethics of PR in a country or elaborate new tools for ethical desicion making.

Public Relations and Public Responsibility.
(James Madison University, Virginia, USA)
A Practical Model for Ethical Decision Making in Issues Management and Public Relations.
(Univeristy of Houston)
Corporate Social Responsibility Practices, Corporate Identity, and Purchase Intention: A Dual-Process Model.
( Ohio State University/University of California)
Symmetrical Communication: Excellent Public Relations or a Strategy for Hegemony?
(University of Waikato)

Crisis Management

2005-11-26T22:18:00.000Z

Today’s economic environment is changing rapidly. Organisations have to respond to shifting costumer values, rising expectations of different stakeholders and demanding media. It is not surprising that PR practitionners are therefore highly interested in effective crisis management instruments for their communication activities. A huge number of self-help books, similar to student cookbooks, are on the market, but does in-depth research on the topic exist?

Yes, it does. A lot of researchers are analysing case studies to find out best practices, but also different instruments of crisis management in different fields (countries/industries) are evaluated, as the subsequent enumeration of actual papers shows:

The Sources Behind the First Days of the Anthrax Attacks: What Can Practitioners Learn?
(University of South Carolina)
From liftoff to landing: NASA's crisis communications and resulting media coverage following the Challenger and Columbia tragedies.
(University of Cincinnati/University of North Carolina)
The restructuring and reengineering of AT&T: Analysis of a public relations crisis using organizational theory.
(Colorado State University)
Stealing thunder: Analysis of the effects of proactive disclosure of crisis information.
(Florida State University/University of Alabama)
Diffusion of traditional and new media tactics in crisis communication.
(Rutgers University, USA)
Crisis communicative strategies in Taiwan: Category, continuum, and cultural implication. (National Chengchi University, Taiwan)

PR Profession

2005-11-26T22:11:00.000Z

As Public Relation is still a very young field, a lot of research focuses on the role of PR in organisations and the role of PR practitioners. Questions like 'the strategic role of PR', ' PR as a recognised profession' and 'the perception of PR' are of major interest:

Defining Public Relations and Press Roles In the Twenty-First Century.
(West Chester University)
Power Over, Power With, and Powerto Relations: Critical Reflections on Public Relations, the Dominant Coalition, and Activism.
(University of Alabama)
We Have Rights too: Examining The Existence of Professional Prejudice and Discrimination against Public Relations.
(University of South Alabama)
Conflict, Strategic Management, and Public Relations.
(Brigham Young University, USA)
Public Relations in Switzerland.
(University of Münster/University of Berne/University of Zürich)
PR on the Way of Professionlization. An Analysis in Germany.
(University of Münster)
Future Professionals' Perceptions of Work, Life, and Gender Issues in Public Relations.
(San Diego State University/University of Maryland)

PR Skills

2005-11-26T22:03:00.000Z

In recent years, the call for a strategically-oriented, rather than a technically-oriented, role for PR practitioners has risen. But the conjecture that therefore the technical role has become uninteresting for PR research, is wrong.

Technical PR skills are very important for newcomers in PR and for PR education. Researchers often work for institutions in higher education which offer bachelors and masters degrees in public relations and communications. That is why the research institutions themselves have a crucial interest in knowing which skills the PR industry requires. Marketable programmes can then be designed. Lately the following surrveys on PR skills were published:

The Importance of Writing Skills.
(DePaul University in Chicago)
Stakeholder Strength: PR Survival Strategies in the Internet Age.
(Fraser University, Vancouver/ Southeastern University in Florida)
PRSA publication managers’ preferences for graphic designs.
(University of Oklahoma)
Using the port of entry report as a benchmark: Survey results of on-the-job training among public relations internship site managers.
(University of Tennesse)

International PR

2005-11-26T21:16:00.000Z

Think global. Act local.

This is more and more a fact for today's businesses and therefore an emerging topic for state of the art PR. Researchers all over the world have taken notice of this trend in PR practice and have started to fill the theoretical gap. Often analysed is, whether western theories can be adopted in eastern countries. Furthermore cultural differences influencing PR are described and approaches to solving the problem are elaborated.

Examples of recent research in the field of "International PR" are:

The Emergence of Global Public and International Public Relations.
(Syracuse University)

Overcoming Ethnocentrism: The Role of Identity in Contingent Practice of International Public Relations.
(University of Missouri)

Public relations and globalization: Building a case for cultural competency in public relations education.
(University of Iowa)

About this blog

2005-11-26T20:55:00.000Z

Hello out there in the blogsphere!

This blog is an overview of current trends in PR research and has been launched to explore the questions:

- Which issues and fields are currently important in PR research?
- Who is researching PR?

Feel free to add a short summary of your PR research to this blog to expand it. Thank you.

Greetings from the University of Westminster, London

Manuela Gsponer
Student MA Public Comm. & PR