Perceptions of public relations education

A survey of 258 public relations educators and practitioners examined the state of public relations education across five dimensions: general perceptions of public relations, education, desired educational outcomes for both students and practitioners, assessment of student outcomes and learning, elements of public relations curricula, and teaching practices. Results indicate educators and practitioners agree that public relations education is on track and that systematic assessment is an important feature of public relations education. They also agreed on how public relations education should be structured and demonstrated a high degree of similarity in their preferences for teaching methods and techniques.     

We have rights too: examining the existence of professional prejudice and discrimination against public relations

This study of a large sample of public relations educators (n = 342) found substantial evidence that professional prejudice and discrimination towards public relations and public relations education exists. More than half (56.6%) of the respondents said they have had a dean, director or department chair who was prejudiced against public relations, and many of these administrators evidently have made use of exaggerations and stereotypes about public relations while criticizing it. Results also suggest this prejudice is more pronounced among print journalists and journalism faculty than it is among other groups of communication educators and practitioners.     

Professional standards in public relations: A survey of educators

A survey instrument operationalizing twenty-four elements of professional performance was administered to 291 public relations educators across the nation, yielding a 43.6 percent response rate. Respondents assessed the extent to which a standard of professionalism currently exists for each of the twenty-four items. Educators tended to view writing/editing and graphics/production skills, ethical guidelines, accreditation, and “public relations as advocacy” as enjoying well-established standards. Licensing, location of public relations on the organizational chart and inclusion of public relations in the dominant coalition were viewed as most lacking in a standard of professional performance.The twenty-four items factored into six dimensions. Assessments of professionalism along these six factors differed significantly as a function of sex, region, tenure of teaching, size of institution, and whether the educator was accredited by PRSA. Comparing educators' assessments with practitioners' views expressed in an earlier national survey, it is clear that professional standards in public relations have yet to have coalesced among educators or practitioners. Given the influence that educators have on the future of the field, it is imperative that educators work to elevate the profession by promulgating professional standards among their students.This study, conducted under the auspices of the Yarbrough Public Relations Laboratory, is a followup to results of a survey of practitioners reported in the article titled “Developing Standards of Professional Performance in Public Relations” published in Public Relations Review in 1996.All three authors are with the Department of Advertising/ Public Relations, Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia, Athens. Dr. Lynne M. Sallot, APR, is Assistant Professor. Dr. Glen T. Cameron is Associate Professor and Director of Research, James M. Cox, Jr. Institute for Newspaper Management Studies. Dr. Ruth Ann Weaver Lariscy is Associate Professor.     

State of public relations education in the United States: 2006 report on a national survey of executives and academics

A survey of 312 public relations executives and educators examined how well practitioners and instructors perceive public relations students to be prepared for the practice, the content and value of public relations curricula and, the future of public relations education in the United States. Results are largely consistent with those from a slightly smaller 1998 survey, suggesting that the views of both groups are consistent over time and providing the first two data points in what it is hoped will develop into a longitudinal line of research addressing public relations education. Judgments regarding the desired characteristics among job applicants and essential curriculum content were extremely similar between the practitioner and educator groups with both wanting more emphasis on research, ethics and strategic planning as the field moves from a low-paid technical emphasis toward a much better paid strategic planning and research emphasis.     

Models for instruction and curriculum

As a means of making recommendations on public relations curricula, a task team of 24 educators reviewed research on public relations education including preliminary results from a study conducted for the 1998 NCA summer conference. After brain storming sessions, the task team developed three models of course-specific curricula and a content curriculum model for undergraduate public relations education. The task team also proposed core and elective areas for a master's of public relations curriculum. Team members agreed that public relations curricula should have a broad liberal arts and science basis. They recommended advancing public relations education with more attention to studies of ethics, multiculturalism, international issues and to the use of technology.     

The Missing Story of Women in Public Relations

This study proposed to advance the research on roles in public relations by considering through a feminist analysis the breadth of roles that women perform under the managerial label. Although management and technician roles have been useful as parsimonious tools to educate future public relations practitioners about public relations, these labels have begun to develop values of hierarchy and power not found when they were operationalized.

Based on a sample of 1,003 respondents, we asked for self-report data on a list of 17 role activities. The resulting factor analysis of responses by gender indicated a two-factor construct that represented managerial and technical dimensions. Further analysis of the dimensions by gender indicated that a combination of roles existed; the women managers did "it all," for less money, and the men in technical roles more likely did managerial activities as well. The women technicians carried out technical tasks.     

Assessment of undergraduate and graduate programs

Data from an international survey of public relations educators and practitioners raises a number of concerns about how achievement is measured among public relations students. Fewer than one in four academic programs have actually assessed learning outcomes and used the results to enhance their students' educational experiences. Fewer than one in four practitioners have been involved in some way as assessors. The survey suggests that educators place too much stock in grades alone as an appropriate assessment tool.While both educators and practitioners value portfolio reviews as an assessment protocol, practitioners see much greater value in their involvement in this form of assessment than their faculty counterparts. These differences of opinion notwithstanding, current practice and the opinions of educators and practitioners coalesce around the value of capstone experiences such as internships, simulation or case study analysis and surveys of alumni satisfaction as a core around which assessment plans can be built.The Assessment Task Team at the 1998 NCA Summer Conference developed a multidimensional model of assessment that reflects three principles of good practice. First, assessment plans which measure knowledge, behavior and affect at various points in students' academic careers rather than only at the end of a degree program are able to demonstrate change and the value added by the program of study. Second, specific outcomes may be measured by repeated applications of the same assessment protocol or by the use of different protocols over time. Third, appropriate use of a single assessment protocol to measure multiple outcomes, especially when those outcomes are drawn from two or more of the broad categories of knowledge, behavior and affect results in maximizing the information gained while minimizing the resources devoted to assessment.     

Socio-Contextual Influences on the Korean News Media's Interpretation of Samsung's $847.6 Million Donation

This study investigates the role of leadership in facilitating strategic communication management and effective public relations practice by proposing a set of dimensions measuring corporate communication executives’ perceptions on leadership. A measurement methodology was applied and suggested to facilitate empirical investigation. Data from two groups of senior corporate communicators and public relations executives (N = 384) nationwide were used to assess the validity and reliability of proposed leadership dimensions that contribute to effective communication management. Results from both groups demonstrated strong support for the proposed higher-order measurement model. The analysis suggested that 6 major dimensions (self-dynamics, team collaboration, ethical orientation, relationship building, strategic decision making capability, and communication knowledge management capability) are crucial for communication executives to expand their influence in the institutional context and generate desired communication outcomes. The findings offer insights on both leadership and corporate communications that may account for significant nonfinancial indictors of organizational effectiveness.     

Perceived professional standards and roles of public relations in China: Through the lens of Chinese public relations practitioners

As the first quantitative examination of perceived public relations professional standards in China using an online survey, this study was designed based on the standards of professional standards inventory Cameron, Sallot, & Lariscy (1996) constructed and tested among practitioners in the U.S. The survey results suggest six dimensions of perceived standards of professional performance: (1) role and function in organizational strategic planning, (2) sufficiency in professional training and preparedness, (3) gender and racial equity, (4) situational constraints, (5) licensing and organizational support, and (6) participation in the organizational decision-making team. Four dimensions of public relations roles were also identified by the survey participants: (1) brand promotion facilitator, (2) public information specialist, (3) media relations counsel, and (4) conflict management expert. Primary practice area was found to affect how Chinese practitioners perceive the six clusters of professional standards and the four identified public relations roles. These findings provide insights for both practitioners and researchers on how Chinese public relations practitioners view public relations as a profession and how the profession currently holds its professional standards in China.     

Public relations master's education deliverables: How practitioners and educators view strategic practice curriculum

A national sample of practitioners (PRSA members) and academics provided their perceptions of what graduate students of public relations should study (N = 463). Despite expectations of difference between practitioners and educators, they agreed that a master's program graduate should have knowledge of business and understand how globalization shapes public relations. Still, a master's of public relations program graduate should also write well, speak well, and have had some “capstone” experience.     

Pluralistic ignorance and professional standards: underestimating professionalism of our peers in public relations

Two-hundred-fifty-one responses to a battery of 45 professional standard items indicate that public relations professionals randomly surveyed from across the nation tend to underestimate the current state of professional standards in the field. This state of affairs, described in coorientation theory as pluralistic ignorance, suggests that our field may actually hold higher standards and greater confidence in standards than we commonly attribute to our peers.Following the third-person effect, respondents tended to view themselves as better able to withstand pressures and outdated thinking than their peers. In fact, practitioners held their peers in comparatively low esteem, viewing others collectively as somewhat naive, unprofessional and unenlightened in comparison to their own personal self-images. While female practitioners are generally less sanguine about gender and racial equity in public relations, women tend to be more optimistic about standards for ethics and professional functions such as planning and research. Women also tended to be less harsh in their ratings of peer professionalism, while also attributing lower values to others.This study, conducted under the auspices of the Yarbrough Public Relations Laboratory, is a followup to preliminary results of the survey of practitioners reported in the article titled “Developing Standards of Professional Performance in Public Relations” published in Public Relations Review in 1996. Preliminary results of a followup survey of educators was reported in the article “Professional Standards in Public Relations: A Survey of Educators” published in Public Relations Review in 1997.All three authors are with the Department of Advertising/Public Relations, Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia, Athens. Lynne M. Sallot, APR, Fellow PRSA, is Assistant Professor. Glen T. Cameron is Associate Professor and Director of Research, James M. Cox, Jr. Institute for Newspaper Management Studies. Ruth Ann Weaver Lariscy is Associate Professor.     

The status of the school public relations practitioner: A statewide exploration

A study was conducted which focuses on public relations practitioners in school districts in South Carolina. The study utilized survey research to investigate several questions relating to public relations role enactment, hierarchical level of the public relations function, salary, job satisfaction and encroachment into public relations. The research found that school public relations practitioners fulfill both the manager and technician roles equally, although it is responsibilities relating to the management function that provide the most satisfaction. Women tend to be less active in the manager role. The public relations function reports directly to the school superintendent. There is a relationship between sex and salary in school district public relations and, with women, experience is negatively correlated with salary. Finally, there is a high level of encroachment by educators into the public relations function in school districts.     

Relationship management in public relations: dimensions of an organization-public relationship

Increasingly, scholars and practitioners are defining public relations as relationship management. The investigation reported herein is an attempt to identify through qualitative research and verify through quantitative research relationship dimensions upon which good organization-public relationships are initiated, developed, and maintained. The respondents for this study were local telephone subscribers who resided in territories that were recently opened to competition for local telephone service. A total of 384 respondents were surveyed.The results indicate that the relationship dimensions of trust, openness, involvement, investment, and commitment differentiate those respondents who indicated they would stay with the current provider, would sign up with a new provider, or were undecided as to what they would do. Conclusions as to the impact of public relations as relationship management are offered, as well as suggestions for future areas of research.Dr. Ledingham and Dr. Bruning are members of the Public Relations faculty at Capital University in Columbus, OH.     

Writing in the public relations curriculum: practitioner perceptions versus pedagogy

Educators and practitioners seem to agree that writing is a public relations curriculum fundamental. An examination of the writing requirements of 152 ASJMC accredited public relations programs indicates that only a little more than half (57%) require a news writing course. Fewer require a public relations writing course (51%). Nearly 200 public relations practitioners were surveyed as to their perceptions of college public relations educators’ writing emphases. This exploratory study’s findings suggest that practitioners believe both news writing and public relations writing classes should be mandatory for public relations students; they offer slightly stronger support for news writing. Recommendations include requiring writing-intensive coursework, overall, and encouraging students to seek journalism experience through campus news outlets.     

Dutch public relations practitioners and journalists: Antagonists no more

The increasing interdependence of public relations and journalism and the demands they make on each other raise the question how they perceive and evaluate each other. How do they view their roles, methods, relationship, and quality of media reporting on organizations? How do government and business public relations differ in this respect? Our survey of a representative sample of Dutch journalists and public relations practitioners in both government and business (n = 791) showed that while there were differences of opinion between the two professions, these were neither predominantly negative nor fundamental. Our results, therefore, do not confirm the difficult relationship between the press and public relations that was identified in research carried out in the United States between 1970 and 1990. Given the Dutch tradition that the government practitioner be a neutral servant of the public interest rather than a spokesperson for the organization, the general absence of differences between government and business public relations was striking. Our findings indicate that government public relations professionals have adopted the same norms and standards as their colleagues in business organizations.     

Anticipatory socialization in the use of social media in public relations: A content analysis of PRSA's Public Relations Tactics

This article examines one issue in how public relations students are socialized in their understanding of the value and power of social media in the practice of public relations. The public relations academic research about social media is explored, as well as the professional claims about the value of social media as a public relations tactic. The researchers conducted a content analysis of 1 year of Public Relations Tactics issues. The data are viewed through the theoretical frame of the socialization literature ( Jablin, 1987). The results suggest that claims of social media power far outweigh evidence of social media effectiveness as a communication tool. A disconnect exists between what authors of Public Relations Tactics pieces view as the potential for social media and the research findings about the effectiveness of social media. The final section of the article discusses the implications for public relations educators, professional associations, and practitioners as they consider social media tactics in public relations strategy.     

Public relations in Ghana: Work-related cultural values and public relations models

This study explores cultural influences on public relations practices in Ghana. This survey research brief reports data collected from Ghanaian public relations practitioners (n = 64) and describes work-related cultural values as well as the practices of public relations models in Ghana. The result reveals that Ghanaian public professionals tend to utilize international public relations and two-way communication models. The study extends knowledge of international public relations in African cultures.     

An authenticity matrix for community engagement

Community engagement (CE), a key area of theory and practice in public relations, has two functions: first, to maintain and enhance relationships between organizations and diverse community groups in complex settings; and second, to give voice to these groups in addressing socially-situated problems. Implicit within these functions is CE’s ability to connect organizations with a selection of stakeholder voices that represent community perspectives on a given topic. It is the claimed representational nature of these voices that gives legitimacy to the processes and outcomes of CE. The role of public relations practitioners in CE is therefore to identify and involve voices that are authentic—that is, those that truthfully represent the extent and diversity of community sentiment. Such voices include those that are quiet or silent, even though they have a contribution to make. This study uses in-depth interviews with current practitioners to explore voice and authenticity in CE, and identifies four dimensions of CE in practice. These dimensions extend CE theory, particularly in public relations, by addressing the under-considered yet central role of authenticity in CE. The paper also draws on the dimensions to develop an Authenticity Matrix that allows CE practitioners to assess and critique their past and current CE projects. The Authenticity Matrix also provides guidance to public relations practitioners seeking to enhance the conditions for achieving authenticity in CE practice.     

Fundraising encroachment on public relations: A clear and present danger to effective trustee leadership

When fundraising encroachment occurs, strategic publics who can affect a charitable organization's success and survival are rarely brought to the attention of trustees because public relations practitioners are denied access to these leaders, and the manager who does have access—the fundraiser—is trained and rewarded to concentrate on donor publics. A national survey documents fundraising encroachment in five of the six major types of charitable organizations. Although only 23 percent of the respondents (N = 175) reported structural encroachment, 40 percent agreed that the senior fundraisers in their organizations had more say in policy decisions than the senior public relations officers. Small but significant correlations were found between encroachment and the extent to which the public relations department has the knowledge and expertise to practice two-way models of public relations and communications support.