The effectiveness of services marketing: perceptions of executive directors of gerontological programs

Interest in marketing services, as opposed to products, has gained considerable momentum in recent years. The author conducted a survey of human service executives in six metropolitan areas to gauge the current status and efficacy of marketing efforts in programs for the aged. Findings confirm that the majority of health and social service organizations now employ marketing strategies of some kind, although somewhat insensitive and inadequate. The most common indicator of marketing success has been increments in the number of clients served. Health organizations are significantly more likely to measure the effectiveness of marketing efforts than social service agencies. Agencies commonly employ multiple marketing strategies, with face-to-face approaches proving to be the most effective. Least effective are public service messages and commercials on television/radio. The author suggests recommendations for mounting more efficacious and sensitive marketing programs in the human services.     

Parent Marital Quality and the Parent–Adolescent Relationship: Profiles of Relationship Quality

Rigorous studies repeatedly have demonstrated the negative effects of parental divorce on outcomes for families. However, very few studies have examined the quality of the marital relationship within intact families or how the quality of the marital relationship interacts with the quality of the parent–adolescent relationship. The present study examines how aspects of parent marital quality, such as marital support and conflict between the couple, existed within married families and examines how patterns of mother–adolescent and father–adolescent relationships quality varied longitudinally from 1997 to 1999. The study uses data from the NLSY97 cohort, a nationally representative sample of adolescents who are being followed into adulthood. Four profiles of parent marital quality were developed using latent class analyses. Four growth profiles for the mother–adolescent relationship and for the father–adolescent relationship were created using latent growth class analysis in Mplus. To examine how the parent marital quality profiles and the parent–adolescent relationship quality interact, we examined how they overlapped. Six distinct groups were evident from this examination: (1) high marital quality and good relationships with both parents, (2) high marital quality and a good relationship with only one parent, (3) high support and high conflict marital quality and a good relationship with at least one parent, (4) low marital quality and a good relationship with at least one parent, (5) high marital quality and bad relationships with both parents, and (6) low marital quality and bad relationships with both parents.     

Marital and Parental Relationship Quality and Educational Outcomes for Youth

This research examines the effects of parental marital quality and the quality of the parent–child relationship on the educational progress of adolescents. Previous research indicates that family structure and economic capacity have significant effects on educational achievement and high school graduation rates. Few studies, however, examined the effects of the quality of the parental relationship on the educational outcomes of their children. This study is built on bioecological and social capital theories of human development suggesting that the capacity for child and youth development is enhanced when their primary relationships are supportive and provide them with social assets that encourage human capital development. The study uses data from the NLSY97, a nationally representative sample of adolescents who are being followed into adulthood. The findings indicate that family stability and living with two biological parents is a stronger predictor of high school graduation than parent marital quality and the quality of the parent–child relationship. But the data also indicate that parent marital quality and the quality of the parent–child relationship have a strong and positive effect on postsecondary education access among those who do graduate from high school. These findings are interpreted in light of the contribution of relationship quality to further educational involvement and the implications this has for workforce development and successful labor force competition in a global economy.     

Social Media Adoption Among University Communicators

Long interviews were conducted with university communicators at 2 distant universities with distinct social systems. Participants were drawn to adopt social media mainly by relative advantage, compatibility, and trialability attributes of the innovation. Inductive themes that emerged from the interviews included an emphasis on publics, information sharing, cost, and convenience. A believer–nonbeliever distinction among adopters is introduced. Believers are driven by the same characteristics of social media that public relations researchers have found to be essential to the practice of public relations itself: 2-way communication, interactivity, dialogue, and engagement.     

PR practitioners’ use of social media tools and communication technology

As social media moves from “buzz word” status to strategic tool, more practitioners are developing skills related to this online communication technology. This study surveyed working public relations practitioners about their adoption of 18 social media tools and their perception on the growth of social media trends in public relations practice. Results provide an overview of the adoption of social media, as a whole, in the industry.     

Blog power: Examining the effects of practitioner blog use on power in public relations

While blogs are not yet a standard public relations tool, practitioners use blogs to enhance their power within their organizations. Using an online survey of public relations practitioners, this pilot test examined the relationship between power and blog use. Three factored categorizations of blog use among practitioners emerged: routine information and research, interactive blog communication, and issues identification. Results showed differences based on power, between blog users and non-users, owner-practitioners and non-owners, among others.     

Contextual Residential Care Reviewed

This paper examines a contextual model of residential care for children whose behaviour is described as out-of-control. Developed by Menses & Durrant (1986), the model combines principles of cybernetic theory, cybernetic therapy and ritual. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current wide use of the Contextual Residential Care model, focusing on the cybernetic theory-base of the model and how it has been employed in practice. The study followed a narrative format, utilising semi-structured interviews with co-ordinators of Contextual Residential Care programmes, to gain information about the nature and theoretical baseline of their programmes and their hopes and concerns for the future of the model. The interviews were analysed using a discourse analytic procedure. The study found a contextual approach which is immature and lacking in theoretical clarity. If its proponents can establish and understand a sound cybernetic framework and adapt it with flexibility to their particular context, they can ensure the successful evolution and application of this model of residential care.     

Blog offensive: An exploratory analysis of attacks published on campaign blog posts from a political public relations perspective

An advancement in online campaigning during the 2004 election cycle was the integration of blogs in candidate Web sites. This content analysis investigated the political public relations message strategy on campaign blogs during the 2004 election, focusing on attacks as a part of Functional Theory of Political Campaign Discourse. Results indicated frequent discussion of the opponent, reliance on attacks, and the dominance of logical appeals. Candidates focused on issue over image. The incumbent attacked more often than the challenger.     

Communicating during crisis: Use of blogs as a relationship management tool

Using a post-test only experimental design with control group, this study investigated the impact of blogs on relationship management during a crisis. Participants (N = 109) were exposed to a personal blog (n = 45), organizational blog (n = 46), or control (n = 18). Results indicate blogs impact the perception of the level of crisis an organization experiences. Additionally, relationships created through blogs impact the perception of crisis. Use and credibility were also investigated.