The Strange Case of the Goddess Peitho: Classical Antecedents of Public Relations’ Ambivalence Toward Persuasion

ABSTRACT

Public relations scholars continue to debate “whether persuasion is a legitimate public relations function” (Edgett, 2002 Edgett, R. (2002). Toward an ethical framework for advocacy in public relations. Journal of Public Relations Research, 14, 1–26.[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], p. 1). Their ambivalence toward persuasion has deep roots in the tangled lineage of Peitho, the Greek goddess of persuasion. The purpose of this article is to chart the goddess Peitho's contradictory history in classical Greek literature and art; and to study how the Greeks resolved that ambiguity. Ultimately, the Greeks determined that Peitho, at her best, was honest, respectful of others, and mindful of community wellbeing. The Greeks’ resolution of Peitho's nature ideally holds lessons for the troubled status of persuasion within modern public relations.     

Calculating the cost of capital

One of the most important recent advances in corporate finance is the use of risk measures in setting discount rates or required rates of return for capital projects. An understanding of this area is of crucial importance to senior managers and corporate planners. This article explains how to calculate required rates of return using the modern approach to the cost of capital.     

Reliability of isokinetic and isometric knee-extensor force in older women

Because of the need for efficient, consistent strength measurements, the test-retest reliability of concentric, isometric, and eccentric strength; concentric work; and concentric power was determined in older women without a familiarization session. The reliability of measures derived from a single peak score were compared with those derived from an averaged score. On 2 occasions 25 older women with a mean age of 72 +/- 6 years performed 3 submaximal knee extensions and 5 maximal contractions on an isokinetic dynamometer at 90 degrees/s (CON), 0 degrees/s, and -90 degrees/s on both lower limbs. Statistical analyses for peak and averaged values (best 3 contractions of 5) exhibited good relative reliability (ICCs > .88), except for CON power. Typical error as a coefficient of variation and ratio limits of agreement for peak and averaged score values were larger than desired, with CON power scores demonstrating unacceptable error ranges. Although relative reliability of this 1-session assessment protocol was acceptable, further research is needed to determine whether additional practice trials could enhance absolute reliability.     

CONVERGENCE IN RELATION TO LEVEL OF SOCIETAL DEVELOPMENT

A classic version of convergence theory was proposed by Marion Levy as part of his theory of modernization: If and as the level of modernization increases (defined as a higher ratio of reliance upon inanimate energy and tools relative to animate energy), the level of structural uniformity among relatively modernized societies continually increases. I test this hypothesis by using the coefficient of variation (V) as the measure of convergence. I analyze a wide range of variables: level of economic development, capitalist market economy, demographic variables, technology, the state and political democracy, cognitive modernization, health, income inequality and poverty, gender particularism–universalism, and information and communications. Each variable is treated as one test of the hypothesis. The hypothesis is first tested by dividing 201 societies into quartiles representing four levels of development as of 1990, and comparing their V scores at one point in time (around the year 2000). Full confirmation of the hypothesis is a monotonic decline in V scores as we move from the least to the most developed societies; this is observed in 19 out of 51, or 37 percent, of the tests. The second set of tests is a stricter, longitudinal test of the hypothesis. Among the 21 societies already developed in 1965, as their level of development continued to rise from 1965 to the present, they became more convergent in 32 out of 45, or 71 percent, of the tests. Thus, variation in social structure is greater among less modernized than among more modernized societies, and this has implications for theories of globalization.     

A Risk Assessment for Occupational Acrylonitrile Exposure Using Epidemiology Data

The extensive data from the Blair et al.((1)) epidemiology study of occupational acrylonitrile exposure among 25460 workers in eight plants in the United States provide an excellent opportunity to update quantitative risk assessments for this widely used commodity chemical. We employ the semiparametric Cox relative risk (RR) regression model with a cumulative exposure metric to model cause-specific mortality from lung cancer and all other causes. The separately estimated cause-specific cumulative hazards are then combined to provide an overall estimate of age-specific mortality risk. Age-specific estimates of the additional risk of lung cancer mortality associated with several plausible occupational exposure scenarios are obtained. For age 70, these estimates are all markedly lower than those generated with the cancer potency estimate provided in the USEPA acrylonitrile risk assessment.((2)) This result is consistent with the failure of recent occupational studies to confirm elevated lung cancer mortality among acrylonitrile-exposed workers as was originally reported by O'Berg,((3)) and it calls attention to the importance of using high-quality epidemiology data in the risk assessment process.     

HOW IMPORTANT IS SOCIAL CLASS IDENTIFICATION IN TAIWAN?

Data from a 1992 survey (N = 2,377) of the population of Taiwan show that class identification is rooted in the objective stratification system: the higher one's education, occupational status, power, and income, the more likely one is to identify with the middle or upper classes rather than the working or lower classes. Class interest theory predicts that the higher a person's objective position and subjective class identification, the more likely s/he is to hold a conservative ideology concerning class issues (e.g., do large firms have too much power? Should employees protest against their employer's personnel practices, and go on strike?). Multiple regression analysis provides only partial confirmation for class interest theory. The finding that the most educated and those in professional and technical occupations are the least conservative on class issues is interpreted as supporting a “new class” form of class interest theory. While the Taiwan respondents are not generally conservative on these class issues, their class identification appears to have little to do with whether they are conservative or nonconservative, either before or after objective position in the stratification system is held constant.     

Understanding localism

These two special issues of Policy Studies investigate various aspects of localism and draw insights from a broad range of different academic disciplines; which illustrates how ubiquitous the issue has become, both in the academy and in political discourse, particularly in the UK and increasingly in Australia. In this introduction, we begin by outlining three different types of localism – managerial, representative and community – which have underpinned both debates in the area and policy developments, before outlining our definition of the term. Subsequently, we introduce the theoretical and empirical contributions that this issue makes to understanding localism in Westminster-style democracies.     

Better together? Learning lessons for group decision‐making practice from a study of secure accommodation in Scotland

This paper draws on the findings of a research study that examined the factors that influence local decision‐making in cases where a child or young person is being considered by residential workers, social workers and senior managers for placement in a secure unit. After outlining the research problem and case study approach taken, the paper focuses on explicating the findings of the study that relate to the impact of group membership, goals, roles and norms on group performance in such cases. The paper illustrates how attending to these four areas, and the way in which power relations impact on them, may help those developing and managing groups to improve decision‐making practice.