“Cheap labor” speaks: PR adjuncts on pedagogy and preparing Millennials for careers

In-depth interviews were conducted among 32 adjunct public relations instructors across the U.S. to discover their unique contributions in preparing today's undergraduates for entry-level positions. Research questions probed teaching philosophy, practice-to-classroom transition, and any challenges faced. Amidst adjuncts’ voices, two overarching themes emerged – omnipresent economic forces, and academic/practitioner dichotomy. Findings fill a significant gap in the public relations body of knowledge and offer several suggestions for further research.     

Corporate social responsibility and the oil industry: Theory and perspective fuel a longitudinal view

To gain an in-depth theoretically-grounded understanding of managing corporate social responsibility (CSR), the current study offers four key propositions for CSR theory development: (1) Living corporate social responsibility from the inside out, (2) Earning trust of the public and the media, (3) Giving back as a community citizen, and (4) Accepting that we’re all in this together, but still unique. Also offered are five best practices for public relations in the oil industry. All emerged during in-depth interviews with three senior public relations managers of a leading independent US oil company; executives who have navigated CSR decision making and practices through nearly five decades (1966-2010) at different points in time. In the wake of two massive 2010 oil spill crises in North American waters that garnered extensive media attention, findings are particularly relevant for advancing CSR theory and for providing complex insider perspectives less traveled in the public relations literature.     

On Social Capital and Diversity in a Feminized Industry: Further Developing a Theory of Internal Public Relations

Women's work relationships with other women in public relations management settings provide context for further developing Kennan and Hazleton's (2006 Kennan , W. R. , & Hazleton , V. ( 2006 ). Internal public relations, social capital, and the role of effective organizational communication . In C. H. Botan and V. Hazleton (Eds.) Public relations theory II (pp. 311 – 338 ). Mahwah , NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates . [Google Scholar]) conception of internal public relations (IPR) theory. To date, undertheorized in the public relations literature are intra-management relationships, social capital-diversity links, and connections between practitioners’ day-do-day lives and organizational contexts. Interviewed were 42 senior-level female public relations managers (African American, Asian American, Caucasian, and Hispanic) whose experiences reveal outcomes of woman/woman dyad work relationships over the past 5 decades and ways these may impact IPR in feminized industries. Explication of IPR theory and suggestions for further development are offered.     

“Outnumbered yet still on top,but for how long?” Theorizing about men working in the feminized field of public relations

The under-researched phenomenon of men working in the feminized field of public relations is investigated using the theory of gendered organizations and feminist and masculinity studies lenses. Survey, interview, and focus group findings illuminate the field's gender paradox wherein men report negative effects of gender-minority status at entry- and mid-levels and worry about a future when women will replace them at public relations’ highest management levels.     

Corporation-bashing in documentary film: A case study of news media coverage organizational response

This case study compares/contrasts news coverage of two crisis communication responses – corrective action and defiance/attacking-the-accuser – by examining print news coverage of McDonald's Corporation and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in conjunction with documentaries Super Size Me (2004) and Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price (2005). Discussed are crisis communication dynamics associated with this new brand of documentary filmmaking and journalism's role in the debates.     

Under the microscope: Gender and mentor–protégé relationships

Forty (40) depth interviews were conducted among Florida-based public relations practitioners to examine mentor–protégé relationship dynamics according to gender. Two factors, compatibility and structural features, are offered to explain successful mentoring in public relations and to suggest a strategy for maximizing its benefits. Moreover, mentoring facilitates career enhancement in five important ways (supplement to college training, validation and empowerment, deportment, networking, reciprocity) – and gender composition of vertical dyads seems to matter a great deal.