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Abstract: The dominance of Excellence Theory in public relations theory and research may be eroding as contemporary issues in corporations, including the concern with activist challenges to reputation management and corporate social responsibility, increase in visibility and demand explanation. We argue that Excellence Theory‘s seemingly reluctant evolution has provided unsatisfactory treatments of concepts like power and activism, even though it has attempted to address some limitations of the symmetrical model''s efficacy in responding to activist challenges. Excellence Theory‘s acknowledgment of once-vilified concepts like persuasion and power sets the stage for critical public relations theory and research to emerge as significantly more capable of addressing activist advocacy and concomitant issues. The paper argues that critical theory, buoyed by acceptance of its key concepts, its increasing access to presentation venues and journals sympathetic to once-marginalized, alternative perspectives, is poised to infiltrate the public relations orthodoxy. This possibility offers hope that once marginalized pluralistic approaches, especially critical public relations, may disrupt the colonization of the orthodoxy and infiltrate mainstream public relations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Aims to stimulate debate about public relations education and its curricula. • Questions why, when prominent public relations theorists are establishing a developing relationship between activism and public relations, is this research not reflected in public relations curricula? • Challenges the functionalist approach to the teaching of public relations. • Proposes that incorporating activism studies into public relations curricula provides the opportunity to deconstruct public relations practice and critique the role it plays in society. • Proposes that incorporating activism studies in public relations curricula provides a platform for public relations to consolidate its position as a progressive field of knowledge and practice. This article aims to stimulate debate about public relations education and its curricula. It questions why, when prominent public relations theorists are establishing a developing relationship between activism and public relations, is this research not reflected in public relations curricula? The functionalist approach (where public relations is taught as a neutral organisational function) is endorsed by public relations' powerful credentialising bodies, and strongly influences the content of public relations' educational objectives. Rather than allow this functionalism to dominate curricula objectives, public relations teachers, as professionals, have a responsibility to deconstruct public relations practice and critique the role it plays in society. This article proposes that incorporating activism studies into public relations curricula provides an opportunity for public relations teachers to navigate this complexity. In addition, incorporation of activism studies in public relations curricula has the potential to provide a platform for public relations to consolidate its position as a progressive field of knowledge and practice in a dynamic and complex environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Public relations scholars often misinterpret the rationale for radical activist tactics and overlook their advantages. Radical tactics can help activist organizations redefine and embolden members’ identities, give members a sense of meaning, discourage opponents’ supporters, provoke overreactions that generate support, create momentum for moderate activist organizations to ameliorate problems, and redefine the political spectrum so moderate activist organizations’ requests appear more reasonable by comparison. This paper argues that an improved understanding of radical activist organizations’ goals, tactics, and priorities should change the way public relations scholars theorize and evaluate them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Acknowledging the unique and potentially powerful positions held by activist publics, the author argues that the state of organization-activist relationships can be tracked over time through the public statements they make about their shared issues of concern, as reported by the news media. The findings of three case studies of Australia''s major banks and their activist publics over 21 years are reported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]