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Despite ample research indicating creativity is valuable in creating a competitive advantage and enabling individual success in the global knowledge economy, there are still industry concerns about how adequately individual student's creative abilities are developed for the workplace (McCorkle, Payan, Reardon & Kling, 2007). In considering how well teaching practices can strengthen creative performances in classrooms, this paper details an action research project that investigates creative and critical thinking among an undergraduate cohort of marketing and public relations students in the School of Business, The University of Notre Dame Australia. In particular this study: 1) considers how business students understand creativity; 2) examines whether the performance of creativity can be enhanced through individual critical reflection on the nature and value of creativity; and 3) analyses how student's self-assessment data can extend teaching practice and improve curriculum design so business students can better meet industry expectations of creative skills.

Work integrated learning (WIL) units can be discipline specific and constructed for majors or degrees with a strong vocational orientation. This paper describes an undergraduate unit with its genesis in a public relations internship. The original unit enjoyed strong support from industry partners and was instrumental in many graduates securing employment. The school owning the public relations major also offers other majors and degrees and sought to capture the eagerness of students to engage in workplace participation, but against an institutional imperative to consolidate teaching activities The challenge was to create sufficient universality without diluting the success enjoyed by the PR internship program or detracting from the need for effective WIL outcomes. The result was a set of processes, assessments and management practices that could be efficiently and readily adopted by any participating discipline. The unit could run every semester and separate disciplines could opt in or out. Efficiencies were to be optimized while still delivering the outcomes desired by students, industry partners, and the academics involved.

The objectives of this research were to: 1) develop the online courseware on Thai Food Good Health to support the Thai Kitchen to the world project; and 2) evaluate the courseware by the learners toward the courseware integrated using in aboard. The research sample were sampling for chefs, Thai restaurant owners, and the students who were studying at the TAFE culinary school in Sydney. The research instruments were a questionnaire to find out the needs and readiness to attend the online learning, and a questionnaire for the learners. Courseware was designed and developed on website www.thaifoodtolearn.com by applying the 5 steps model. Firstly, the synthesis of the research results done by the researcher team. Secondly, organizing focus group of the experts in food and nutrition and public relation field discussion on the essential contents and courseware format which would be used to develop the lessons. Thirdly, the survey of needs and readiness of the respondents. Fourthly designing the media in the courseware. Fifth, testing the courseware at TAFE Northern Sydney College in Sydney, Australia. The participants registered and studied from online courseware on thaifoodtolearn.com website as well as the set of multimedia "Thai food good health" distributed to the participants with the learner's active participation in demonstration and practices. The research result found that the respondents were readiness to study online courseware. They needed to learn as 1-2 weeks short course in the morning and evening. The topics they needed to learn were Thai food ways, Thai food cooking techniques, Thai healthy food such as Thai herb, fruit and vegetable, the characteristics of Thai food, safety Thai food, and basics knowledge of Thai food respectively. After learning online courseware, the learners' opinion mostly showed that the lessons were totally good level. In case of the contents and presentation of video, image, graphics, hyper media links in each pages, the usefulness and benefit of the lessons mostly showed in very good level.

Public relations educators delivering courses to international students find that each cohort of students interprets and understands public relations theory and its application to practice according to their respective cultures. The premise of this paper is to reflect on some of the interpretations and expectations of public relations students enrolled in postgraduate master classes from 2003 to 2007 in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia, at the University of South Australia. The Australian masters' classes include cohorts of international students from diverse cultures. This paper suggests that public relations educators need to adapt their style of delivery and methods of assessment to facilitate optimum engagement of diverse groups of students taking account their varied political, religious and social backgrounds that shape their thinking and perception of public relations theory and practice. (Contains 3 endnotes.)

Murdoch University's public relations program attracts a significant number of international students. Up to 60% of students in some units come from Singapore and Malaysia. While many spend at least one year in Australia as part of the three year degree, students in both countries may complete the entire degree offshore from 2007. The authors rewrote a second year public relations unit with the aim of making it more relevant for local and international students. This posed particular challenges in terms of pedagogical and conceptual approaches. For instance, there are cultural and linguistic issues which influence the ways students learn, and which have particular implications for a unit which expressly aims to consolidate students' professional writing skills. There are also implications for public relations theory, which tends to be dominated by Western concepts and models, and public relations practice, which varies in different countries. This paper offers a reflection on the issues we addressed in the redevelopment of the unit, as well as some suggestions for future teaching and learning practices.

Over the past decade, industry relevance and connectedness have evolved into a key requirement for students and their parents, who increasingly perceive employability upon graduation as a critical factor in the degree selection process. Simultaneously, professional bodies emphasise the need for high levels of industry engagement as a condition for accreditation, which in turn further impacts on the "marketability" of a specific degree. However, many of the skills emphasised by potential employers and industry reference groups are more closely aligned with generic graduate attributes, rather than discipline specific knowledge and skills. This increasingly includes an emphasis on cultural awareness, excellent communication skills and the ability to work in dispersed, often even virtual teams. This observation is arguably particularly relevant within the business (degree) context, where workforces become increasingly multicultural, as traditional borders and limitations make way for transnational opportunities. This paper discusses the benefits and challenges associated with a third year student project that set out to combine the need for discipline specific knowledge, with the acquisition of versatile, culturally sensitive business skills. Students participating in the aptly titled "communications challenge" competed against their peers as part of multicultural teams, representing twelve countries, across five continents. The authors conclude that experiential learning opportunities like this global, real life client project may not necessarily be popular amongst the wider student cohort. Furthermore, the acquisition of discipline specific knowledge may be limited when compared to "traditional" teaching deliveries. However, projects like this provide a number of benefits, in particular in the context of capstone units that set out to prepare students for a diverse career in an increasingly global, multicultural and complex environment.

Traces the role of Geoffrey Cochrane Remington, Sydney solicitor and businessman, in free public library development in Australia. Describes how the Munn Pitt Report on Australian libraries and Remington's acquaintance with John Wallace Metcalfe of the Public Library of New South Wales led to the birth of the Free Library Movement in 1935, and shows how the combination of legal expertise, public relations skills, technical knowledge and passion led to the passing of the New South Wales Library Act in 1939. Outlines the involvement of other key figures, including W. H. Ifould, Principal Librarian of the Public Library of New South Wales, George Brain, an accountant and later politician, Ministers of the Crown, High Court judges and politicians. Shows how Remington's legendary powers of persuasion also won over the media, and organisations such as the Australian Council for Educational Research and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, leading one newspaper columnist to conclude that "nobody dodges Remington". (Contains 29 notes.)

Notes how over the last two decades the Public Relations Institute of Australia together with its strategic alliances have made many changes, structurally, strategically, and academically towards the professional growth of public relations. Discusses the views of the Public Relations Institute of Australia and offers a snapshot of two surveys on professional practice and related issues. (SC)

Public relations (PR) scholars have long emphasised the importance, as well as the prevailing lack of, cross cultural awareness and international PR skills. As political and economic powers are shifting from West to East, it becomes even more imperative that the public relations industry embraces diverse modes and styles of communication by moving beyond its traditional focus on Western inspired practice, as reflected in the popularity of US and UK based textbooks and the prevailing focus of scholarly research on familiar (usually Western) cultural context. Recognised as a culturally diverse nation, this paper investigates if Australia's multicultural fabric is reflected amongst its communication professionals and hence shapes the characteristics and communication styles of the local public relations industry. Given its geographic location, Australian communicators should theoretically be well positioned and equipped to play a prominent role across Oceania and the Asian continent. Based on first hand insights from Australian communication professionals from diverse backgrounds, both in terms of ethnicity, as well as country of origin, this exploratory study provides an insight into the cultural fabric of the Australian public relations industry. Findings challenge the assumption that the nation's multicultural make up has shaped its communication industry. Whilst participants emphasise the value of an international perspective and diverse cultural backgrounds, the Australian PR industry is still perceived as largely white, Anglo-Saxon, with a continuing dominance of female professionals. Based on practitioner's first hand insights, the industry has failed to recognise diversity as part of its occupational identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the Public Relations Institute of Australia's introduction in 1991 of a national accreditation programme for university courses. Drawing on an analysis of previously unstudied industry archives, it identifies four themes significant for industry perspectives of education: public relations knowledge; industry expectations and experience; public relations curricula; and academic legitimacy. While university education was perceived by institute members to demonstrate the professional standing of public relations, the findings reveal divergent understandings of its role and content and identify considerable resistance to the institutionalisation of public relations knowledge. At the same time, the expansion and marketisation of higher education led to the introduction of new, vocational courses such as public relations. The significance of this study is it offers new insights into the development of Australian public relations education and the role of the professional association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been limited research into fashion public relations. This study explores social media use in public relations in the Australian fashion industry, using ethnographic inquiry and semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest social media is transforming fashion public relations, but its adoption is uneven, with overlaps in marketing and public relations activity. Participants use social media to engage fashion publics, keep up to date with trends, monitor competitors and promote clients. Bloggers are increasingly influential. Participants perceive they must embrace social media, or risk getting left behind. The findings contribute to understanding diverse public relations practices and the ways public relations activity is transforming in response to social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Activism has a substantial role within the specialization of Indigenous Australian public relations. • Indigenous women working in public relations utilize their activist skill set in their personal lives. • There are unique cultural connections between the concepts of Indigeneity, professional activism and personal activism. • Indigenous Australian public relations strategies can involve activism through fashion. The role of activism is important in the field of Indigenous Australian public relations as a strategy for creating change and giving back to Indigenous people and communities. However, there is a dearth of information on how, when, and why Indigenous women employed in public relations engage in activist practices. This paper aims to help fill this gap by exploring the activist practices used by Indigenous women working in public relations in their personal lives. By considering personal activism from the perspectives of Indigenous women in public relations, we can further conceptualize activism within the profession. Through the critical lens of Indigenous women's standpoint theory, and utilizing an Indigenous yarning method, five Indigenous women discuss their definitions of activism and the various ways in which they engage in activism within their personal lives. This paper builds upon the ideas of activism within public relations and demonstrates the power of public relations in terms of influencing social change for Indigenous people and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The importance of consumer trust in the food supply has previously been identified, and dimensions of consumer trust in food-who they trust and the type of trust that they exhibit-has been explored. However, there is a lack of research about the mechanisms through which consumer trust in the food supply is developed, maintained, broken and repaired. This study seeks to address this gap by exploring if, and how, consumer trust in the food supply is considered by the media, food industry and governments when responding to food scares. The aim of the research is to develop models of trust building that can be implemented following food scares. Methods: Semi-structured interviews will be undertaken with media, public relations officials and policy makers in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Participants will be recruited through purposive sampling and will be asked to discuss a hypothetical case study outlining a food incident, and any experiences of specific food scares. Models of trust development, maintenance and repair will be developed from interview data. Comment on these models will be sought from experts in food-related organizations through a Delphi study, where participants will be asked to consider the usefulness of the models. Participants' comments will be used to revise the models until consensus is reached on the suitability and usability of the models. Discussion: This study will contribute to the literature about systems-based trust, and explore trust as a social and regulatory process. The protocol and results will be of interest and use to the food industry, food regulators, consumer advocate groups, media seeking to report food-related issues and policy makers concerned with public health and consumer health and well-being. This research represents an important contribution to the translation of the theoretical conceptualizations of trust into practical use in the context of food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is almost a decade since the last empirical study of Australian public relations appeared in the academic literature. This paper reports on a survey conducted immediately prior to the onset of the global financial crisis aimed at revealing the state of public relations in Australia. In particular, the study investigated levels of professionalisation in terms of such criteria as the strategic orientation of public relations, its position within organisational hierarchies, and the importance placed on ethics and professional development. The findings show Australian PR professionals to be highly educated, comparatively well paid and frequently in positions of influence with their CEOs. Paradoxically despite these strengths, the profession in Australia does not seem to have outgrown public relations’ pervasive identity crisis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]