Search

The Global Capability Framework for Public Relations and Communication Management (Fawkes et at., 2018) is the first international proposal that applies the capability concept to the discipline in order to describe the scope and future potential of a global profession. A global framework with 11 capabilities is the result of an empirical research (Delphi, survey, interviews and focus groups) with more than 1.400 experts, scholars and practitioners, in nine countries of five continents (Argentina, Australia, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, UK and USA). Also, each country has its own capability framework. In this paper it is presented for the first time the specific frameworks, and its comparison, from Argentina and Spain, the only participants' hispanic countries. As a general conclusion, the findings reveal a strong strategic and social orientation of the profession, but there are significant differences that may be explained by different regional contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the presence of influencer marketing in business communications strategies in the new economy, based on the results of an exploratory investigation carried out in accordance with the methodology of the Grounded Theory. The categorisation of the information, obtained from the elaboration of the case studies of three digitally native brands (Wallapop, Westwing and Fotocasa), shows that influencer marketing actions are part of their 360° communications strategy. Actions with influencers are developed in a synergistic way with other advertising and public relations actions, both on and offline. In terms of their approach, they follow Marston's strategic planning model, which consists of four phases: research, planning, execution and evaluation. In this sense, its particularities include the decision-making based on data, as well as the empowerment of the user and the brands' agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies the communicative structures of the main companies in Spain. Based on the fact that these organisations have significant economic and human resources, the structure of their communication areas is analysed, as well as the specific training of their top managers. In addition, the article will outline the main concerns that these organisational structures have with regard to the day-to-day management of business communication (transparency, reputation, identity, etc.). To do this, the object of the study is made up of the main companies in the Spanish continuous market, some of them included in the Ibex 35 in 2018. This population has been selected because it has the greatest impact on the national economy and is susceptible to greater information transparency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing an experiment study ( N = 256), this study examines how individuals ethical orientation (deontology vs. consequentialism) and CSR message frame (normative vs. strategic) influence corporate hypocrisy perception and negative communication intentions toward a given company. Findings demonstrate that deontological ethical orientation and strategic CSR frame induce stronger corporate hypocrisy perception and negative communication intention than do consequential ethical orientation and normative CSR frame. In addition, deontological ethical orientation moderated the effects of CSR frames on negative communication intention toward the company. Implications for both public relations scholarship and practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we investigate investor relations (IR) scholarship across business-centered and communication-centered fields of study from 1994 to 2016. This investigation’s aims were to examine development almost a quarter of a century of IR scholarship and to use that to explore how to improve future IR practices and studies. We found that scholarly research in IR and public relations (PR) failed to display many signs of interaction with each other, rarely intersected with other disciplines, and reveal considerable potential for developing synergies from their existing differences. In conclusion, we argue that the current academic insularity also quarantines the practitioners. To address these issues we propose specific future collaborations to improve both IR’s scholarly output and its practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication and reputation are essential for the positioning of an organization, which is based on communications theory, management sociology, corporate management, and public relations. Corporate culture and visual identity are also important for any organization; they not only help develop an integrated image of the organization but also contribute to developing its successful positioning strategy. We began our research with the analysis stage, in which we elicited the practices of both the internal and external communications of the organization studied. We used such methods as communication and reputation audits with a questionnaire survey, focus groups, the semantic differential method, and the projective method. The analysis stage of the research produced results that helped us adjust the positioning strategy of the organization by taking into account its individual characteristics and the features of its target publics and its target markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current work studies the situation of main companies in audiovisual social media. These companies are placed in the top positions of the 2014 Merco (Corporative Reputation Business Monitor) ranking according to corporative reputation. The objective of the study is double. First, it pretends to analyse the presence, it means, in which of these channels companies are present. Second, for obtaining more realistic results, it searches to evaluate their degree of proactivity because presence is not the same as utilization neither proactivity. Results show that attending to Spanish companies presence, Youtube and Linkedin are the main social media. Attending to proactivity, Vine, Linkedin and Youtube stand out. The analysis of the circuit of content confirms that the images and photographies are more recycled than video. It would be of interest rethinking the strategy in social media to set where companies want to be and with what objective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to know the communication management by Third Sector organizations during the economic crisis, which has value to the work of these entities in a moment of trust deficit and loss of credibility in the institutions. The paper analyzes the model of staff and management of communication developed by six different profile NGOs working with groups at risk of social exclusion (Red Cross, Caritas, Charity House, CEARPV, COCEMFECV and FEAPSCV) in Valencia, tackling the situation in an autonomous region particularly affected by the crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of dialogue has always been a mainstay in the research literature on public relations. However, the fields of corporate communication and, more recently, business management have focused on different aspects of the notion. Despite such increased research interest, the concept of dialogue yields a range of analytical perspectives; this is due in part to the fragmentation of academic study, whereby scholars pursue parallel lines of inquiry that never intersect in interdisciplinary exchange. Therefore, the twofold purpose of this article is to explore the concept of dialogue in the context of business: on the one hand, to offer an interdisciplinary account of dialogue based on a model of analysis shaped by the five key dimensions of the concept; and on the other hand, to use the model to trace which perspectives are articulated in the related theory. In short, the article works towards a clearer understanding of the management implications that stem from the conceptualization of dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being a frequently discussed topic in the public relations literature, dialogue is often misunderstood as simply two-way communication and seldom examined in practice. While international development organizations frequently claim to use dialogic and participatory methods, development communication remains a relatively unexplored area in public relations. To further clarify public relations’ understanding of dialogue as well as its potential in development practice, this study examined how a USAID-sponsored international development project adopted participatory communication practices to encourage Bolivian farmers to switch from coca to coffee. Drawing from public relations and development literature on dialogue, the article juxtaposes the approaches to “dialogue” used in the project against normative concepts of the theory. The article argues that using genuine dialogue is a matter of differentiating deontological, means-based approaches to communication practice, from consequentialist, ends-based orientations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars in the U.S. generally agree that the origins of corporate public relations correspond to the rise of the U.S. Industrial Revolution during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This essay explores the under-theorized relationship between ideology and public relations by examining the role of the corporate voice in public relations history. Evidence suggests that public relations counsel, serving as the corporate voice, created messages that produced and reproduced certain ideological meanings about the corporation. These ideological meanings provided important guidance on how members of the public should think about, relate to, and experience the corporation as a necessary, natural and benevolent organization in society. By incorporating ideological theory as an analytical tool to study public relations history, this article explores an important, but not often studied aspect of public relations history – the development and use of the corporate voice as a site of ideological production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the Merco 2013 Spanish companies best positioned YouTube employment, what covers: audiovisual genders, purpose, length and level of answer by users. It concludes that Spanish companies still are in an experimentation stage with the new channel, although they already include it in their strategies of external communication. It detects a fault of interest for generating dialogue with the users. The communication of CSR actions is an upward trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study tests the hypothesis that Spanish franchise companies innovate when it comes to communication strategies focused on one of their primary targets: potential franchisees. The purpose of this article is to analyze the communication strategies developed by these companies to attract new partners. The management and assessment strategies used by franchisors in the current situation marked by crisis and technological change are examined. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques are applied. In conclusion, it is determined if companies apply innovative strategies by making use of new media and support aids, or if they continue to use traditional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the complex environment in which the Public Relations, are developed is needed noticing his practice from a systemic perspective where the organizations and publics interact and influence reciprocally, for this reason the decision making process will be ethic. With a strategy based on trust, respecting the man's nature, it is focused on the construction, maintenance and defense of the organizations with his audiences strengthening the quality of the links that those uniting; finally, generating trust is the constant in the profession. This is translated on a good reputation that in the long term is always most profitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Partial support for greater credibility of customer rather company spokesperson. [•] Quoting a customer adds credibility to business audience's perception of an article. [•] Attitude toward product more positive when information quotes customer spokesperson. [•] Spokespersons trusted more by businesspeople with low expertise than high expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Network analyzed the connections between and among foreign organizations from Latin American and U.S. agents between 1998 and 2017. • During this time, businesses spent the most on strategic communication services in the U.S. spending $154,961,684.67. • Public relations services were more frequently requested by business organizations while advertising was the second most requested service. • 278 foreign organizations made 1095 connections to U.S. agencies. • Considering networks for all the Latin American countries, the average density score was 0.375, the average distance among nodes was 1.677, and the average fragmentation score was 0.575. • Business organizations and governments were often the most central with business spending the most but governments having the greatest number of contracts. Traditionally, international public relations studies have assumed that a foreign organization, namely a foreign government, is the primary influence on how its home country is portrayed to audiences abroad. This study challenges such assumption of independence by revealing how foreign organizations are connected in ways previous works have not considered. Using Foreign Agents Registration Act data, we reveal the direct and indirect connections that form when foreign organizations hire U.S. agencies to produce their international public relations work. Our network analysis of foreign organizations from Latin American and their U.S. agents documents the network structures that emerge for each country and identifies the types of organizations that are positioned advantageously in the networks. We use these findings to theorize how foreign organizations' connections and their key positions in networks may influence the production of international public relations efforts for their home country. We at a macro-level, public relations effects depend on the structure of the networks, the overlapping sites where communication content is produced, and who is positioned as key players in the production networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public relations, advertising and marketing agencies contribute to the dynamism of the economy of Ecuador, for which they make effective use of communication techniques to strengthen the image and reputation of organizations towards their public. This research aims to determine the support that agencies provide to the integral communication management of organizations. This research is pioneer in the country and is born by the lack of information regarding the agencies. Through quantitative and qualitative research we obtained information related to the companies that offer such support. The results reveal that in Quito and Guayaquil is where the greatest settlement of such companies exists. The advertising and marketing agencies offer integrated communication services; there are also public relations agencies that are increasingly gaining more space in the policy of business communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The several theoretical and practical evolutions of the Executive Secretary (ES) profile turns him/her into one of the members of the strategic level, because he/she works in a multifunctional manner, as advisor and/or manager, at the high level administration. Besides, the professional has the role of being the image of the company where he/she works, once he/she is the bridge of internal (among the operational-tactical-strategic levels) and external (company-market: suppliers, customers, partners - society in general) communication, in addition to being an advisor in negotiations and in management/organization of business events. Therefore, he/she has the role of maintaining the enterprise identity (what it really is) and establishes, properly, its image (how it should be seen by the society), considering its mission statement, vision, goals, market niche and other related factors. In this regard, it is noticed the necessity of the ES to acquire knowledge related to the Public Relations (PR) professional performance, in order to carry out his/her role effectively and efficiently. Thus, this study aims to analyze the ES with PR profile and how both areas complement one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Crisis holds the potential for profound change in organizations and industries. The past 50 years of crisis management highlight key shifts in crisis practice, creating opportunities for multiple theories and research tracks. Defining crises such as Tylenol, Exxon Valdez, and September 11 terrorist attacks have influenced or challenged the principles of best practice of crisis communication in public relations. This study traces the development of crisis process and practice by identifying shifts in crisis research and models and mapping these against key management theories and practices. The findings define three crisis domains: crisis planning, building and testing predictive models, and mapping and measuring external environmental influences. These crisis domains mirror but lag the evolution of management theory, suggesting challenges for researchers to reshape the research agenda to close the gap and lead the next stage of development in the field of crisis communication for effective organizational outcomes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The introduction of international financial reporting regulations has caused European multinationals to be increasingly reliant on the nonfinancial multimodal sections of the annual report as a means of informing and persuading international stakeholders. Due to the growing status of English as an international financial communication language, moreover, these annual report sections are usually produced in English. This experimental study compares the effectiveness of texts and photos in Dutch-English and British-English management statements from the perspective of financial analysts in the UK. The research results largely confirm the similarity-attraction hypothesis: Among UK-based analysts, typically British communication features often yield a more positive effect than the features that are typical of the Dutch-based statements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Due to the boom in the number of people studying Social Communication - Journalism and Communication programs in general, small and medium sized enterprises (Spanish acronym pymes) are increasingly demanding more and more communication graduates so that this particular type of professionals directly intervene in their entrepreneurial processes, not only in the area of information, but in the development of their own communication skills and knowledge as a support tool for their managerial tasks. This article is an attempt to establish the impact that graduates of the Communication and corporative relations program of the Universidad de Medellín, have had on pymes, and to reflect on the necessary relationship between education and communication and its potential to generate democratic awareness among the communicator-actors that interact in complex environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Swedish research on organizational communication is characterized by empirical, qualitative research. The tradition of holistic and profound case studies is strong. In this article, a wide definition of organizational communication is employed, including research focusing on both internal and external communication. Research themes and methods are reviewed and discussed. The majority of the studies concern public information, including health communication and crisis communication. Particularly, scholars have studied planning and evaluation of information campaigns concerning health, traffic and environment; and more recently, authority communication during major crises in society. Research focusing on organizations' internal communication includes topics such as superior-subordinate communication, organizational learning, sensemaking, communication strategies and communication efficiency. Strengths and weaknesses following from this empirical case study research tradition are highlighted. Finally, the contribution of Swedish research in an international perspective is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper attempts to understand the current state of the Philippine public relations industry by investigating how it obtained its current reputation and image. It traces the evolution of public relations’ image and identifies factors and entities which may have contributed to the further development of Philippine public relations’ current reputation. The study begins with the popular assumption among Philippine public relations industry practitioners that the nature, function, and role of public relations in corporations and business in the Philippines has often been questioned. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper advocates an experience-centered approach to public relations websites. A conceptual framework of the public relations website experience is proposed. The framework is grounded in communication and reader-response theory, and integrates organization–public relationship research as well as website usability findings. A new research protocol, website experience analysis, is derived from the conceptual framework. Applications of website experience analysis in public relations scholarship and practice are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Company responsibilities and their interpretation through concepts such as corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship or sustainable development (CSR/CC/SD) occupy a central position today in research in public relations and company management. However, communication still seems to be the hidden link in corporate responsibility. There is still a big demand for works that delve into the way in which institutions communicate these responsibilities. To the extent that Internet has become an important medium for communicating with company stakeholders, interest has also arisen in how to communicate responsible behaviour through corporate websites. Earlier works have shown the growing importance of the medium for this undertaking and also the divergences in use taking place in different parts of the world. The authors of this article have developed a specific tool for analysing the treatment given in corporate websites to affairs of corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship and sustainable development, and they have carried out an analysis of all the companies on the IBEX-35 index. In this article they present the first results for companies registered on the Spanish stock exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of issues in business news on corporate reputation are often assumed, but less often put to a test. To study these effects, this study combines a recent extension of agenda-setting theory—the second level of agenda setting—with issue ownership theory. A content analysis of business news is linked to a panel survey to measure corporate associations and corporate reputation. The results provide empirical evidence both for the second level of agenda setting and for issue ownership, thereby showing that theories from the field of political communication are valuable for understanding the effects of issues in business news. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper advocates a morally/ethically defensible “organic theory” of public relations that is in opposition to the public relations literature that predominantly suggests that only those publics that have direct consequences for the organization are publics with whom public relations practitioners should deal. A biological metaphor can be used in supporting this “organic” theory of public relations in which the organization is an organ and society is a body as a whole. This paper concludes that the process of public relations, as well as the outcomes, is critically important in maintaining a metabolic balance and harmony within society itself—a requisite for the health and well-being of nation-states, corporations and nongovernmental organizations. Much of this process involves communication as a ritual, rather than communication as transmission of information; it involves interpersonal communication, rather than mass communication. It involves relationship-building as opposed to persuasion. Much of this process has been found traditionally in Arab culture, and these rich traditions should be recognized and examined for their utility and value in developing an Arab model of public relations to help resolve the plethora of 21st Century issues that threaten global stability and ultimately the well-being of all cultures and societies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Organizations promote and participate in political communication actions address to many publics: legislators, officials, pressure groups of journalists. Today is obvious that business men bear in mind the political dynamic of the organizational environment. Corporate communication, by public relations, media strategies, lobbying and advocacy advertising, represent many political communication's actions and forms promote by corporations' dominant coalitions. However, in the past years, issues management, who use the techniques of these corporate communication forms, raise as a communication strategy to prevent and adapt to political and public issues that can affect the corporations' organizational development. The Microsoft's conflict with the government of the United States and the European Union explains this new communication form of the organizations as political actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management and administration of employee benefits rightfully fall under the purview of the organization's human resource department. So, too, has responsibility for benefits communication, though HR managers may lack the training, time and experience needed to administer a formal communication effort. The researchers use data from two surveys to show the criticality of benefits to recruiting, retention and motivation of quality employees, the prevalence of particular communication approaches and channels, the perceived effectiveness of those channels, and employees' media preferences in regard to benefits communication. The researchers conclude that public relations managers need to take a much more active role in benefits communication programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public relations in Spain are consolidating their structure, work models and body of knowledge, step by step. Yet, there is still a long way ahead for the CEOs of the institutions to acknowledge the real value of public relations. Educational orientation is the fulcrum around which the limitations of public relations in Spain revolves, and a consequence of the reality that everyone can be a public relations practitioner without having a degree from an educational institution. Thus, the term public relations is used less frequently than other denominations like corporate communication, corporate image, integral communication, etc. Nevertheless, practitioners of public relations in this country are looking for a new framework to link them with scientific methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on public relations, communication and marketing theories, this article explores South Africa's Saambou Bank tumbling from growth and positive media coverage to its downfall in one year. Interviews with Saambou officials and financial journalists, as well as a media content analysis of Saambou media coverage, investigates this issue. Theoretically comparing Saambou with the US Enron Corporation, the analysis presents a heuristic public relations model based on the need for functional corporate communication to target audiences, media coverage and media management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The value of social media in public relations has been exaggerated. [•] Organization–public feedback on social media does not translate into higher overall visibility. [•] Mainstream media visibility correlates with social media visibility. [•] Professional communicators need to better understand how to use social media. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Examines the use of the World Wide Web in public relations building, from a theory-based strategic framework. Benefits of strategic communication on the Web from a consideration of dialogic communication; Strategies in creating dialogic relationship with the Internet public.

Abstract: This paper outlines the ways in which various literatures and exemplary organizations (Business for Social Responsibility, the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, and the Global Compact) define, set principles, and provide frameworks for corporate social responsibility (CSR). It also explores British broadcasters’ accountability mechanisms and the extent to which U.K. broadcasting activist NGOs view them as adequate CSR. The activists studied were six British broadcasting-centered and Scottish cultural NGOs that lobby in the EU and at home. The data suggested that these activists’ public relations has pro-social, pro-democratic effects and that the CSR/NGO literatures and organizational frameworks provided may enable broadcasting activists and targets to more effectively pursue CSR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a bibliographical list of articles on public relations theory. "The Internet and Knowledge Gaps: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation," by Heinz Bonfadelli, which appeared in the March 2002 issue of "European Journal of Communication"; "Communicating in Mentoring Relationships: A Theory for Enactment," which appeared in the February 2002 issue of "Communication Theory" journal; "Public Relations," which appeared in the 2002 issue of "Communication Abstracts" journal.