Community Building And Early Public Relations

From the start, women were central to a century of westward migration in the U.S. Community Building and Early Public Relations: Pioneer Women’s Role on and after the Oregon Trail offers a path forward in broadening PR's Caucasian/White male-gendered history in the U.S. Undergirded by humanist, communitarian, critical race theory, social constructionist perspectives, and a feminist communicology lens, this book analyzes U.S. pioneer women's lived experiences, drawing parallels with PR's most basic functions – relationship-building, networking, community building, boundary spanning, and advocacy. Using narrative analysis of diaries and reminiscences of women who travelled 2,000+ miles on the Oregon Trail in the mid-to-late 1800s, Pompper uncovers how these women filled roles of Caretaker/Advocate, Community Builder of Meeting Houses and Schools, served a Civilizing Function, offered Agency and Leadership, and provided Emotional Connection for Social Cohesion. Revealed also is an inevitable paradox as Caucasian/White pioneer women’s interactional qualities made them complicit as colonizers, forever altering indigenous peoples’ way of life. This book will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate PR students, PR practitioners, and researchers of PR history and social identity intersectionalities. It encourages us to expand the definition of PR to include community building, and to revise linear timeline and evolutionary models to accommodate voices of women and people of color prior to the twentieth century.

This slim volume hits hard at one major point: public relations practitoners need to abandon their dominant attitude of narrowly serving the needs of their clients and instead attempt to engender a broad-based sense of community. By approaching public relations from this broader perspective both the needs of the client and the community are served. Implicit in this theory is that a closer-knit community will retain more traditional family-based values and therefore comprise a more stable and appreciative economic unit for one's client. Canadian Journal of Communication Public relations is commonly viewed as using persuasive communications to achieve a client's vested goal. Kruckeberg and Starck challenge this oversimplified approach, asserting that public relations is a complex, multi-flow process that should--and can--affect society as a whole. In Part I, they examine critically the historical definition and practice of public relations, outlining the shortcomings of this narrow approach. Part II explores how the community itself has changed. Such issues as the shift from rural to urban life and the attempt to regain a sense of community are discussed. Part III attempts to reconcile the authors' new notion of public relations and community through an in-depth case-study. The results lead the authors to conclude that only if public relations is practiced as an active attempt to build a sense of community can it become a full partner in the communications milieu.

Public relations is a uniquely pervasive force in our modern economy, influencing every aspect of our lives from the personal to the political. This comprehensive volume provides an expert overview of current scholarship, reflecting the impact of technology, society, and demographic shifts in a complex global environment. The last century saw the emergence of the public relations discipline. This expertly curated collection explores the dynamic growth in thinking about public relations’ role in our changing global society, now and into the future. It reflects the challenges and perspectives of postcolonial, postmodern, feminist, critical race theory, social responsibility, sustainability, activist standpoints, as well as the profound and unpredictable impact of technological change and social media. Each chapter provides an overview of current knowledge and its roots, while engaging with emerging new directions and old debates – and advocates for where the research agenda is likely to advance in the future. This unique Companion will be an essential resource for students and researchers in public relations, communication, marketing, media, and cultural studies. It provides an authoritative reference for educators and a one-stop repository of public relations knowledge, scholarship, and debates for the enquiring professional.

This two-part volume examines current pedagogical modules, research directions and other emerging issues in public relations and communication management in Africa. In comparison to its Western and Asian counterparts, the literature on public relations management in Africa is limited, and much of it is examined through the lenses of Western philosophies and pedagogies that do not generally resonate with Africa's socioeconomic, political, and cultural contexts. This book aims to change that. Through analyzing the organizational dynamic, Volume 1 brings together contributors from across Africa to provide valuable insights into how public relations contributes to organizational effectiveness on the continent. Chapters discussed include a review of public relations research in Africa, the role of the African CEO as a public relations activist, the use of social and digital media in public relations, the measurement and evaluation of communication programs, and the implications of the fourth industrial revolution on public relations practice in Africa. Providing important pathways and overviews of public relations management in Africa, this volume not only highlights current practices but offers insights into the future of the practice within its evolving global landscape.

This inaugural edited collection for the Communicating Responsible Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion series explores the active promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion as a public relations responsibility and provides new avenues for critiquing the ways in which power operates through public relations work and theory building.

When initially published in 2005, the two-volume Encyclopedia of Public Relations was the first and most authoritative compilation of the subject. It remains the sole reference source for any library serving patrons in business, communication, and journalism as it explores the evolution of the field with examples describing the events, changing practices, and key figures who developed and expanded the profession. Reader’s Guide topics include Crisis Communications & Management, Cyberspace, Ethics, Global Public Relations, Groups, History, Jargon, Management, Media, News, Organizations, Relations, Reports, Research, and Theories & Models. Led by renowned editor Robert L. Heath, with advisory editors and contributors from around the world, the set is designed to reach a wide array of student readers who will go on to serve as opinion leaders for improving the image and ethics of the practice. The Second Edition continues to explore key challenges facing the profession, such as earning the trust and respect of critics and the general public. Much greater emphasis and space will be placed on a theme that was just emerging when the First Edition appeared: the Internet and social media as public relations tools. International coverage and representation has been greatly expanded, as well. Finally, biographies (which are now widely available on the Web) have been deleted to give room to areas of enhanced coverage, and biographical material are included where appropriate within the context of topical entries. However, a long entry on women pioneers in public relations has been included as an appendix.

As media continues to evolve, social media has become even more integral to public relations activities, presenting new opportunities and challenges for practitioners. Relationships between publics and organizations continue to be first and foremost, but the process and possibilities for mutually beneficial relationships are being rewritten in situ. This volume aims to explore and understand highly engaged publics in a variety of social media contexts and across networks. The hope is the expansion and extension of public relations theories and models in this book helps move the discipline forward to keep up with the practice and the media environment. Contributors analyzed a range of organizations and industries, including corporate, entertainment, government, and political movements, to consider how public relations practitioners can facilitate ethical and effective communication between parties. A consistent thread was the need for organizations and practitioners to better understand the diverse backgrounds of publics, including age, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, beyond surface-level demographic stereotypes and assumptions. This book will be of interest to researchers, academics, and students in the field of public relations and communication, especially those with a particular interest in online engagement and social media as a PR tool.

This book analyzes the development of public relations at AT&T, starting with a previously forgotten publicist, William A. Hovey, and including James D. Ellsworth and Arthur W. Page, who worked with other Bell executives to create a company where public relations permeated almost every aspect of work.