Discusses ways a revolution in business management emphasizing people, values, integrity, and communication should also change the approach to public relations. Reviews research to demonstrate that coalition companies possess the characteristics of excellent companies. Argues that perhaps this community relations function will lead from the…

The public relations studies section of the proceedings includes the following seven papers: "Ethical Inclinations of Public Relations Practitioners" (Cornelius B. Pratt); "Losing Control: An Examination of the Management Function in Public Relations" (Martha M. Lauzen); "Shifting the Public Relations Paradigm: A Theory of…

Proposes a new model--the extended model--for firms to respond to consumer complaint letters. Indicates that aspects of response, such as interest in solving the problem and specificity affect effectiveness judgments and impact on the recipient's overall impression of the company. (NKA)

Develops a theoretic description and definition of, and explores a wholistic approach to, public relations. Provides process models to consider quantitative and qualitative aspects of public relations behavior and permit analysis within and across subsystems or between subsystems and environment. Offers a definition of public relations which…

Offers a sequential model of futures research techniques that is applied to a hypothetical situation to indicate its applicability as a means by which public relations professionals can approach the task of saying today what may happen tomorrow. (SRT)

Employs N. Fairclough's model of critical discourse analysis to explore the roles that public relations practitioners play in discursive struggles. Analyzes the discursive practices employed by practitioners in the research, redesign, and training phases of discourse transformation--transformations that emerge from discursive struggles engaged in…

Describes a new managerial approach to assessing public relations/communications (PR/C) performance using a "balanced scorecard." Reviews the current state of PR/C management assessment; illustrates the balanced scorecard framework; highlights its strengths and weaknesses; describes the process of applying the scorecard to PR/C units;…

Describes the theory of image restoration discourse as an approach for understanding corporate crisis situations. States this theory can be used by practitioners to help design messages during crises and by critics or educators to critically evaluate such messages. Describes and illustrates the theory's basic concepts. Offers suggestions for…

Presents a brief history of public relations education. Proposes a model program for public relations education and discusses where such a model program logically fits in the university structure and where it would be most likely to receive necessary resources. (MS)

Discusses how to use the Sender-Receiver Communications model to illustrate for students the process of "targeting your audience." Includes an assignment in which students are asked to apply knowledge gained from the model. (MS)

Proposes three precepts as an approach to ethics for the information age: accept responsibility when appropriate; anticipate negative effects; and attempt justice through fairness, applying John Rawls' principles of justice. (SR)

Advocates using systems theory and systems models for ethical decision making in public relations. Demonstrates how to apply systems theory (with its ability to delineate a complex process and wed it to a model of organizational decision making) to analyzing the ethical dimensions inherent in the public relations process. (SR)

Suggests that public relations played a role in the collapse of communism because it provided an effective means to communicate publicly across national boundaries. Proposes that old ways of theorizing about media systems may be obsolete. Suggests a pragmatic model of global communication. (PRA)

Describes a strategic program planning matrix system that enables practitioners and public relations students to analyze the public relations problem, isolate the central difficulty, establish appropriate goals, develop objectives, design a plan, and evaluate it. (SR)

Examines findings from key studies into image and publics and proposes a new model integrating and collapsing both concepts. Notes that the model explains the process of attaining an image. Argues for a reconceptualization of image and for a reconceptualization of public. (SR)