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Introducing Public Relations
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Introducing Public Relations
Theory and Practice



February 2011 | 240 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Introducing Public Relations is your guide to the basics of public relations: where it came from, what it means and what issues the industry faces today. It takes readers from the origins of PR all the way to the newest theoretical debates, explaining along the way the changes and development of the role of the PR practitioner.

With interviews and 'day in the life' examples from a wide range of professionals in the industry students will learn what PR practitioners do, what they think and how the industry really works. Putting the student first, this book:
  • Gives a grounded, critical coverage of the history and theory of PR, so students understand not just the what but the how and why
  • Covers all aspects of PR in practice, from in-house and consultancies to government, sport, NGO and corporate PR
  • Packs each chapter with case studies, anecdotes from the field and career advice from expert PR professionals
  • Helps easy revision with exercises, summaries and checklist.

Highly accessible and engaging, there is no better headstart to understanding what PR is all about. It is the perfect text for any students encountering public relations theory and practice for the first time.

 
PART ONE: PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THEORY
 
Introducing the Theory
 
Chapter 1: The Origins of Public Relations
Public Relations: One or Many Definitions?

 
Where PR Comes From and Why History Matters

 
The Early Years: Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays

 
International Growth

 
The History of PR in the UK

 
Theory: Why Some Campaigns Work and Some Don't

 
Communication Theory

 
Laswell's Communication Model

 
Linear Model

 
Two-Step Communication Model

 
Mass Audience

 
Target Audience

 
Publics

 
The Four Models of Grunig and Hunt

 
The Press Agentry/Publicity Model

 
The Public Information Model

 
The Two-Way Asymmetric Model

 
The Two-Way Symmetric Model

 
The Excellence Project

 
 
Chapter 2: Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations - Similarities and Differences Explored and Explained
Why Marketing Matters

 
Market-Led Companies

 
Product-Led Companies

 
The Marketing Mix

 
Social Marketing

 
New Forms of Marketing

 
Advertising: Good or Evil?

 
How is PR Different to Advertising?

 
Advertising Agents and PR Consultants

 
Marketing PR

 
 
Chapter 3: Reputation Management
What is a Good Reputation?

 
The Relationship between PR and Reputation

 
Advocating Reputation Management

 
Acquiring a Good Reputation

 
Factors Involved in Developing Good Reputation

 
Online Reputation Management

 
Against Reputation Management

 
A 'Wrong' Industry: How an Industry's Reputation Affects Businesses

 
 
Chapter 4: Crisis Management - Public Relations Centre Stage
What Is a Crisis?

 
The Crisis Communication Plan

 
The Plan

 
The Management Team

 
The Communication Process

 
The Post-Crisis Evaluation

 
Handling a Crisis

 
The 2005 London Bombings

 
The Buncefield Fire

 
Issues Management

 
 
Chapter 5: Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics
Front Organisations

 
Why Ethics is Becoming More Important to PR

 
Advocacy and the Adviser-Client Relationship

 
Does PR Corrupt the Media?

 
The Ethics of Individuals

 
Codes and Conducts

 
The Ethics of Businesses

 
Four Traditions

 
Moral Evaluations

 
Ethics and the Multinational Company

 
Business is Business: Is CSR Welcome at All?

 
Business is Business: Is it Worth the Hype?

 
Social Corporate Responsibility

 
Environmental Corporate Responsibility

 
Sustainable Objectives

 
Is Corporate Social Responsibility Just PR in Disguise?

 
Delivering CSR

 
 
PART TWO: PUBLIC RELATIONS IN PRACTICE
 
Chapter 6: Introducing the Practice
Public Relations Practice in the UK

 
The Business of PR

 
The People in PR

 
Recruiting and Keeping Staff

 
 
Chapter 7: Public Relations In-House
Who Does What?

 
The PR Practitioner as Gatekeeper

 
Comparing In-House and External Consultants

 
Internal Communications

 
Organizational Culture: Who Are 'the Company'?

 
Channels of Communication

 
Measuring the Effect of Communications

 
 
Chapter 8: Public Relations Consultancies
Types of Consultancy

 
Categories of Consultancy

 
'Agency' or 'Consultancy': Does it Matter?

 
Professionalisation of the Industry

 
Services Offered by Consultancies

 
Winning New Business

 
The Brief

 
The Pitch

 
Managing the Account: Who Does What?

 
Client Satisfaction

 
Over-Servicing

 
Charging

 
 
Chapter 9: Strategy, Research, Measurement and Evaluation
Structuring a PR Programme

 
Research

 
Defining PR Problems and Issues

 
SWOT and PEST Analyses

 
Strategy

 
Measurement and Evaluation

 
Pseudo-Measurement

 
Opportunities to See (OTS)

 
Advertising Value Equivalence (AVE)

 
Payment by Results (PBR)

 
Electronic Evaluation

 
 
Chapter 10: Putting Effective PR Campaigns into Practice
Tactics: The Building Blocks of PR Campaigns

 
Journalists and Public Relations: Hacks and Flacks

 
Media Relations in the PR Campaign

 
Writing the News Release

 
Distributing the News Release

 
Targeting the Right People

 
Managing the Data

 
Ensuring Media Coverage

 
Dealing with the Media

 
The Features List

 
Media Training

 
Press Conferences

 
Electronic Channels of Communication

 
Online Media

 
Blogs: Are They the Future of PR?

 
Events

 
 
Chapter 11: Corporate Communications and Financial PR
What Is Corporate Communications?

 
The History of Financial PR

 
Financial PR Consultancies

 
Financial Calendar Work

 
Profit Warnings and the Unexpected

 
Investor Relations

 
Initial Public Offerings

 
Financial Audiences

 
Analysts

 
The Financial Media

 
 
Chapter 12: Government and the Public Sector
Social Marketing

 
Government Communications

 
Local Government

 
Restricting or Helping? Public Sector PR as Gatekeeper

 
Central Government Communication

 
Spin

 
How Political Parties are Changing Political Communication

 
Political Lobbying

 
The Origins of Lobbying

 
Lobbying Companies

 
Is Lobbying Effective?

 
Is Lobbying Ethical?

 
 
Chapter 13: From Charities to Celebrities - The Variety and Diversity of PR Practice
Charities and Campaigning Organisations

 
How Charities Campaign

 
Celebrities

 
Sport

 
Sponsorship

 
Media Relations in Sport

 
Channels of Communication

 
Community Relations in Sport

 
 
Chapter 14: Where PR (and You) Can Go Next
The Changing PR Landscape

 
Industry Challenges and Opportunities

 
Getting Started in PR

 

A very well written book with great examples from the industry (mostly UK-based), including interviews with industry specialists. The author connects theory and practice very well and makes the PR job sound interesting and diverse.
This book is simple enough to be understood by 2nd year BA students. However, because it has many case studies from the UK, it is not 100% relevant to the PR industry of mainland Europe. (For example a case study on Cadbury's chocolate is difficult to follow, as this chocolate is not sold in Germany). I will hence put this book on the list of recommended supplemental reading.

Ms Olga Mitterfellner
Mode Management, Mediadesign Hochschule
June 26, 2015

This is an introductory book that assists students who are new to the field of public relations. By intertwining theory, concepts and models with case studies and practitioner quotations, first year students are encouraged to not only understand what public relations is but why and how the tools and tactics of public relations should be utilized.

Mrs Stephanie Goodwin
Communication, Marketing and Public Relations, University of Central Lancashire
April 2, 2014

Will be considered for next year as obligatory reading.

Mrs Camilla Nothhaft
Department of Strategic Communication, Lund University
June 20, 2013

The book was adopted as main textbook last academic year. However, the content was found to be less organized and over simplified when compared to other textbook.

Miss Olivine Lo
School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
May 31, 2013

Strong industry contributions. Student friendly text makes PR and wider communication concepts easy to understand.

Mr Paul Simpson
Business School, Greenwich University
May 30, 2013

Lacked sufficient academic referencing/evidence base - largely practice orientated. Might suit Year 1 students.

Mr Grant Thoms
School of Arts & Creative Industries, Edinburgh Napier University
August 9, 2012

A refreshing new approach for an introductory text to public relations theory and practice.

Mr Grant Thoms
School of Arts & Creative Industries, Edinburgh Napier University
August 9, 2012

Accessible and engaging introduction.

Dr Gauti Sigthorsson
Communication and Creative Arts, Greenwich University
May 8, 2012

This book is useful to provide a basic and practically oriented overview of the field at the undergraduate level.

Dr Mafalda Stasi
Department of Media and Communication, Coventry University
April 15, 2012

For a quick readable overview of the field, this new book is hard to beat.

Dr Catherine Sweet
Communications , Southampton Solent University
December 20, 2011

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 2


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