Summary Online Public Relations
Lecture 1 (08/04/2024)........................................................................................... 4
Defining Public Relations..................................................................................... 4
History of Public Relations................................................................................... 5
Public relations today.......................................................................................... 6
Structure of PR................................................................................................. 6
PR process........................................................................................................ 6
Basic Stakeholder Model.................................................................................. 7
Lecture 2 (10/04/2024)........................................................................................... 8
Defining internal communication........................................................................8
Relevance of internal communication.................................................................9
Planning internal communication......................................................................11
Channels and media....................................................................................... 11
Four steps to successful internal communication...........................................12
Recent developments........................................................................................ 13
Lecture 3 (15/04/2024)......................................................................................... 13
Ethics and Public Relations................................................................................ 13
Ethical theories: two schools..........................................................................14
Professionalism................................................................................................. 14
Is Public Relations a profession?.....................................................................14
Academic knowledge..................................................................................... 15
Training and professional development..........................................................15
Takeaways...................................................................................................... 15
Corporate Social Responsibility.........................................................................15
Stakeholder perspective................................................................................. 16
CSR communication.......................................................................................... 16
The risk of CSR communication......................................................................17
Categories of CSR communication.................................................................17
Lecture 4 (29/04/2024)........................................................................................ 18
Public Relations & Management........................................................................18
Introduction.................................................................................................... 18
Strategic mission of PR.................................................................................. 19
PR and Strategy-Making................................................................................. 19
Role of PR professionals................................................................................. 21
PR and other functions................................................................................... 21
PR versus Marketing departments..............................................................21
, PR and HR departments.............................................................................. 21
PR and Legal departments..........................................................................22
Public Relations and Corporate Identity.............................................................22
Identity versus image..................................................................................... 22
Researching Corporate Identity......................................................................22
What does the identity imply?........................................................................23
Measuring and evaluating Public Relations.......................................................23
Importance of evaluating............................................................................... 23
Approaches.................................................................................................... 24
Objective-based model............................................................................... 24
Preparation, Implementation and Impact model (PII)..................................24
Communication Controlling model..............................................................24
Integrated model of evaluation for strategic communication.....................24
PR evaluation in practice................................................................................ 25
Development of evaluation............................................................................ 25
Standardisation of evaluation........................................................................25
Debates.......................................................................................................... 26
Advertising Value Equivalence....................................................................26
Return on Investment.................................................................................. 26
Online evaluation........................................................................................ 26
Lecture 5 (06/05/2024)......................................................................................... 27
Recent developments........................................................................................ 27
Corporate identity & social media.....................................................................27
Social media...................................................................................................... 28
PR, social media & leadership...........................................................................28
E-leadership................................................................................................... 28
Research Luo et al............................................................................................. 29
Linking strategic social media use to core business.......................................29
Demonstrating leadership vision.......................................................................29
Leadership among peers................................................................................... 30
Lecture 6 (08/05/2024)......................................................................................... 30
A framework for using social media..................................................................30
Homo Economicus versus Homo Dialogicus...................................................30
CSR & Public Relations...................................................................................... 30
Development of motivations for CSR.............................................................30
Homo Economics and CSR............................................................................. 30
Social media and PR....................................................................................... 31
, Homo Dialogicus as frame in CSR..................................................................31
Dialogic CSR...................................................................................................... 31
Dialogic social media use.................................................................................. 31
Untapped potential of social media................................................................32
Research of Cho et al........................................................................................ 32
Literature....................................................................................................... 32
Results........................................................................................................... 32
Discussion...................................................................................................... 33
Lecture 7 (13/05/2024)......................................................................................... 34
Actuality............................................................................................................ 34
Internal communication and new communication technologies........................34
Developments................................................................................................ 34
Paradigms...................................................................................................... 35
Classic paradigm......................................................................................... 35
New paradigm............................................................................................. 36
New technologies in organizations.................................................................36
Using social media for internal communication..............................................36
Benefits....................................................................................................... 36
Challenges and risks................................................................................... 37
Conclusion................................................................................................... 37
Social media and employee engagement.........................................................37
Definitions...................................................................................................... 37
Drivers for engagement................................................................................. 38
Increasing engagement through internal communication..............................38
Research of Ewing et al.................................................................................. 38
Note on employee voice................................................................................. 40
, Lecture 1 (08/04/2024)
Defining Public Relations
There are different definitions of public relations (PR):
Harlow 1976: “Public relations is a distinctive management function
which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication,
understanding, acceptance, and cooperation between an organization and
its publics; involves the management of problems or issues; helps
management to keep informed on and responsible to public opinion;
defines and emphasizes the responsibility of management to serve the
public interest; helps management keep abreast of and effectively utilize
change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and
uses research and ethical communication techniques as its principal tools.”
The first World Assembly of Public Relations Associations 1978:
“PR is the art and social science of analysing trends, predicting their
consequences, counselling organizational leaders and implementing
programs of action that will serve both the organizations and the
public interest.”
o Art and social sciences are important. Art is important because you
have to be creative. But social sciences (and communication
sciences) are important because serious PR is based on scientific
findings.
Grunig & Hunt 1984: “The management of communication between
an organization and its publics.”
Grunig 1997: “An organization’s managed communications behaviour.”
The UK’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations: “PR is the discipline
which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and
support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and
sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual
understanding between an organization and its publics.”
Guth & Marsh (2006) defined five core concepts that help defining PR:
1. Management function: PR is management function. The relationship
between an organisation and the publics important to its success must be
a top concern of the organisation’s leadership. The PR practitioner provides
counsel on the timing, manner and form important communication should
take. In other words, practitioners aren’t just soldiers who follow orders;
they’re also generals who help to shape policy. And like all managers, they
must be able to measure the degree of their cusses in their various
projects.
2. Two-way communication: PR involves two-way communication.
Communication is not just telling people about an organisation’s needs. It
also involves listening to those same people speak of their concerns. This
willingness to listen is an essential part of the relationship-building
process.
3. Planned activity: PR is a planned activity. Actions taken on behalf of an
organisation must be carefully planned and consistent with the
organisation’s values and goals. And since the relationship between an
organisation and the publics important to its success is a top concern,
these actions must also be consistent with the publics’ values and goals.
Lecture 1 (08/04/2024)........................................................................................... 4
Defining Public Relations..................................................................................... 4
History of Public Relations................................................................................... 5
Public relations today.......................................................................................... 6
Structure of PR................................................................................................. 6
PR process........................................................................................................ 6
Basic Stakeholder Model.................................................................................. 7
Lecture 2 (10/04/2024)........................................................................................... 8
Defining internal communication........................................................................8
Relevance of internal communication.................................................................9
Planning internal communication......................................................................11
Channels and media....................................................................................... 11
Four steps to successful internal communication...........................................12
Recent developments........................................................................................ 13
Lecture 3 (15/04/2024)......................................................................................... 13
Ethics and Public Relations................................................................................ 13
Ethical theories: two schools..........................................................................14
Professionalism................................................................................................. 14
Is Public Relations a profession?.....................................................................14
Academic knowledge..................................................................................... 15
Training and professional development..........................................................15
Takeaways...................................................................................................... 15
Corporate Social Responsibility.........................................................................15
Stakeholder perspective................................................................................. 16
CSR communication.......................................................................................... 16
The risk of CSR communication......................................................................17
Categories of CSR communication.................................................................17
Lecture 4 (29/04/2024)........................................................................................ 18
Public Relations & Management........................................................................18
Introduction.................................................................................................... 18
Strategic mission of PR.................................................................................. 19
PR and Strategy-Making................................................................................. 19
Role of PR professionals................................................................................. 21
PR and other functions................................................................................... 21
PR versus Marketing departments..............................................................21
, PR and HR departments.............................................................................. 21
PR and Legal departments..........................................................................22
Public Relations and Corporate Identity.............................................................22
Identity versus image..................................................................................... 22
Researching Corporate Identity......................................................................22
What does the identity imply?........................................................................23
Measuring and evaluating Public Relations.......................................................23
Importance of evaluating............................................................................... 23
Approaches.................................................................................................... 24
Objective-based model............................................................................... 24
Preparation, Implementation and Impact model (PII)..................................24
Communication Controlling model..............................................................24
Integrated model of evaluation for strategic communication.....................24
PR evaluation in practice................................................................................ 25
Development of evaluation............................................................................ 25
Standardisation of evaluation........................................................................25
Debates.......................................................................................................... 26
Advertising Value Equivalence....................................................................26
Return on Investment.................................................................................. 26
Online evaluation........................................................................................ 26
Lecture 5 (06/05/2024)......................................................................................... 27
Recent developments........................................................................................ 27
Corporate identity & social media.....................................................................27
Social media...................................................................................................... 28
PR, social media & leadership...........................................................................28
E-leadership................................................................................................... 28
Research Luo et al............................................................................................. 29
Linking strategic social media use to core business.......................................29
Demonstrating leadership vision.......................................................................29
Leadership among peers................................................................................... 30
Lecture 6 (08/05/2024)......................................................................................... 30
A framework for using social media..................................................................30
Homo Economicus versus Homo Dialogicus...................................................30
CSR & Public Relations...................................................................................... 30
Development of motivations for CSR.............................................................30
Homo Economics and CSR............................................................................. 30
Social media and PR....................................................................................... 31
, Homo Dialogicus as frame in CSR..................................................................31
Dialogic CSR...................................................................................................... 31
Dialogic social media use.................................................................................. 31
Untapped potential of social media................................................................32
Research of Cho et al........................................................................................ 32
Literature....................................................................................................... 32
Results........................................................................................................... 32
Discussion...................................................................................................... 33
Lecture 7 (13/05/2024)......................................................................................... 34
Actuality............................................................................................................ 34
Internal communication and new communication technologies........................34
Developments................................................................................................ 34
Paradigms...................................................................................................... 35
Classic paradigm......................................................................................... 35
New paradigm............................................................................................. 36
New technologies in organizations.................................................................36
Using social media for internal communication..............................................36
Benefits....................................................................................................... 36
Challenges and risks................................................................................... 37
Conclusion................................................................................................... 37
Social media and employee engagement.........................................................37
Definitions...................................................................................................... 37
Drivers for engagement................................................................................. 38
Increasing engagement through internal communication..............................38
Research of Ewing et al.................................................................................. 38
Note on employee voice................................................................................. 40
, Lecture 1 (08/04/2024)
Defining Public Relations
There are different definitions of public relations (PR):
Harlow 1976: “Public relations is a distinctive management function
which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication,
understanding, acceptance, and cooperation between an organization and
its publics; involves the management of problems or issues; helps
management to keep informed on and responsible to public opinion;
defines and emphasizes the responsibility of management to serve the
public interest; helps management keep abreast of and effectively utilize
change, serving as an early warning system to help anticipate trends; and
uses research and ethical communication techniques as its principal tools.”
The first World Assembly of Public Relations Associations 1978:
“PR is the art and social science of analysing trends, predicting their
consequences, counselling organizational leaders and implementing
programs of action that will serve both the organizations and the
public interest.”
o Art and social sciences are important. Art is important because you
have to be creative. But social sciences (and communication
sciences) are important because serious PR is based on scientific
findings.
Grunig & Hunt 1984: “The management of communication between
an organization and its publics.”
Grunig 1997: “An organization’s managed communications behaviour.”
The UK’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations: “PR is the discipline
which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and
support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and
sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual
understanding between an organization and its publics.”
Guth & Marsh (2006) defined five core concepts that help defining PR:
1. Management function: PR is management function. The relationship
between an organisation and the publics important to its success must be
a top concern of the organisation’s leadership. The PR practitioner provides
counsel on the timing, manner and form important communication should
take. In other words, practitioners aren’t just soldiers who follow orders;
they’re also generals who help to shape policy. And like all managers, they
must be able to measure the degree of their cusses in their various
projects.
2. Two-way communication: PR involves two-way communication.
Communication is not just telling people about an organisation’s needs. It
also involves listening to those same people speak of their concerns. This
willingness to listen is an essential part of the relationship-building
process.
3. Planned activity: PR is a planned activity. Actions taken on behalf of an
organisation must be carefully planned and consistent with the
organisation’s values and goals. And since the relationship between an
organisation and the publics important to its success is a top concern,
these actions must also be consistent with the publics’ values and goals.
