Thousands of public relations (PR) students and professionals have relied on this authoritative text to understand the key role of research in planning and evaluating PR campaigns. Revised and expanded to reflect today's emphasis on standards-based practice, the third edition has a heightened emphasis on setting baselines, creating benchmarks, and assessing progress. Stacks presents step-by-step guidelines for using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods to track output, outtakes, and outcomes, and shows how to present research findings clearly to clients. Every chapter features review questions and a compelling practice problem. PowerPoint slides for use in teaching are provided at the companion website. Instructors requesting a desk copy also receive a supplemental Instructor's Manual with a test bank, suggested readings, and case studies. New to This Edition: *Chapter on standardization, moving beyond the prior edition's focus on best practices. *Chapter on different types of data sets, with attention to the advantages and disadvantages of using Big Data. *Addresses the strategic use of key performance indicators. *Covers the latest content analysis software. Pedagogical Features: *Each chapter opens with a chapter overview and concludes with review questions. *End-of-chapter practice problems guide readers to implement what they have learned in a PR project. *Appendix provides a dictionary of public relations measurement and research terms. *Supplemental Instructor's Manual and PowerPoint slides.

This practical, comprehensive work is widely regarded as the standard course text and practitioner reference on public relations research. Don W. Stacks explains the key role of research in all aspects of contemporary PR practice, from planning a program or campaign to making strategic changes and measuring outcomes. Step-by-step guidelines and tools are provided for using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods to accomplish essential research objectives. The book clearly explains technical aspects of data collection and analysis for readers new to measurement and statistics. Every chapter features review questions and a detailed practice problem. A test bank, suggested readings, case studies, and PowerPoint slides are available to instructors using the book in their courses; see the preface for details.

Evaluating Public Communication addresses the widely reported lack of rigorous outcome and impact-oriented evaluation in advertising; public relations; corporate, government, political and organizational communication and specialist fields, such as health communication. This transdisciplinary analysis integrates research literature from each of these fields of practice, as well as interviews, content analysis and ethnography, to identify the latest models and approaches. Chapters feature: • a review of 30 frameworks and models that inform processes for evaluation in communication, including the latest recommendations of industry bodies, evaluation councils and research institutes in several countries; • recommendations for standards based on contemporary social science research and industry initiatives, such as the IPR Task Force on Standards and the Coalition for Public Relations Research Standards; • an assessment of metrics that can inform evaluation, including digital and social media metrics, 10 informal research methods and over 30 formal research methods for evaluating public communication; • evaluation of public communication campaigns and projects in 12 contemporary case studies. Evaluating Public Communication provides clear guidance on theory and practice for students, researchers and professionals in PR, advertising and all fields of communication.

This new edition provides a comprehensive overview of current theory and research written by the top theorists and researchers in each area. It has been updated to address the growing influence of technology, changing relationships, and several growing integrated approaches to communication and includes seven new chapters on: ■ Digital Media ■ Media Effects ■ Privacy ■ Dark Side ■ Applied Communication ■ Relational Communication ■ Instructional Communication ■ Communication and the Law The book continues to be essential reading for students and faculty who want a thorough overview of contemporary communication theory and research.

The Future of Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management brings together a stellar collection of public relations scholars to address the question: What will happen to continue the seminal theory building in public relations, bolstered by the work of James E. Grunig and Larissa A. Grunig, and the groundbreaking 1992 IABC Excellence Study examining best practices in the field? This volume presents a challenge to future researchers, encouraging consideration of other theoretical research problems that will lead to improving the management practice of public relations. This collection advances scholarly and practitioner understanding of excellence in public relations and communication management, and as such, public relations and communications scholars, in addition to practitioners and graduate students studying these areas, will benefit immensely by reading the work in this volume.

Thousands of public relations (PR) students and professionals have relied on this authoritative text to understand the key role of research in planning and evaluating PR campaigns. Revised and expanded to reflect today's emphasis on standards-based practice, the third edition has a heightened emphasis on setting baselines, creating benchmarks, and assessing progress. Stacks presents step-by-step guidelines for using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods to track output, outtakes, and outcomes, and shows how to present research findings clearly to clients. Every chapter features review questions and a compelling practice problem. PowerPoint slides for use in teaching are provided at the companion website. Instructors requesting a desk copy also receive a supplemental Instructor's Manual with a test bank, suggested readings, and case studies. New to This Edition: *Chapter on standardization, moving beyond the prior edition's focus on best practices. *Chapter on different types of data sets, with attention to the advantages and disadvantages of using Big Data. *Addresses the strategic use of key performance indicators. *Covers the latest content analysis software. Pedagogical Features: *Each chapter opens with a chapter overview and concludes with review questions. *End-of-chapter practice problems guide readers to implement what they have learned in a PR project. *Appendix provides a dictionary of public relations measurement and research terms. *Supplemental Instructor's Manual and PowerPoint slides.

With chapter contributions by leading experts" Public Relations in Schools, 4/e," provides a comprehensive view of how community relations affect organizational behavior and the effective management of districts and schools. With a focus on communication alternatives in modern technology and political demands for change it offers an integrated foundation of theory and craft to help practitioners facilitate a positive change in public relations. Beginning with the organizational characteristics of public relations this text offers coverage of specific duties assumed by administrative personnel in planning, collecting and analyzing data, media relations, funding campaigns, evaluating public relations activities, and responding to crisis situations. Features of the fourth edition include: - NEW! Greater focus on principals and their role in public relations. - NEW! Greater attention throughout the text on the use of technology in practice. - NEW! Greater attention to understanding and dealing with emerging school reform trends. NEW! A new chapter (Chapter 10) on communicating with parents and the community. - NEW! Chapter 7 is a revision distilled from chapters 7 and 8 of the previous edition combining the coverage of districts and schools. - Case Studies with end of chapter questions confront the reader with real-life situations designed to promote critical thinking in problem solving. Related books from Merrill Education: - The School Finance, First Edition, Craig E. Richards, Bruce D. Baker, and Preston Green, ISBN: 0-13-098458-2 - Human Resources Administration, Fifth Edition, L. Dean Webb and M. Scott Norton, ISBN: 0-13-239771-4 - The Human Resource Function in Educational Administration, Ninth Edition, Phillip Young, ISBN: 0-13-243541-1