This groundbreaking study offers new insights into public relations history with a focus on the changing relationship between women and public relations, the institutionalization of public relations education, and the significance of globalization in Australia in the second half of the twentieth century. Drawing on archival and interview research, it reveals how the industry’s professionalization led to the development of an occupational identity along national and gendered lines. It also challenges common misconceptions around the origins of public relations and women’s early contributions and careers. Adopting a critical approach, Professionalizing public relations avoids corporatist perspectives on the historical development of public relations by focusing on the processes of professionalization and their significance for gender and education, and by situating this study in a broader global context. The findings reveal dynamic and contested conceptualizations of public relations knowledge and expertise, and the significance of historical processes for contemporary understandings of the industry.

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.

Public Relations, Society and the Generative Power of History examines how histories are used to explore how the past is constructed from the present, how the present is always historical, and how both past and present can power imagined futures. Divided into three distinct parts, the book uses historical inquiry as a springboard for engaging with interdisciplinary, critical and complex issues in the past and present. Part I examines the history of corporate PR, the centrality of the corporation in PR scholarship and the possibility of resisting corporate hegemony through PR efforts. The theme of Part II is ‘Historicising gender, ethnicity and diversity in PR work,’ focusing on how gendered and racialised identities have been constructed and resisted both within the profession and through the result of its work. Part III engages with ‘Histories of public relations in the political sphere,’ bringing together work on the different ways in which public relations has evolved in changing political contexts, both formally as a function within political institutions and in the context of contributions to broader narratives of nationalism and identity. Featuring contributions from leading academics, this book challenges traditional PR historiography and contests the ‘lessons’ derived from existing literature to address the implications of key areas of critically engaged PR theory. This volume is a valuable teaching resource for upper-level undergraduates and postgraduates studying public relations, strategic communications, political communication and organisational communication.

Contemporary global culture, rooted in neoliberalism and free market forces, increasingly emphasises appearance over substance. People and organisations are judged by image and reputation while social media encourages and enables us to develop our own public persona. This book explores the rise of promotional communication with a particular focus on public relations (PR) and its role. Organisations, from local charities to multinational corporations, employ professional PR staff to manage promotional communication, and even public institutions must position themselves in the marketplace to secure funding and approval. To what extent has PR contributed to this culture of display, this masquerade of emptiness? This book argues that the climate crisis demands not more performance but a new approach, one of ‘depth public relations’. This concerpt builds on ideas not only from public relations, but also psychology, sociology and philosophy, as well as introducing the voices of climate activists and others seeking a deeper relationship with the human and non- human worlds. The proposed principles of depth public relations offer suggestions for theory and practice, with profound implications for PR and related fields, and will interest all scholars of the changing communication environment.

Published articles in ITJEMAST 13(9) 2022

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.

Expanding on the theoretical framework for studying and practicing public relations around the world, The Global Public Relations Handbook, Revised and Expanded Edition extends the discussion in the first volume on the history, development, and current status of the public relations industry from a global perspective. This revised edition offers twenty new chapters in addition to the original contents. It includes fourteen additional country- or regionally-focused chapters exploring public relations practice in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Contributors use a theoretical framework to present information on the public relations industry in their countries and regions. They also focus on such factors as the status of public relations education in their respective countries and professionalism and ethics. Each country-specific chapter includes a case study typifying public relations practice in that country. Additional new chapters discuss political economy, activism, international public relations, and United Nations public affairs.

The uptake of digital media platforms necessitates the need to understand how digital cultures of consumers and brands are unfolding. Despite the increase in usage and adoption of the internet in Africa, there is limited information about digital marketing trends on the continent. This book is among the first to present an edited collection of chapters on digital and influencer marketing authored by many who are either from or have close ties to Africa. This book showcases digital marketing trends in Africa that are burgeoning at the same speed as the uptake of technology in the continent. With this in mind, the contributors seek to interrogate digital marketing trends in two stages: the status of digital marketing on the African continent, including cases from Nigeria, Egypt, Uganda and Kenya, and an analysis of the rise of influencer marketing, including cases from Nigeria and Uganda. This book will explore factors driving the increase in digital media platforms in Africa as well as an analysis of the implications of the growth in digital marketing, using various theoretical and methodological underpinnings to probe trends. Digital Public Relations and Marketing Communication Trends in Africa provides significant implications for marketing scholars and researchers and will be relevant to those looking to understand the opportunities and challenges ahead.

In this third edition, The Global Public Relations Handbook: Theory, Research, and Practice offers state-of-the-art discussions of the global public relations industry, blending research-based theory with practice, and presented in essays from both academics and practitioners. This edition's 28 essays in three sections take into account changes in the global communication landscape especially in the last ten years. The first section contains essays that provide conceptual linkages between public relations and international political systems, economic systems and levels of development, societal culture, different media systems including digital media, and activism. Essays in the second section discuss the communication of various global actors such as corporations (including family-owned enterprises), non-profits, governments (and public sector enterprises), global public relations agencies, IGOs such as the European Union and NATO and "informal" organizations such as hactivist groups, terrorists, and failed states. The third section discusses key global communication issues such as climate change, character assassination as a communication tool, internal communication, risk and crisis communication, public affairs, and public diplomacy. This will be an essential resource for students and researchers of public relations, strategic communication, and international communication.

This book is the first on the history of Chinese public relations, and has been selected as one of the “40 representative books for 40 years of public relations in China” by the Public Relations Society of China. In four chapters, it systematically reviews and analyzes the trajectory and evolution of public relations in China from the very start – when the “reform and opening” policy was adopted in 1978 – to the present. The book will help both established and new scholars and practitioners in the field to understand the changing nature of public relations in China. It offers a unique perspective by placing the discussion of the development of public relations in the general context of the changes and development of China as a whole, and in relation to the changing status of public relations around the world. Accordingly, readers will not only gain a more in-depth understanding of the history of the field, but also of the political, economic, societal, cultural and scientific development of China in modern times.