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Archive for December, 2011

The Power of Effective Research—Moving from Support to Illumination

By: Susan Walton on Monday, December 19th, 2011 at 10:28 am

Recently I wrote an article for The Strategist, The Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA’s) magazine dedicated to executive-level public relations professionals.   The article addressed the sometimes sticky question of how to disagree effectively with clients and management.  One of the points made in the article was how important it is to back up recommendations—especially when they may be novel, controversial, or unexpected—with data.  In this blog, I’ve been invited to follow up on that point a bit. Sir Winston Churchill is widely—and famously—quoted as having said, “Statistics are like a drunk with a lamppost, used more for support than illumination.”  ...

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China and Public Relations Research

By: Frank Ovaitt on Tuesday, December 13th, 2011 at 1:30 pm

Beijing’s 798 Art District, fashioned from military-industrial facilities built by East German engineers in the 1950s, is often compared to New York’s SoHo.  But SoHo East it is not.  China’s contemporary art scene defines a one-of-a-kind place and experience. So it is with the public relations profession in China.  Several years after my last trip there, I journeyed back with the encouragement and support of multiple Institute for Public Relations (IPR) Trustees – most notably Mark Hass and Bob Grupp.  As IPR adopts an increasingly global stance, I wanted to further develop a sense of how the science beneath the art ...

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Leadership Style and Organizational Reputation

By: Linjuan Rita Men on Friday, December 9th, 2011 at 8:34 am

How do management behavior and leadership effectiveness influence internal communication outcomes, such as employee perception of organizational reputation? When employees like the company they work for, they feel a stronger sense of belongingness and commitment; they are less prone to leave and they look forward to contributing to the success of the company everyday. Another aspect is the critical role of employees as communication assets for the organization. What employees say about the organization is often perceived to be more credible and authentic than messages from senior management or the public relations team. So how does organizational leadership at all levels influence ...

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Setting Priorities in Measurement

By: David Geddes on Wednesday, December 7th, 2011 at 8:22 am

As we pursue a vision of excellence in public relations enabled by excellence in research, measurement, and evaluation, discussion often turns to the measurement outputs and outcomes. Several members of the Commission on Measurement and Evaluation engaged in an email discussion last May about measuring outputs and outcomes. I compiled the initial email exchange, and circulated the document for further comment. The discussion expanded in so many interesting directions that I will not even going to attempt to summarize; you will be better off reading the entire thread. I think it comes to the following question: Which of the following should ...

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