Institute for Public Relations

This is a summary of a paper presented at this year’s International PR Research Conference. It received a “Top Three Paper for Practical Significance” award from the Institute for Public Relations.   I’m a public relations pro trying to run his own business and help clients achieve their objectives.  Social media companies that claim to have a secret formula for influence have me frustrated on behalf of my clients, who are wanting some answers about influence online. I decided to find out what the academics had to say about it. In a paper I presented at the International PR Research Conference, ...

At this year’s International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC) 108 papers were presented on a range of topics from social media measurement to new trends in corporate social responsibility. The presented research shared new insights for practitioners across the globe to apply in the practice of public relations. Tom Watson, Professor of Public Relations at Bournemouth University, provided a full recap of this new research at IPRRC on his blog FiftyOneZeroOne. Here are some of the highlights from his blog. Social media measurement is a relatively new field, however a new report finds that the evaluation of social media is “archaic.” ...

At an Institute for Public Relations Board meeting earlier this month, Trustee Maril MacDonald suggested that IPR might provide guidance to practitioners on how to identify bad research. That could be a mission in itself for IPR. But I decided to start by asking our Research Fellows what they would advise. Here is the wisdom that returned to me just for asking. Don W. Stacks, Ph.D., Professor of Public Relations, School of Communication, University of Miami: “I’d suggest the following for starters: Watch for rounded numbers. Seldom is research as precise as 25, 75, etc. If a sample is ...

Dan Ariely, a behavioral economics professor at Duke University, has spent his career amassing research data to show that the decisions we make are often shaped (or misshaped) in ways that are “Predictably Irrational,” the title of one of his books. We live in two different worlds, says Ariely, one where social norms prevail and the other ruled by market norms. The author provides many funny examples of the damage that can be done by mixing the two – from fining parents for picking up kids late (thus allowing parents to do a quick cost/benefit analysis of being late) to your ...

Many organizations have embraced some form of corporate citizenship, social responsibility or sustainability for years, some even for generations. But for many organizations such activities have been considered voluntary or even a luxury. So is there a real business case for corporate social responsibility (CSR)? Let’s look at three significant pieces of work by academics based in Europe who examine social responsibility from different perspectives. In the Journal of Business Ethics, four authors from Portugal examine a large body of work on CSR and sustainability that provides useful definitions and identifies the researchers who have examined the relationship between sustainability and ...

Is the survey mechanism broken? Few would argue that it hasn’t been damaged by a number of factors in recent years. With that in mind, I read a May speech by Scott Keeter, director of survey research for the Pew Research Center, delivered in his capacity as president of the American Association for Public Opinion Research. The foundation of statistically sound survey research is that every member of a population has an equal chance of being included. Yet survey professionals have gone from expecting 30 to 50 percent response rates to single digits. So whose voice might be missing and can surveys ...

IPR Trustee Keith Burton brought to my attention research reported in The New York Times and characterized by New York University Professor Dalton Conley as showing that “giving workers time to chill helps ultimate long-term productivity.” Harvard Professor Leslie A. Perlow, author of “Sleeping With Your Smartphone” (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012), surveyed 1,600 managers and professionals.  She found that, even on vacation, only two percent of them turn off their networked devices.  Her experimental work with a major business consulting firm suggests that employees who take an organized, mutually supportive approach to disconnecting are more satisfied with work and seek ...