The Jackson-Sharpe Award is given in recognition of the best scholarly research that bridges the gap between public relations scholarship and practice. The award honors the contributions made by the late Patrick Jackson and Dr. Melvin Sharpe in the field of public relations. The $2,000 cash prize is sponsored by Jackson Jackson & Wagner and Likely Communication Strategies Ltd.

Measuring the Impact of Employee Communication on Employee Comprehension and Action
Julie O'Neil, Ph.D., Texas Christian University and Sean Williams, National City Corporation

This study describes the employee communication strategy of a global firm and the research that compares communication output and outcome data from 2004 and 2007. The paper also examines the impact of various employee communication tactics and channels in engendering employee comprehension and action in support of the firm's objectives.

The Top 3 Paper Competition is sponsored by the Institute for Public Relations. The winning papers received a $1,000 cash prize.

What Public Relations Practitioners Tell Us Regarding Dominant Coalition Access and Gaining Membership
Shannon A. Bowen, Ph.D., University of Maryland

Scholarly and professional literature in public relations emphasizes gaining membership in the dominant coalition, and research concludes that public relations must hold a direct reporting line to the CEO in order to be considered excellent.

PR in the News: How a Sample of Network Newscasts Framed Public Relations
Emily S. Kinsky, Texas Tech University
Coy Callison, Ph.D., Texas Tech University

A completed content analysis was conducted on a random sample of network news stories that used PR-related terms. Out of a list of 12 terms, the most common was "public relations." The terms were used properly more often than improperly, but the most common type of reference was a cliché.

An Analysis of the Influence of Public Relations Department Leadership Style on Public Relations Strategy Use and Effectiveness
Kelly Page Werder, Ph.D., University of South Florida
Derina Holtzhausen, University of South Florida

A survey of PRSA members indicates the presence of two leadership styles in public relations environments, transformational and inclusive. Transformational leadership style influences use of facilitative and power strategies, and effectiveness of persuasive and cooperative strategies.

The winner of the first-ever University of Miami Graduate School Top Student Paper Award received a $1,000 cash prize.

Resorting Reputation Beyond a Racial Crisis: The Effects of CSR and Crisis Response on Organizational Responsibility, Reputation and Word-of-Mouth Intention
Hye Kyung Kim, Syracuse University

This study investigates how CSR practices and crisis-response affect stakeholders' attributions of organizational responsibility, reputation and positive word-of-mouth intention. The significant findings include direct effects of CSR history and crisis-response on organizational reputation, which are mediated to word-of-mouth intention and interaction between CSR history and crisis-response on organizational responsibility.