This weeks reading from Career FAQ's: Public Relations made me think more about public relations practice in that it gave examples of jobs that PR professionals undertake, and provided insight into what the people in those jobs think about what they do, what they love and don't like about their job, and what their working week usually consists of.
I found this to be of great assistance in gaining an idea about what type of career paths are open to PR students, the best ways of going about getting a job and what type of workload these professional positions require. The fact that many of the individuals interviewed loved their job and had a reasonably flexible work environment definitely made me more comfortable with the idea of a career in a similar field.
Our other reading for the week, chapter 11 from the Johnston & Zawawi text, focused upon internal public relations, and the fact that I recognised many of the techniques for effective practice in this area in action at my current workplace definitely made me aware of how much of a role public relations plays in most organisations.
I think the key points to remember from this weeks readings were that the myths about PR, such as that it is all champagne and parties, are just that, myths. PR practice, while it can be highly rewarding and lots of fun, can also be hard work and requires a lot of enthusiasm and dedication in order for practitioners to be successful.
In the case of the internal public relations reading, the key point was that internal relations is often considered to be the first priority in public relations practice. By keeping employees informed about the direction of the business, acknowledging good practice, and acting in ethical ways towards employees, organisations generate employee goodwill which will have positive effects upon the culture of the business.
I commented on David Elliot's blog this week.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Theoretical Perspectives
The readings made me think more about public relations theory in that they outlined the most prominent theories used within public relations, the ways in which they can be put into use, the importance of the theories and the limitations evident within them.
In reading the journal article Public Relations Research at the Crossroads by Karla K. Gower, it became apparent that the dominant theoretical paradigm in the field of public relations practice was that of two-way symmetrical communication, one of the four models explained by Grunig & Hunt (1984). This model, also known as the "excellent model" (Gower, 2006, p. 2), refers to PR practice which ensures that the publics targeted by the public relations program benefit as much as the programs' originators or sponsors (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 55). According to Grunig & Grunig (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 55) research shows that programs which operate under the two-way symmetrical model are more ethical which ultimately helps the bottom line. They also note that studies have shown that the other 3 models they presented, those being the press agentry, public information, and two-way asymmetrical models, have proven ineffective.
The other model which figures prominently within the literature of public relations theory is that of the 'relationship management' approach (Gower, 2006, p. 1) which is based upon different aspects in the relationship between the organisation from which the public relations work originates and that of the publics targeted by the project.
Some other theories I thought to be interesting and/or useful were:
The general systems theory, which views organisations as operating within either a closed or open system and helps practitioners to map out the public relations and information processes of an organisation (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 47).
Semiotics, which is the study of signs and can be used to explain the ways in which certain signs can be used to manipulate our thoughts and the ways we think about things (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 48).
I think the key points to remember from this reading are that the theoretical approaches highlighted by these readings can help PR practitioners to map out problems, raise questions and provide frameworks within which practitioners can analyse events and processes. Whilst the use of a singular theory would prove helpful, I think using several theories in conjunction with each other in order to attack a problem or situation from different angles would be the best way to operate.
The journal article highlighted the fact that despite the dominant paradigm of PR theory being strong and effective, criticisms raised by those coming from other perspectives such as postmodernism and critical/cultural should be taken into account and that scholars should embrace new ideas and methodologies in order to move forward and keep up with the times.
I commented on Eryn's blog at http://cmns1290erynsullivan.blogspot.com/
In reading the journal article Public Relations Research at the Crossroads by Karla K. Gower, it became apparent that the dominant theoretical paradigm in the field of public relations practice was that of two-way symmetrical communication, one of the four models explained by Grunig & Hunt (1984). This model, also known as the "excellent model" (Gower, 2006, p. 2), refers to PR practice which ensures that the publics targeted by the public relations program benefit as much as the programs' originators or sponsors (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 55). According to Grunig & Grunig (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 55) research shows that programs which operate under the two-way symmetrical model are more ethical which ultimately helps the bottom line. They also note that studies have shown that the other 3 models they presented, those being the press agentry, public information, and two-way asymmetrical models, have proven ineffective.
The other model which figures prominently within the literature of public relations theory is that of the 'relationship management' approach (Gower, 2006, p. 1) which is based upon different aspects in the relationship between the organisation from which the public relations work originates and that of the publics targeted by the project.
Some other theories I thought to be interesting and/or useful were:
The general systems theory, which views organisations as operating within either a closed or open system and helps practitioners to map out the public relations and information processes of an organisation (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 47).
Semiotics, which is the study of signs and can be used to explain the ways in which certain signs can be used to manipulate our thoughts and the ways we think about things (Johnston & Zawawi, 2004, p. 48).
I think the key points to remember from this reading are that the theoretical approaches highlighted by these readings can help PR practitioners to map out problems, raise questions and provide frameworks within which practitioners can analyse events and processes. Whilst the use of a singular theory would prove helpful, I think using several theories in conjunction with each other in order to attack a problem or situation from different angles would be the best way to operate.
The journal article highlighted the fact that despite the dominant paradigm of PR theory being strong and effective, criticisms raised by those coming from other perspectives such as postmodernism and critical/cultural should be taken into account and that scholars should embrace new ideas and methodologies in order to move forward and keep up with the times.
I commented on Eryn's blog at http://cmns1290erynsullivan.blogspot.com/
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Chapter 1 - What Is Public Relations?
This chapter cleared up some misconceptions I held in regards to what the role of a public relations practitioner entailed.
All I was really sure about in regards to what a practitioner in public relations was responsible for was the release of information to the media and to work to ensure the organisation they were employed by was portrayed in a favourable light.
By reading this chapter it has become clear that the role of public relations practitioner involves a lot more such as promotions, integrated marketing, issues and crisis management, financial relations and event management.
Something else i found interesting within the chapter was the fact that up to 80% of public relations students are female. I was previously unaware that the profession is dominated by women but the fact that I am one of three males in our workshop out of the 20 odd students really reinforced that fact!
I commented on Kellie O'Sullivan's blog
http://cmns1290kellieosullivan.blogspot.com/
All I was really sure about in regards to what a practitioner in public relations was responsible for was the release of information to the media and to work to ensure the organisation they were employed by was portrayed in a favourable light.
By reading this chapter it has become clear that the role of public relations practitioner involves a lot more such as promotions, integrated marketing, issues and crisis management, financial relations and event management.
Something else i found interesting within the chapter was the fact that up to 80% of public relations students are female. I was previously unaware that the profession is dominated by women but the fact that I am one of three males in our workshop out of the 20 odd students really reinforced that fact!
I commented on Kellie O'Sullivan's blog
http://cmns1290kellieosullivan.blogspot.com/
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