Hugh M. Culbertson - Böcker

Two commissions within the Public Relations Society of America have recently defined courses in case-study analysis, research methods, and behavioral-science theory as central to an acceptable public relations curriculum. To date, these three "streams" within PR education have run independently of each other. The authors produced this volume because they believe that there is a growing demand for an integrative "applied theory" approach to the study of public relations cases. The need for PR professionals to study the social, political, and economic contexts of public relations carefully had been apparent for some time as issues management and environment scanning emerged as focal points of modern public relations. Yet there was no systematic framework for such study. This volume, however, with its strong foundation in theory, provides just that framework and is highly suitable for graduate-level courses in public relations.

Two commissions within the Public Relations Society of America have recently defined courses in case-study analysis, research methods, and behavioral-science theory as central to an acceptable public relations curriculum. To date, these three "streams" within PR education have run independently of each other. The authors produced this volume because they believe that there is a growing demand for an integrative "applied theory" approach to the study of public relations cases. The need for PR professionals to study the social, political, and economic contexts of public relations carefully had been apparent for some time as issues management and environment scanning emerged as focal points of modern public relations. Yet there was no systematic framework for such study. This volume, however, with its strong foundation in theory, provides just that framework and is highly suitable for graduate-level courses in public relations.

This book addresses the subject of children and television -- how they view it, what they think of specific programs, and how these likes and dislikes affect learning of the content presented. Broad in coverage, it looks at evaluation, comprehension, and impact in the drama, information and entertainment domains. In all cases, demographic and background experiences and knowledge are assessed for their contribution to learning, attitude/opinion change, and stability as a function of exposure to particular program content. Empirical investigations of police dramas, science programs, and quiz shows are conducted utilizing experimental methods and involving approximately 1,000 children in a series of studies.Related to existing research literature, this work confirms the view of the child/adolescent as an active viewer who is critical, constructive, and capable of learning from the television medium -- even when the program is clearly broadcast as entertainment rather than as education or information. This volume is unique in that it addresses questions of the relation between children and diverse television content in terms of its impact on social and informational schemas.

As a formal occupation, public relations grew primarily in the United States through much of the twentieth century. In recent years, however, it has spread rapidly throughout the world. Broad outlines on how public relations practices differ from country to country have only recently begun to take shape in scholarly writing about the field. The existing literature on international public relations tends to focus on how those working for western organizations --particularly multi-national corporations--can best practice abroad. Although useful, such writings tend to focus on adaptation of western approaches, not on development of new ones designed specifically for varied sociocultural settings around the world. The editors have produced this book for a number of reasons. There has been tremendous growth in the teaching of public relations around the world--enhancing practice in many countries outside North America. There has also been rapid growth in the number of professors who demand theoretical perspectives which might facilitate a unified comparative analysis across countries and regions. Only a few U.S. universities--six documented in this book--now teach courses formerly called "International Public Relations." However, many professors are going abroad to teach and do research. This suggests increased interest in and a need for courses dealing with international public relations. Furthermore, there is a dearth of literature dealing in depth with international PR, an important component of international communication. This appears to be the first book-length comparative analysis of public relations as practiced in various countries and regions around the world. Although existing books on international PR focus largely on ways in which western practitioners, employers, and clients can operate effectively in other countries, this volume views public relations in each country or region covered from the perspective of practitioners in that country. It contains six chapters designed to provide a theoretical anchor for the 14 country and region analyses. Given the intense interest in public relations education as a factor in professional enhancement, it also discusses issues and practices relating to education.