The purpose of this study was to examine the use of and attitudes toward social networking as a tool for use by NASCAR speedways and to gauge track perceptions on the effectiveness of social media as a marketing tool. Individual NASCAR tracks were surveyed (n=22, 84.6% response) to explore current track social media practices and the potential impact of social networking sites on NASCAR marketing and consumer relations. Results found that individual tracks as well as the two major ownership groups highly agreed about issues concerning the use of social media to increase sales and to develop fan bases. However, they also agree there are other marketing tactics that are still more effective than social media at this time.

Corporate social responsibility has become an increasingly important topic within the workplace. This subject continues to garner further attention and scrutiny, especially with regards to public relations firms and their CSR-related engagements because of how practical motivations for charitable giving may blend with the nature of their business. Public relations professionals were interviewed to uncover information regarding each firm's CSR programs and level of engagement, in addition to textual analysis that included the PR firms' websites, social media presence, and what the media has said about the firms' CSR efforts. Findings revealed five cross-company patterns with regard to CSR made by the following PR firms: Edelman, Weber Shandwick, and FleishmanHillard. These themes—Citizenship Initiatives, Corporate Engagement, Global Communities, Social Involvement, and Sustainable Investments—identify the concepts and ideas that form the foundation of these CSR programs, and shed light on the reasons why these firms participate in CSR, specifically as it relates to company image and employee relationships, and may suggest that these themes form both the reasoning for participating in CSR, and the aspects of CSR that attract employee attention

Unfavorable opinions and images of the public relations industry have persisted for decades, and the industry still struggles to deal with them. Additionally, it is a demanding profession that is expected to grow faster than average but struggles to retain talent. Public relations research has also predominantly focused on how nonpractitioners perceive public relations. The present study psychoanalytically analyzed two movies with cinematic representations of public relations practitioners and 20 interviews with public relations practitioners to examine how practitioners' self-perceptions of public relations unconsciously influence their practice and expectations, as well as their stress and burnout. More specifically, stress and burnout dynamics were explored among younger and older practitioners and gender.

Corporate social reporting, embracing the triple bottom line reporting concept, entails the reporting of economic, social and environmental performance as opposed to the more narrow focus on conventional financial reporting. Many corporations are now engaging in environmental and social reporting in an effort to communicate the social and environmental effects of organisations‟ operations to particular interest groups within society. The main objective of this thesis is to examine corporate motivations and hesitations to undertake social reporting in Malaysia. Most studies have so far applied quantitative method on themes identification to determine rationales for corporate social reporting. Little attention has been given to in-depth primary and secondary data to understand rationales for corporate social reporting in a national context. In addition to motivation, this study fills the gap in the literature by investigating corporate reluctance for social reporting. A qualitative approach was adopted for this study. A mixed method of data collection, consisting of both semi-structured interviews and corporate social reports, was used. A total of 20 interviews were conducted with representatives of six reporting and six non-reporting corporations, and eight non-corporate respondents representing the Malaysian political and social sectors. In addition to primary data, corporate social information in annual reports and corporate websites of six reporting corporations was also collected to support the interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to identify salient themes to explain both corporate motivation and hesitation for social reporting. The analysis was divided into two levels: corporation and society. At the corporate level, results identify public relations as the central motivation for social reporting. More specifically, the concepts of image and identity, issues management, two-way symmetrical and asymmetrical communication, autocommunication, and publicity are used to explain the adoption of social reporting. Image and identity and issues management were also among the concepts applied to explain corporate hesitation for social reporting. However, the results also support stockholder theory and reveal the lack of public relations understanding to be the cause of the low acceptance of social reporting. In-depth analysis revealed organisational legitimacy as the main reason to explain both motivation and hesitation for social reporting. Corporations require stakeholder support for their continual existence. At the societal level analysis, the concept of political economy was applied to explain the limited social reporting practice in the Malaysian context. Finally, the implications for both practising as well as neglecting social reporting are discussed using the concept of the risk society.

This study examines public relations practice in a developing country by looking at two Indonesian organisations - a commercial television station (RCTI) and a state university (UGM) - using a case study approach complemented with a qualitative analysis of the history of public relations practice at a societal level. Two theories about advanced public relations practice have been borrowed for the framework of the study. They are Grunig's model of public relations and Broom's public relations role theory. However, given the less developed practice of public relations in Indonesia, the present study did not intend to test these theories in a rigorous manner. Rather, the theories have been mainly used as guidance in analysing public relations practice in Indonesia. Modern public relations has been practiced in Indonesia as early as the 1940s. Public relations was used as part of Indonesia's struggle for independence, while the arrival of multinational corporations, and recent changes in national economic policy, has since extended public relations practice into the wider corporate world. While it is clear that both RCTI and UGM considered public relations important, they treated public relations in different ways. RCTI, as a private sector company, located its public relations department in the higher level of its organisational structure with the purpose of promoting the interests of the organisation and defending itself in the marketplace of ideas. UGM, as a public sector agency, located its public relations department in the lowest level of the organisational structure. Overall, public relations as an organisational activity was more important in RCTI. However, both organisations practiced the first two models of public relations, namely, the press agentry and the public information model, and public relations practitioners in both RCTI and UGM predominantly played the role of technicians.

This study examined whether Australian public relations and communication practitioners enact an organizational conscience role through their involvement in the organizational value-setting process. Thirty communication practitioners from 26 large organizations in Melbourne and Sydney were interviewed between May 2004 and May 2005 to ascertain and discuss their involvement in organizational value setting. Using semi-structured in-depth interviews to gather data and then applying a multiple perspective approach in its thematic data analysis, the research found that most respondents were involved in organizational value setting albeit at different stages of the process. In analysing the nature of the respondent's involvement in the process along with individual and organizational factors, three roles emerged namely, the agent of critical conscience, the agent of concertive control, and the agent of corporate compliance. However the results suggest that most respond ents enacted primarily the concertive control and corporate compliance agency roles. The study also found that the predominant managerial/functionalist perspective constrains practitioners from enacting the conscience leadership role. In exploring the practitioners' ability to influence organizational members, findings support recent studies that membership in the dominant coalition does not necessarily give public relations/communication practitioners power and influence. Rather, direct access to the CEO, expertise, performance and personality were found to be the key ingredients to the individual communication practitioners' organizational influence. Findings also reveal that public relations/communication practitioners preferred to participate but not drive the organizational value-setting process. In using a multiple perspective approach to study public relations roles, this study provides empirical basis for identifying potential leadership roles for public relations/communication practitioners and for suggesting an extension of the manager-technician role typology. The study calls for public relations/communication practitioners to enact a critical conscience agent role as part of finding a meaningful, ethical and socially responsible practice. This study proposes that critical thought and dialectical inquiry be embedded within the public relations/communication practitioner's role and public relations education.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 91 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-36).

Developed from the public relations process model, the purpose of this study was to identify parental perceptions of university drinking norms and their relationship with parental perceptions of the organizational legitimacy of the university. This study used a web-based survey to assess an N = 173 parents of current university students at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. The results of this study identified that parents have exaggerated misperceptions of college drinking that are related to their overall perceptions of the university in terms of organizational legitimacy. The study also found that parental awareness of university prevention efforts were strongly correlated with parental perceptions of organizational legitimacy. This study advocates the importance for universities to approach alcohol prevention from an issues management perspective that includes the use of two-way symmetrical communication with parents as well as the possible benefits of using social marketing as a public relations tool.

The purpose of the study was to: (1) identify components of school-community relations that involve administrative functions, public participation and political processes; (2) develop a practical process for improvement of school-community relations; and (3) offer strategies for implementing a positive school-community relations process.Review of literature identified three concepts of school-community relations: (1) development of school-community relations; (2) perspectives of school-community relations; and (3) approaches to the improvement of school-community relations. The three concepts were researched regarding the administrative functions, public participation, and political processes. The concepts were utilized to identify components and theoretical models to formulate a practical process plan for improvement of school-community relations.The Process Plan utilized the administrative, public participation and political dimensions as a basis for developing procedures for improvement of school-community relations. The Process Plan format consisted of six sequential processes: (1) initial planning, (2) statement of purpose and reassessment of mission, (3) assessment of community needs and desires, (4) decision-making strategies, (5) developing implementation strategies, and (6) evaluation and audit processes.Assessment of the Process Plan was conducted through utilization of a review panel selected from nationally recognized authorities in school-community relations. The review panel consisted of five individuals willing to critically review the Process Plan and respond to an openended evaluation instrument. The responses from the review panel were organized into component categories consistent with the structure of the Process Plan and utilized to evaluate the model as a viable resource for public school administrators.A comparison of item-by-item response did not yield lack of concurrence of respondents strong enough to warrant major revision of the Process Plan. A general observation was that experience with implementation would readily identify weaknesses. Responses by the review panel indicated that the more significant components of the Process Plan were: the organization, sequential progression, and goals which provided direction for many school-community areas; the administrative responsibilities and accountability component provided clear lines of reporting; and considerable degree of benefit could transpire when the community was involved.Several modifications to the Process Plan were generated by conducting the study. In addition to vital as the modifications generated by analysis of responses by the review panel several modifications resulted from experiences of conducting the research coupled with doctoral committee member interaction.Based upon the findings of the study the following conclusions were drawn:1. The school-community relations concept encompasses a wide range of components, such as administrative function, public participation, and political processes.2. School administrators generally have given low priority to school-community relations concepts.3. The Process Plan will assist school administrators in implementing a continuous schoolcommunity relations program.4. The Process Plan is one feasible alternative for improvement of school-community relations.5. The data provided will generate increased awareness of the value of positive school community relations on the part of individuals who choose to read the study.6. Procedures used by any school district or community in implementation are as steps identified in the Plan.

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