The aim of the thesis is on specific PR campaigns to evaluate the degree of implementation of ethical standards and compliance with the Code of Ethics of the organization. For the thesis was selected non-profit organization Neposeda, providing preventive and leisure activities for children, youth, families and communities. The thesis describes the target group organizations, ways of communication with them, then they are chosen PR campaign. Campaigns are summarized and evaluated from point of view of the application of ethical standards.

Student-run public relations firms are part of collegiate public relations pedagogy, and this study used a mixed-method approach to analyze such firms on U.S. campuses. A listing of campuses with student-run firms was created as part of this study. Through an online survey questionnaire, advisers from 55 of the 119 student-run firms provided data about firm characteristics and observations about student learning and career development. Multiple correspondence analyses was used to see if the firms grouped into clusters and somewhat aligned with previous research by Lee Bush in 2009. Firms clustered into four groups, with the fourth group representing a mix of the other three. One additional finding was that firm characteristics are more similar than dissimilar even when comparing firms of varying years in operation. Analysis of variance to compare characteristics between different types of firms revealed that one type of firm tended to employ students at a higher average number of hours per week (F = 6.61, eta squared=0.16) and one was more likely to be accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (F = 3.71, eta squared=0.13). Advisers reported mostly positive reflections on observed transformations they see in their student workers and the value of the firm experience including how it helps students in post-graduation job attainment. Responses to a graduate questionnaire is included but, because of low response rate (N = 6), provided only cursory information.

The purpose of this study is to report information relevant to the history of the Texas Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association. Sources of information include interviews with chapter leaders, related books and articles, letters concerning chapter matters, newsletters, and chapter documents and reports. The chapter was first chartered in 1962 under the name of the Lone Star Chapter and remained active through the 1966-67 year. A period of inactivity was experienced during the 1967-68 year, and in July, 1968, efforts began to reactivate the organization under the name of the Texas Chapter. Today the chapter is an active organization serving the national association, professional school communicators, other state educational organizations, and the citizens of Texas.

This thesis is a replication of a study conducted at Oklahoma State University in 1986. This study measures the percentage of Brigham Young University press releases published in Utah newspapers during a four month period in 1989. The results of the two studies are analyzed and compared.Additionally, personal interviews were conducted with thirty Utah newspaper editors to help determine any additional factors that may affect publishing decisions among Utah's newspaper editors.

This study intends to research SVT’s work with dialogical and symmetrical two-way communication with their audience on the social media site Facebook. Because of SVT’s position as the government’s public broadcasting service, they inheret a certain responsibility towards the population of Sweden. With this study we aim to observe and analyze SVT’s communication on Facebook based on theories, interviews and their own policy regarding communication online. To be able to reach our goals with this study we are going to analyze the policy document as well as articles regarding social media use from SVT, interview communicators at SVT and also perform an analysis on one of SVT’s Facebook pages based on online observations. When analysing the content of the Facebook page we are using a synthesized definition of the theoretical frameworks and models regarding dialogue, two-way communication and deliberative democracy. Our results show that SVT’s own definition of dialogue differs from an academic definition of the very specific and complicated concept of dialogue. In our research we notice that SVT aims to market themselves and perform dialogue simultaneously, which becomes problematic due to the strict academic definitions of the dialogue-notion. The interaction between SVT and their stakeholders on Facebook mostly contain simple questions regarding the organisation’s broadcasting and range which does not provide the right conditions for dialogue.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Deur die navorsing word aangetoon dat openbare skakeling en skoolbemarking wat huidig nog op 'n baie lae vlak in die Suid-Afrikaanse skoolwese funksioneer, 'n al grater noodsaaklikheid in Suid-Afrika gaan word. Die veranderings wat in die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysstelsel beoog en aangebring word, met spesifieke verwysing na die desentralisering van die voorsiening, bestuur en beheer van die onderwys, het gelei tot die ontstaan van staatsondersteunde skole; 'n behoefte aan nuwe, bykomende bronne van finansiering vir die onderwys; en 'n behoefte aan toenemende ouer- en gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid by die onderwys. Dit het gelei tot 'n dringende behoefte aan verbeterde openbare betrekkinge en skoolbemarking. Met hierdie studie het die navorser gepoog om vas te stel waarom openbare skakeling en skoolbemarking in die nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysbestel noodsaaklik is; wat die aard van openbare skakeling en skoolbemarking is; wat die rol, funksies, terrein en werkswyses van openbare skakelbeamptes en skoolbemarkers in die staatsondersteunde skoal behels; en hoe die openbare skakeltaak van 'n skool gereel kan word en wat die eienskappe van die openbare skakel- en bemarkingsbeampte behoort te wees. Dit is gedoen ten einde te bepaal wat die opleiding van openbare skakelbeamptes en skoolbemarkers in Suid-Afrika behoort te behels en om 'n model op te stel vir, en strategie vas te stel waarvolgens die huidige situasie in Suid-Afrika ten beste en op die mees ekonomiese wyse aangepak kan word. Uit die ondersoek blyk dit dat die hantering van openbare skakeling en skoolbemarking in staatsondersteunde skole in SuidAfrika in die proaktiewe opbou, skepping·en handhawing van 'n vertrouensverhouding met al die belanghebbendes le. Dit behels onder meer dat die bestuursrade en bestuurskomitees van staats- ondersteunde skole die reg en mag het om besluite aangaande geordende, doelgerigte openbare skakeling en skoolbemarking te neem en dit tot voordeel van die skool aan te wend; en om besluite oor die aanstelling van beamptes en/of daarstelling van fasiliteite vir die opleiding van openbare skakel- en bemarkingsbeamptes te neern. Voorts beskik skole oor 'n ryk bron van mensepotensiaal vir openbare skakeling en skoolbemarking wat ontwikkel kan en behoort te word. / The results of this research show that public relations and school marketing which at present play a very low-key role in the South African school system, is going to become an absolute necessity in future. The changes planned and brought about in the South African education system, with special reference to the decentralisation of the supply, management and control of education, have resulted in * the inception of state-aided schools; * a need for new and additiona! financial resources for education; and * a need for increased parent and community participation in education. These, in turn, have led to a urgent need for improved public relations and marketing in schools. The aims of this study were to ascertain why public relations and the marketing of schools have become necessary in the new dispensation of education in South Africa; what the nature of public relations and marketing in schools comprises; what the role, function, area and work method of public relations and marketing officers in schools are; and how the public relations task can be organised and executed in a school and what characteristics the public relations and marketing officer should ideally have. This was done in order to ascertain what the training of public relations and marketing officers in South Africa should encompass and also to enable the researcher to draw up a model and strategies for the best and most economic way in which to rectify the current situation in South African education. It has emerged from this research that the handling of public relations and marketing in the state-aided school in South Africa lies in the proactive creation, development and maintenance of a trusting relationship between all interested parties. It also emerged that managing councils of state-aided school have the right and power to make decisions regarding ordered, purposeful public relations and marketing to the benefit of their schools; and decide about the appointment of officers and/or ,creation of facilities for the training of public relations and marketing officers. Furthermore, schools have a rich source of people potential for public relations and school marketing which can and should be developed. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

This research examined the role of communication – and in particular public relations (PR) and public affairs activities – in the decision-making processes around the proposal to build a bypass road around the city of Aberdeen. The study focused on the relative power of various discourses embodied in the arguments and strategies pursued by the promoters and opponents of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Road (AWPR) to affect eventual outcomes. The research sought to revisit theoretical accounts of democratic decision-making as conceptualised by Habermas (1984) in the deliberations of the public sphere, and Foucault (1970) on the role of discourse in structuring civil debates. In his classic study of New Haven, Dahl (2005) found empirical evidence to support a pluralist paradigm. Yet in Flyvbjerg’s (1998a) study of urban planning in Aalborg, Denmark, Lukes’s theories on the second dimension of power and a Foucauldian conceptualistion of power were found to have more acute explanatory power. These major theories have been applied tentatively to the field of public relations by Burkart (2009) who advocates for the utility of a consensus-oriented approach to public relations (COPR). Motion and Leitch (2009) theorise that discourse analysis provides important analytic tools for PR practitioners. This research used the AWPR issue as a case study spanning four key decision-making phases from 2004 to 2012. These stages include representations to the Scottish Parliament; a public local inquiry (PLI); judicial review to the Court of Session in Edinburgh, and a hearing in the UK Supreme Court. The research drew upon triangulated methodologies including Fairclough’s (2012) political discourse analysis; observations at public meetings; and semi-structured interviews The research found that whilst both sides promoted a range of established discourses and PR strategies, the relative power of these discourses and the implementation of the strategies was determining. Political discourse analysis of key texts from the pivotal post PLI phase of the case study provided evidence of the dominance of discourses around economic development and community over weaker environmental discourses. Save Camphill’s campaign was more effective due in large part to the calibre of the professional public relations advice retained. Road Sense used public relations strategies in the early phases of their campaign but the implementation of these activities tended to be tactical, partial or counter-productive. Road Sense focused resources on a legislative strategy which largely eschewed any further attempt to engage with government, community and media stakeholders. The route of judicial review was unsuccessful due to a combination of second dimension power factors, including the reluctance of the UK courts to intervene in planning issues despite the existence of European directives to protect the environment. The AWPR case study concluded that examples of decision-making, as demonstrated by Save Camphill’s success in altering the route, confirm the existence of both the public sphere and pluralism in action. Yet, following Lukes (2005) and Flyvbjerg (1998a), there is equally evidence of a second dimension power variable which yielded more plausible explanatory accounts of the decision-making in favour of the Scheme at the PLI, and subsequently in the Courts. The case study also finds that a Foucauldian interpretation of discourse is required to fully appreciate the weakness of the environmental agenda at the local level especially when pitted against prevailing discourses of economic growth and the popularity of the contemporary car culture. Against this background, Road Sense’s PR strategies were secondary to their ultimate legislative strategy and lacked the requisite consistency on goal alignment and relationship building in lobbying and media relations. For campaigns to be effectual, public relations professionals must audit the power of prevailing discourses as theorised by Motion and Leitch (2009) before Burkart’s consensus-oriented public relations (COPR) approach can realise pluralist outcomes consistent with deliberative democracy.

The growth of social media has not only brought new challenges to the onlinecommunication landscape, but also opportunities for the organizations to communicatewith its public. The purpose of the thesis was divided into two parts. The first part wasintended to describe to extend to which the Swedish hotel industry, take advantage ofthe new possibilities of social media to build relationships by creating dialogue with itscustomers. The second part of the purpose was to examine the hotels approach to publicrelations. By creating a quantitative survey were the units of our analyses the hotelsincluded in the three largest chains in Sweden: Best Western, Nordic Choice andScandichotels. The result showed that the hotels have focused on creating dialogue withtheir customers on social media to build relationship very well and that the hotels havegood existing relationship with its customers.

I dagens samhälle kommer nästan alla i kontakt med någon form av projekt. Samtidigt är tanken kring vad en projektledare är och gör ofta missförstådd (Tonnquist, 2010). Ett intresse för projektledning och Public Relations låg till grund för detta examensarbete. Intresset utvecklade sig till en studie med syftet att effektivisera arbetssättet kring projekt på en PR-byrå. För att uppnå syftet har arbetet kretsat kring ett antal centrala frågeställningar. Det som huvudsakligen reds ut är hur en byrå arbetar i projektprocessen jämfört mot vad teorier säger om ämnet. Arbetsflödet och arbetet kring nya idéer lyfts även i fråge-ställningarna för att gynna effektiviseringen.   Studiens teoridel beskriver inledande ett traditionellt arbetssätt som ses vara väldigt linjärt. Därefter beskrivs dess motreaktion, det förändringsfrämjande agila arbetssättet. Detta för att objektivt visa på för och nackdelar med olika typer av projektledning. Därefter har metoden varit kvalitativ. Den primära källan till information är intervjuer tillsammans med observationer på studiens case-byrå. Målet med det valda tillvägagångssättet är att se sam-band mellan teori och verklighet, att därmed kunna identifiera områden som skulle kunna effektiviseras.   Resultatet av studien visar på vissa likheter mellan teori och verklighet. Tendenser på både ett agilt och ett traditionellt arbetssätt identifierades hos case-byrån. Huvudsakligen visade resultatet dock på att case-byrån inte arbetar efter en förankrad projektprocess och att det finns en hel del i projektprocessens strukturella upplägg som kan förbättras.   Byrån ges rekommendationen att vidare, på ett strukturerat sätt, kunna applicera både det traditionella och det agila arbetssättet. Detta genom ett uppsatt system för valet av projekt-process. Valet görs genom att projekt som är tydlig styrda av kunden får ett traditionellt arbetssätt. Kunder med projekt som däremot vet vad de vill uppnå, men inte hur, får ett agilt arbetssätt. Även förslag på struktur gällande idégenereringsprocessen samt mindre om-fattande rekommendationer kring exempelvis tidsplanering och prioritering presenteras. Effektiviseringen sammanfattas i förslaget att applicera filosofin Lean vilket innefattar att eliminera allt som inte ger nytta till kunden.   Den mest relevanta slutsatsen utifrån denna studie är att projektledning är som livet. Det finns många olika teorier på hur det kan eller bör utföras men sedan är det upp till var och en att skapa sin egen väg. Vägen bör dock vara någorlunda strukturerad. / Almost everyone in today’s society is in contact with projects (Tonnquist, 2010). At the sametime, the idea of what project management is often gets misunderstood. The interest forproject management and public relations lad the bases for this examination work. This is astudy that aims to improve the efficiency in projects at a PR agency. A couple of mainquestions were prepared to reach the purpose. These include how an agency is working withthe project process compared to theories, also the workflow and how ideas are developed ishighlighted to improve the efficiency.This study describes the traditional and the agile approach to provide an objective view ofhow projects could be carried. The method has then been qualitative with simplistic interviewsand observation at a case-agency. The goal has been to see the connections betweentheory and reality in order to give recommendations for a more efficient project work.The result of this study identifies some similarities between theory and reality. Trends inboth agile and traditional where seen. Though the result mainly showed a lack of structureand that the case-agency doesn’t work with a common strategy for project processes.The agency is given the recommendation to apply a structured version of both the traditionaland the agile approach. Then setting up a system for selecting. A project that is clearly drivenby the customer gets the traditional project approach. Clients that do know what they wantto achieve, but not how, gets projects with an agile approach. Another recommendation is togain a structured process for how to generate ideas. Less extensive recommendations inareas such as time management and prioritization where also presented. The efficiency issummarized in the application of the Lean philosophy, to eliminate everything that does notprovide benefits to the customer.The most relevant finding from this study is that project management is like life. There aremany different theories on how it can or should be done, but in the end it’s up to everyone tocreate their own way of doing it. Although the selected route should be at least reasonablystructured.

published_or_final_version / Sports Science / Master / Master of Science in Sports Science