Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / Background of the Problem to be Investigated Even though organized church public relations might be considered today in its infancy, its long history records both successes and errors in an effort to serve a peculiarly specialized, semi-administrative function which is seldom defined with any degrees of exactness. Stewart Harral points up this condition from his book, Public Relations for Churches, churches have never lacked for public relations. "We've a Story to Tell to the Nations" has been more than a song as church leaders have used countless means of extending the influence of Christianity. But often their procedures have been isolated, erratic, or mere "shots in the dark." With a mania for bigness some churches have used highly sensational methods to fill their sanctuaries and boost their budgets. Often when the momentary excitement has subsided they discover that their public relations structure has been built on sand. On some occasions churches have not dramatized their objectives sufficiently for the basic ideas they represent to stand out in the deluge of competing appeals [TRUNCATED]

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This thesis is focused on marketing communication, specifically on PR communication of 3M Cesko company. Firstly, it provides a theoretical background of marketing, PR and media communication; and secondly, it examines current PR communication of 3M Cesko, and proposes a PR strategy for 2012 (which includes a proposition of media topics in 2012, PR communication tools, and a timeline).

Photocopy of typescript. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

This thesis aims to facilitate an understanding of some of the critical debates in public relations theory and practice. It joins others in contributing to a shift from a functional systems-based public relations paradigm to one where public relations is transparently seen as playing a role in shaping democracy in a global society. The research analyses NATO's communication operations in the Kosovo Campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, examining the case from a number of different perspectives. The thesis contributes to the body of knowledge of public relations practices and how, in this case, they were used to inform and persuade publics of the moral cause of a bombing mission to achieve specific strategic organisational and communication goals. Further, it contextualises the case of NATO as an organisation facing a crisis in legitimacy following the end of the Cold War. It demonstrates how the Kosovo Campaign provided a vehicle to transform NATO's identity while retaining military capabilities, to make the organisation relevant to the global demands of the 21st century. In this way, NATO could claim a unique self and maintain its credibility and relevance. The thesis argues that NATO's public relations campaign was successful in maintaining both credibility and popular support for a 78-day bombing campaign within the 19 nations of the Alliance. The campaign allowed NATO to claim that it was the only organisation that could provide ii security and stability, as well as be the main bulwark of the defence of Western values in a rapidly globalising and changing world. Moreover, by framing the Kosovo air campaign as a humanitarian intervention, NATO was not only able to legitimise its actions but transform its military might with an acceptable human face in order to achieve its broader ideological goals in Europe. This thesis demonstrates how military interventions on behalf of powerful interests can be legitimised if the appropriate public relations framework is used and acceptable communication strategies employed. It suggests how citizens of democratic countries can be led to support decision-makers who present themselves as acting altruistically even when their actions may be self-interested.

Prior to 1917, the United States Navy only utilized public relations techniques during times of war or to attract recruits into naval service. Following World I, the Navy confronted several daunting problems, including the postwar demobilization of naval assets, the proposed creation of an independent air service, and a public desire for naval arms limitation which many officers believed would endanger the Navy's ability to fulfill its missions. These issues threatened the generous support that the Navy had received from Congress for a quarter of a century, and also hampered the service's attempts to incorporate new weapons systems into its arsenal and recruit high-quality manpower. In response to these challenges, the Navy developed a peacetime public relations capability during the interwar period, despite the fact that many senior naval officials placed a low priority on public relations. Their attitude led subordinates in different parts of the Navy Department to perform public relations tasks despite lacking official orders to carry out such work. Such efforts were haphazard, redundant, handicapped by tradition, and dependent largely upon individual initiative. To augment its meager capabilities, the Navy relied upon external groups, such as the Navy League, to lobby the public for naval expansion. The service also developed formal and informal ties to the mass media, particularly the rapidly expanding motion picture industry. These disparate elements attempted to convince the public that the Navy was a haven for morally upright masculine behavior, a service able to integrate aircraft and submarines into its force structure and keep their operators safe, and a vital national asset with value beyond basic national defense. During the interwar period, the Navy expanded and reorganized the ways in which it courted public opinion. By forging ties with motion picture studios, radio broadcasters, and the print media, it was able to improve the image of the service, attract high quality recruits, and gained the public support for its drive to gain the resources needed to modernize and expand the fleet. During the same era, naval officials became more adept at minimizing the negative impact of the accidents linked to the development of aviation and submarines. Developments of the era laid the foundation for the institutional development of public relations and enhanced media relations during World War II and in the decades that followed.

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As Arnold (2002) and Pritchard et.al. (2004) noted, one of the keys to success in public relations includes mentoring. Mentoring has been used among public relations practitioners to develop knowledge and skills and obtain career counseling. However, little work has been done to quantify the value practitioners ascribed to mentoring relationships.This study used Q methodology to examine feelings and thoughts of some of the top public relations mentors and proteges, attempting to fill that gap and quantify the value public relations professionals placed on mentoring relationships.The sample consisted of 20 public relations practitioners, ten mentors and ten proteges. Each sorted a sample of 48 Q statements containing positive and negative statements on four categories.The findings suggest that most public relations practitioners have quite positive feelings about mentoring; however, gender composition is still an issue in conflict. A mentor's experience, ability, and confidence are considered more when identifying a superior mentor. / Department of Journalism

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the attitudes toward corporate advertising held by those individuals most closely associated with it: corporate and advertising agency executives. No previous research had been conducted in this particular area.An attitude scale was administered to eighty-two corporate and advertising agency executives, representing a sample from Fortune's one hundred largest corporations and the one hundred largest advertising agencies. A frequency distribution, factor analysis, and Q-study were conducted on the data collected.Findings showed the general attitude toward corporate advertising to be favorable. Two factors underlying respondent's attitudes were revealed and broadly identified as "positive value" and "negative value." Rather than viewing corporate advertising in specific terms, respondents' attitudes were factored on the basis of valence, or direction of the statements.The Q-analysis identified three types of attitude patterns existing among the respondents. Type I respondents represented large industrial manufacturers who believe corporate advertising is an effective tool for improving employee morale and recruiting new employees. Type II, consisting of advertising agencies involved in marketing to consumers, saw corporate advertising as a tool for increasing corporate awareness and creating unity among products. A conglomeration of industrial manufacturers, consumer goods manufacturers, and advertising agencies, Type III viewed corporate advertising as an effective part of a total plan, though not capable of achieving tangible objectives by itself. Type and size of firm were the only demographics which could be significantly related to the attitude patterns.These findings indicate that although differences can be found in the management function provided by corporate advertising, respondents hold similar favorable attitudes toward corporate advertising.