Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2999-01-01

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Statement of the topic under study The purpose of exploring this topic has been to examine the various methods used in recruiting women college graduates and to analyse the background against which these methods are applied, in the hope of gaining new insight into the problems of Navy recruiters and of providing new approaches to recruitment of women for the commissioned programs [TRUNCATED] / 2999-01-01

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / The following work gives an overview about the current situation of online-PR and develops a best-practice guide for corporate communication on the internet. The scope of online-PR as covered in this research project encompasses PR tools shaped through the technology of the internet - from communication applications to applications for the distribution and sharing of information - which are used in the communication between an organization and its stakeholders. After giving an introduction into the objectives and methods of PR, the differences between traditional and online-PR are described. This first chapter is followed by an introduction into the online communication ecosphere where the different kinds of communication and information distribution platforms on the internet are described. The third chapter analyses devices, software applications and standards relevant to online-PR. Following this summary a best-practice guide is developed to help PR practitioners in optimizing online-PR efforts using the described tools (e.g. email newsletter, weblogs). The empirical part of the work consists of a survey in which PR practitioners were asked to disclose their current knowledge and application of online-PR and to give their opinion about future trends in online-PR. The results of the observations were analysed and a comparison was drawn between the best-practices and their practical application. This work closes with a summary of the results, a conclusion and a view into the future. There were two main findings identified in the theoretical analysis as well as through the empirical observations: First the PR environment is becoming increasingly complex and faster through the emergence of internet technology and the only way for PR practitioners to keep up with this development lies in the utilization of sophisticated and internet-based means of communication. The second finding was that internet innovations are reshaping the traditional media environment and the way news is created and thereby making online-PR essential in reaching and influencing company's stakeholders effectively and efficiently.

This dissertation explores intersections of public relations and social media in the context of professional sports organizations. Specifically, this dissertation examines sports public relations practitioners’ perceptions of public relations, social media, the relationship between the two, and their organizational roles relative to both practice areas. This study explores the degree to which these practitioners have integrated social media into the organizational functions of public relations. With this, the purpose of this dissertation is to examine how social media have affected the practice of excellence in public relations within professional sports organizations in the U.S.

This study has presented insights into emotional perceptions surrounding ethical practices in the public relations field. The evidence resulting from the Q-sort process alluded to the grouping of practitioners as Truth Seers and students as Pragmatists. The Truth Seers revealed complete, balanced and consistent feelings identifying truth as the primary motivation for personal decision making. The Pragmatists were conversely found to believe that while truth was the basis of decision making, it was often necessary to make decisions or be confronted with moral choices that were not the most ethical out of necessity of circumstance. These groupings were general and did not apply toward all of the students or practitioners who participated. No definitive partition was established only a general theory. / Department of Journalism

This research focused on gaining a greater understanding of Indiana nonprofit theatre professionals regarding relationship-building practices with their patrons. In addition, this researcher questioned whether Bruning and Ledingham's organization-public relationship theory was applicable to theatres.Executive directors and managing directors from 21 theatres completed a Q sort to evaluate their perceived level of relationships with their patrons. From the sorts, three distinct factor groups were revealed: communitarians, partner makers, and idealists.The communitarians placed a strong commitment to the community and education. The partner makers focused on building community and business partnerships. Idealists showed a generalized focus on both community, patron, and businesses without being able to fully implement their interests. / Department of Journalism

Increasingly, corporations receive pressure from activist organizations to alter activities that these individuals find problematic and irresponsible. Despite this escalation, research on activism from a public relations perspective progressed slowly; much of this literature privileges the perspective of corporations and rarely examines the process from the activist perspective. To address this gap, this dissertation examined how activist organizations use issues management and communication strategies to incite corporations to change their practices and policies while simultaneously building relationships with pertinent audiences. This study incorporated data collected from qualitative interviews with activist practitioners representing a variety of activist organizations, along with organizational texts and news articles. These data provided an understanding of how activist organizations campaign against corporations using a variety of strategies and tactics in an effort to pressure corporations into changing their behavior. Because this dissertation focused on how activist organizations generate and promote issues to gain the attention of their targets, issues management served as the theoretical framework. Guided by this theory and existing issues management models, this dissertation demonstrates how activist groups identify and establish legitimacy for their issue(s). As issues management is traditionally studied from a corporate perspective, the findings show that the process differs slightly for activist organizations and introduces the Issue Advancement Model to demonstrate how activists employ issues management. Additionally, this dissertation explored how activist groups develop relationships with their targets, supporters, communities, and other relevant publics, noting the nuances involved in each of these dynamics. Specifically, this dissertation supports claims that the dialogue approach is more appropriate for understanding and analyzing the corporation-activist relationship than other public relations models, but also notes that some activist organizations may not seek resolution. In addition to these theoretical findings, this dissertation also offers practical implications, introducing the Corporate Campaign Model, which depicts how activist organizations challenge firms while also offering suggestions for corporations targeted by these groups.

Sociala medier skapar stora förändringar runt både människor och organisationer. Det betyder att organisationer behöver anpassa sin kommunikation för att nå ut till sin målgrupp. Myndigheter har idag en uppgift i vårt demokratiska samhälle att informera och upplysa samhället och det är även centralt för myndigheter att börja använda sig av sociala medier för att nå sin målgrupp. Syftet med undersökningen är att kartlägga hur en polismyndighet kommunicerar via sociala medier till sin målgrupp. Vi har valt att göra en fallstudie på en specifik polisgrupp - ungdomspolisen och hur de kommunicerar till sin målgrupp. Undersökningen ämnar besvara följande frågeställningar: Hur kommunicerar polisen på sociala medier? Hur kommunicerar ungdomspolisen på Åland genom sin Facebooksida? Och i vilket syfte använder ungdomspolisen sig av Facebook? För att besvara dessa frågor har två metoder använts - netnografisk observation och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Genom en observation av Facebooksidan besvaras frågan hur de kommunicerar på Facebook och genom intervjuer framkommer svaret på i vilket syfte de använder sig av Facebooksidan. Det insamlade materialet analyseras sedan i ljuset av uppsatsens teoretiska ramverk där public relations, Schneiders kommunikationsmodell och strategier för myndigheter på sociala medier presenteras. De övergripande resultat som framkommit genom denna studie är att ungdomspolisen inte har någon specifik strategi för hur de kommunicerar. Poliserna har dock olika sätt att skriva, vilket på så sätt leder till vad man skulle kunna kalla egna individuella strategier för användandet. Deras huvudsyfte med Facebooksidan är att göra polismyndigheten mer öppen och transparent, vilket de gör genom inlägg där de vill informera, visa arbetet som polis, uppmana och föra en dialog med målgruppen. Polisen hade från början ungdomar som målgrupp, men med tidens gång har målgruppen förändrats till föräldrar och egentligen hela allmänheten. Slutsatsen utifrån analysen är att myndigheter som använder sig av sociala medier måste använda rätt plattform för att nå sin målgrupp, men även att sociala medier är ett utmärkt verktyg för att upprätthålla relationer och skapa förståelse för polisyrket vilket i sin tur kan leda till förbättrade relationer mellan polisen och målgruppen. / Social media creates new conditions around both individuals and organizations. This means that organizations need to adjust their communication efforts to reach their target group. Therefore, it is central to the authorities to start using social media to reach their target group when the usage of social media increases. The purpose of this study is to identify how a specified police group communicate through social media to their stakeholders. We have chosen to do a case study on a specific group of police – The Youth Police and study how they communicate through social media to their stakeholders. The study aims to answer the following questions: How does the police communicate on social media? How does the Youth Police communicate through their Facebook page? And for what purposes are the Youth Police using the Facebook page? To answer these questions, we have used two methods - observation and interviews. The collected material is then analysed in the light of the theoretical framework, where we describe public relations, Schneider's communication models and different strategies for authorities on social media. The overall results obtained by this study is that the Youth Police do not have a specific strategy for how they communicate, but the police have their own ways of writing and thus form an unspoken individual strategy. Their purpose with this Facebook page is to make the police more transparent, which they do through Facebook posts where they inform, show their work and have a dialogue with their target group. The Youth Police had initially adolescents as a target group, but along with the passage of time, their target group has changed into the parents of the adolescents and the public instead. The conclusion from the analysis is that the authorities, who use social media, have to choose the right platform to reach their target group.  Social media is also a great tool for maintaining relationships and creating an understanding of the police work, which in turn can lead to improved relations between the police and their target group.

The study examined the similarities and differences in the public relations programs of the six Southern Baptist Convention-owned seminaries. Using data collected from surveys and interviews, the study found the general perception of public relations at each seminary good, although some constituencies did not understand the public relations program's purpose. Cooperation among the six seminaries was limited, and most respondents said individual needs kept the seminaries from working more cooperatively. The diversity of primary job responsibilities makes cooperation limited since all programs do not share the same assignments. Limited historical documentation is available on the growth of the public relations programs. The study includes four chapters: a general introduction; an historical overview; analysis of data; and conclusions and recommendation for further study.

This study examined the public relations practices-- the concept, structure, functions, goals and objectives, procedures, and standards of performance--at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. The study concluded that the public relations practices provide an effective, well-organized, well-planned and well-executed program based on formal goals and objectives, definite philosophy and purpose, and criteria for measurement of effectiveness. Although the program has a good sense of direction, it lacks focus, largely because of the mingling of public relations and fund-raising responsibilities in some staff positions and a lack of separate standards of performance for each staff member. Recommendations to strengthen the program include separate and distinct public relations and fund-raising responsibilities in each staff position and standards of performance for each staff member.