Public relations research European and international perspectives and innovations ; [this book has been published as a Festschrift for Prof. Dr. Günter Bentele, University of Leipzig, on the occasion of his 60th birthday in March 2008

This volume is a major contribution to the trans-national debate on public relations research and communication management. It presents dominant concepts and findings from the scientific community in Germany in English language. At the same time, the compilation contains a selection of the most influential and relevant approaches from European and international researchers. Editors and contributors are renowned academics from all over the world. This books honours Guenter Bentele, one of the international spearheads of public relations research, and gives academics, students and communication managers a focussed insight into the field. Front Matter....Pages 1-7 Introduction....Pages 9-16 Front Matter....Pages 17-17 Public Relations Theory: The Reconstructive Approach....Pages 19-31 The Intereffication Model: Theoretical Discussions and Empirical Research....Pages 33-47 Trust and Credibility — Prerequisites for Communication Management....Pages 49-62 Front Matter....Pages 63-63 Corporate Communication Revisited: Integrating Business Strategy and Strategic Communication....Pages 65-96 Organization and Communication: An Integrative Approach to Public Relations and Communication Management....Pages 97-109 Organizational Communication and Public Relations: A Conceptual Framework for a Common Ground....Pages 111-123 The True, the Good and the Beautiful: Reputation Management in the Media Society....Pages 125-146 Internal Communication and Leadership....Pages 147-162 Internal Communication as Management of Trust Relations: A Theoretical Framework....Pages 163-177 Evaluating Strategic Communication: Theoretical and Methodological Requirements....Pages 179-192 Political Public Relations: Research on its Success and its Influence on German Media Coverage....Pages 193-204 Public Relations and Public Diplomacy: Some Conceptual Explorations....Pages 205-218 Communication Management, Organizational Communication and Public Relations: Developments and Future Directions from a German Perspective....Pages 219-231 Front Matter....Pages 233-233 Reflection: Legitimising Late Modernity....Pages 235-249 Public Relations, Persuasion and Propaganda: Truth, Knowledge, Spirituality and Mystique....Pages 251-269 Public Relations and Power: How Hard is Soft Power?....Pages 271-279 Intangible Assets and Communication....Pages 281-291 Glocalising Public Relations and Crisis Communication: Bridging Gaps of Trust in Multicultural Societies....Pages 293-304 Risks and Crises in Virtual Publicity — Can Publicity Crises Be Prevented by Public Relations in the Cyberspace?....Pages 305-312 Front Matter....Pages 233-233 Communication Management in Europe — Challenges and Opportunities....Pages 313-324 Front Matter....Pages 325-325 Excellence Theory in Public Relations: Past, Present, and Future....Pages 327-347 Rhetorical Perspective and Public Relations: Meaning Matters....Pages 349-364 Reconsidering Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Public Relations and Ethical Engagement of Employees in a Global Economy....Pages 365-383 Linking Stakeholder Relationships and Corporate Reputation: A Public Relations Framework for Corporate Sustainability....Pages 385-396 Situating Science: Public Relations, Status, and Theoretical Trends....Pages 397-407 Globalization and Public Relations....Pages 409-425 Back Matter....Pages 427-454 Introduction Sriramesh, Van Ruler & Zerfass Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, Betteke van Ruler & Ansgar Zerfass One could make a reasonable argument that public relations is an ancient practice (going back millennia) although it has been popularly perceived as a 20th century phenomenon. Scholarship in public relations, however, is more recent in origin with a history of less than four decades. During these formative years, the body of knowledge has expanded signi- cantly, which is laudable. However, there is potential for growth and improvement in many areas of the public relations literature. Over the decades, among other things, public re- tions scholarship has largely remained parochial to specific regions such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America, German speaking Europe, etc. as evidenced in the bibliographic references of many essays in this volume itself where authors predo- nantly cite work from their own regions. This is often necessitated by linguistic differences with only English serving as the universal language that helps permeate knowledge through most regions. Pedagogical and methodological factors also have played a role in the regionalization of the body of knowledge. However, we believe that knowledge flo- ishes most when it is shared across different kinds of barriers. Globalization has made it essential for us to recognize this reality more than ever. This volume tries to bridge the gap and presents theories and concepts from researchers around the world. Introduction Sriramesh, Van Ruler & Zerfass Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, Betteke van Ruler & Ansgar Zerfass One could make a reasonable argument that public relations is an ancient practice (going back millennia) although it has been popularly perceived as a 20th century phenomenon. Scholarship in public relations, however, is more recent in origin with a history of less than four decades. During these formative years, the body of knowledge has expanded significantly, which is laudable. However, there is potential for growth and improvement in many areas of the public relations literature. Over the decades, among other things, public relations scholarship has largely remained parochial to specific regions such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America, German speaking Europe, etc. as evidenced in the bibliographic references of many essays in this volume itself where authors predominantly cite work from their own regions. This is often necessitated by linguistic differences with only English serving as the universal language that helps permeate knowledge through most regions. Pedagogical and methodological factors also have played a role in the regionalization of the body of knowledge. However, we believe that knowledge flourishes most when it is shared across different kinds of barriers. Globalization has made it essential for us to recognize this reality more than ever. This volume tries to bridge the gap and presents theories and concepts from researchers around the world "One could make a reasonable argument that public relations is an ancient practice (going back millennia) although it has been popularly perceived as a 20th century phenomenon. Scholarship in public relations, however, is more recent in origin with a history of less than four decades. During these formative years, the body of knowledge has expanded significantly, which is laudable. However, there is potential for growth and improvement in many areas of the public relations literature. Over the decades, among other things, public relations scholarship has largely remained parochial to specific regions such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America, German speaking Europe, etc. as evidenced in the bibliographic references of many essays in this volume itself where authors predominantly cite work from their own regions. This is often necessitated by linguistic differences with only English serving as the universal language that helps permeate knowledge through most regions. Pedagogical and methodological factors also have played a role in the regionalization of the body of knowledge. However, we believe that knowledge flourishes most when it is shared across different kinds of barriers. Globalization has made it essential for us to recognize this reality more than ever. This volume tries to bridge the gap and presents theories and concepts from researchers around the world."--[Source inconnue]