All posts by Frank Ovaitt

In any true profession, the practitioner deeply understands the importance of research-based knowledge in guiding the work and measuring the results. Recently in Bulldog Reporter’s Daily ‘Dog, I offered a few insights on new thinking that is driving the science of public relations. These included: More attention to the three kinds of research articulated by … Continue reading New Thinking to Drive the Science of Public Relations →

“High performance and high integrity are good for the bottom line.” In a new section of the Essential Knowledge Project, Robert L. Heath, Ph.D., and Lan Ni, Ph.D. make the case for corporate social responsibility (CSR) based on existing research. While social responsibility may be a timeless concern, the topic began receiving serious management policy … Continue reading The Research Case for Corporate Social Responsibility →

Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman, argues that case in the inaugural event of the University of Maryland’s Grunig Lecture Series, sponsored by the Institute for Public Relations. Edelman believes that communications strategy and programming must be fundamentally reassessed today, in light of forces such as: the collapse of trust in financial institutions, a … Continue reading Is Public Engagement the Future of Public Relations? →

We announced this week the first class of Institute for Public Relations Research Fellows. They will be inducted at the Annual Distinguished Lecture & Awards Dinner, November 5 in New York. With all the research commissions, conferences and councils supported by the Institute, do we also need the Institute Research Fellows? Is it just an … Continue reading Jolly Good Fellows with a Purpose →

This new book by Tom Martin – Executive in Residence, Department of Communication, College of Charleston – offers just what the subtitle says: what corporate communicators need to know about sharing their life experience with tomorrow’s leaders. Tom’s passion for his long career in corporate communications as well as his new career in the classroom … Continue reading A Professional’s Guide to Guest Lecturing →

Now available, the report of the third annual Academic Symposium hosted by the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. The event was sponsored by the Institute for Public Relations and the Arthur W. Page Society. The 30 attendees included thought leaders from the academic community as well as corporate and agency leadership. The 2008 … Continue reading Tucked Away to Discuss Chief Communications Officer’s Role →

Page Turner, the blog of the Arthur W. Page Society, has published my posting regarding the three kinds of research in our field, and how that relates to the Institute for Public Relations’ Essential Knowledge Project.

A large majority of journalists and public relations practitioners around the world say it is not professional for media to accept payments from news sources in return for coverage. Nevertheless, more than one in three practitioners and one in five journalists say it is generally considered okay in their countries for national media to accept … Continue reading Payment for Coverage ‘Not Professional’ →

“Social Media and the Future of PR” is the theme of Euroblog2008, currently underway in Brussels (presented by EUPRERA, Edelman, IHECS and Département de communication, Université catholique du Louvain).

This paper is an another major addition to the Institute’s growing collection of baseline papers examining what existing research teaches us in specific areas of practice. Brad Rawlins, Ph.D., Brigham Young University, reviews academic and trade literature on the concept of trust. His paper links to literature demonstrating how essential trust is for any social relationship. … Continue reading Trust and PR Practice →

“Baseline Study on Diversity Segments: Multirace Americans” adds to the Institute’s growing collection of baseline papers examining what existing research teaches us in specific areas of practice. Bey-Ling Sha, Ph.D., of San Diego State University explores scholarship and government data regarding multirace Americans. The U.S. government has collected race data since the first census in … Continue reading Multirace Americans →

A new paper on the Institute website by Shannon A. Bowen, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland offers an overview of current research-based knowledge on ethics and public relations practice. Bowen connects a lot of dots for practitioners and scholars interested in this aspect of the science beneath the art. She begins with definitions and … Continue reading What Research Teaches About Ethics And PR Practice →