The IPR Research Symposium is our special way of saying thank you to our supporters. Attendees are invited to listen to and discuss the latest public relations research findings with authors, fellow practitioners and educators. There is no charge to attend this event. #IPRSingapore16
2016 Event:
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
“The Future of the Communication Function Structure”
David Ashton, Director of Brunwick Insights Asia
In an increasingly volatile and fast-moving landscape for communicators, how should corporates structure and staff their communications function in order deliver high performance? Proprietary research by Brunswick Insight among 200 senior communications professionals has found that many feel that the current structure and reporting lines of their communications function is holding them back – this seminar seeks to explore those shortcomings, the shifts in the operating landscape that demand a change, and the key success factors for structuring a communications function that is fit for success.
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
“Tell Your Right Hand What Your Left Hand Will Do: How the Timing of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure Influences Consumer Evaluation”
Sungjong Roh, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Singapore Management University
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities can be disclosed in two ways in terms of their temporal orientation: before activities are executed (prospective frame) or after execution (retrospective frame). This study investigated how alternative timing was used in disclosing CSR activities and its potential to affect consumer responses. In Study 1, using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC), a computerized analysis of a web archive for CSR activities found that activities were mostly described through linguistic cues pertaining to the retrospective frame rather than the prospective frame. In Study 2 and 3, between-subjects experiments found that the prospective framing condition, that is, where the disclosure of CSR activities occurred a week before execution—compared to the retrospective framing condition where activities had been executed a week prior to disclosure—led to greater positive consumer evaluation.
3:oo p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
“From Content to Context: Reshaping Employee Engagement”
Sarab Kochhar, Ph.D., Director of Research, Institute for Public Relations
More than 1,500 employees in five countries are confident they understand the core purpose of their organization and find meaning in their work, but believe organizations have much work to be done in prioritizing and communicating strategy internally. This presentation will offer takeaways and suggested actions to improve Organizational Clarity and drive performance.
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Break
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
“Unpacking Public Sentiment Toward the Government: How Government Communication Strategies Affect Public Engagement, Cynicism, and Word of Mouth Behavior in South Korea”
Soojin Kim, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Singapore Management University
This study tests the relationships between two types of public sentiment toward the government, their antecedents and their outcomes. A Web survey was conducted in South Korea (N=1112) to understand citizens’ evaluations of their sentiments toward the government. The results show that perceived type of government communication strategy affects public engagement, public cynicism, and citizens’ positive and negative word of mouth behavior about government. Theoretical and empirical implications are discussed.
4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
“What Competencies Does the PR Industry Need in Future? Results of the Global Communications Report”
Gregor Halff, Ph.D., Professor and Deputy Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University
Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D., President and CEO, Institute for Public Relations
Recent findings from the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations’ 2016 Global Communications Report indicate that the global PR industry will approach $ 20 billion by 2020. Long-term growth will be driven by content and digital but will demand different talent, bolder ideas and better measurement. Are we embracing this change and investing in ideas? Do we train our teams and hire the kind of talent that will prepare us for this future? How do we break free of old patterns and adapt more quickly to a rapidly changing landscape?
5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
“Media coverage on MH370 Search Suspension and Its Impact on Public Reactions in Social Media”
Su Lin Yeo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Singapore Management University.
This research purposes to understand the polarity of sentiments in social media (Twitter) in response to Malaysian Airlines’ (MH) announcement to suspend search for missing plane MH370 on 22 July 2016. It aims to examine the public’s reactions to media coverage by analyzing 6000 tweets. Tentative findings showed that the majority of twitter users were skeptical with MH’s rationale for suspending the search following the crisis two years ago, suggesting that corporate messages should be better targeted to address the concerns of key stakeholders. Implications of the impact of public relations effectiveness in developing key messages for media are discussed.
5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closing Remarks
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Dinner (at Level 5 LKCSB Lounge)
Note: Dress code is business casual.
Speaker Bios:
David Ashton is the Director of Brunswick Insight in Asia and is an expert in designing and delivering research solutions to guide communications campaigns and feed into strategic decision making. He joined the Brunswick Hong Kong office in August 2011, having previously worked for BritainThinks, a London-based research and communications agency, servicing clients like eBay, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. David started his career at Populus, the pollster to the London Times and the British Conservative Party, where he worked for four years managing accounts for a range of clients spanning the worlds of business, politics and sport, including The British Conservative Party, BSkyB, The Premier League, Wal*Mart and Nestlé. During his time at Populus, David established and oversaw the running of the Company’s Parliament Panel.
Gregor Halff, Ph.D., is Professor of Corporate Communication Practice, at Singapore Management University, Deputy Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business and Visiting Faculty at the European School of Management and Technology, where he was previously Director of Executive Development programmes. Dr. Halff founded Asia-Pacific’s first MSC in Communication Management Program at SMU and was a Visiting Professor at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. He publishes mostly in Public Relations Review and is a regular reviewer for the Journal of Communication Management. At SMU, he runs an Executive Development programme in Leadership Communication and teaches communication management in several graduate programmes, as well as for the Singapore Armed Forces.
Soojin Kim, Ph.D., is currently an Assistant Professor at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University, interested in the strategic management of public relations and public relations strategies. Specifically, her work so far has examined how organizations’ behaviors or decisions along with other antecedents affect key publics’ behaviors, and the impact of such behaviours on organizations’ effectiveness. Her research interests also include how the theory and practice of public relations conceptualizes public relations strategy, and how the implementation of public relations strategy influences organizational effectiveness. She received her Ph.D. in Public Relations and Strategic Management from the Purdue University
Sarab Kochhar, Ph.D., is the Director of Research with the Institute for Public Relations. She is also the Associate Director of APCO Worldwide’s Washington office, where she serves as strategic counsel for clients on measurement and evaluation for communication programs. She primarily works with clients across the globe to develop measurement techniques and provide insights. Dr. Kochhar has worked in both the public and private sectors. She has led project teams in the areas of technology, aerospace and many other sectors in her work with Burson-Marsteller in Bangalore, India. She has worked with the Government of Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana where she managed the tourism function, including sports, medical, health, and cultural tourism. Additionally, she has also worked with Ketchum Research and Analytics Group in New York and has led multiple research and analytics project for global clients.
Su Lin Yeo, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Corporate Communication (Practice) at Singapore Management University. She is also the Academic Advisor for Business Major (Corporate Communication) at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business. Dr. Yeo joined SMU in July 2014 after completing her post-doctoral and obtaining her PhD in Communications Studies from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) in 2013. She was a Nanyang Scholar and scholarship recipient for Excellent Academic Performance while pursuing her PhD and Master Degrees respectively.
Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D., APR, is the President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations (IPR). She has 15 years of experience teaching at several universities, and has taught in West Virginia University’s graduate IMC program since 2009. She is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society, the Commission for Public Relations Education, the AMEC Academic Advisory Board, the University of Florida School of Journalism and Communications Public Relations Advisory Board, and the International Public Relations Research Conference Advisory Committee. She serves as the National Faculty Adviser for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and is a director on the Universal Accreditation Board. For two years, she served as chair of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Educators Academy and co-chair of the PRSA National Research Committee.
Sungjong Roh, Ph.D., is currently an Assistant Professor at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Singapore Management University. Dr Roh’s research broadly seeks to draw managerial insights and motivate consumers to form preferences and behaviors in line with their well-being. His recent work focuses on causes and consequences of time (i.e. temporal cues, orientations, and perceptions) in shaping managerial and consumer judgments and decisions. Much of his research employs randomized experiments and computerized analysis of archival data using computational programs such as Python, R, and LIWC. His doctoral dissertation was supported by the National Science Foundation’s Decision, Risk, and Management Sciences Program. Dr. Roh’s work has appeared in Social Cognition, PLoS ONE, Health Psychology, Risk Analysis, and other venues.
For information on past IPR Research Symposiums, please visit here.