Focus: Public Relations

Abstract: Upwards of 200 studies over the past hundred years have reported on the relationship between public relations practitioners and journalists. However, no experiment has compared the group members’ perceptions when seeing their roles in action. Inspired by frameworks of social identity theory, intergroup deception, and the black sheep effect, we test how public relations […]

Abstract: This paper aims at addressing the value of readiness for Industry 4.0 to the practice of public relations. The researcher argued for the necessity of defining the construct of “readiness for Industry 4.0” in public relations and proposed a conceptual framework that encompasses dimensions relevant for readiness for Industry 4.0 in public relations: cognitive […]

Meng, J. (2019). The Most Dedicated Reviewer Award, recognized by Public Relations Division at the 2019 International Communication Association annual conference in Washington, D.C., May 27, 2019,

Meng, J., Berger, B. K., Heyman, W., & Reber, B. H. (2019). Public relations leaders earn a “C+” in The Plank Center’s Report Card 2019. Gender and hierarchy gaps widen, gains are elusive. Tuscaloosa, AL: The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations.

Abstract: This longitudinal pedagogical research investigates students’ perceptions and learning outcomes by integrating web and social analytics-based learning activities (i.e., Google Analytics courses and certification test) into Public Relations Research course design. Results from the pre-test before introducing the analytics learning assignment confirmed that students’ knowledge on web and social analytics is low but their […]