Is corporate communications kidnapping public relations?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15173/jpc.v4i2.2535Keywords:
Public relations, Corporate communications, Strategic communications, Definition, Disciplinary boundaries, Measurement, Corporate social responsibility, Return on investment, Communication managementAbstract
While a number of public relations scholars and professionals view their field as synonymous with corporate communications, practitioners and theorists of the latter usually claim public relations as alma mater of their discipline yet still see corporate communications overcoming public relations. An analysis of modern literature in corporate communications unveils a battle for power in the field of relationship cultivation between scholars of corporate communications and those of public relations. This article argues that the field of public relations should have an identity based on functional, societal, and organizational goals that goes beyond the link between communication and business outcomes, such as revenues, earnings, and market share, claimed by the field of corporate communications.
©Journal of Professional Communication, all rights reserved.
References
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Wright, D. (1997). Perceptions of corporate communication as public relations. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 2(4), 143-154.
Xifra, J. (2005). Planificación estratégica de relaciones públicas. Barcelona: Paidós.
Argenti, P. A. (2006). Communications and business value: Measuring the link. Journal of Business Strategy, 27(6), 29-40.
Argenti, P. A. (2013). Corporate communication, 6th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Argenti, P. A., & Barnes, C. M. (2009). Digital strategies for powerful corporate communications. New York: McGraw Hill.
Argenti, P. A., & Forman, J. (2002). The power of corporate communication: Crafting the voice and image of your business. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Belasen, A. (2008). The theory and practice of corporate communication: A competing values perspective. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Bowen, S. (2009). What communication professionals tell us regarding dominant coalition access and gaining membership. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 37(4), 418-443.
Cornelissen, J. (2004). Corporate communications: Theory and practice. London: Sage.
Cornelissen, J. (2008). Corporate communication: A guide to theory and practice (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
Christensen, L., Morsing, M., Cheney, G. (2008). Corporate communications: Convention, complexity and critique. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Dilenschneider, R. (2000). The corporate communications bible. Dubai, UAE: McArthur & Company.
Doorley, J., & Garcia, H. F. (2007). Reputation management: The key to successful public relations and corporate communication. NY: Routledge.
Elkington, J. (2009, November 17). Triple bottom line | It consists of three Ps: Profit, people and planet. The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/14301663
Goodman, M., Genest, C., Bertoli, K., Templo, S., & Wolman, L. (2013). 2013 CCI Corporate Communication Practices and Trends Study: United States. http://www.corporatecomm.org/studies/
Goodman, M. B., & Hirsch, P. B. (2010) Corporate communication: Strategic adaptation for global practice. NY: Peter Lang.
Goodman, M. B., & Hirsch, P. B. (2012). Corporate communication: Tactical guidelines for strategic practice. NY: Business Expert Press.
Gregory, A. & Watson, T. (2008). Defining the gap between research and practice in public relations programme evaluation—Towards a new research agenda. Journal of Marketing Communications, 14(5), 337-350.
Grunig, J. E., & Grunig, L. A. (1998). The relationship between public relations and marketing in excellent organizations. Journal of Marketing Communications, 4, 141-162.
Grunig, J. E., & Hunt, T. (1984) Managing public relations. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
Hallahan, K., Holtzhausen, D., van Ruler, B., Verčič, D., & Sriramesh, K. (2007). Defining strategic communications. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 1(1), 3-35.
Harris, T. L. (1993). The marketer’s guide to public relations. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Harvard Business School. (2006). The essentials of corporate communications and public relations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Heath, R. L. (1994). Management of corporate communication: From interpersonal contacts to external affairs. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Heath, R. L. (2006). Onward into more fog: Thoughts on public relations research directions. Journal of Public Relations Research, 18, 93-114.
Hubner, H. (2007). The communicating company: Towards an alternative theory of corporate communication. NY: Physica-Verlag.
Irwin, H., & More, E. (1994). Managing corporate communication. St. Leonards, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
Kitchen, P. (1997). Was public relations a prelude to corporate communications? Corporate Communications, 2(1), 22-30.
Kotler, P., & Mindak. W. (1978). Marketing and public relations: Should they be partners or rivals? Journal of Marketing, 42(4), 13-20.
Likely, F. (1999). Performance measurement: Can PR/communication contribute to the new bottom line of intangible, non-financial indicators? Institute for Public Relations. Retrieved from http://www.instituteforpr.org/performance-measurement/
Likely, F. (2006). Communication and PR: Made to measure. Institute for Public Relations. Retrieved from http://www.instituteforpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2006_SCM_Likely.pdf
Muzi, T. (2009). Public relations in Italy: Master of ceremonies in a relational society. In Krishnamurthy, S. & Verčič, D. (Eds.), The global public relations handbook: Theory, research and practice (pp. 484-502). NY: Routledge.
Olasky, M. N. (1987). Corporate public relations: A new historical perspective. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Oliver, S. (1997). Corporate communication: Principles, techniques, and strategies. London: Kogan Page.
PRSA. (2012). What is public relations? PRSA’s widely accepted definition. Retrieved from http://www.prsa.org/AboutPRSA/PublicRelationsDefined/#.U7G5V6WBNtc
PRSA. (2013). PRSA MBA Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/BusinessCase/MBAProgram/#.Us3p0KX5tc
van Dyke, M., & Verčič, D. (2009). Public Relations, public diplomacy, and strategic communications: An international model of conceptual convergence. In Sriramesh, K. & Verčič, D. (Eds.), The global public relations handbook: Theory, research, and practice (pp. 822-843). NY: Routledge.
van Riel, C.B. (1995). Research in corporate communication: An overview of an emerging field. Management Communication Quarterly, 11(2), 288-309.
van Riel, C.B., & Fombrun, C.J. (2007). Essentials of corporate communication: Implementing practices for effective reputation management. New York: Routledge.
van Ruler, B., Verčič, D., Flodin, B., & Bütschi, G. (2001). Public relations in Europe: A kaleidoscopic picture. Journal of Communication Management, 6(2), 166-175.
van Ruler, B. & Verčič, D. (2004). Public relations and communication management in Europe. NY: Mouton de Gruyter.
Watson, T. (2005). ROI or evidence-based PR: The language of public relations evaluation. PRism, 3(1). Retrieved from http://www.prismjournal.org/fileadmin/Praxis/Files/Journal_Files/Issue3/Watson.pdf
Watson, T. (2008). Public relations research: A Delphi study. Journal of Communication Management, 12(2), 104-123.
Watson, T., & Zerfass, A. (2011). Return on investment in public relations: A critique of concepts used by practitioners from communication and management science perspectives. PRism, 8(1). Retrieved from http://www.prismjournal.org/fileadmin/8_1/Watson_Zerfass.pdf
Wright, D. (1997). Perceptions of corporate communication as public relations. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 2(4), 143-154.
Xifra, J. (2005). Planificación estratégica de relaciones públicas. Barcelona: Paidós.
