New voices are being heard and new questions are being asked within the field of public relations. However, in its present multifaceted state, public relations research is still struggling with recurring questions regarding academic and practical contributions. This position article presents some common starting points for a public relations identity for the 2010s aiming to preserve both consistency and multiplicity. We argue that public relations should be studied as a social activity in its own right and that it must be understood in relation to its societal context. Furthermore, we point to some concepts (trust, legitimacy, understanding and reflection) that are crucial to understanding public relations practice. We also argue that issues of power, behavior, and language have to be dealt with if public relations is to be taken seriously as an academic field. Building on these ideas we make some suggestions for empirical research. Finally, we propose, on a philosophical level, to develop a critical realist framework in order to study public relations scientifically.
BardhanNWeaverC K (eds) (2011) Public Relations in Global Cultural Contexts: Multi-paradigmatic Perspectives. London: Routledge.
2.
BenteleG (1994) Öffentliches Vertrauen: Normative und soziale Grundlage für Public Relations. In: ArmbrechtWZabelU (eds) Normative Aspekte der Public Relations. Grundlagen und Perspektiven. Opladen, Germany: Westdeustscher Verlag, pp.131–58.
3.
BenteleG (2010) Correspondence(s) to reality: A reconstructive approach to public relations. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.111–26.
4.
BergerBK (1999) The Halicon affair: Public relations and the construction of ideological world view. Journal of Public Relations Research11(3): 187–203.
5.
BergerPLuckmannT (1966) The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. London: Penguin Books.
6.
BhaskarR (1978) A Realist Theory of Science. London: Verso.
7.
BhaskarR (1979) The Possibility of Naturalism: A Philosophical Critique of the Contemporary Human Sciences. New York: Routledge.
8.
BhaskarR (1986) Scientific Realism and Human Emancipation. London: Verso.
9.
BotanCHHazeltonVJr (eds) (1989) Public Relations Theory. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum Associates.
10.
BotanCHTaylorM (2004) Public relations: State of the field. Journal of Communication54(4): 645–61.
11.
BourdieuP (1990) The Logic of Practice (trans. NiceR). Cambridge: Polity.
12.
Bourland-DavisPGThompsonWBrooksFE (2010) Activism in the 20th and 21st centuries. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.409–20.
13.
BrønnPS (2010) Reputation, communication, and the corporate brand. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.307–20.
14.
BurkartR (2009) On Habermas: Understanding and public relations In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.141–65.
15.
CappellaJNJamiesonKH (1997) Spiral of Cynicism: The Press and the Public Good. New York: Oxford University Press.
16.
CheneyGChristensenL T (2001) Public relations as contested terrain: A critical response. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.167–82.
17.
ChristensenLTFuat FiratATorpS (2008) The organisation of integrated communications: Toward flexible integration. European Journal of Marketing42(3/4): 423–52.
18.
ContuAWillmottH (2005) You spin me round: The realist turn in organization and management studies. Journal of Management Studies42(8): 1645–62.
19.
CoombsWT (2010) Crisis communication: A developing field. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.477–88.
20.
CrableREVibbertSL (1995) Mobil’s epideictic advocacy: ‘Observations’ of Prometheus bound. In: ElwoodWN (ed.) Public Relations Inquiry as Rhetorical Criticism: Case Studies of Corporate Discourse and Social Influence. Westport, CT: Praeger, pp.27–46.
21.
DavisA (2000) Public relations, news production and changing patterns of source access in the British national media. Media, Culture and Society22(1): 39–59.
22.
De BusseyN (2010) Dialogue as a basis for stakeholder engagement: Defining and measuring the core competencies. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.127–44.
23.
DiStasoMWStacksDW (2010) The use of research in public relations. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.325–38.
24.
DonaldsonTPrestonLE (1995) The stakeholder theory of the corporation: Concepts, evidence, and implications. Academy of Management Review20(1): 65–91.
25.
DuffyME (2000) There’s no two-way symmetrical about it: A postmodern examination of public relations textbooks. Critical Studies in Mass Communication17(3): 294–315.
26.
DuttaMJ (2009) On Spivak: Theorizing resistance: Applying Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak in public relations. In. IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.278–300.
27.
EdwardsL (2010) ‘Race’ in public relations. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.205–22.
28.
EdwardsLHodgesCEM (eds) (2011) Public Relations, Society and Culture: Theoretical and Empirical Explorations. London: Routledge.
29.
EntmanRM (1993) Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication43(4): 51–8.
30.
EwenS (1996) PR! A Social History of Spin. New York: Basic Books.
31.
FalkheimerJ (2009) On Giddens: Interpreting public relations through Anthony Giddens’ Structuration and Late Modernity Theory. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.103–18.
32.
FoucaultM (1972) The Archaeology of Knowledge and the Discourse on Language. New York: Pantheon Books.
33.
FredrikssonM (2009) On Beck: Risk and Sub-politics in reflexive modernity. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.21–42.
34.
GerbnerGGrossLMorganMSignorelliM (1994) Growing up with television: The cultivation process. In: BryantJZilmannD (eds) Media Effects. Advances in Theory and Research. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, pp.17–41.
35.
GilpinDRMurphyPJ (2010) Implications of complexity theory for public relations: Beyond crisis. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.71–84.
36.
GoldingP (2006) Mass communication theory: Do we need it?Paper presented at the The 56th annual ICA conference, June, Dresden, Germany.
37.
GrunigJE (2006) Furnishing the edifice: Ongoing research on public relations as a strategic management function. Journal of Public Relations Research18: 151–76.
38.
GrunigJEHuntT (1984) Managing Public Relations. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
39.
GrunigJEDozierDMEhlingWPGrunigLARepperFCWhiteJ (eds) (1992) Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
40.
HallahanK (1999) Seven models of framing: Implications for public relations. Journal of Public Relations Research11(3): 205–42.
41.
HallahanK (2010) Being public: Publicity as public relations. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.523–46.
42.
HamelinkC (2006) Communicating about Europe. Paper presented at BledCom, July, Lake Bled, Slovenia.
43.
HeathRL (2001) A rhetorical enactment rationale for public relations: The good organization communicating well. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.31–50.
44.
HeathRL (2006) Onward into more fog: Thoughts on public relations’ research directions. Journal of Public Relations Research18(2): 93–114.
45.
HeathRL (2010a) Reflections and concluding thoughts. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, p.709.
46.
HeathRL (ed.) (2010b) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage.
47.
HeathRLNiL (2010) Community relations and corporate social responsibility. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.557–68.
48.
HeathRLTothELWaymerD (eds) (2009) Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations II. New York: Routledge.
49.
HeideM (2009) On Berger: A social constructionist perspective on public relations and crisis communication. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.43–61.
50.
HiebertRE (1966) Courtier to the Crowd: The Story of Ivy Lee and the Development of Public Relations. Ames, IO: Iowa State University Press.
51.
HolmströmS (2009) On Luhmann: Contingency, risk, trust and reflection. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.187–211.
52.
HolmströmS (2010) Reflective management: Seeing the organization as if from outside. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.261–76.
53.
IhlenØ (2009) On Pierre Bourdieu: Public relations in field struggles. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.71–91.
54.
IhlenØ (2010) The cursed sisters: Public relations and rhetoric. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.59–70.
55.
IhlenØVan RulerB (2009) Introduction: Applying social theory to public relations. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.1–20.
56.
IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) (2009) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge.
57.
IhlenØVerhoevenP (2009) Conclusions on the domain, context, concepts, issues and empirical avenues of public relations. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.332–49.
58.
JacksonRL (ed.) (2010) The Encyclopedia of Identity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
59.
KentM L (2010) Directions in social media for professionals and scholars. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.643–56.
60.
KetelaarPEvan der LaanM P (2009) A uses and gratifications approach to marketing communications: How to serve the interests of all stakeholder groups. In: KonigRPNelissenPWMHuismansFJM (eds) Meaningful Media: On the Social Construction of Reality. Nijmegen, the Netherlands: Tandem Felix, pp.145–63.
61.
LatourB (2005) Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
62.
LeitchSMotionJ (1999) Multiplicity in corporate identity strategy. Corporate Communications: An International Journal4(4): 193–9.
63.
LeitchSMotionJ (2010) Publics and public relations: Effective change. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.99–110.
64.
L’EtangJ (2010) ‘Keeping it real’: Anthropological reflections on public relations, diplomacy, and rhetoric. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.145–62.
65.
L’EtangJPieczkaM (eds) (1996) Critical Perspectives in Public Relations. London: International Thomson Business Press.
66.
L’EtangJPieczkaM (eds) (2006) Public Relations: Critical Debates and Contemporary Practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
67.
LuhmannN (1993) Legitimation durch Verfahren [Legitimation through procedure]. Frankfurt, Germany: Suhrkamp.
68.
LyotardJ F (1979) La condition postmoderne [The postmodern condition]. Paris: Editions de Minuit.
69.
McKieD (2010) Signs of the times: Economic sciences, futures, and public relations. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.85–98.
70.
McKieDMunshiD (2007) Reconfiguring Public Relations: Ecology, Equity and Enterprise. New York: Routledge.
71.
MeijsM (2002) The myth of manageability of corporate identity. Corporate Reputation Review5(1): 20.
72.
MillerDDinanW (2008) A Century of Spin: How Public Relations became the Cutting Edge of Corporate Power. London: Pluto Press.
73.
MoloneyK (2005) Trust and public relations: Center and edge. Public Relations Review31(4): 550–5.
74.
MorsingMSchultzM (2006) Corporate social responsibility communication: Stakeholder information, response and involvement strategies. Business Ethics: A European Review15(4): 323–38.
75.
MotionJLeitchS (2009) On Foucault: A toolbox for public relations. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.83–102.
76.
NeumanWRGuggenheimL (2011) The evolution of media effects theory: A six-stage model of cumulative research. Communication Theory21(2): 169–96.
77.
PearsonR (1989) Beyond ethical relativism in public relations: Coorientation, rules, and the idea of communication symmetry. In: GrunigJEGrunigLA (eds) Public Relations Research Annual, Vol. 2. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, pp.67–86.
RakowLFNastasiaD (2009) On feminist theory of public relations: An example from Dorothy E. Smith. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.252–77.
80.
ReedM (2005) Reflections on the ‘realist turn’ in organization and management studies. Journal of Management Studies42(8): 1621–44.
81.
RuggieroTE (2000) Uses and gratifications theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication and Society3(1): 3–37.
82.
ScheufeleDA (2000) Agenda-setting, priming, and framing revisited: Another look at cognitive effects of political communication. Mass Communication and Society3(2): 297–316.
83.
SmithMFergusonD (2010) Activism 2.0. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.395–408.
84.
SmuddePCourtrightJ (2010) Public relations and power. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.177–90.
StauberJRamptonS (1995) Toxic Sludge is Good For You! Lies, Damn Lies, and the Public Relations Industry. Monroe, ME: Common Courage.
87.
TaylorM (2010) Public relations in the enactment of civil society. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.5–16.
88.
TothEL (2010) Reflections on the field. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.711–22.
89.
TothELHeathRL (eds) (1992) Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
90.
TsetsuraK (2010) Social construction and public relations. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.163–75.
91.
TyeL (1998) The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays and the Birth of Public Relations. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
92.
University Oberta de Catalunya. (2011) Competing identities: The state of play of PR in the 2010s (call for papers for Barcelona Meeting Com#1)). Available at: www.uoc.edu/symposia/meetingcom2011/presentacio_eng.html (accessed 23 August 2011).
93.
Van der MeidenAFauconnierG (1994) Profiel en professie, inleiding in de theorievorming van public relations [Profile and profession, introduction in the formulation of public relations theory]. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff.
94.
Van GinnekenJ (2003) Collective Behavior and Public Opinion: Rapid Shifts in Opinion and Communication. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
95.
Van RielCBM (1992) Principles of Corporate Communication. London: Prentice Hall.
96.
Van RulerBVerčičD (2005) Reflective communication management: Future ways for public relations research. In: KalbefleischPJ (ed.) Communication Yearbook, Vol. 29. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, pp.239–74.
97.
Vardeman-WinterJTindallNTJ (2010) Toward an intersectionality theory of public relations. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.223–36.
98.
VerhoevenP (2009) On Latour: Actor-Network-Theory (ANT) and public relations. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge,166–86.
99.
VerhoevenPAartsN (2010) How European public relations men and women perceive the impact of their professional activities. PRism7(4). Available at: so www.prismjournal.org (accessed 9 January 2012).
100.
WakefieldR (2010) Why culture is still essential in discussions about global public relations. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.659–70.
101.
WaymerD (2010) Does public relations scholarship have a place in race? In HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.237–46.
102.
WehmeierS (2006) Dancers in the dark: The myth of rationality in public relations. Public Relations Review32(3): 213–20.
103.
WeickKESutcliffeKMObstfeldD (2005) Organizing and the process of sense making. Organizational Science16: 409–21.
104.
WrigleyBJ (2010) Feminist scholarship and its contributions to public relations. In: HeathRL (ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage, pp.247–60.
105.
WæraasA (2009) On Weber: Legitimacy and legitimation in public relations. In: IhlenØVan RulerBFredrikssonM (eds) Public Relations and Social Theory: Key Figures and Concepts. New York: Routledge, pp.301–22.
106.
ZallerJ (1996) The myth of massive media impact revived: new support for a discredited idea. In: MutzDCSnidermanPMBrodyRM (eds) Political Persuasion and Attitude Change. Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan University Press, pp.17–60.
107.
ZerfassATenchRVerhoevenPVerčičDAngelesM (2010) European Communication Monitor 2009: Status Quo and Challenges for Communication Management in Europe: Results of an Empirical Survey in 46 Countries. Brussels, Belgium: EACD, EUPRERA.
