Annotated Bibliography of Career Related Research - Assignment #4

Annotated Bibliography

Botan, C. H., & Taylor, M. (2004). Public relations: State of the field. Journal of

communication, 54(4), 645-661.

Public relations is a subfield of communication, containing its own bases of theory and research.  It is a relatively new discipline of study, but it has the potential to become one of the most researched areas of communications.  More than other communications subdivisions, public relations has developed its own specialized journals and information networks.  There is a misconception that public relations is only a technical area of study.  In reality, people who work in public relations must have research skills in addition to technical skills.

                                            

Daymon, C., & Holloway, I. (2010). Qualitative research methods in public relations

and marketing communications. Routledge.

There are two types of research in public relations, qualitative and quantitative.  This book focuses on qualitative research.  Choosing which qualitative tool to use is not as difficult as trying to uncover the thought process behind research questions.  Researchers have to be willing to probe the unknown by looking at things from different vantage points.  Qualitative research shows that relationships in communication are inseparable from their social and historical contexts.

Grunig, J. E. (2006). Furnishing the Edifice: Ongoing Research on Public Relations As

a Strategic Management Function. Journal of Public Relations Research, 18(2), 151-176. Retrieved from http://tandfonline.com. 

The research in this article is based of The Excellence study.   Since its completion, more research has been conducted to assist those in the public relations field participate in strategic decision processes.  The research covers a wide variety of topics.  A major challenge for public relations scholars is institutionalizing strategic public relations as an accepted practice.  Some organizations are wary of public relations research, mainly because they do not truly understand what it encompasses.

Karlberg, M. (1996). Remembering the Public in Public Relations Research: From

Theoretical to Operational Symmetry. Journal of Public Relations Research, 8(4), 263-278. Retrieved from http://tandfonline.com. 

This article focuses on addressing the concerns to public relations research.  A two-way symmetrical model proposed by J. Grunig and his colleague intends to make public relations more inclusive and balanced.  For public relations research to have validity, researchers must not exclude any parts of the population. The agenda of state and commercial communications should not come above all else.  Research should address the needs of public communications in order to achieve balance. 

Sussmann, L. (1948). The Personnel and Ideology of Public Relations. The

Public Opinion Quarterly, 12(4), 697-708. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2745404. 

In this article, the duties of a person working in Public Relations are detailed.  One of these duties is of course, research.  Since big businesses were the first entity to be interested in public relations, the research begins there.  Public relations research in regards to businesses is more qualitative, because the focus is on the outlooks of many social groups.  A more liberal mindset is ideal, especially when delving into the unknown.

Summary

Research is built upon other research, so anyone who contributes is also potentially helping researchers in the future.  It is essential in both communication and in its subfield, public relations.  Public relations is rapidly developing to and has the opportunity to provide information to many areas of communication as it continues to grow.  The knowledge that researchers gain from doing research shapes how they experience public relations.   All in all, research in this field provides insight to how the manipulation of communication can influence cultural reality.

~L.L.S. 

 References

Botan, C. H., & Taylor, M. (2004). Public relations: State of the field. Journal of

communication, 54(4), 645-661.

Daymon, C., & Holloway, I. (2010). Qualitative research methods in public relations

and marketing communications. Routledge.

Grunig, J. E. (2006). Furnishing the Edifice: Ongoing Research on Public Relations As

a Strategic Management Function. Journal of Public Relations Research, 18(2), 151-176.  Retrieved from http://tandfonline.com. 

Karlberg, M. (1996). Remembering the Public in Public Relations Research: From

Theoretical to Operational Symmetry. Journal of Public Relations Research, 8(4), 263-278.  Retrieved from http://tandfonline.com. 

Sussmann, L. (1948). The Personnel and Ideology of Public Relations. The

Public Opinion Quarterly, 12(4), 697-708. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2745404.