Publication Date

1983

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Walker, Albert, 1920-

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Journalism

LCSH

Public relations consultants--United States

Abstract

The early 1970s and the corresponding early period of the 1980s share a basic similarity, a recessionary economic condition which has forced the American business public to reevaluate and even alter company practices. The public relations climates in both periods have not been immune to recessionary measures and, today, as was the case a decade ago, the profession struggles to continue its development and overcome past image problems amidst a flurry of budget cuts. In a partial replication of the 1971 study by the same name, this 1982 study seeks to explore further the public relations profession a decade later: its growth, its limitations and its perception as viewed by those who utilize the services of outside counsel. The public relations profession still finds itself faced with the same conflicting perceptions by their corporate and advertising agency audiences as they did in 1971. The 1982 study, however, reflects attitudinal changes as indicated by respondents from advertising agencies and corporate public relations departments. Information for this study was received from 260 communications executives, each representing a different corporate department or advertising agency. One hundred and twenty-eight of the executives sampled are members of Fortune 500 corporate public relations departments, most frequently a top department executive. The remaining 132 respondents are from advertising agencies and, as with the departments, respondents were most frequently a top executive. Information for the 1982 study was gathered in the same manner as the 1971 data so as to produce a valid re pii ca ti on . Data were obtained from two written questionnaires. Respondents answered the appropriate questionnaire which covered their perceptions of the role of the outside public relations counselor, information regarding their individual agencies or firms and their effectiveness, and the extent to which they have been involved with outside counsel.

Comments

Bibliography: pages 122-127.

Extent

xi, 165 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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