PR as a Profession

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Journal of Creative Communications

DOI: 10.1177/097325860600100202 2006; 1; 155 Journal of Creative Communications

Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman States

Public Relations as a Profession An Analysis of Curricular Content in the United

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Journal of Creative Communications 1:2 (2006)SAGE PUBLICATIONS New Delhi l Thousand Oaks l LondonDOI: 10.1177/097325860600100202

Public Relations as a ProfessionAn Analysis of Curricular Content in the United States

KRISHNAMURTHY SRIRAMESH AND LISA B. HORNAMAN

This study attempts to evaluate the efficacy of undergraduate public relations programmes in the UnitedStates. The study surveyed 155 public relations educators and practitioners to determine their impressionson factors such as whether students are being imparted the knowledge and experience to become publicrelations practitioners, the knowledge and skills respondents thought students ought to possess to becomesuccessful professionals, the skills new graduates should possess, and the characteristics of the public rela-tions profession. Results revealed agreement among educators and practitioners about the subjects thatshould be taught in undergraduate public relations programmes, including the knowledge and skillsrecommended by the Commission for Public Relations Education. Respondents did not agree on the bestcareer plan for future public relations professionals. However, a majority felt that majoring in publicrelations with a minor in business was the best thing for students who want to work in this field. Respond-ents felt that not all of the subjects they deemed important were currently being taught in all publicrelations programmes. Both practitioners and educators agreed that graduates were well trained in theuse of new technologies for public relations. However, the percentage of practitioners who felt that graduateswere prepared to enter the public relations profession was considerably lower than educators.

Contrary to the popular misconception among most segments of the general public andamong many practitioners around the world as well, the scope of public relations is not, andought not to be, limited to positive publicity or ‘image’ building. When practised strategically,public relations can contribute greatly to organizational effectiveness. Strategic public relationspractice goes beyond providing positive publicity. Scholars have offered various definitionsof the term public relations, a synthesis of which tells us that public relations should be thestrategic management of communication by organizations to build lasting and mutually beneficialrelationships with their stakeholders. In other words, effective public relations should not onlybe driven by the interests of the organization (or the source of the message), but also by theneeds, values and interests of organizational stakeholders.

The question of whether public relations is a profession or a craft has been debated widelyfor almost two decades. Jackson (1988) contended that public relations has established itselfas a profession, while many others (Agee et al. 1995; Bivins 1993; Cameron et al. 1996;Hainsworth 1993; Ryan and Martinson 1990; Sallot et al. 1998b; Wylie 1994) have argued that



156 Krishnamurthy Sriramesh and Lisa B. Hornaman

it has yet to be recognized as one. However, all agree that it is important for public relationsto gain professional status because that would give credibility and reputation to the industry,increase the accountability and credibility of practitioners, enhance the quality of work pro-duced by practitioners, and give practitioners greater opportunities to contribute organ-izational decision making.

Scholars have proposed that in order to attain professional status, the public relationsindustry must meet criteria that are basic to all professions, such as maintaining a code ofethics, serving the public interest, ensuring that practitioners of the profession possess special-ized technical skills, possessing a body of esoteric knowledge, providing specialized andstandardized education to those who seek to enter the profession, offering a unique service,and establishing robust professional organizations (Cameron et al. 1996; Ryan and Martinson1990; Saunders and Perrigo 1998; Wylie 1994).

The research described here attempted to study the extent to which undergraduate collegeeducation in the United States prepares students to become professionals. Because the UnitedStates is considered the leader in public relations education and practice, understanding thestrengths and weaknesses of that system is important. In order to do so, we surveyed a sampleof public relations educators and practitioners (and those who identified themselves as profes-sionals and scholars) to determine whether students are being imparted the knowledge andexperience that is necessary for them to become public relations professionals. Respondentswere also asked to identify the knowledge and skills critical for students to become successfulprofessionals, the skills new graduates ought to possess, as well as what they considered werethe characteristics that would elevate public relations to professional status. Therefore, thestudy attempted not only to get a better understanding of how education contributes tothe profession, but also identify areas where public relations education can be improved tohelp prepare future professionals.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The Public Relations Profession

Not surprisingly, the literature reviewed for this study indicated general agreement amongmost scholars, educators and practitioners that good public relations education has the poten-tial to contribute greatly to establishing public relations as a profession. Scholars also haveprovided a variety of suggestions for improving undergraduate college education in order tohelp prepare students to become effective professionals. Further, many arguments have beenput forth by different practitioners and educators about the current status of public relations



Public Relations as a Profession 157

as a profession, the criteria necessary for it to become a profession, and the methods bywhich public relations can gain professional status.

Our review of the literature only found one author (Jackson 1988) who claimed that publicrelations had attained professional status. He argued that as a profession, public relations usespsychology, sociology and other social sciences to build and influence relationships, servesthe public interest, and has a Body of Knowledge and a Code of Professional Standards.However, the majority of the literature indicated that the field of public relations is not yet aprofession (Agee et al. 1995; Bivins 1993; Cameron et al. 1996; Hainsworth 1993; Ryan andMartinson 1990; Sallot et al. 1998b). Some authors (Cameron et al. 1996; Ryan and Martinson1990; Sallot et al. 1998b; Saunders and Perrigo 1998; Wylie 1994) discussed the criteria thatan occupation must meet in order to become a profession. Based on the literature review, weidentified eight criteria and evaluated the sentiments of a sample of scholars and professionalson the presence of these criteria in current public relations curricula in the United States:

1. Maintaining a code of ethics and professional values and norms.2. Commitment to serve in the public interest and be socially responsible.3. Having a body of esoteric, scholarly knowledge.4. Having specialized and standardized education, including graduate study.5. Having technical and research skills.6. Providing a unique service to an organization and the community.7. Membership in professional organizations.8. Having autonomy in organizations to make communication-related decisions.

Professionalism and Public Relations Education

Many authors have advocated the need for specialized training, college education and con-tinuing education as essential to elevate the field to the status of a profession (Bissland andRentner 1988; Brownell and Niebauer 1988; Gaudino and Vanden Bergh 1988; Grunig 1989;Turk 1989; White et al. 1992). For example, Grunig (1989: 23) contended that ‘the professionof public relations requires specialized scholarship and education’. He argued that studentsneed education in public relations rather than journalism or another field in order to practisemore sophisticated public relations.

The literature reviewed offered a wide range of recommendations for improving publicrelations education. However, the most commonly mentioned recommendations includeproviding students with a broad liberal arts background; teaching management, research,ethics and theory; teaching writing and technology; providing practical experience throughinternships; having licensing or accreditation; having a balance of the genders in school and




in the workforce; requiring students to have a minor (secondary specialization); having a separ-ate public relations department within the college that houses it; and teaching public relationsfrom an integrated marketing communications (IMC) perspective. Before elaborating onthese criteria, we believe it is pertinent to discuss the need for consensus in curriculum content.

The Need for Consensus on the Public Relations Curriculum

The need for consensus among scholars, educators and practitioners about a uniform publicrelations curriculum has been debated. Some authors have argued that because public relationsis a relatively new field, consensus has not yet been formed on the range and content of courses,especially at the undergraduate level (Caudill et al. 1990; Sallot et al. 1997, 1998a; VanLeuven1989a). Caudill et al. (1990) argued for consensus on teaching goals and the body ofknowledge. They contended that because public relations is a relatively new field and becausea number of undergraduate public relations courses are taught by journalism or com-munication professors who are unfamiliar with the field, a consensus has yet to be reachedabout what should be taught.

In two studies, Sallot et al. (1997, 1998a) found that educators and practitioners have dis-tinct views on professional standards, which prompted them to argue that in order to improveeducation, they need to agree on professional standards and an appropriate public relationscurriculum. A lack of consensus has made it hard to define exactly what public relations isand what (and how) it can contribute to organizations. The literature made specific recom-mendations for improving public relations curricula and the most popular ones will be brieflyreviewed.

Providing a Broad Liberal Arts Background

Many authors have discussed the need for public relations students to receive a broad liberalarts education in addition to the more specific public relations curricula. These authors sug-gested that public relations students ought to take courses in fields such as psychology, soci-ology, social and behavioural sciences, business and humanities (Baxter 1993; Caudill et al.1990; Falb 1992; Gibson 1992–93; Kruckeberg 1998; McInerny 1995; Schwartz et al. 1992;VanLeuven 1989a; Wylie 1990). Caudill et al. (1990) argued that public relations is a profession‘requiring the broadest kind of education’ that provides them a broad perspective.

Other scholars have recommended courses in fine arts, government, law, sciences, eco-nomics and history (Guiniven 1998; Heath 1991; Pincus and Rayfield 1992). Heath (1991)offered an agenda for public relations education arguing that public relations practitionersand scholars must be familiar with the humanities, fine arts, social sciences, government,business management, law, and scientific and technical issues. Kruckeberg (1998) recom-mended that public relations students should be able to use the knowledge and skills of




journalism, mass communication and speech communication when they become publicrelations professionals. Wylie (1990) suggested courses in mass communication, journalism,and internal and external communication.

Teaching Management

The need for management education was one of the most widely offered recommendations(Baxter 1993; Berkowitz and Hristodoulakis 1999; Caudill et al. 1990; Falb 1992; Gaudino andVanden Bergh 1988; Gibson 1992–93; Griffin and Pasadeos 1998; Grunig 1989; Guiniven1998; Heath 1991; Hunt and Thompson 1988; Kinnick and Cameron 1994; Lordan 1996;McInerny 1995; Petrook 1995; Pincus and Rayfield 1992; Sallot et al. 1998b; Schwartz et al.1992; Sparks and Conwell 1998; Turk 1989; VanLeuven 1989a; Wakefield and Cottone 1992).There is little doubt that public relations is becoming more management-based and strategy-driven, which requires students to be conversant in both communication and business. If weare to elevate public relations to a profession, it seems inevitable that it enjoy credibility withinorganizations as a key management function that helps maintain an efficacious equilibriumwith their stakeholders. Scholars have also contended that in addition to public relationsstudents being taught about management and business, business students ought to be taughtabout communication so that organizational managers can understand and appreciate thecontributions public relations can make to strategic management of organizations.

ETHICS

Several authors have rightly recommended the inclusion of ethics in public relations cur-ricula (Gibson 1992–93; Grunig 1989; Guiniven 1998; Harrison 1990; Heath 1991; Lordan1996; McInerny 1995; Pincus and Rayfield 1992; Pratt and Rentner 1989; Smethers 1998;Turk 1989; Wakefield and Cottone 1992). Guiniven’s (1998) study found that ethics was amongthe eight subjects recommended by practitioners for inclusion in the public relations cur-riculum, the others being business, history, journalism, psychology, sociology and law. Prattand Rentner (1989: 53) contended that ‘high ethical standards in the practice are seen assubstantially contributing to the professionalization of the occupation’.

Theory

Another popular recommendation is that theory should not only be included in under-graduate curricula, but should be the underpinning for all courses (Gibson 1992–93;




Guiniven 1998; Hazleton and Long 1988; Heath 1991). Grunig (1989) stated that one of thebenefits of introducing students to public relations theory is that some of them might entergraduate school and contribute to further develop the body of knowledge. Gaudino and Steele(1988: 4) contended that a ‘theoretical or technical base and an educational system for itsdissemination are necessary conditions for recognition as a profession’.

Research

Research is another subject that is often mentioned as an ingredient of good public relationseducation (Gaudino and Steele 1988; Gibson 1992–93; Grunig 1989; Larson 1989; Pincus andRayfield 1992). Heath (1991) argued that respectability will come to the public relationsfield if useful and accurate research that contributes to advancing the field is conducted. Hesuggested, ‘Research and increased standards of performance have been the route to distinctionand respectability, whether the discipline was medicine, engineering, psychology, or businessadministration’ (ibid.: 187).

Writing

Writing has commonly been viewed as one of the most important topics to be taughtto public relations students by educators and practitioners alike. Harrison (1989: 42) arguedthat good writing skills are essential for success in the field, and that ‘a really first rate…publicrelations person must know and master a wide range of writing skills’. Therefore, he recom-mended that public relations students must receive specialized writing courses in thecommunication field, particularly hard news writing. The author contended that writingability is essential for every student who wants to ‘advance beyond basic practitioner to man-agement’ (ibid.: 43). Guiniven (1998: 55) contended that ‘writing should be, or continue tobe, emphasized across the curriculum’. Baxter (1993: 5) wrote that ‘writing is still the key toeffective practice’, and that strong education in writing is needed. He recommended thatstudents receive as many courses as possible in English, news writing, creative writing, per-suasive writing, copywriting and speech writing. He also recommended that internshipsprovide students with practice writing.

New Media Technology

With the unquestioned need to use of new technologies for public relations purposes, severalauthors have recommended that this be included in every public relations curriculum. Sparksand Conwell (1998) recommended the integration of current technology into traditional




teaching methods. Griffin and Pasadeos (1998) contended that more computer skills courseswere needed.

Professional Internships

Providing public relations students with internship opportunities is the final of the popularrecommendations. VanLeuven (1989a) argued that in order for university public relationsprogrammes to gain credibility, there should be internship opportunities for students andprofessional exchanges for educators. Schwartz et al. (1992) suggested that the curriculumought to include career orientation for students by providing internship opportunities. Baxter(1993) contended that students should have internships, and that these internships shouldallow them to observe public relations practitioners in the roles of manager, strategist, planner,problem solver and counsellor to management.

Other recommendations for improving public relations education include requiring stu-dents to also specialize in a ‘minor’ subject related to public relations, implementing licensingor accreditation, having a separate public relations department within the college that housesit, and teaching public relations from an integrated marketing communications (IMC) per-spective. In sum, most scholars agree that public relations education is a key element inadvancing the industry towards professionalization. This literature review helped us identifythe following research questions for this study:

1. What is the current sentiment among public relations educators about the componentsof a good public relations curriculum?

2. What is the current sentiment among public relations educators on the characteristicsof a good public relations professional?

3. What is the current sentiment among public relations professionals about the com-ponents of a good public relations curriculum?

4. What is the current sentiment among public relations professionals on the character-istics of a good public relations professional?

5. Do public relations educators feel that there are other characteristics of a good publicrelations curriculum?

6. Do public relations educators feel that there are other characteristics of a good publicrelations professional?

7. Do public relations professionals feel that there are other characteristics of a goodpublic relations curriculum?

8. Do public relations professionals feel that there are other characteristics of a goodpublic relations professional?




METHODOLOGY

The Sample

A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data from educators and professionalsin the United States. Based on similar studies done previously, an approximate response rateof 25 per cent was anticipated, and because we wanted to gather data from at least 150 re-spondents, an initial sample of 200 educators, 200 practitioners, and 200 public relationsprofessionals engaged in corporate (in-house) public relations was chosen. Because PublicRelations Society of America (PRSA) members may belong to different types of organizationssuch as government agencies, non-profits and professional associations, a separate categoryof respondents from corporate public relations was selected as a third category. We wantedprofessionals of all levels of experience and expertise to be included in the sample so that wecovered a wide spectrum of professionals, including recent graduates who could give us feed-back on how well prepared they were in the profession based on their university education.

The sample of public relations educators was drawn from the most recent membershipdirectories of the PRSA Educators’ Academy and the Association for Education in Journalismand Mass Communication (AEJMC). The sample of public relations practitioners was drawnfrom The Red Book: A Directory of the PRSA Counselors Academy (PRSA 1999) using a system-atic sampling design (Babbie 1998). The sample of professionals from corporate public rela-tions was drawn from the membership directory of the Arthur W. Page Society.

The Survey Instrument

An e-mail was sent to each of the 600 respondents describing the research and requestingthem to go to a website1 to complete the survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was designedas an electronic response form and respondents were asked to read a consent form beforedeciding whether to participate. They were asked to enter a unique identification number(previously assigned by the researcher) in a text box so that the researcher could follow upwith those who had not yet responded.

The questionnaire had four sections. The first asked respondents how they felt about publicrelations education and their recommendations to improve education prescribed by theCommission for Public Relations Education (CPRE) in the report it submitted at the PRSAconference in October 1999. In the second section respondents were asked their views onwhat should be taught in a good undergraduate public relations programme, what theythought was essential training for public relations careers, and what skills current collegegraduates of public relations programmes have. In the third section nine criteria of the publicrelations profession were listed, with a brief description of each. Respondents were asked to




rank them and add any others they felt were important. The fourth section asked fordemographic information.

Two months after the initial e-mail was sent, names of those who had responded wereremoved from the mailing list as were e-mail addresses for which a message was not deliverable.A follow-up e-mail was sent to the remaining non-respondents. A month later namesof those who had responded to the follow-up were removed and a second follow-up e-mailwas sent to the remaining non-respondents. After these three attempts, 155 responses werereceived for an approximate response rate of 25 per cent. Of these, 32.5 per cent were educators,18.5 per cent practitioners and 21 per cent corporate public relations professionals. The datawere analysed using SPSS.

FINDINGS

The purpose of this study was to determine the contributions that undergraduate collegeeducation makes to public relations by preparing students as future professionals. Somerespondents had identified themselves as both educators and practitioners, therefore, inreporting the findings, we have split the sample into public relations educators, practitionersand educator-practitioners. The survey revealed similarities and differences in opinion be-tween the three groups. As discussed in the literature review, a greater degree of agreementamong these groups is useful in advancing the public relations profession.

Knowledge Components of Graduates

Based on the literature review, respondents were first asked about the importance of the12 knowledge components of undergraduate public relations education. The results indicatedthat there was consensus among educators, practitioners and those calling themselveseducator-practitioners about the importance of most of these. Most respondents in eachgroup indicated that 11 of the 12 knowledge components were ‘important’ or ‘very important’.Only one knowledge component, ‘public relations history’, was viewed to be somewhat lessimportant by all three groups. The knowledge component ‘communication and persuasionconcepts and strategies’ seemed to draw the most commonality, with 94 per cent of educators,90 per cent of practitioners and 92 per cent of educator-practitioners deeming it important.

While 94 per cent of educators and 80 per cent of educator-practitioners found ‘multi-cultural and global issues’ to be important, only 67 per cent of practitioners thought so.Given the rapid globalization that is turning much of organizational communication inter-national, it was a little surprising that practitioners did not deem this component as being




important. A similar difference of opinion among practitioners was seen in the ‘organizationalchange and development’ component, with 86 per cent of educators and 88 per cent ofeducator-practitioners indicating that this knowledge was important, while only 60 per centof practitioners found it important. So although all three groups generally agreed that 11 ofthe 12 knowledge components were important, there was some variation.

Overall, the 12 knowledge components can be organized from most important to leastimportant by totalling the percentages of respondents in all groups who felt the componentwas ‘important’ or ‘very important’. Although the items at the end of the list were seen tohave less importance, it must be noted that they were still considered to be key by most re-spondents. The ranked list of the knowledge components is presented in Appendix A.

Skill Levels of Graduates

The three groups of respondents indicated that 19 of the 20 skills listed were ‘important’ or‘very important’. The percentage indicating that the skills were important usually fell between75 per cent and 97 per cent of the respondents in each group. There were some exceptions,however. For example, a lower percentage of practitioners (52 per cent), felt that the skill‘participation in the professional public relations community’ was important, while educators(83 per cent) and educator-practitioners (77 per cent) considered it important. A similartrend was seen with the skill ‘applying cross-cultural and cross-gender sensitivity’. Whileeducators (86 per cent) and educator-practitioners (77 per cent) rated this skill as important,a slightly lower percentage of practitioners (67 per cent) rated it so.

Interestingly, we observed that a slightly higher percentage of educators ranked each skillas important and a slightly lower percentage of practitioners did so. However, it was clearthat some skills were highly valued by all three groups. ‘Mastery of language in written andoral communication’ was deemed important by 97 per cent of educators, 95 per cent of prac-titioners and 98 per cent of educator-practitioners. In addition, the three groups agreed that‘informative and persuasive writing’ was important with 92 per cent of educators, 95 percent of practitioners and 96 per cent of educator-practitioners identifying this skill as ‘import-ant’ or ‘very important’. Although there were some differences of opinion, there appeared tobe general agreement among all three groups about the importance of the skills. Althoughthe items further down the list (Appendix B) were seen to have less importance, it must benoted that they were still considered to be important by the majority of respondents.

Undergraduate Courses

As with the knowledge and skill components, the eight course components were viewed tobe important by the majority of respondents. All eight courses were considered importantexcept ‘directed electives’, which was deemed important only by 69 per cent of educators,




55 per cent of practitioners and 71 per cent of educator-practitioners. The rest of the courseswere considered to be important by 77 per cent or more of each group. Although there weresome minor differences in opinion, there tended to be a general agreement among all threegroups about the importance of the courses. Overall, the eight courses can be ordered frommost important to least important by totalling the percentages of respondents in all groupswho felt the component was ‘important’ or ‘very important’. Again, although the items at theend of the list were seen to have less importance, they were still considered as being importantby most respondents (Appendix C).

The data also revealed that a high percentage of respondents felt that other courses shouldbe included in the public relations curriculum although their proposals for such coursesvaried widely. The most common recommendation was for a course in accounting andfinance, which was recommended by 22 respondents. Other recommendations included tech-nology and the Internet, journalistic writing, marketing, history and business management—being recommended by eight or more respondents.

Courses to be Taught

When respondents were asked to rate the importance of 30 subjects in preparing studentsfor public relations careers, their responses varied—a departure from their general agreementregarding knowledge, skill and course components. As a result, other than grouping thesubjects from most to least important, it was hard to determine any other trends. Overall,the 30 subjects were ranked by totalling the percentages of respondents in all groups who feltthe component was ‘important’ or ‘very important’. We then divided the subjects into threegroups by totalling the percentage of respondents in each group (for a maximum total of300 percentage points) and labelling the subjects that received 200 points or more as the‘most important’, those receiving 100 points or more as ‘somewhat less important’, and thosereceiving fewer than 100 points as the ‘least important’. The ranked list of the courses deemed‘most important’ are indicated in Appendix D.

Where Should the Public Relations Departments be Housed?

Most respondents stated that the public relations department should be housed in the schoolsof journalism and communications. Fifty-three per cent of educators, 65 per cent ofpractitioners and 59 per cent of educator-practitioners felt that this was the best home forpublic relations. Business colleges was the second choice with 14 per cent of educators,20 per cent of practitioners and 18 per cent of educator-practitioners. Only 17 per cent ofeducators responded that speech communications schools were the best place for publicrelations departments. The choice of college for a public relations department is important




because, among other things, it affects how public relations is taught, the educational back-ground of professors who teach it, and the financial support the department receives. It isimportant to note, however, that some scholars feel that if public relations is housed injournalism schools, students receive too much journalism and not enough public relationseducation.

How Prepared Public Relations Graduates Are

Respondents who had worked with, or supervised, public relations graduates were asked torate the extent of preparation of these graduates. There was general agreement from all threecategories of respondents that graduates were well-trained to use new technologies.Respondents also indicated that most graduates were moderately prepared in ‘presentationand speaking’ and ‘ethics’, with a few being well prepared in these subjects. On the otherhand graduates were perceived to be prepared moderately in ‘management skills’, but re-spondents tended to indicate that some graduates were a little less prepared in this topic. Forthe rest of the topics, approximately a third of the respondents felt that graduates were veryprepared, moderately prepared and not prepared. Overall, the sentiment seemed to be thatgraduates were moderately prepared in everything except new technology, in which theywere well prepared.

DISCUSSION

Overall, the survey results indicated that public relations educators and professionals do notdiffer greatly on the various aspects of education and professionalism analysed in this study.There was clear consensus among educators and practitioners about the importance of know-ledge components, skill components, the courses that should be taught in public relationsprogrammes, and the best home for the public relations department.

Although consensus was not as obvious on how many subjects are currently taught andthe best career plan for students, there was general agreement on these aspects as well. Thearea with least consensus involved the ranking of the nine criteria of the profession, thoughthere was still some agreement among educators and practitioners about the importance ofthe criteria. If the survey instrument had asked respondents to rate each one of the criteriainstead of putting them in order from most to least important, perhaps opinions would havebeen clearer. That may be useful information for a future study. It is heartening to note thateducators and practitioners generally agree on what is important for undergraduate publicrelations students because that is crucial in developing a good model for public relationseducation.




The Importance of Subjects and the Extent to Which They are Taught

To compare the importance of subjects and perception among respondents on how oftenthey are taught, we looked for further trends in the data. As discussed earlier, there were10 subjects on which it was clear that educators, practitioners and educator-practitionersagreed. All three groups indicated that every public relations curriculum should includecourses that increase students’ knowledge about the mass media, publicity techniques, liberalarts and journalism. Most respondents from the three groups felt that six subjects—finance/budgeting, statistics, international public relations, political communication and film-making—were not adequately being taught. This finding is similar to the critique of publicrelations education proposed by Sriramesh (2002).

Preparedness of Public Relations Graduates

Respondents indicated that public relations graduates were only moderately prepared forthe profession. This may be because their curricula were either not rigorous or they did notlearn much even after attending a good programme. We also ought to recognize that thelearning continues when they enter the profession as they are likely to learn much on the job.To try to determine why respondents felt students were moderately prepared, a comparisonwas made on some subjects between how much respondents felt subjects were being taught,and how well graduates were prepared in those subjects.

An interesting difference between educators and practitioners was that on every subjectexcept new technology, the percentage of practitioners who felt that graduates were wellprepared was considerably lower than educators who felt the same. These data suggest thateducators think they are doing a good job of educating students, whereas practitioners feelthat graduates are not educated enough—a chasm that needs to be further explored andbridged.

The Criteria of Public Relations Profession

The ordinal ranking of the nine criteria of the public relations profession made it difficult toanalyse the data from respondents. Based on the data, the only clear conclusion that can bedrawn is that most respondents do not like the idea of public relations practitioners beingcertified by the state. Two respondents even pointed out that such certification would be aviolation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution that guarantees freedom of speechand expression. The literature supports this finding. Very few scholars proposed or believedthat public relations should be licensed or certified by the state. Perhaps, as some respondentsnoted, the nine criteria are all fairly important to the public relations profession, and theordinal ranking of the criteria only served to provide the researcher with confusing data.Further research might be able to provide a better understanding of sentiments on these.




CONCLUSION

The findings indicated that all three groups surveyed agreed about the importance of know-ledge, skills, courses and subjects that are taught in undergraduate public relations education.The three groups also tended to agree about the extent to which certain subjects were taught,the best home for the public relations department, and the best career plan for the studentwho wants to work in public relations. Less agreement was seen regarding the nine criteria ofthe profession, but that could have resulted from the ordinal design of the study instrument.An obvious conclusion that can be drawn is that public relations education is helping theindustry grow into a profession. The first step appears to have been accomplished, with agree-ment among public relations educators and practitioners about these important educationalissues.

The Future

The next step in studying and possibly improving public relations education might be toanalyse whether different public relations programmes actually teach the courses that theCPRE recommends. In addition, more research could be done to determine if subjects andcourses other than those recommended by the CPRE are needed to prepare public relationsstudents for a successful career. Sriramesh (2002) had argued that the CPRE’s recommend-ations did not give sufficient importance to multiculturalism and international issues, whichis much needed in a rapidly globalizing world.

APPENDIX A

What public relations graduates ought to know (ranked according to findings):

1. Communication and persuasion concepts and strategies2. Communication and public relations theories3. Ethical issues4. Relationships and relationship building5. Use of research and forecasting6. Societal trends7. Marketing and finance8. Management concepts and theories9. Legal requirements and issues

10. Multicultural and global issues11. Organizational change and development




APPENDIX B

Skills levels of graduates:

1. Mastery of language in written and oral communication2. Informative and persuasive writing3. Problem solving and negotiation4. Strategic planning5. Ethical decision making6. Research methods and analysis7. Public speaking and presentation8. Working with a current issue9. Management of information

10. Management of communication11. Issues management12. Message production13. Audience segmentation14. Sensitive interpersonal communication15. Community relations, consumer relations, employee relations, other practice areas16. Managing people, programmes and resources17. Technological and visual literacy18. Applying cross-cultural and cross-gender sensitivity19. Participation in the professional public relations community

Only one skill component, ‘fluency in a foreign language’, was not seen to be as important asthe others.

APPENDIX C

Undergraduate course to be taught:

1. Public relations writing and production2. Supervised work experience in public relations (internship)3. Public relations planning and management4. Public relations research, measurement and evaluation5. Introduction to public relations6. Public relations campaigns7. Case studies in public relations

Again, only one course, ‘directed electives’, was considered somewhat less important by allthree groups.




APPENDIX D

The list of subjects considered most important:

l Critical thinking and problem-solving skillsl Knowledge about mass medial New PR technologies (computers, Internet, Web design, etc.)l Public opinion concepts/research (surveys, focus groups, etc.)l Setting goals/objectivesl Long- and short-term strategic planningl General liberal arts knowledge (English, history, etc.)l Knowledge about crisis managementl Courses in marketingl Leadership skillsl Publicity techniquesl Courses in journalisml Courses in management/organization behaviourl General social science knowledge (sociology, psychology, etc.)l PR law/privacy/defamation/copyright/product liability/financial disclosure, etc.

Krishnamurthy Sriramesh is Associate Professor, School of Communication and Information,Nanayang Technological University, Singapore 637718. E-mail: [email protected] B. Hornaman owns Communigraphics, 8668 SW Tropical Ave, Stuart, FL 34997, USA.E-mail: [email protected].

NOTE

1. http://www.foosion.net/survey/index.htm

REFERENCES

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Documents

PR as a Profession