2008 PROCEEDINGS - Public Relations Society of America

all had the same instructor, the same online curriculum, the same course assignments, and the
same required textbook (Effective Public Relations by Cutlip, Center, & Broom). All students
also were enrolled in a specialized Masters program, which does not offer a concentration in
public relations; they were taking this course to fulfill an elective requirement. In their online
introductory postings, students were asked to specify if they work in the public relations field or
have public responsibilities in their line of work; the majority (98%) indicated that they did not.
Both before enrolling in the graduate public relations management class, then after
completing the course, all students were asked to identify what they believe to be the best
definition of “public relations.” All respondents had access to an online discussion board link on
the Blackboard class website to which they could post their definitions. A total of 251 online
written accounts were collected. A total of 117 were completed by men and 134 were completed
by women. Students were also asked to identify the industry in which they are employed.
Answers varied, ranging from corporate, government, military, medical, and nonprofit
organizations to banking, education (K-12 and post-secondary education) and human services.
Thematic analysis was carried out using procedures and techniques to identify overarching
themes (e.g., Goetz & Preissle, 1993; Miles & Huberman, 1994; Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Glaser
& Strauss, 1967). These themes were then analyzed based on the goals of the study.
Results
Results from this study revealed the emergence and reoccurrence of three primary
themes: 1) ethically-charged concerns, 2) influence-related concerns, and 3) social responsibility
concerns. The relative prominence of each of these primary themes was identified across the
sample as a whole, as well between the responses posted before and after completing the course.
Theme 1: Social responsibility definitions
Under the first main theme, there was a considerable increase from before (30.3%) vs.
after (46.6%) the students had completed the course. Whereas 30% (n=76) of students defined
public relations in terms of social responsibility before completing the course, 47 (n=117) cited
definitions of social responsibility after completing the course: 1) most public relations
practitioners serve the good of the public, 2) the public relations industry does a good job of
promoting its positive qualities and 3) society views public relations practitioners in a positive
light. (See Table 1)
Theme 2: Ethics-oriented definitions
Respondents’ definition of public relations related with regard ethics and ethical issues
eth-charged emerged as a distinct second dimension. Whereas 38% (n=95) of students defined
public relations in terms of ethics before completing the course, 23% (n=58) cited definitions of
ethics after completing the course – indicating a noticeable decrease. In particular, these
responses reflect that public relations practitioners need to have the ability to not only benefit
their organizations by ethically and morally performing their jobs, but to balance the private
interests of the organization while considering the interests of key publics as well – through
strategic planning and symmetrical communication programs: 1) public relations is seen by many
as a “less than ethical” profession, 2) work needs to be done to improve public’s perception of
the public relations industry and 3) public relations is more reactive than proactive. (See Table 1)
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