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3 December 2019
Free webinar: the Future of Work report
Institute for PR’s free webinar
The Future of Work: Preparing for Tomorrow’s Reality Today
featuring the report’s author Melissa Dodd
∼ December 5 at 1pm EST (7pm CET) ∼

The IPR 2019 Future of Work Report investigates the future of work and the impact of several factors on the changing nature of work, including a rapidly and continuously shifting technological landscape, the growth of globalization, and the juxtaposition of new and tenured members of the workforce.

While some technological innovations have already made a significant impact on organizations, the future of work is more than just artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. The intents of this projects was to investigate the three interlinked dimensions of an organization: the work (the what), the workforce (the who), and the workplace (the where). Each offers unique challenges and opportunities for organizational (internal) communication.

Register now
29 November 2019
Call for short Papers by Jan. 14: Management Communication for EGOS Colloquium

On the occasion of the 36th EGOS Colloquium on Organizing for a Sustainable Future: Responsibility, Renewal & Resistance, taking place at the University of Hamburg, Germany, on July 2–4, 2020, our colleagues Peter Stücheli-Herlach, Christian Schwägerl and François Cooren are happy to invite submissions on:

Putting Management Communication
to the Practical Test in its Heyday (sub-theme 44)
∼ short papers by January 14 ∼

The aim of the discussion will be to network researchers interested in the field and to put theory and research to a “practical test” at a time when management communication appears more important than ever before. Colleagues from various international research fields will be invited to present their methodological approaches and findings.

With the growing role that organizations play in the upheavals of modern societies, we feel the urgent need to challenge how management research tends to be conducted. Organizational practices that are denoted by the term “management” are more and more discussed in current research discourses as well as in the public sphere, but questions such as responsibility, autonomy, agency or the contribution to value creation remain, in many respects, unresolved (Rüegg-Stürm & Grand, 2015: 26). If the disruptively changing society – and the role organizations play in it – form our frame of reference, we think that the question of management’s contribution to sustainable development must be posed anew and the “black box” of this controversial term must be reopened (ibid.).

Within the framework of this sub-theme, we will encourage participants to openly discuss and analyze what it means to manage and to be a manager today. We will especially draw attention to the interactional and thus linguistic dimensions of management practices. By doing so, the sub-theme aims to refine the theoretical and empirical perspectives, in which “management” is understood as a communicative constitutive practice of a communicatively constituted organization in the modern “world society” (Brummans et al., 2013; Stichweh, 2000; Danesi & Rocci, 2009).

On the one hand, this sub-theme is intended to discuss previous findings from practice-oriented research strands on the topic. On the other hand, the sub-theme will discuss whether the “practice” and “linguistic” turn in management research can lead to new questions and results in relations to the practical challenges that managers, management teams and management communities are facing in modern society.

For more information on the theme and submission instructions, please visit:

Call for Papers sub-theme 44
EGOS Colloquium website
5 November 2019
WPRF2020: the next edition of the World Public Relations Forum

Global Alliance and The Public Relations Institute of New Zealand invite EUPRERA members and colleagues in our field to join the next edition of the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF2020) in Auckland, New Zealand, on October 12-15, 2020.

Drawing on the unique Maori and Pacific culture of New Zealand and surrounding Pacific and Asian neighbours, WPRF2020 will offer a meeting place for discussion, deliberation and interaction on our WPRF2020 theme Connecting with Courage: human connections and relationships are the heart of public relations. As our profession enters a new decade and navigates the shifts affecting our society, how do we ensure that these connections are authentic, sustainable and represent the multitude of voices? It takes courage. 1500-word abstracts on this theme can be submitted until December 31, 2019.

The WPRF2020 includes a Research and Practice Colloquium to be held on October 12: a full day of discussions and presentations from educators, researchers and practitioners, which builds a bridge between the academic and practitioner communities.

More info on
WPRF2020 website
1 November 2019
In a Car with IPR: the latest episode of the video series

Recently, the Institute for PR has released the latest episode of In A Car with IPR featuring Catherine Hernandez-Blades, SVP and Chief ESG and Communications Officer at Aflac. Catherine gives us a tour of “The Big Easy” (New Orleans) and shares her thoughts on diversity, equity, inclusion, CSR, the future of work and more.

In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness month, the IPR also meet up with a special guest who introduces us to the My Special Aflac Duck. Named one of Time’s best inventions of 2018, Catherine shares how Aflac developed this heartwarming technology for children with cancer in mind.

Have you missed the previous episodes (and the deleted scenes)? You can find the complete collection here:

In a Car with IPR
31 October 2019
EUPRERA congresses 2020-21-22

Details are being defined and a formal announcement for the 2020 edition will come soon, but you can already save the dates for our next congresses!

2020 congress

October 8-10, Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain.

The Call for Papers is already out and invites abstracts on the theme The Camino of strategic communication: (re)-discovering the human element in public relations by February 29, 2020.

2021 congress

September 9-11, Universität Wien, Austria.

2022 congress

(dates will be announced soon) Charles University in Prague, Austria.

28 October 2019
Corporate Activism: research, case studies and solutions for communicators to address a rising trend

You might be aware of an ongoing reader on corporate activism, edited by prof. Ana Adi from Quadriga University of Applied Sciences: it has some new contributions but all timely and valuable when it comes to discussing this trend and its implications. It’s a conversation starter, rather than a final statement on the matter.

In recent years, corporate activism has intrigued, puzzled and challenged communicators. While in the past, activism and corporate communications were often presented as incompatible if not totally opposed (for that, all you need to do is leaf through any book of PR history published before 2000), a shift into what corporations can and should acknowledge seems to have haven taken place around 2010. Whether this is related to changes in technology (and more specifically, the rise of social media) or the increased visibility and success of social movements, or a combination of both, is still up for debate. It is also questionable whether critical PR scholarship calling for an integration of activism and communication (see my recent edited collection on Protest Public Relations, for example) has finally reached practitioners and corporations.

What is certain is that the term ‘corporate activism’ has entered the mainstream, implying not only that the time is right but also that it is increasingly expected that corporations are more explicit and more consistent about the values they have, the causes they promote, and the ideas, ideals and ideologies they support.

Can activist stances be exported? And what if organizations become the focus of another organization’s activism or even another state? This reader aims to tease out answers from practitioners, members and alumni of Quadriga University of Applied Sciences’ network. Conceived as a collection of research updates, opinion pieces, case studies and practical insight geared at communication practitioners and communication students, this reader has been designed as a conversation starter as well as classroom material. It is therefore structured in three parts: research updates, case studies, and tools and solutions from practitioners.

Go to the reader
3 October 2019
IPRRC23: abstract submission until November 6

Public relations professionals, educators, and graduate students are invited to submit competitive abstracts for paper presentations at the premier public relations research conference, the 23rd International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), to be held on March 5-7, 2020, in Orlando, Florida.

This year’s theme focuses on “Connecting Theory and Research with Public Relations Practice” and one-page abstracts can be submitted until November 6, 2019.

The International Public Relations Research Conference is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting socially beneficial public relations research that increases understanding, builds relationships, support ethical socially responsible performance, and advances the development of an increasingly democratic global society.

Go to
IPRRC website
1 October 2019
New book: Big Ideas in Public Relations Research and Practice

edited by Finn Frandsen, Winni Johansen, Ralph Tench, Stefania Romenti
published by Emerald

Part of the APRCM series, this volume collects the best contributions from the EUPRERA 2018 congress held in Aarhus, Denmark. EUPRERA members can have this volume with a 70% discount.

Big Ideas can do many things. They are transformative and change the way we work and communicate in organizations and societies. As Big Ideas are dynamic, they can cross borders between disciplines to create new relationships between people, organizations and countries.

In applying big ideas to public relations, this volume challenges how scholars and practitioners perceive and understand public relations within an organizational setting. In thinking about the ‘bigger picture’, the collection expands public relations research to include more theory-building, more cross-disciplinary research, and more innovation in practice.

The 12 unique contributions from scholars based in Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, France, Romania, the UK, Finland, Portugal and the USA explore the challenges surrounding communication, management and big ideas. Some of the topics discussed include: corporate identity, millennial engagement, strategic communication in the internationalization of firms, public relations in the start-up community and, social capital.

More info
1 October 2019
Prof. Dr. Dejan Verčič receives the EUPRERA award as Distinguished PR Scholar

EUPRERA has named Prof. Dr. Dejan Verčič, from University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, a “Distinguished Public Relations Scholar”. The lifetime award recognizes his outstanding contribution to research and education in public relations as a social science discipline on an international level. He was awarded on September 28, 2019, at the University of Zagreb, on the occasion of the EUPRERA annual congress, by the association’s president Professor Dr. Ralph Tench.

What Dejan brings to his academic roles is a sharp critique of the discipline from a deep understanding of the research and literature base. And he combines this with the insightful application of the theory to practice. This gives his discussions and observations added value as he provides not only disciplinary understanding but an appreciation of the implications of communication on both society and organisations.

 

About Dejan Verčič

Dr Dejan Verčič is Professor, Head of Department of Communication and Head of Centre for Marketing and Public Relations at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and Partner and Knowledge Director in strategic communication group Stratkom, in Slovenia.

  • PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK,
  • He was a Fulbright scholar at the San Diego State University, USA.
  • Verčič has published 14 books and his most recent are Experiencing public relations (2018), Communication Excellence (2017), Culture and Public Relations (2012) and The Global Public Relations Handbook (2009).
  • In 2001 he was awarded the Alan Campbell-Johnson Medal for outstanding service to international public relations by the UK Chartered Institute of Public Relations (of which he is a Fellow),
  • In 2016 the Pathfinder Award, the highest academic honour bestowed by the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) in New York.
  • In 2015 he was elected an Honorary Member of the Croatian Public Relations Association,
  • In 2016 into the Arthur Page Society.
  • Dejan has served as the chairman of the Research Committee of the IABC Research Foundation
  • President of this very important Association
  • Since 1994, he has organized the annual International Public Relations Research Symposium – BledCom which celebrated its 25th birthday in 2018

Dejan is as many will know a regular speaker at universities, academic and professional meetings around the world. And as well as all of this Dejan has been a member of the ECM (European Communication Monitor) team since 2007.

28 September 2019
Awards for best doctoral and master thesis in public relations

The European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) has awarded two master students for their excellent theses in strategic communication at the EUPRERA annual congress in Zagreb on September 28. The congress is known as the major gathering of scholars and professionals interested in advancing the profession of public relations and corporate communications on the continent, hosted this year by University of Zagreb in Croatia.

Best thesis on Instigatory Theory, public diplomacy campaign and country image

The PhD Award for Excellent Doctoral Thesis is a bi-annual prize awarded by EUPRERA together with the PRCA (Public Relations and Communications Association) and ICCO (International Communications Consultancy Organisation), aimed to stimulate the academic discussion and build the body of knowledge in communication management across Europe. The jury, headed by Prof. em. Dr. Betteke van Ruler and Prof. em. Dr. Günter Bentele, selected the winning thesis and the award has been delivered by Ralph Tench (EUPRERA president), Sue Wolstenholme (PRCA representative) and Günter Bentele (head of the jury):

“Strategic Communication: The Instigatory Theory of NGO Communication (ITNC)”, by Evandro Oliveira. Supervisors: Teresa Ruão, University of Minho, Portugal; Ansgar Zerfass, Universität Leipzig, Germany.
After NGOs have been made understandable as civil society organizations from various disciplinary perspectives, the author develops a new model for NGO communication, the Instigatory Theory of NGO Communication (ITNC). Different models are being tested in the theses; a mixed-method-design, composed of a worldwide study on international human rights NGOs as well as an elite interview study are carried out. As one result, the ontological principles of the ITNC model were confirmed and the model turned out to be applicable for NGOs. The theoretical as well as the empirical part of the theses are of a very high standard. The dissertation was defended simultaneously at the University of Minho and at the University of Leipzig.
The Jury decided unanimously that Evandro Oliveira’s theses was the best in the whole field of applications, fulfilling all the criteria in an excellent manner. Complexity and appropriateness of the underlying theory, sophisticated empirical studies, practical orientation and suitability for practice are characteristics that distinguish this thesis. The development of an independent and new theory, the mentioned Instigatory Theory of NGO Communication, the broadness and complexity of the theory as well as the empirically very elaborate foundation are.

Master Thesis Award for Excellence is an annual prize aimed to celebrate the PR academia and the role performed by European Higher Education Institutions in the evolution of knowledge of this field. The jury, headed by Alexander Buhmann, from BI Norwegian Business School in Norway, selected the winning theses in two categories. The awards have been delivered by Stefania Romenti (EUPRERA director) and Ralph Tench (EUPRERA president):

Theoretical Impact Award

“Building the Nation: Analysing the Scottish Government’s Public Diplomacy Campaign Scotland is Now in the Context of Brexit”, by Melissa Walker. Tutor: Mariola Tarrega, University of Stirling, UK.
Brexit is currently one of the most salient and prevalent political challenges in the EU. The complex and uncertain process towards a British independence from the EU has led to a controversial debate over Scottish independence. Melissa Walker’s thesis is situated in this important context and focuses on elements of nation building in the digital campaign “Scotland is Now”. Using the case of the campaign, Walker looks at how elements of nation building are employed to cultivate an image of Scotland, and how these nation-building elements can be related to Scotland’s soft power strategies in the context of Brexit.
Overall, the jury congratulates Melissa Walker to a very interesting and topical thesis that focuses on important dimensions of a communication campaign in the complex negotiation processes over nation identity, thereby bridging conceptual insights from public relations, public diplomacy, and work on nation building.

Practical Impact Award

“The Impact of International News and Stereotypes on Country Images. A Case Study of the Swiss Country Image” by Jérôme Chariatte. Tutor: Diana Ingenhoff, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
The study of country images has become a vital research domain within in public diplomacy and international strategic communication. In his thesis, Jérôme Chariatte uses agenda setting theory and news value theory to hypothesize how international news and news factors, such as proximity, come to determine people’s country image. Further, the candidate incorporates a cognitive level in his analysis by including recent discussions on national stereotypes, as well as a newly developed five dimensional model of the country image.
For public diplomacy and strategic communication practice, the insights from Chariatte’s thesis offer a complex picture of the conjoined and weighted influence of national stereotypes and the international media on the country image, and assess how they differ along the lines of geographic proximity. The results allow practitioners to better understand the complex process of the formation of country images and can serve as an evidence based source for strategic communication measures accordingly. Overall, the jury applauds Jérôme Chariatte for outstanding academic work that contributes to a topical discussion in the field and offers insights based on a sophisticated research design.

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