Posits that most risk communication studies ignore the professional role and communication processes of technical experts. Focuses on one group of technical experts, industrial hygienists, with specific attention to the impact of cognitive involvement, uncertainty, and control on their communication. Indicates that hygienists who are employed in…

Combines public relations practice and total quality management improvement stages to create a philosophy and set of strategies to assist practitioners' understanding of the challenges and response options available to them as part of improving service quality. (SR)

Argues that issues management is a robust contribution to the public relations discipline. Offers additional rationale for empowering public relations practitioners by involving them in strategic planning, making them responsible for issue scanning and monitoring, integrating their advice into standards of corporate social responsibility, and…

States that one challenge to public relations practitioners is the need to foster communication between sources of industrial risk and persons who work and live in communities where this risk is located. Provides results of a survey of industrial hygienists and describes communication networks that the hygienists use. (PA)

Argues that meaning and persuasion are essential to public relations. Presents a model based on a rhetorical perspective, which addresses the impact of words and symbols, as a worthy candidate to be the dominant model in the field of public relations. (HB)

Reviews requirements and trends in public relations and in personnel development and training with respect to preparing speech communication students for these careers. (PD)

Argues that for public relations to achieve professional status it should (1) be a communication discipline; (2) avoid artificial distinctions between information and persuasion; (3) encompass a wide array of auxiliary disciplines; (4) advance core research and theory by isolating and empirically testing a limited number of functions; and (5)…

Explores, taking an issues management approach to new technologies, the dialogs that can occur on the World Wide Web. Examines the public issues debate between Shell Oil UK and Greenpeace which engaged in a town meeting regarding the best financial and environmental solution to the decommissioning of the Brent Spar. (PA)

Demonstrates the importance of the speech communication discipline in corporate advocacy or issue management. Characterizes an emerging field that reflects an ancient tradition of issue analysis; shows how effective advocates are trained through speech communication curricula; and suggests additional areas of help in educating effective issue…

Supports the use of issue advertising. Argues that speech communication scholars can facilitate the responsible and effective use of issue ads. Reviews critics and proponents of issue advertising. Develops a rationale to guide the practice of issue advertising. Examines issue advertising in the current pro-nuclear campaign. (MS)

To be competitive in the job market, speech communication students should have courses in technical subjects and business administration. A focused master's level speech communication education can prepare students for two career paths: public relations management (with emphasis on campaign design and corporate communication beyond the required…