Diversity should be first understood from an individual's own culture. Yet few public relations professionals have had a course in interpersonal communication. If public relations is viewed as a profession where the management of people is important, then knowledge of diversity in the workplace seems imperative. The multicultural, intercultural,…

The public relations educators in the university departments that house public relations must be aware of key issues that have an impact on the quest for status and effectiveness. Failure to adhere to these concerns may turn out students who will be trapped and have a much lower level of job satisfaction. These concerns are as follows: (1)…

Literature reviews have indicated there is a lack of data on public relations curriculum development for communication and business departments. Observations have been reported of "spectacular" growth in public relations courses in communication (Grunig, 1989). The first multi-disciplinary survey (3,201 college and university catalogs)…

Public relations may be emerging in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), but the preparedness of public relations professionals in the United States is minimal. In a review of the status of intercultural exchange, three levels were examined in terms of the public relations situations: (1) opportunity for cultures to make contact; (2) the…

A global approach to public relations education is needed as other countries look to the European Economic Community or elsewhere for their models of public relations. In the United States, the present state-of-the-art in public relations is more nascent in development than professionals acknowledge or even realize. Although academics in public…

Computer technology (primarily word processing) enables the student of public relations writing to improve the writing process through increased flexibility in writing, enhanced creativity, increased support of management skills and team work. A new instructional model for computer use in public relations courses at Purdue University Calumet…

Special events defined as being "newsworthy events" are becoming a way of American life. They are also a means for making a lot of money. Examples of special events that are cited most frequently are often the most minor of events; e.g., the open house, the new business opening day gala, or a celebration of some event in an organization.…

The development of public relations follows when economic development and democracy thrive. EC 1992, with its plans for the European Common Market Community, is a public relations opportunity for U.S. public relations firms. In a survey of 31 firms, 6 owned or were owned by networks, 17 had membership in a network, 8 had no public relations…

Public relations accreditation is granted by the national bodies of the Council of Postsecondary Accreditation (COPA) and the Department of Education to the Accreditation Council for Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). The privilege of accrediting public relations fell to a group in which journalism and mass communications…

This paper examines existing and model curriculums from all disciplines offering public relations courses in terms of the philosophical and theoretical developments relevant to public relations. First, the paper outlines the model curriculum derived from the 1987 study cosponsored by the Public Relations Society of America and the Association of…

Public relations textbooks and the literature in public relations do not discuss issues management (IM) in terms of nonprofit organizations, focusing instead primarily on corporate activity. Yet nonprofits have serious need for IM, particularly since it is the nonprofits that will be providing the leadership in diversity and multicultural efforts…

A case study analyzed a special event, AmeriFlora '92, held from April 1992 to October 1992 in Columbus, Ohio. AmeriFlora '92 was established as a temporary organization covering nearly 8 years of planning, operations, and dismantling. The lack of attendance and the resulting financial impact inspired a major effort to examine the role of public…

Teaching public relations from an American perspective should be reconsidered: current textbooks barely mention multicultural and international concerns except in most cases as a secondary issue. The current paradigm emphasizes the media with the first amendment serving as the cornerstone of the emphasis. The American approach to international and…

A participatory model of public relations proposed by Dean Kruckeberg and Kenneth Starck would seek not to serve a public but to build a sense of community. In this model the advocacy focus of the publicity model is dropped and there is a movement toward relationships rather than selling products and services. Leaving behind the journalistic…

In 1990 Daniel Bellack advised in an article that business people should "give up the search for the fabled 'global customer.' There's no such thing. Instead, be sure you understand each local market--it's custom, culture, and, of course, language." Understanding each local market is a big challenge for the communication professional in…