Chapters 1, 2, and 3 provided an overview, a brief history, and theories surrounding public relations- making me realise that there is much more to the field than meets the eye.
Few key points that I realised...
- PR has certainly come a long way to be the multi-faceted career that it is today, and it is safe to say that a PR practitioner's roles and key activities can overlap (including the roles of public relations and marketing).
-Public relations is a mix of art, science, and business. With these powers combined, they summon the earths greatest hero- a dynamic PR practitioner. In all seriousness, I was a little bit happy when I read this part. As a career choice I think public relations provides a good balance of creativity and business, with room for hypotheses and healthy decision-making along the way.
- The readings also emphasised how important blogging has become...I'm beginning to realise why this blog is a mandatory assessment item. According to Marken (2005) as cited in Johnston and Zawawi (2009), blogs have given organisations a 'fast, effective, and economic means' of engaging publics, and that they are becoming so entrenched in contemporary culture that public relations practitioners must understand them. Fellow PR students, take note.
- While areas of practise and skill may have changed over the years in the field of public relations, the principles (ethically and professionally) stay the same. Its essence, 'managing communication between an organisation and its publics' (Johnston & Zawawai, 2009 p. 43) also remainds the same.
I found Chapter 3 (theories) a bit hard to grasp. I've never been good with theories to begin with, and found it a bit too much. I did conclude however, that despite the varying theories, there will always be exceptions to the rules- particularly with such a changing professional climate due to growing technologies.
* Johnston, J & C Zawawi, Public Relations: Theory and Practise. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2009. 3rd ed.
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