This book examines the origins of Ireland in its first independent incarnation, the Irish Free State (1922-1937). It explores how contemporary public relations and propaganda techniques were used to construct an identity for this new state - a state which after enduring seven years of insurrection and civil war, became one of the most stable democracies in Europe. This stability, the book argues, was constructed not solely through policies enacted by governments, but through the construction of a Gaelic, Catholic and Celtic national identity.

By shifting the perspective to...

Today almost everyone in the developed world spends time online and anyone involved in strategic communication must think digitally. The magnitude of change may be up for debate but the trend is unstoppable, dramatically reconfiguring business models, organisational structures and even the practice of democracy.

Strategic Communication, Social Media and Democracy provides a wholly new framework for understanding this reality, a reality that is transforming the way both practitioners and theoreticians navigate this fast-moving environment. Firmly rooted in empirical research,...

The public relations profession positions itself as expert in building trust throughout global markets, particularly after crisis strikes. Successive crises have tainted financial markets in recent years. Calls to restore trust in finance have been particularly pressing, given trust s crucial role as lubricant in global financial engines. Nonetheless, years after the global financial crisis, trust in financial markets remains both tenuous and controversial. This book explores PR in financial markets, posing a fundamental question about PR professionals as would-be trust strategists . If PR...

Modern approaches to public relations cluster into three camps along a continuum:

• conflict-oriented egoism, e.g. forms of contingency theory that focus almost exclusively on the wellbeing of an entity;
• redressed egoism, e.g. subsidies to redress PR's egoistic nature; and
• forms of self-interested cooperation, e.g. fully functioning society theory.

Public Relations, Cooperation, and Justice draws upon interdisciplinary research from evolutionary biology, philosophy, and rhetoric to...

For much of the last century, large, predominantly US corporations used public relations to demonstrate that their missions resonated with dominant societal values. Through the construction and conveyance of the -corporate persona-, they aimed to convince citizens that they share common aspirations - and moreover that their corporate -soul- works as a beneficent force in society.

Through examining key examples from the last 80 years, this book argues that PR, through the corporate persona, works to create a sense of shared reality between the corporation and the average...

Inextricably linked to neoliberal market economies, Public Relations' influence in our promotional culture is profound. Yet many aspects of the professional role are under-researched and poorly understood, such as the impact on workers of manufacturing displays of feeling to elicit a desired emotional response, to earn trust and manage clients. The psychological and emotional demands of this "nice" work are particularly ignored.

Using the lens of emotional labour theory, this book aims to fill a significant gap in knowledge by presenting a critical-interpretive exploration of the...

International Public Relations: Perspectives from deeply divided societies is positioned at the intersection of public relations (PR) practice with socio-political environments in divided, conflict and post-conflict societies. While most studies of PR focus on the activity as it is practiced within stable democratic societies, this book explores perspectives from contexts that have tended to be marginalized or uncharted.

Presenting research from a diverse range of societies still deeply divided along racial, ethnic, religious or linguistic lines, this collection engages with a variety...

Nation Branding, Public Relations and Soft Power: Corporatizing Poland provides an empirically grounded analysis of changes in the way in which various actors seek to manage Poland s national image in world opinion. It explores how and why changes in political economy have shaped these actors and their use of soft power in a way that is influenced by public relations, corporate communication, and marketing practices.

By examining the discourse and practices of professional nation branders who have re-shaped the relationship between collective identities and national image management, it...

Diverse in economic development, political and mass media systems, the countries in South East Asia cast a unique light on the parallels between development-cum-participative communication and corporate social responsibility.

In our globalised environments, knowledge of power, culture and colonial histories that influence and shape business and governance practices are increasingly important. This innovative book connects the disparate disciplines of participatory and development communication with public relations and corporate social responsibility discourse. Focusing on six...

Do professions really place duty to society above clients' or their own interests? If not, how can they be trusted? While some public relations (PR) scholars claim that PR serves society and enhances the democratic process, others suggest that it is little more than propaganda, serving the interests of global corporations. This is not an argument about definitions, but about ethics - yet this topic is barely explored in texts and theories that seek to explain PR and its function in society.

This book places PR ethics in the wider context of professional ethics and the...