Johanna Fawkes - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Johanna Fawkes
Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022
Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022
Overall, the two-year, nine-country research suggests: - There is a widely shared set of public r... more Overall, the two-year, nine-country research suggests: - There is a widely shared set of public relations and communication capabilities that helps define the profession globally - There are minor, but significant, variations between countries' capability sets, particularly concerning the social role of public relations and in the use of terminology - Professional bodies and large employers are enthusiastic about using the framework to manage membership training and education, individual and team management.
This paper aims to present and discuss the key findings of a research project conducted during 20... more This paper aims to present and discuss the key findings of a research project conducted during 2003/4 into stakeholder perceptions of public relations education in the UK. Quantitative and qualitative data is presented and discussed on the structure of curriculum and specifically the balance of theory and practice. Employer perceptions are analysed to understand their views and occasional contradictions. For example on the one hand employers perceive public relations education as over theoretical and lacking practical application; on the other, it is blamed for failing to instil the analytical flexibility found in non-PR graduates. The paper concludes with discussion and recommendations for the future of public relations education in the UK context. Key words Education; employers; theory; practice; professionalismPractitioner resistance to theory 3
Public relations ethics places considerable importance on professional codes of conduct, as opera... more Public relations ethics places considerable importance on professional codes of conduct, as operated by national and international professional bodies, despite the fact that they are rarely deployed in a regulatory capacity. They therefore run the risk of being seen as aspirational and reputational rather than tools for generating ethical practices. This paper argues that existing approaches to PR ethics are tired and thin, with inadequate philosophical underpinning and a reliance on "empty" Codes consisting of ethical edicts which practitioners have learned to ignore as transgressions go unpunished. But in a climate where governments and business are experiencing unprecedented loss of trust (Edelman, 2012), professional ethics are once more in the spotlight. The paper returns to the literature of professions, showing that the claim to ethical standards is one of the pillars of the claim to autonomy, implying that the failure to engage meaningfully with ethics threatens the "professional project". The role of codes of ethics in establishing professions is briefly explored, suggesting they share certain characteristics across professional groups, namely the claim to "serve society" which some writers see as a founding myth of professions. Traditional and emerging approaches to public relations ethics are critiqued before the discussion of public relations codes of ethics. This notes the ubiquity of the Excellence approach as contrasted with the ethics of advocacy largely espoused by practitioners and some PR academics; the question of whether inadequate ethics do more harm than good to a profession is raised in this context. Finally, the paper argues for a depth approach to ethics, in which the person and the collective are encouraged to reflect on their ethical being, not just doing, shifting the focus from acts to agents. Unlike many recent debates on the subject, it argues that PR ethics does not begin and end with who you work for.
The Global Foundations of Public Relations, 2021
Benhabib reframes the question of whether civil society can accommodate the conflicting demands o... more Benhabib reframes the question of whether civil society can accommodate the conflicting demands of cultural, ethnic, and gendered identities. While these are often presented as incommensurable, she argues that discourse theory provides a foundation for negotiating paths through and beyond such conflicts. Her oeuvre forensically maps the territories of individual and collective self-knowing and self-organisation, finding fissures and harmonies between these tectonic plates of human experience. Communication is the agent for creating possible futures. She has described her central concern as “how to reconcile universalistic principles of human rights, autonomy, and freedom with our concrete identity as members of certain human communities divided by language, by ethnicity, by religion.” This constitutes one of the most ‘wicked ’problems facing contemporary society, using the term wicked to indicate intractability. Engaging with such foundational concepts requires a moral clarity—even ...
The field of public relations is often misunderstood, due to its hybridity, complexity and compet... more The field of public relations is often misunderstood, due to its hybridity, complexity and competing perspectives within the field of scholarship. This essay, which is based on extensive engagement with literature conducted over decades of teaching and researching the subject, outlines the main schools of thought within the field. These are summarised as a) Excellence; b) Advocacy; c) Dialogue; and d) Critical and Cultural approaches. Each perspective reflects variations in understanding of the role of public relations in theory and practice, ranging from an idealised conceptualisation of the practitioner to a demonised view of the practice. It refers throughout to different attitudes to ethics found within these schools, as approaches to ethics provide insight into understandings of the role of public relations within society. The piece concludes with reflections on the growing engagement with promotional culture and emerging research directions.
Communication on health issues often founders on the avoidance or denial of key messages by inten... more Communication on health issues often founders on the avoidance or denial of key messages by intended recipients. This paper explores the development and application of a research methodology combining elements of Pierre Bourdieu’s work on the unconscious nature of practice with Gerhard Maletzke’s psychological model of communication. This combination was designed to elicit deeper responses than those often found in health communication research. This alternative methodological approach was used to evaluate a year-long, city-wide anti-obesity campaign in Sheffield, UK, which targeted key gatekeepers in the message chain; their responses generate useful insights into resistance to uncomfortable communication. The paper concludes with suggestions for addressing communication about obesity and potentially other uncomfortable health and social topics.
Web Sites • All About Public Relations-By Steven R. Van Hook. Very comprehensive and helpful site... more Web Sites • All About Public Relations-By Steven R. Van Hook. Very comprehensive and helpful site that is definitely worth taking a look at. • PR-education.org-Site description: "Web portal to public relations education" and "an easy-to-find, easy-to-use point to locate sources on the World Wide Web related to public relations education." • Press Release Tips and Guidelines-Guidelines provided by PRWeb, which operates a free online press release distribution service. • Public Relations Links-A large collection of links compiled by Kirk Hallahan of Colorado State University. • Public Relations Links-A large collection of links from the University of Oklahoma web site. AC Library Databases • Academic Search Complete-Largest multi-subject academic database. Good for almost any type of research. Librarians can help students identify suitable books for assignments. You can save time by seeking their assistance. Washington Street Campus Walk-in assistance: Go to the second floor of Lynn Library. Use the telephone located on the small table near the main computer sign-in desk to call the research help number, which is posted. The librarian on duty will respond. Assistance by appointment: Call 371-5403 or 345-5582 to make an appointment for uninterrupted individual help.
Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022
Routledge eBooks, Dec 2, 2022
Overall, the two-year, nine-country research suggests: - There is a widely shared set of public r... more Overall, the two-year, nine-country research suggests: - There is a widely shared set of public relations and communication capabilities that helps define the profession globally - There are minor, but significant, variations between countries' capability sets, particularly concerning the social role of public relations and in the use of terminology - Professional bodies and large employers are enthusiastic about using the framework to manage membership training and education, individual and team management.
This paper aims to present and discuss the key findings of a research project conducted during 20... more This paper aims to present and discuss the key findings of a research project conducted during 2003/4 into stakeholder perceptions of public relations education in the UK. Quantitative and qualitative data is presented and discussed on the structure of curriculum and specifically the balance of theory and practice. Employer perceptions are analysed to understand their views and occasional contradictions. For example on the one hand employers perceive public relations education as over theoretical and lacking practical application; on the other, it is blamed for failing to instil the analytical flexibility found in non-PR graduates. The paper concludes with discussion and recommendations for the future of public relations education in the UK context. Key words Education; employers; theory; practice; professionalismPractitioner resistance to theory 3
Public relations ethics places considerable importance on professional codes of conduct, as opera... more Public relations ethics places considerable importance on professional codes of conduct, as operated by national and international professional bodies, despite the fact that they are rarely deployed in a regulatory capacity. They therefore run the risk of being seen as aspirational and reputational rather than tools for generating ethical practices. This paper argues that existing approaches to PR ethics are tired and thin, with inadequate philosophical underpinning and a reliance on "empty" Codes consisting of ethical edicts which practitioners have learned to ignore as transgressions go unpunished. But in a climate where governments and business are experiencing unprecedented loss of trust (Edelman, 2012), professional ethics are once more in the spotlight. The paper returns to the literature of professions, showing that the claim to ethical standards is one of the pillars of the claim to autonomy, implying that the failure to engage meaningfully with ethics threatens the "professional project". The role of codes of ethics in establishing professions is briefly explored, suggesting they share certain characteristics across professional groups, namely the claim to "serve society" which some writers see as a founding myth of professions. Traditional and emerging approaches to public relations ethics are critiqued before the discussion of public relations codes of ethics. This notes the ubiquity of the Excellence approach as contrasted with the ethics of advocacy largely espoused by practitioners and some PR academics; the question of whether inadequate ethics do more harm than good to a profession is raised in this context. Finally, the paper argues for a depth approach to ethics, in which the person and the collective are encouraged to reflect on their ethical being, not just doing, shifting the focus from acts to agents. Unlike many recent debates on the subject, it argues that PR ethics does not begin and end with who you work for.
The Global Foundations of Public Relations, 2021
Benhabib reframes the question of whether civil society can accommodate the conflicting demands o... more Benhabib reframes the question of whether civil society can accommodate the conflicting demands of cultural, ethnic, and gendered identities. While these are often presented as incommensurable, she argues that discourse theory provides a foundation for negotiating paths through and beyond such conflicts. Her oeuvre forensically maps the territories of individual and collective self-knowing and self-organisation, finding fissures and harmonies between these tectonic plates of human experience. Communication is the agent for creating possible futures. She has described her central concern as “how to reconcile universalistic principles of human rights, autonomy, and freedom with our concrete identity as members of certain human communities divided by language, by ethnicity, by religion.” This constitutes one of the most ‘wicked ’problems facing contemporary society, using the term wicked to indicate intractability. Engaging with such foundational concepts requires a moral clarity—even ...
The field of public relations is often misunderstood, due to its hybridity, complexity and compet... more The field of public relations is often misunderstood, due to its hybridity, complexity and competing perspectives within the field of scholarship. This essay, which is based on extensive engagement with literature conducted over decades of teaching and researching the subject, outlines the main schools of thought within the field. These are summarised as a) Excellence; b) Advocacy; c) Dialogue; and d) Critical and Cultural approaches. Each perspective reflects variations in understanding of the role of public relations in theory and practice, ranging from an idealised conceptualisation of the practitioner to a demonised view of the practice. It refers throughout to different attitudes to ethics found within these schools, as approaches to ethics provide insight into understandings of the role of public relations within society. The piece concludes with reflections on the growing engagement with promotional culture and emerging research directions.
Communication on health issues often founders on the avoidance or denial of key messages by inten... more Communication on health issues often founders on the avoidance or denial of key messages by intended recipients. This paper explores the development and application of a research methodology combining elements of Pierre Bourdieu’s work on the unconscious nature of practice with Gerhard Maletzke’s psychological model of communication. This combination was designed to elicit deeper responses than those often found in health communication research. This alternative methodological approach was used to evaluate a year-long, city-wide anti-obesity campaign in Sheffield, UK, which targeted key gatekeepers in the message chain; their responses generate useful insights into resistance to uncomfortable communication. The paper concludes with suggestions for addressing communication about obesity and potentially other uncomfortable health and social topics.
Web Sites • All About Public Relations-By Steven R. Van Hook. Very comprehensive and helpful site... more Web Sites • All About Public Relations-By Steven R. Van Hook. Very comprehensive and helpful site that is definitely worth taking a look at. • PR-education.org-Site description: "Web portal to public relations education" and "an easy-to-find, easy-to-use point to locate sources on the World Wide Web related to public relations education." • Press Release Tips and Guidelines-Guidelines provided by PRWeb, which operates a free online press release distribution service. • Public Relations Links-A large collection of links compiled by Kirk Hallahan of Colorado State University. • Public Relations Links-A large collection of links from the University of Oklahoma web site. AC Library Databases • Academic Search Complete-Largest multi-subject academic database. Good for almost any type of research. Librarians can help students identify suitable books for assignments. You can save time by seeking their assistance. Washington Street Campus Walk-in assistance: Go to the second floor of Lynn Library. Use the telephone located on the small table near the main computer sign-in desk to call the research help number, which is posted. The librarian on duty will respond. Assistance by appointment: Call 371-5403 or 345-5582 to make an appointment for uninterrupted individual help.