This paper discusses public relations (PR) practice from the perspective of a former editor and current senior editors in the UK to provoke a debate on PR education, particularly…
Abstract
This paper discusses public relations (PR) practice from the perspective of a former editor and current senior editors in the UK to provoke a debate on PR education, particularly as it prepares intending practitioners for work in media relations and, more broadly, careers in PR. The main issues and concepts raised in the paper relate to trust, ethics and the development of PR as a strategic function. The paper discusses the PR programme in the department of journalism at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK. The discussion focuses on the need to shift the emphasis in PR education to become more ethical and strategic without discrediting the continued need for tactical career preparation and good press relations.
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The use of video as a teaching and learning aid in education and training is a relatively recent development. Yet already its effectiveness can be demonstrated in many areas. For…
Abstract
The use of video as a teaching and learning aid in education and training is a relatively recent development. Yet already its effectiveness can be demonstrated in many areas. For many, the first contact with video is in the home. Here it is typically used as a means of time‐shifting television programmes: that is, recording them at the time of transmission in order to view them at a more convenient time. A further popular use of the home video recorder is to view tapes purchased or rented from shops and video clubs. These cover a variety of topics, some educational in content.
The paper sets out the reasons for the opposition of the Guild of British Newspaper Editors to the imposition of privacy legislation. In doing so, it first examines five recent…
Abstract
The paper sets out the reasons for the opposition of the Guild of British Newspaper Editors to the imposition of privacy legislation. In doing so, it first examines five recent stories arguing that the publication of each in the press can be justified as being in the public interest. It then considers the effect of any new privacy legislation which would in the view of the Guild not only probably fail to prevent stories from being released but also be damaging to the working of an open society.
Aerospace Company's Garrett Airline Services Division in Phoenix, Ariz., announced recently it will open a London Distribution Centre adjacent to Heathrow Airport in Colnbrook…
Abstract
Aerospace Company's Garrett Airline Services Division in Phoenix, Ariz., announced recently it will open a London Distribution Centre adjacent to Heathrow Airport in Colnbrook, England, on June 1.
Industry's challenge to the academic world to produce graduates with the right blend of new ideas and practical experience has been taken up by Huddersfield Polytechnic. The…
Abstract
Industry's challenge to the academic world to produce graduates with the right blend of new ideas and practical experience has been taken up by Huddersfield Polytechnic. The course they are pioneering — aimed at producing a marketing strategist who really knows about engineering — is described here by two of the polytechnic's senior lecturers, Geoff Lancaster and Jim Bannister.
John Thompson, Geoff Alvy and Ann Lees
Considers the crucial role of private sector social entrepreneurship in the context of a state welfare system stretched beyond its means. Defines social entrepreneurship, recounts…
Abstract
Considers the crucial role of private sector social entrepreneurship in the context of a state welfare system stretched beyond its means. Defines social entrepreneurship, recounts a number of key points from relevant research projects, reflects upon current developments and initiatives, describes a number of cases and uses these to draw a set of tentative conclusions about social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship in the context of the current government’s aim of fostering rapid growth in the sector. Concludes that while such growth is highly desirable, a number of hurdles have to be overcome.
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Film provides an alternative medium for assessing our interpretations of cultural icons. This selective list looks at the film and video sources for information on and…
Abstract
Film provides an alternative medium for assessing our interpretations of cultural icons. This selective list looks at the film and video sources for information on and interpretations of the life of Woody Guthrie.
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Matthew Pointon, Geoff Walton, Martin Turner, Michael Lackenby, Jamie Barker and Andrew Wilkinson
This paper intends to explore the relationship between participants' eye fixations (a measure of attention) and durations (a measure of concentration) on areas of interest within…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper intends to explore the relationship between participants' eye fixations (a measure of attention) and durations (a measure of concentration) on areas of interest within a range of online articles and their levels of information discernment (a sub-process of information literacy characterising how participants make judgements about information).
Design/methodology/approach
Eye-tracking equipment was used as a proxy measure for reading behaviour by recording eye-fixations, dwell times and regressions in males aged 18–24 (n = 48). Participants' level of information discernment was determined using a quantitative questionnaire.
Findings
Data indicates a relationship between participants' level of information discernment and their viewing behaviours within the articles' area of interest. Those who score highly on an information discernment questionnaire tended to interrogate the online article in a structured and linear way. Those with high-level information discernment are more likely to pay attention to an article's textual and graphical information than those exhibiting low-level information discernment. Conversely, participants with low-level information discernment indicated a lack of curiosity by not interrogating the entire article. They were unsystematic in their saccadic movements spending significantly longer viewing irrelevant areas.
Social implications
The most profound consequence is that those with low-level information discernment, through a lack of curiosity in particular, could base their health, workplace, political or everyday decisions on sub-optimal engagement with and comprehension of information or misinformation (such as fake news).
Originality/value
Ground-breaking analysis of the relationship between a persons' self-reported level of information literacy (information discernment specifically) and objective measures of reading behaviour.
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Guida Helal, Wilson Ozuem and Geoff Lancaster
A phenomenon that has revolutionized society is the technological millennial approach to communication. Social media has matured into a prime channel for regular interactions and…
Abstract
Purpose
A phenomenon that has revolutionized society is the technological millennial approach to communication. Social media has matured into a prime channel for regular interactions and development of brand–customer relationships that enrich a social identity. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how this affects business communications.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilized a social constructivist perspective, adopting an inductive and embedded case study strategy.
Findings
Drawing on the social identity theory, this paper examines how evolving social media platforms have impacted on brand perceptions in the fashion apparel and accessories industries. Fashion brands’ online presence provide a platform for customers to supplement social identity based on associations with brands, and ultimately this can shape brand perceptions among customers through promised functional and symbolic benefits.
Research limitations/implications
The paper investigates a specialized marketing activity in the UK. A broader internationally based study would add strength to these findings.
Practical implications
The paper focuses on theoretical and managerial implications and proffers significant roles that social media and identity may play in keeping up with the design and development of marketing communications programs.
Social implications
Multinational corporations have embraced internet technologies and social media in adopting platforms that their brands can use to contribute content to followers.
Originality/value
In total, 30 potential participants, drawn from diverse backgrounds, were contacted via social networking sites, e-mails and telephone. In total, 22 agreed to participate and their mean age was 26. An open-ended questionnaire allowed for elaboration, providing appropriate responses for a second interviewing phase. Four industry professionals were recruited through the researchers’ personal networks to participate in in-depth interviews that sought to investigate the significance of social media as a marketing tool from an industry perspective.
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Robert Crawford and Matthew Bailey
The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of oral history for marketing historians and provide case studies from projects in the Australian context to demonstrate its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of oral history for marketing historians and provide case studies from projects in the Australian context to demonstrate its utility. These case studies are framed within a theme of market research and its historical development in two industries: advertising and retail property.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines oral histories from two marketing history projects. The first, a study of the advertising industry, examines the globalisation of the advertising agency in Australia over the period spanning the 1950s to the 1980s, through 120 interviews. The second, a history of the retail property industry in Australia, included 25 interviews with executives from Australia’s largest retail property firms whose careers spanned from the mid-1960s through to the present day.
Findings
The research demonstrates that oral histories provide a valuable entry port through which histories of marketing, shifts in approaches to market research and changing attitudes within industries can be examined. Interviews provided insights into firm culture and practices; demonstrated the variability of individual approaches within firms and across industries; created a record of the ways that market research has been conducted over time; and revealed the ways that some experienced operators continued to rely on traditional practices despite technological advances in research methods.
Originality/value
Despite their ubiquity, both the advertising and retail property industries in Australia have received limited scholarly attention. Recent scholarship is redressing this gap, but more needs to be understood about the inner workings of firms in an historical context. Oral histories provide an avenue for developing such understandings. The paper also contributes to broader debates about the role of oral history in business and marketing history.