Summary of the Article
The authors begin by identifying “public relations” as a subfield of applied communication (Botan and Taylor 645). The professional practice happens to have its theoretical aspect and research base. Public relations “remains one of the unique types of applied communication” (Botan and Taylor, 645). Other branches of this field include political and health communication.
The authors treat public relation as an emerging academic field. This subfield has developed its unique theory within the past 25 years. This development explains how public relation contributes a lot to other fields in applied communication (Botan and Taylor 659). According to the article, public relations will become a theoretical field of applied human communication.
This field has the potential to guide other areas, such as mass communication. The field presents meaningful concepts applicable in political, health, and economic communication. This explains why public communication might apply across all areas of applied or mass communication (Wright and Hinson, 24).
According to the authors, managers are unfamiliar with different aspects of public relations. The article explains how different theories have contributed to the current position of public relations (Botan and Taylor, 659). Public relation is a continuous process that calls for appropriate interpretation. Businesses and corporations should be ready to address every issue that becomes public (Salcedo, 285).
Negotiations and positive decisions are necessary for a successful community. Public relations can support these practices. The article explains why managerial practices can help organizations address their needs.
Every organization should be ready to “detect problems, attach some significance to them, and make the best decisions to deal with them” (Botan and Taylor 654). According to Botan and Taylor (659), the idea of public relations is applicable in every sector or field.
According to Salcedo (286), “public relations is something more than a corporate practice.” Public relations is a research-based and theoretically grounded area that can unite different fields for better practice. The practice will help different organizations address their pro-social agendas (Botan and Taylor 659). The authors go further to explain why public relations might become meaningful in the future.
Any field or model might redefine the future of public relations (Salcedo, 286). The outstanding fact is that public relations theory remains a critical aspect of applied communication. It is one of the unique foundational members of the field (Botan and Taylor 659). This explains why different conceptual tools and theoretic models of public relations apply uniformly across applied communication.
Questions from the Article
Explain in details how the theoretically grounded area can unify different applied communication fields to serve different corporations
Public relation can unify different fields in applied communication. The theoretically grounded area informs different practices such as human resources, decision-making processes, management, and corporate social responsibility. This helps corporations realize their goals.
According to Botan and Taylor (659), “the future state of public relations lies with the co-creationist model that might succeed.” Which co-creationist model best supports the field?
The Issues Management (IM) creationist model supports every area of applied communication. The model explains why issues management has become a critical tool in every organization.
Do you think the authors’ predictions have been right or wrong?
The authors’ predictions have been right. The article explains why a public relation is a critical tool for solving conflicts between organizations and their stakeholders. The article explains how future researchers can offer new ideas to support the field.
What new studies have been done to understand the field of public relations much better?
New studies have examined the importance of public relations in problem-solving, human resource management, and decision-making in society. Public relations will also help societies and corporations solve and manage issues.
Works Cited
Botan, Carl and Maureen Taylor. “Public Relations: State of the Field.” Journal of Communication 1.1 (2004): 645-661. Print.
Salcedo, Natalia. “Public relations before ‘public relations’ in Spain: an early history (1881-1960).” Journal of Communication Management 12.4 (2008): 279-293. Print.
Wright, Donald and Michelle Hinson. “An Updated Examination of Social and Emerging Media Use in Public Relations Practice: A Longitudinal Analysis between 2006 and 2013.” Public Relations Journal 7.3 (2013): 1-39. Print.
