Public Relations Today: Managing Competition and Conflict

Public Relations: Managing Competition and Conflict is an introductory book that provides the latest theories and practices in easy-to-understand terms, exploreing the role of competition and conflict in today’s modern public relations practice .

Public Relations takes a brief, conflict-based approach, combining the insights of public relations experts Dennis Wilcox and Glen Cameron with the fresh voices of two of the fastest rising stars of public relations education Bryan Reber and Jae-Hwa Shin. Using up-to-date real world examples, checklists, and summaries to explore the role of competition and conflict, this book provide a whole new departure from other introductory texts.

Public Relations: Managing Competition and Conflict is based on the idea that public relations is the management of competition and conflict on behalf of one’s client or organization and, if at all possible, the interests of the public that impact the organization. As such, the authors take an assertive approach, providing vigorous examples from the “real-world” of public relations that lend excitement to the profession for students. This book successfully merges theory and practice into a refreshing, easy-to-understand approach that will help the reader learn the basics of effective public relations practice.

Public Relations: Managing Competition and Conflict

Glen T. Cameron, University of Missouri

Dennis L. Wilcox, San Jose State University

Bryan H. Reber, University of Georgia

Jae-Hwa Shin, University of Southern Mississippi

Public Relations: Managing Competition and Conflict is an introductory textbook that provides students with the latest theories and practices as it explores the role of competition and conflict in today’s modern public relations practice.  This text takes a brief, problem-solving approach, combining the insights of public relations experts Glen Cameron and Dennis Wilcox with the fresh voices of two of the fastest rising stars of public relations education, Bryan Reber and Jae-Hwa Shin.

Features:

• Topical and timely casebooks make current public relations events understandable and relevant to students.  Examples include the Dixie Chicks and their image (Ch. 1), the Bush administration and Hurricane Katrina (Ch. 6), and Wal-Mart’s efforts to improve its reputation (Ch. 6). Case activity projects in each chapter pose practical, real-world case problems that require students to discuss and generate a solution, developing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
• “Global” boxes broaden students’ perspectives by showing public relations activities and campaigns on a global scale.  Examples such as the censorship of Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft in China (Ch. 6), the breast cancer awareness campaign in Pakistan (Ch. 7), and the PR war between Israel and the Palestinians underscore the international and intercultural implications of public relations (Ch. 10).
• “Ethics” boxes provide real-life ethical situations that encourage students to discuss various ethical aspects of the profession and draw their own conclusions.  These features focus on actual situations such as paying journalists in Iraq to write favorable stories (Ch. 2), when to resign from an account (Ch. 4), and the ethics of issuing misleading news releases (Ch. 5). 
• “Insight” boxes with how-to information and checklists help students master the practical tactics of the field, including how to write a news release (Ch. 1), pitch a story via e-mail (Ch. 3), and select media channels for distribution. (Ch. 4)

From a reviewer:

“What I like about this text is the simplicity and naturalness of the organization and… the approach the authors take.” — Lloyd Chiasson, Jr., Nicholls State University