Institute for Public Relations



The SCIENCE BENEATH the ART of PUBLIC RELATIONS ™
By David J. Therkelsen, MBA, University of Minnesota

From 60 years of accumulated scholarship about employee communication and engagement, we can safely reach two conclusions: First, organizations that effectively engage their workforces have better business results than those which do not. Second, most organizations do not effectively engage their workforces.

 

Attempting to document why organizational leaders who know what to do don't do it, we've hypothesized a list of 17 possible reasons and invite practitioner and academic advice.  Read more. 
How the Public Identifies Truth and Fact Online

Examining how the public identifies truth and fact online, Dr. Tina McCorkindale of the IPR Social Science of Social Media Research Center presented her findings at the 2013 Trustees Research Symposium.

 

Perceived credibility, along with accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage, factor into how people evaluate information. Watch lecture. 
Mobile Readiness and Fortune 500 Websites
By Dr. Tina McCorkindale and Meredith Morgoch

With the rise in mobile technologies, companies must be aware of how various stakeholders are using their websites through their mobile devices. Using content analysis, a 2013 study analyzed the five dialogic principles of Fortune 500 websites accessed from mobile phones and also assessed their mobile readiness.

While most companies did not have mobile websites, more non-mobile websites featured the dialogic principles due to their targeting of multiple stakeholders as mobile websites appeared to be more customer-centric. Read more. 
 

Masters and doctoral students interested in gaining paid professional experience in public relations research should apply for the following:

Both opportunities offer paid summer work and a chance to publish a research paper intended for practitioners on the Institute for Public Relations website. Apply now! 
Frank Ovaitt
Jenn Moyer
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