Dean Mundy, Ph.D., University of Oregon

A decade of research proves that diversity is important, and sentiment among practitioners today remains supportive of PR's guiding role. But there is a disconnect: How do we move beyond gauging sentiment and better explore how all of this research translates into practice?

PR leaders need to make diversity a priority in business models and communication strategies. Seventy-four percent of professionals agree that it is extremely important to communicate diversity values to internal and external stakeholders, according to a recent survey by Dr. Mundy. Diverse organizations are more creative, nimble and responsive to marketplace expectations. Read more.
Leslie Gaines-Ross, Weber Shandwick

Reputation is a priority item on the agendas of CEOs and business and community leaders alike, including presidents, prime ministers, mayors and deans. While reputation has expanded exponentially, the drivers of corporate reputation have remained basically the same. And that's a good thing.

The rise of the Internet had a monumental effect. It presented PR leaders with an entirely new subset of the discipline − online reputation - which developed along with online usage. As the Internet expanded worldwide, so has the field of reputation. Read more.
Yang Cheng, University of Missouri-Columbia

This summer, Yang Cheng was selected as the 2015 Grunig PRIME Research Fellow and spent six weeks in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as an intern in one of the firm's eight research centers. Cheng learned how to use media content measurement to study the effect the attention on GM's recent recall had on public awareness.

Results showed the media coverage on GM influenced public opinion toward GM in a negative way. Cheng concluded the heated discussion on controversial issues superseded the organization's desire to present a new campaign under high-risk conditions. Read more.

In honor of Measurement Month organized by the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), IPR will feature the latest news and events throughout September.

If your measurement reports exist solely to display basic output numbers, you may not be measuring the right elements. At this year's Summit, Nicole Moreo, Senior Manager of Research Analytics at Peppercomm, will explore the questions PR leaders should ask before choosing actionable insights. The Summit and the Fifth Annual Conclave Meeting for Social Media Measurement will take place on October 12-13 in Durham, NH. 

Five years ago, the Barcelona Principles emerged out of the AMEC International Summit in Barcelona as the first framework for PR and communications measurement. This summer, an international working group revised the Principles to reflect the current communications practice. The updated measurement standards will be revealed this Thursday during a live webinar. Register here.