‘Embracing a responsibility to advocate for change’ by senior research fellow Holly Overton
January 6, 2021
By Holly Overton, associate professor at the University of South Carolina
Is corporate social advocacy (CSA) the new corporate social responsibility (CSR)? Do stakeholder expectations vary for companies’ CSR vs. CSA efforts and how they should communicate about them? Do company motives matter any more or less for CSR or CSA?
These are some research questions that I explored in a recent study with co-authors Joon Kyoung Kim, University of Rhode Island; and University of South Carolina… More
Study identifies ethical issues, essential competencies and deficiencies in public relations
December 17, 2020
By Marlene S. Neill, Page Center research fellow
In 2018, the Arthur W. Page Center appointed me as a research fellow to conduct a study in response to the 2017 Commission on Public Relations Education (CPRE) Report on Undergraduate Education, specifically to provide guidance for ethics education.
The CPRE found that public relations professionals ranked ethics third behind writing and communication as a necessary competency to work in public relations. In addition, the… More
Research in Progress: Understanding key workplace communication dynamics in a pandemic
December 7, 2020
By Justin Walden, North Dakota State University
Workers are experiencing considerable stress these days, from juggling family responsibilities, to dealing with an unsteady economy, to figuring out how to get through another Zoom meeting.
The coronavirus pandemic has put a glaring spotlight on organizational leaders and the challenges that employees face in teleworking.
How can organizations support their frontline workers and what conditions might bring out the best in employees?
With funding support from a… More
‘Ethical communication and listening to low-income publics’ by senior research fellow Katie Place
November 30, 2020
By Katie Place, associate professor of strategic communication at Quinnipiac University
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest this year, organizations have renewed their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), as well as ethical values. This includes the Page Principles of remaining patient, telling the truth, managing for tomorrow, proving it with action and listening to stakeholders.
A forgotten public
Yet again, as organizations engage diverse publics, low-income individuals remain “the forgotten vulnerable” (Patel et… More
‘Using visual images in narrative and non-narrative messages’ by senior research fellow Fuyuan Shen
November 19, 2020
• Fuyuan Shen
Does adding visuals to stories make them more effective in communicating issues and changing individuals’ attitudes? This is the research question that I; Michail Vafeiadis, Auburn University; and Jiangxue Han, Appalachian State University, examined in our recent publication in the International Journal of Communication.
As part of our research project, “News storytelling through images: Examining the effects of narratives and visuals in news coverage of issues,” we conducted an experiment in which participants read narrative or nonnarrative… More
‘Social media strategies of leading nonprofit organizations’ by senior research fellow Frank Dardis
November 11, 2020
• Frank Dardis
Nonprofit organizations have always done their best to try to convince stakeholders of the importance of an issue as a “problem” that can and should be solved. They seek to explain how their cause(s) or mission is an effective way to combat the problem and to advocate or promote specific actions that can improve the situation.
Much research in the realm of public relations and strategic communications can inform the communication efforts of a non-profit regarding the attempt… More
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