September 26, 2023 • Jonathan McVerry

Purpose-driven organizations benefit from maintaining values that seek to resolve societal issues. A team of Page Center scholars noted a remarkable lack of direction in how public relations can contribute to developing this corporate purpose. Page Center scholars Flora Hung-Baesecke and Maureen Taylor from the University of Technology Sydney and Yi-Ru Regina Chen from Hong Kong Baptist University are leading a study that will explore public relations’ role in developing purpose-driven organizations. They will do this by examining how… More

September 20, 2023 • Jonathan McVerry

Marlene Neill, an associate professor at Baylor University, has a long history with the Page Center. She was first funded as a scholar in 2015 and has since led or been part of five Page Center-funded projects, including a stint as a research fellow. This past summer, Neill was named a senior research fellow, and she is leading a 2024 call for research proposals targeting professional ethics training in several areas of communication. In this Q&A, Neill… More

September 18, 2023 • Jonathan McVerry

A wealth of research has focused on prosocial communication’s effect on the behavior of publics and stakeholders. There are also studies on prosocial’s influence on civic discourse. However, there is a lack of research on how prosocial communication can alter one of the key ingredients to improving social conditions and solving social problems – policy. For their Page Center study, scholars Minhee Choi, Texas Tech University, and Kelli Boling, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, are interviewing 25 advocacy communicators… More

September 5, 2023 • Jonathan McVerry

It’s become common for companies to take stands on social issues. But what about the leaders who decide what stances to take? And how does their decision relate to their employees? Young Kim and Katharine Miller from Marquette University are leading two studies to learn the effects of CEO activism on company stakeholders, particularly employees. The first-time Page Center scholars will examine different forms of messaging from CEOs leading Fortune 500 companies. They will follow that research up by… More

August 21, 2023 • Jonathan McVerry

A team of Page Center scholars is taking a global look at prosocial communication, particularly the role of public relations in helping international organizations implement initiatives based on stakeholder needs and cultural values. Scholars Luke Capizzo, University of Missouri; Jeannette Iannacone, University of Tennessee Knoxville; and Drew T. Ashby-King, East Carolina University, hope to expand the literature that, to date, has had a narrower, more localized focus. With more and more issues becoming global concerns, the scholars say it's… More

August 7, 2023 • Jonathan McVerry

Generation Z suffers from mental illness more than any other age group, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health, even more so since the COVID-19 pandemic. Research says that influencers have the power to reach this age group through social media. They can connect to their followers and potentially raise awareness of important topics, like mental health issues. A team of Page Center scholars is conducting a two-part study that will examine how narratives in videos impact online… More