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A rhetorical theory approach to issues management
... Moreover, lobbying is often practiced as part of "issues management", which was developed in the 1970s in response to shifting community expectations regarding corporations and their roles and environmental obligations (Heath & Waymer, 2011). As Heath (2006b) argues, issues management problems are commonly related to the "legitimacy gap" that emerges from a divergence between what an organization does and what publics expect of their activities, with issues communication used to amplify the corporate voice, shift public opinion, and influence public policy formation (Heath, 2006b). At a tactical level, issues communication is effectively part of an "outsider", or rather a public, lobbying strategy, with advocacy advertisements, issues billboards, flyers and other tactics used to mobilize publics and signal support or opposition to policymakers (Kollman, 1998). ...
... Moreover, lobbying is often practiced as part of "issues management", which was developed in the 1970s in response to shifting community expectations regarding corporations and their roles and environmental obligations (Heath & Waymer, 2011). As Heath (2006b) argues, issues management problems are commonly related to the "legitimacy gap" that emerges from a divergence between what an organization does and what publics expect of their activities, with issues communication used to amplify the corporate voice, shift public opinion, and influence public policy formation (Heath, 2006b). At a tactical level, issues communication is effectively part of an "outsider", or rather a public, lobbying strategy, with advocacy advertisements, issues billboards, flyers and other tactics used to mobilize publics and signal support or opposition to policymakers (Kollman, 1998). ...
... Analyzing the Keep Mining Strong campaign using the conflict ecology paradigm, the MCA possessed a intransigent grand strategy in that they were resistant to change and actively sought to defeat their adversaries in a battle over public opinion (Heath, 2006b;Kollman, 1998). The MCA used a persuasive messaging strategy (Hazelton 1993), based on fear and speculative arguments regarding future economic decline, as well as the selective presentation of taxation data, including critical omissions (see McKnight & Hobbs, 2013). ...
This article develops a new framework, conflict ecology, for predicting and critiquing specific lobbying strate-gies. This framework is applied in an analysis of interviews conducted with senior lobbyists from the mining andenergy sector in Australia, which has proven to be especially effective in opposing and defeating new taxes andlegislation intended to reduce carbon pollution. This analysis shows that an industry suffering a legitimacy gapwill likely possess an intransigent or resistant worldview. Practitioners directing these campaigns see their roleas ethically justified and necessary to defeat oppositional publics. This worldview gives rise to power strategiesthat reward allies and punish adversaries, with emotive and targeted issues communication used to apply furtherpressure to the legislature as part of outsider lobbying campaigns. Ultimately, this study considers the extent towhich these lobbying strategies servecommunitasends proposed in the theory of the fully functioning society.
... As a professional practice and academic discipline, public relations suffers credibility deficit, being derogated by critics as a tool employed by the wealthy and powerful to perpetuate their dominance in society (see Mickey, 1997;Hackley & Kitchen, 1999;Holtzhausen, 2002;Motion & Leitch, 2007). To change this negative perception, scholars and practitioners continue to explore different possibilities in the social sciences (see Grunig & Hunt, 1984;Prior-Miller, 1989; see also Grunig, 1966) and humanities (see Leeper, 1996;Haugland, 1996;Botan, 1997;Leeper & Leeper, 2001;Kent & Taylor, 2002;Toth, 2002;L'Etang 2005) to demonstrate the positive contributions public relations praxis can make to society (Daugherty, 2001; see also Heath, 2006b). The present essay continues the ongoing efforts by scholars to draw on perspectives from the humanities, specifically rhetoric, to make public relations theoretically robust and ethically responsible. ...
... As Moloney (2005) points out, public relations involves allowing different groups and organizations with competing values and perspectives to advance their agendas and interests (p. 551; see also Marsh, 2001Marsh, , 2013Heath, 2006b). Hence, an effective public relations approach must promote pluralism and diversity in the public arena (Moloney, 2005, p. 551). ...
... There are times that the officer has to speak truth to power and push back against his or her employers who might want to adopt unethical practices to protect their bottom line (see Graham, 2012). But, at the same time the officer should be able to boldly advocate "the sound policies and principles that support corporate operations in the mutual interest of society" (Heath, 2006b). 2. The essay conceptualizes audiences and publics differently. ...
By grounding public relations praxis in Aristotelian ethos, practitioners can function as liaison officers with balanced perspectives, capable of co-creating meaning with both client organizations and their publics between whom experts are hired to facilitate mutually beneficial relationships. This approach locates persuasion at the nexus of speaker ethos in the public relations process. It allows practitioners to balance their commitment to the ethics of their profession with loyalty to clients, while empowering audiences (organizations and their publics) to function as the final arbiters of any courses of action proposed to them. Moreover, because the approach enables practitioners, based on their credible ethos, to participate in organizational decision-making, it has the potential to transfer their ethical worldview to client organizations. Ultimately, the central theoretical contribution of this essay is an alternative approach to public relations praxis founded on an analysis of Aristotle’s notion of phronesis, arête, and eunoia.
... Grunig, 1992), the relationship management paradigm (cf. Ledingham, 2003) and issue management (Heath, 2006), Wilson et al. (2008) developed a conceptual model to examine issues in transgressions and the consequent outcomes on relationships between sponsor and sports organizations in Australia. Their findings suggested that building longer and ongoing relationships could enhance the public trust and reduce potential threats in the event of transgressions (Wilson et al., 2008). ...
... Among diversified theoretical frameworks, issue management theory (Seeger et al., 2001) also drew intensive attention from scholars. For instance, Heath (2006) emphasized the importance of identifying and monitoring any issues involved in the pre-, during and postcrisis stages. Regester and Larkin (2005) developed an integrated seven-step model including monitoring, identification, prioritization, analysis, strategy decision, implementation and evaluation. ...
In crises, relationships between organizations and publics are under pressure. Building or managing relationships in crises has attracted heated discussions among scholars in the field of public relations and business communication over the past few decades. To provide an updated systematic analysis of this area, this study presents a review of 131 published journal articles from 1997 to 2019. Findings identified theoretical and meth-odological trends in current relationship management research in crises. In addition, five themes of relationships in crises were demonstrated. These included the antecedents, outcomes, mediating/moderating role, networks and the process of relationships. Results also indicated that crisis communication strategies, crisis types and prior crisis history were key precursors of (re-)building relationships in the literature. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed. K E Y W O R D S crisis communication, organization-public relationships (OPRs), satisfaction, strategic management, trust
... Este enfoque se enmarca en la perspectiva relacional de la comunicación, que, como Ledingham (2003) ya anticipó, ha sido explorada en el contexto de varias funciones de relaciones públicas como la gestión de asuntos públicos (Ledingham, 2001); las relaciones con la comunidad (Ledingham y Bruning, 2001); la gestión de crisis (Coombs, 2000); las relaciones con los medios (Ledingham y Bruning, 1998, 1999 y también issues management (Bridges y Nelson, 2000;Heath, 2006;Nothhaft, 2010). ...
... Particularmente, el issues management ha crecido como una disciplina aplicada y de investigación para compensar lo que algunos creían que era un enfoque insuficiente de la práctica de las relaciones públicas a mediados de los años setenta (Heath, 2006). Shannon-Bowen (2005: 1) lo definirá como: la función ejecutiva de las relaciones públicas estratégicas que se ocupa de la resolución de problemas, la definición organizacional, la planificación a largo plazo y la estrategia de gestión, así como la comunicación de esa estrategia interna (de la propia organización) y externamente. ...
El LCM 2016-2017 (Moreno et al., 2017) mostró el déficit en Latinoamérica en el uso de big data para la toma de decisiones basada en issues; una de las grandes transformaciones actuales en relaciones públicas. El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar el impacto de la implementación de estrategias de issues management y big data para el nuevo sistema de residuos de Córdoba (Argentina) —“Recuperando Valor”— durante diciembre 2018. Se analizaron más de 10.000 publicaciones en redes sociales mediante un sistema de alertas programadas (QSocial) por temas, actores, impactos y frecuencia a través de distintos modelos analíticos: Imagen de Gestión; Sentimientos; Preocupaciones Ciudadanas, Género, Humor Social y Valoraciones. Las organizaciones no solo comunican estratégicamente: son comunicación estratégica (Grandien y Johansson, 2016). Ello implica una función de dirección y asesoramiento (Zerfass y Franke, 2013) —o función política (Simões, 2001 inspirado en Matrat, 1971)—, atendiendo la opinión pública mediante la gestión de issues (Nothhaft, 2010). En la práctica implica construir, administrar y monitorear en tiempo real el desarrollo e impacto de un conjunto de temas que cobran relevancia en las distintas agendas y por consecuencia en la producción de contenidos y la gestión de relaciones con los distintos públicos en función de sus intereses. Issues and Big Data in Public Relations Management. The Case of the Implementation of the New Garbage System Called “Recuperando Valor” in Córdoba, ArgentinaThe LCM 2016-2017 (Moreno et al., 2017) showed the deficit in the use of big data for making decisions based on issues in Latin America; this is one of the great transformations that we currently envision in public relations. The objective of this research was to analyze the impact of the implementation of Issues Management and big data strategies for the new garbage system in Córdoba (Argentina) —“Recuperando Valor”— during December 2018. More than 10,000 publications on social networks were analyzed through a system of programmed alerts (QSocial) taking into account topics, actors, impact and frequency through different analytical models: measurement of Management Image; Feelings; Citizen Concerns, Gender, Social Humor and Evaluations. Organizations not only communicate strategically: they are indeed strategic communication (Grandien and Johansson, 2016). This requires a management and advisory function (Zerfass and Franke, 2013) —or political function (Simões, 2001 as inspired by Matrat, 1971)—, considering public opinion through issues management (Nothhaft, 2010). In practice it involves building, managing and monitoring in real time the development and impact of a set of issues that become relevant in the different agendas and, consequently, in the production of contents and the management of relations with the different stakeholders based on their interests.Palabras clave: issues, big data, relaciones públicas, ambiente, residuos en Argentina.Key words: issues; big data, public relations, environment, garbage in Argentina.
... While it is clear that corporate social advocacy initiatives that broadly align with consensual public values will be easier for stakeholders to accept, we call on organizations not simply to adapt to public opinion, but to steer by their inner values compass (Grayson & Martinec, 2004;Liedtka, 2008;Ruef & Scott, 1998;Volk & Zerfass, 2018). Companies need to look beyond mere values conformity and ensure that their advocacy campaigns are rooted in a lived corporate philosophy and culture (Hollender, 2004;Waddock & Rasche, 2012); those that fail to do this risk conflicts of interest, decreasing stakeholder support and loss of legitimacy -with obvious commercial consequences (Heath, 2006;Heath et al., 2020;O'Connor, 2006). CSA legitimacy cannot be achieved overnight and may not be achieved at all. ...
... For this reason, companies need to be highly sensitive to cultural changes around them, working continuously to figure out how to take people with them in their CSA interventions, thus co-creating value together with their public. Companies who fail to do this -who attempt to wield sole authority or indulge in one-way-only communications -risk finding that their stand-taking damages rather than enhances their corporate legitimacy (Heath, 2006;Heath et al., 2020;Morsing et al., 2008); while organizations whose social advocacy initiatives are seen to be interactive and participatory will likely be rewarded with increased public legitimacy (Johansen & Nielsen, 2011;Waymer & Heath, 2014). ...
This study experimentally interrogates the critical preconditions of how an organization legitimizes its corporate social advocacy (CSA) initiatives as an integral part of strategic communication. A 2 × 2 factorial design survey (N = 398) indicates that companies must find a way to bridge two perceptual gaps − a factual gap and a conformity gap. The factual gap refers to perceived inconsistency of values – that is, that the company may not walk its talk on moral values. In contrast, the conformity gap refers to values incongruity between public expectations and corporate performance. Using these two conceptual constructs, we classify CSA initiatives into authentic, faulty, and fake. Authentic CSA initiatives project clear corporate moral values and meet public value expectations; unsurprisingly, they are found to generate more substantial perceptions of legitimacy and more positive behavioral willingness than other types of CSA initiative. Previously, few attempts to measure experimentally the legitimacy gaps that frequently arise between public expectations and companies’ actual CSA performance. The authentic CSA could not only fulfill corporate strategic communication missions but also generate the legitimate end of mutual understanding between the organization and the publics.
... In particular, public relations has been criticized for its role in public conversation; critics maintain that its work on behalf of power centers inherently calls into question its ability to encourage true democratic conversation aimed toward constructively addressing wider societal needs (Edwards, 2018;L'Etang & Pieczka, 2006;Moloney, 2006). In contrast, some scholars have attempted to address these concerns by pointing to how public relations, despite possible power imbalances between and among power centers and interested stakeholders, may build a sense of common purpose while raising issues for public deliberation (Dervin & Foreman-Wernet, 2013;Heath, 2006;Marchand, 1998;St. John, 2014;Stoker & Stoker, 2012). ...
... Extending upon his observation, we found evidence of sociable pro-fracking messages. Befitting a public relations campaign attempting to build a sense of common purpose (e.g., Dervin & Foreman-Wernet, 2013;Heath, 2006;Stoker & Stoker, 2012), the messages were designed to not appear as persuasion. Instead, they asserted the industry's alignment with prevailing values and beliefs in an effort to resonate with the audiences. ...
In 2018, the fracking industry in Colorado embarked on a public relations initiative to defeat Proposition 112, a measure that the industry saw as an existential threat. This study reviewed the messaging used by the fracking industry and its supporters, examining 1,515 text articles (e.g., news accounts, op-eds, etc.) and also 38 Facebook posts from pro-fracking groups. Using Schudson's (1997) binary framework for public talk, we found that public relations messaging often moved beyond the two realms of problem-solving and sociable messaging. In this case, pro-fracking interests emulated public talk, or conversation, by also offering a blend of problem-solving and sociable talk, what this study calls an "interface" point between Schudson's binary. This case study found this interface point to be characterized by cohesion messages, or messages that emphasized to audiences that the well-being of fracking operations and Colorado communities were interwoven. This study's findings point to implications regarding how public relations can attempt to emulate public talk across a spectrum so as to influence democratic deliberation on contemporary issues.
... It is generally perceived as an early warning or pre-crisis mechanism which is closely coordinated with strategic planning (Jaques, 2010). Heath (2006) has defined strategic issues management as organized action towards timely identification of emerging trends and issues which possess the probability to influence an organization during following years and development of a range of proper organizational responses to those issues. As defined by Heath and Palenchar (2009), broadly defined, strategic issue management represents the combination of specific functions and responsive culture which includes strategic planning, issue monitoring, and strategic communication necessary to foster supportive relationships between organizations and the environment. ...
Public diplomacy has been gaining a more significant role in national diplomatic relations, which has been instigated with greater usage of new technologies and digital media and expansion of online communication of government institutions with international public. Within the contemporary environment, the character of public diplomacy has changed and the essence of public diplomacy has moved from one-way and state-centered communication perspective towards an interactive, relationship building and fostering perspective. In order to enable reaching of foreign policy goals, public diplomacy demands strategic approach to communication, especially when it comes to digital channels such as social media. Important topics related to public diplomacy should be referred to as strategic issues in digital communication, which could represent either problems or opportunities for diplomatic institutions and individuals, and, therefore, should be approached from the perspective of strategic issue management. The aim of this paper is to improve the understanding of the public diplomacy digital communication from the strategic issues management perspective by providing a comprehensive literature review on this topic, and to provide basis for further empirical research.
... It is derived from how corporations balance the hazards and benefits of their processes and actions along the entire value chain … [It] encapsulates commonplace notions of CSR as well as [societal] risk mitigation, [communication], and management. (Ofori-Parku, 2016a) Also, the CSF lies at the nexus of the stakeholder approach (Freeman, 2010;Freeman et al., 2010) and issues management (Heath, 2002(Heath, , 2006. The stakeholder component answers the question: To whom are/should businesses be responsible? ...
Corporate social responsibility, and its other conceptual variants such as corporate sustainability, encourages businesses to act on a range of issues outside what the law and shareholders require. But what are the limits of the concept and its discursive practices in a globalizing world marked by accentuated asymmetrical power relations between businesses, and the communities they operate in and serve (especially corporations working in less powerful global peripheries), and the regulators who are expected to police them? This study uses the discourse-historical approach (DHA) and corporate sustainability framework (CSF) to analyze a British independent oil production firm’s—Tullow—communication. It illustrates the utility of the DHA and the CSF for doing critical stakeholder and issues analysis from corporate communication texts. Second, it argues that corporate sustainability illustrates the power asymmetry between the global and local, corporations and community. Specifically, we observe how a petroleum firm uses sustainability discourse, as a form of hegemonic globalization, to perpetuate dominant tropes and conceptions about African local communities as homogeneous and lacking agency, commodifying the lived experiences of the locals in the process while entrenching the superiority of the firm’s own position as a ‘benevolent dictator.’ We also illustrate how particular mitigation and intensification discourse techniques are employed to uphold Tullow as a ‘do-good’ actor. The corporation’s discursive strategies have a cumulative effect of cementing the power asymmetry that already exists between the firm as an agent of a dominant center of global power and Ghanaian communities as less powerful interests in the globalization process. Suggestions for disrupting the hegemony are provided.
... Issues management has been discussed extensively since at least 1980 (Heath & Cousino, 1990) by public relations professionals, and the topic has been considered from every conceivable approach, including an internet-based assessment of threats (Coombs, 2002), the perspective of relationship management (Bridges & Nelson, 2000) and through rhetorical theory (Heath, 2006). Chase (1984) argued that issues management is a natural Fit for public relations and its sub-disciplines including public affairs and government relations. ...
... на [25], Г. Піла, К. Бейлі, Б. Кейна [26], Д. Норта [10], Дж. Олдермана [21], Р. Хеза [22] та ін. ...
... As public relations theory is rooted in different disciplinary fields, like mass communication, interpersonal/speech communication, (social) psychology, economics, sociology, and in different schools of thought [25], scholarship in public relations has conceptualized the professionalized occupation from diverse viewpoints including functionalist, structuralist and rhetorical perspectives to serve the public interest. For instance, public relations as a field of practice has been explained as the provider of mutually beneficial and good organizational relations [26][27][28][29]; social dialog, i.e., [30][31][32][33][34]; postmodern activism [35] or social legitimation, i.e., [36,37]. ...
One of the core problems of misinformation and post-trust societies is, indeed, trust in communications. The undermining of the credibility of media as the backbone of democratic societies is becoming a serious problem that affects democracy, business and all kinds of public institutions and organizations in society(ies). This paper explores perceptions of trust in key stakeholders involved in communication on behalf of organizations. Findings are considered at the professional (macro), departmental (meso) and individual (micro) level as well as considering the trusted role of non-specialist communicators for organizations including internal and external spokespeople. Data were collected from an online survey of 2883 respondents from 46 countries across Europe. Key findings were at the macro level that: antagonism between management communication professionals and journalists remains. The lowest trust in the profession is felt to be by the general public. At the meso level, top executives are perceived to trust the department the most followed by journalists in second place. External experts such as professors and consultants are perceived to be the most trusted by the general public. Finally, at the micro level individuals are more trusted than organizations or departments and the communication profession more widely.
... However, public expectation does not exist in a vacuum. Instead, it is created and shaped by the dialogue between the organization and the public, as well as discussions among the public for the purpose of advancing interests (Heath, 2006). As Heath and Palenchar (2008) noted, "the issue is not what all people believe but what some believe and believe strongly to exert effort and pressure to bring their positions into the public policy arenas and marketplace" (p. ...
... Finally, in regard to the practical implications of this work, this examination offers insight into how organizations can effectively respond to extreme situations. Heath (2006) asserts that the second main function which defines issues management is to "embrace and implement the highest standards of corporate responsibility to achieve credibility, to be above reproach, and thereby to earn the right to be a public policy steward" (p. 77). ...
On a Saturday evening in September, 2006, six infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at an Indiana hospital were given incorrect doses of medication that ultimately ended with the death of three of the infants. How can an organization respond in this type of extreme situation, when the wrongful act unintentionally results in the worst outcome? This study examines the hospital’s response in addition to public discussion in the days immediately following the incident. Methodist Hospital’s response can best be understood through the framework of the rhetoric of atonement, one seeking forgiveness for the wrongful act and a repair of the relationship, and its tenets as a grounding theoretical lens: repentance, prayer, charity, authenticity, and public forum. The findings support the use of atonement even in an extreme situation and provide evidence of the mirroring of atonement in media narratives.
... In summary, the rhetorical paradigm can be used to evoke a highly optimistic advocacy of rhetorical public relations that produces discourse to seek truth and establish priority values which enable communities to make principled decisions -decisions that advance the interests of the entire community rather than a single interest (Heath, 2006a). Heath's contribution to the paradigm extols dialectical compromise in the light of the revelation of truths that open up paths to social progress 'the battle over public policy and value principle hegemony is best when it seeks and achieves a mutually beneficial middle ground between interested parties.' (Heath, 2006a:88). ...
The first aim of this paper is to establish some of the core assumptions and concepts that have been used to build the rhetorical paradigm for developing public relations theory. The key tenets of this paradigm are deployed to enable some critical reflection on the value of the model, and particularly the work of Heath, for scholars who accept that public relations is constituted by persuasive discourses and perpetual competition between opposing interests and values. The second aim of this paper is to explore the question of where next? How do we develop the rhetorical paradigm and take it into new directions and allow it to embrace new problems? This paper will attempt to do this by applying agonistic theories of democracy. To mirror how Heath has drawn on classical writers such as Aristotle, Isocrates and Quintilian, this paper will also draw on classical texts: Firstly, through the satirical drama and social commentary in the writing of Aristophanes; and then through Honig’s work in reinterpreting Sophocles’ play Antigone. Agonism derives from the ancient Greek word agōn - a contest or struggle. A key priniciple of classical agonism is that protagonists should seek to win acclaim and admiration by performing openly in public, and it extols plurality above dispassionate deliberation. This suggests some resonance with the dominant assumptions of the rhetorical paradigm, but more modern forms of agonism make post-foundationalist assumptions of the impossibility of any consensus existing beyond precarious hegemonic relationships. They also hold to a radical pluralism that when applied challenge widely-held assumptions that ethically grounded public relations practice is that which seeks to eliminate conflict in favour of seeking consensus. Fusing agonistic cooperation with Heath’s notion of concurrence is suggested as a means of integrating critical theory into the rhetorical paradigm.
... In response, business leaders and industrials increasingly felt they were being targeted by oppositional publics that failed to recognise their social and economic contributions to society (Heath and Waymer 2011). While some companies sought to adapt to these shifting expectations regarding the role of corporations by amending their standards of corporate responsibility, others became more hostile to their oppositional voices, expressing outrage towards their critics and seeking to hide the nature and consequences of their industrial activities (Heath 2006). Ultimately, in the 1970s, this conflict would produce the subspecialisation of 'issues management' (W. ...
This chapter explores the role of lobbying in a democracy and its position within the broader field of public relations. Core case studies are discussed including the strategies and tactics of the tobacco lobby and the mining and engery industry in regards to Australian legislation and public policy contests.
... The politized nature of issues communication is magnified for organizations in conflict with publics in their operating environment. Such contests can have high financial stakes for companies suffering a "legitimacy gap" regarding what they do and the public sentiments regarding their operations (Heath 2006b;Ihlen, 2011;Heath & Ihlen, 2018). ...
This article uses social media network analysis (SMNA) to examine whether there was an astroturfing campaign on Twitter in support of the Adani Carmichael coal mine in 2017. It shows that SMNA can be used to visualize and analyze outsider lobbying activity in issue arenas and is capable of identifying networks of fake opinion. This study found that in April 2017, there was a small network of accounts that made a series of suspiciously similar pro‐Adani tweets that could be considered a form of duplicitous lobbying. However, this study concludes that these posts were likely a weak influence on public opinion in Australia and largely ineffectual as a lobbying tactic. Nevertheless, this analysis shows how communitas public interests can be subverted by covert social media campaigns used in support of corporatas goals, as well as the role digital research methods can play in protecting the integrity on public debates by exposing disingenuous actors.
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... • Additionally, rhetorical theories have also been used in crisis response in order to help us better understand the structure and nature of arguments that can and should be used to respond to crises. If persuasion theory grounds much of the crisis response strategy that is used to help organizations manage crises, then rhetorical theory often grounds the persuasion theories that are developed, so it is useful to understand the nature and structure of argument if we are to develop effective crisis response messages (R. L. Heath, 2006). ...
... Public relations, however, offers clients more opportunities to broadcast the importance of their activities beyond their products and services. As numerous scholars have pointed out (Dervin and Foreman-Wernet 2013;Heath 2006;Wehmeier and Schultz 2011), public relations can help clients act in a sense-making role in society, affording, for example, corporations the opportunity to offer news that helps shape public understanding about the role of the corporation in society. As such, this study is concerned with how a corporation attempts through social media to convey news about itself that is not linked to explicit product, service, or brand aspects. ...
This experimental study examined whether stories presented on Facebook that appeared to be from a news organization were rated as higher in perceived credibility than stories that appeared to be from a non-news organization. One-hundred-and-seven participants took part in the online study. One group saw stories that appeared to be from a news organization and another group saw the same stories that appeared to be from a non-news organization. Both groups rated the stories the same in terms of perceived credibility. The study also found that the higher the participants rated the stories in terms of perceived credibility, the higher they rated the organization’s perceived credibility. These findings point to potential implications for traditional journalistic outlets regarding their ability to be seen as credible, reliable online news sources—particularly through a social media platform like Facebook.
Corporate social responsibility, and its other conceptual variants such as corporate sustainability, encourages businesses to act on a range of issues outside what the law and shareholders require. But what are the limits of the concept and its discursive practices in a globalizing world marked by accentuated asymmetrical power relations between businesses, and the communities they operate in and serve (especially corporations working in less powerful global peripheries), and the regulators who are expected to police them? This study uses the discourse-historical approach (DHA) and corporate sustainability framework (CSF) to analyze a British independent oil production firm’s Tullow—communication. It illustrates the utility of the DHA and the CSF for doing critical stakeholder and issues analysis from corporate communication texts. Second, it argues that corporate sustainability illustrates the power asymmetry between the global and local, corporations and community. Specifically, we observe how a petroleum firm uses sustainability discourse, as a form of hegemonic globalization, to perpetuate dominant tropes and conceptions about African local communities as homogeneous and lacking agency, commodifying the lived experiences of the locals in the process while entrenching the superiority of the firm’s own position as a ‘benevolent dictator.’ We also illustrate how particular mitigation and intensification discourse techniques are employed to uphold Tullow as a ‘do-good’ actor. The corporation’s discursive strategies have a cumulative effect of cementing the power asymmetry that already exists between the firm as an agent of a dominant center of global power and Ghanaian communities as less powerful interests in the globalization process. Suggestions for disrupting the hegemony are provided.
Метою статті є аналіз теоретичних та практичних аспектів впровадження механізмів Government Relations (GR) у систему взаємодії політичної влади та бізнесу. GR розглядається у порівнянні з лобіюванням та зв'язками з громадськістю як елементи соціальної взаємодії в контексті цифрової трансформації. Зазначається, що цифрові комунікації дозволяють GR створювати нові можливості для забезпечення координації інтересів влади, бізнесу та громадянського суспільства. GR є важливим механізмом демократичного розвитку країни, оскільки дає можливість бізнесу та інститутам громадянського суспільства впливати на формування архітектури уряду. Зроблено висновок, що GR в Україні є важливим інструментом діалогу між органами державної влади та бізнесом, від якого залежать: якість державного управління, умови конкуренції, розвиток бізнесу в цілому. Такий діалог потребує законодавчого захисту та механізмів прийняття на його основі рішень, обов'язкових для виконання всіма сторонами. Бізнес, орієнтований на цифрову перспективу у повоєнний період відновлення економіки, насамперед очікує від влади стабільних правил гри та дотримання їх усіма політичними суб'єктами. В умовах воєнного стану ще важливішим стає об'єднання зусиль бізнесу та держави для формування цивілізованого ринку GR послуг. Також назрілою стала необхідність інституціоналізації професії «GR спеціаліст», використання сучасних цифрових комунікацій для обміну інформацією між GR фахівцями та просування цивілізованих GR технологій у корпоративній політиці. Разом з іншими демократичними перетвореннями це може сприяти зменшенню корупційної складової у взаємодії влади та бізнесу в Україні.
Purpose
This paper develops a typology of argumentation strategies used in lobbying. Unlike in other strategic communication functions such as crisis or risk communication, such typologies have not been proposed in the sub-field of public affairs.
Design/methodology/approach
The article synthesises the strategic communication, political communication and policy studies literature and employs exchange theory to explain the communicative-strategic exchange in public affairs. It showcases its explanatory potential with illustrative examples from Big Tech lobbying.
Findings
The paper describes that categories of argumentation strategies that a public affairs professional will choose are based on the contingency of the issue, policy objective and lobbying objective. The descriptive typology will require empirical testing to develop further.
Social implications
The paper describes how public affairs professionals influence public policy through their argumentation strategies, which sheds light on the usually opaque activities of lobbying.
Originality/value
The proposed typology is the first of its kind for the field of public affairs. Beyond, it contributes communication-scientific insights from a rhetorical tradition to strategic communication research and other social science fields where lobbying is studied, e.g. policy studies.
El presente artículo describe el estado del arte en la comunicación de gobiernos. Tras identificar las singularidades que tiene el gobierno como institución que se comunica, las autoras realizan una profunda revisión de lo que al respecto ofrecen los campos de estudio de la comunicación política y de la comunicación de organizaciones (relaciones públicas, comunicación organizacional y comunicación corporativa). De la revisión se extraen las teorías, conceptos, planteamientos y enfoques que son de interés para el estudio de la comunicación gubernamental; y se ofrece un elenco y reflexión sobre las cuestiones que se considera que deberían formar parte de la agenda de investigación, tales como la búsqueda de un modelo, el “problema de la profesionalización”, la tensión entre la información y persuasión gubernamental, la evaluación y eficiencia de la comunicación de un gobierno, el análisis empírico de una oficina de comunicación gubernamental, el estudio comparado internacional y la fundamentación teórica de la comunicación de gobierno. ción, tales como la búsqueda de un modelo, el “problema de la profesionalización”, la tensión entre la información y persuasión gubernamental, la evaluación y eficiencia de la comunicación de un gobierno, el análisis empírico de una oficina de comunicación gubernamental, el estudio comparado internacional y la fundamentación teórica de la comunicación de gobierno.
TAKE TECH is an EU-funded Leonardo da Vinci - Transfer of Innovation project
and lasted from the 1st of October 2011 until the 30th of November 2013. It aimed
to enhance and transfer the successful TAKE TECH method from the region of
Styria in Austria to several European partner countries. This project can be seen
as a well-structured example for the imperative of EU-projects to strengthen the
European economy by developing innovative pedagogic and for this reason it is
exemplary for the close conjunction of economy and education as a part of the
European education strategy.
This study explores the confluence of moral reasoning and strategic framing in public relations tactics to address cultural variations in national policy debates. While much scholarly attention has been paid to the ways in which news media both represent and misrepresent U.S. Muslims through the ways stories are framed, much less work has been devoted to Muslim self-framing in public discourse, and its implications for public relations theory. To address this gap in understanding the ways some Muslim Americans use public relations as a tool of self-representation, this study examines more than 700 press releases issued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) during the first year of the Donald Trump presidency. Using Moral Foundations Theory to operationalize the moral evaluations present in the frames, this study found four strategic frames: Islamophobia reactions, legal responses, public sphere engagement, and interfaith solidarity. It also examines the calls to action employed in the press releases. The findings show that the press release as a public relations tactic served as a critical venue for emphasizing individual rights and participation in public life through the deployment of moral language.
Since declaration of post-truth as Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year in 2016, studies show that ‘fake news’, ‘alternative facts’, and disinformation have continued unabated – and even increased. Fingers have pointed at individuals such as Donald Trump and the activities of Russian ‘troll farms’. Also, global outrage has risen in relation to the deceptive and manipulative practices of organisations such as Cambridge Analytica and social media oligopolies, notably Facebook. However, transdisciplinary research challenges the ‘few bad apples’ argument and proposes that a wide range of culprits are responsible for what this study calls post-communication. Based on a review of reports related to public communication practices, and key informant interviews, this discussion proposes that reforms are required at three levels: top-down, such as updated regulation and legislation; bottom-up, including new approaches to media literacy; and increased attention to ethics and standards by professionals in advertising, marketing, public relations, government and political communication, and journalism.
Issues managers have power over defining issues and legitimizing their importance. While discussion has increased about organizations taking a stand on polarizing social issues, there remains a gap in the issues management literature on how to address stigmatized issues, particularly those with a gendered component. This article offers a revised set of issues motivators that better encompass the gendered and emotional components of issues and guiding questions to assist issues managers in ensuring that organizational policies and practices are more inclusive. Finally, the emotional underpinnings of all phases of the issue life cycle are considered.
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