Public Relations

Concepts, Practice and Critique

'...L'Etang reinvents the textbook genre in form and content while simultaneously investing it with élan and serious fun in a reflective and theoretically informed fashion. Extending beyond the usual bounds of insularity, this text is designed to encourage critical thought in students and improve practice in workplaces. A refreshing read that is consistently inventive enough to attain both aims' - Dr David McKie, Professor of Management Communication, Waikato Management School

'Jacquie L'Etang's Public Relations: Theories, Practices and Critiques at long last fills a void in the landscape of text books on public relations theory and practice. This book is of immense value for students embarking on a public relations programme of study at the undergraduate or postgraduate level... The book's core strength is that it develops critical thinking skills while exposing interdisciplinary approaches and providing a very solid foundation for lively debate and further study' - Julia Jahansoozi, Lancashire Business School, University of Central Lancashire

This textbook aims to introduce students to key concepts in public relations, using a wide range of interdisciplinary sources, as well as teaching students how to think critically about public relations. It is designed to help readers understand the paradigms which have shaped the discipline and the practice. The book is intended to be accessible, engaging, quirky, and fun.

The 12 chapters provide careful clear explanations of concepts and discuss competing definitions. Each chapter reviews a number of related themes from a variety of perspectives. Topics covered include:

• Reputation
• Risk
• Impression management
• Celebrity
• The public sphere
• Ethics
• Media perspectives
• Persuasion and propaganda
• Organizational communication
• Health communication and social marketing
• Emotional and spiritual dimensions of leadership
• Promotional culture and globalization

The book helps students engage with difficult questions about public relations. Readers are encouraged to reflect upon their own relationship with the occupation through exercises, critical reflections, questions for discussion, and vignettes. Students are helped to widen their intellectual perspective on the subject of public relations through 'discipline boxes' which explain source domains, their origins and approaches, and connections to public relations.

Other useful features include emboldened key terms (and cross references to other chapters), lists of key terms at the beginning of each chapter, boxed out definitions of key terms, learning objectives, end chapter summaries, and suggestions for further reading.