Journal of Public Relations Research

Reber, Bryan H.; Cropp, Fritz; Cameron, Glen T.

2003 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1207/S1532754XJPRR1501_1

The contingency theory of accommodation in public relations advances the role of public relations beyond its publicity and media relations roots to a crucial place in conflict management. In advancing the theory, Cameron and his colleagues have identified a matrix of variables that might affect an organization's stance toward an individual public. Contingency theory offers a more complex and realistic portrayal of changing public relations activity along a continuum from pure advocacy to pure accommodation of a given public at a given time. Further, proscriptive variables (e.g., legal factors, regulatory agencies) add parsimony to the theory by establishing ground rules that affect a stance toward a public at a given time. The following case study, an in-depth analysis of Norfolk Southern's hostile takeover of Conrail, illustrates the dynamism of conflict management in public relations as well as the proscriptions on how an organization handles conflicts.

Sallot, Lynne M.; Lyon, Lisa J.; Acosta-Alzuru, Carolina; Ogata Jones, Karyn

2003 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1207/S1532754XJPRR1501_2

In a replication and extension of a 1984 study by Ferguson to investigate the status of theory building by public relations scholars, 748 abstracts or articles published in Public Relations Review, Journal of Public Relations Research and its predecessor, Public Relations Research Annual, since their inceptions through the year 2000, were subjected to content analysis. Nearly 20% of articles analyzed were found to have contributed to theory development in public relations, compared to only 4% in Ferguson's study. Theory was most prevalent in articles about excellence/symmetry, public relationships, ethics and social responsibility, crisis response, critical-cultural, feminism/diversity, and international topics. These and interdisciplinary influences are expected to continue to contribute to ever more theory building in public relations. Proportionally, Public Relations Research Annual made the greatest contributions to theory development, followed by Journal of Public Relations Research, although Public Relations Review published the greatest number of articles contributing to theory development. Public Relations Review and Journal of Public Relations Research published comparable numbers of articles regarding excellence theory, public relationships, and crisis response theory. However, Public Relations Review published far more articles on theories about academic versus applied research, ethics/social responsibility, international and role theory than Journal of Public Relations Research. Conversely, Journal of Public Relations Research published more content about situational theory and gender/diversity theories than Public Relations Review. The most prolific authors contributing to theory development were James E. Grunig, Robert L. Heath, Larissa Schneider Grunig, W. Timothy Coombs, and John A. Ledingham.