Journal of Public Relations Research

Lee, Hyegyu; Oshita, Tsuyoshi; Oh, Hyun Jung; Hove, Thomas

2014 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2013.864243

Combining spiral of silence theory with the situational theory of problem solving, this study explores the extent to which publics differ in their willingness to express their opinions in hostile social situations. Based on analysis of a survey among 369 college students about their willingness to express opinions on 2 controversial topics (gun possession and climate change), 3 key findings emerge: (a) Fear of isolation suppresses people's willingness to express their opinions in public; (b) active publics are more likely than other types of publics to express their opinions; and (c) there is no interaction effect between fear of isolation and types of publics. In addition to several theoretical contributions, the findings provide public relations practitioners with a model for predicting which types of publics would be more or less likely to express their opinion.

Laskin, Alexander V.

2014 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2013.864244

There are no majors, or even minors, in investor relations for undergraduate students in the United States. Yet, the association of investor relations professionals, the National Investor Relations Institute, has 4,300 members. The questions, then, become who works in the investor relations departments and investor relations agencies, where do they come from, and, more important, what does it mean for the status of investor relations as a profession? This study addresses these questions by conducting a random probability sampling of investor relations professionals to investigate their educational backgrounds, organizational structures, reporting relationships, and other variables. The study concludes that investor relations is still primarily a financial function: Investor relations professionals have financial or business backgrounds and report to the financial executives rather than to the communication executives or to the Chief Executive Officer.

Bortree, Denise Sevick; Waters, Richard D.

2014 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2013.864245

Maintaining relationships with racially diverse audiences can challenge nonprofit organizations. Through a survey of 634 volunteers, this study examined the role of inclusion in predicting relationship quality and future volunteerism for participants of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, including African Americans, Asians, Caucasians, and Hispanic/Latinos. Results suggest a positive relationship between level of inclusion, relationship quality, and future volunteer intention. However, inclusion was varied among groups indicating that communication and inclusive behaviors are experienced differently for diverse audiences.

Sung, Kang-Hoon; Kim, Sora

2014 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2014.908718

Publics tend to use social networking sites mainly for interpersonal communication purposes. Corporate communication focusing on promotional activities, thus, might create negative sentiments toward the organization within those platforms. This experimental study examined the effect of organizations’ interpersonal approaches to communication (e.g., nonpromotional messages, high interactivity) in social networking sites using real and fictitious companies. Our results suggest that publics consider corporate activities in social networking sites more negatively when they perceive those platforms as a personal space. However, publics evaluate an organization more positively when it is highly interactive with its publics on these platforms. Finally, publics who perceive the platform as a personal space have a more positive attitude toward the organization when the organization is both highly interactive and employs nonpromotional messages.

Men, Linjuan Rita

2014 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2014.908719

This study examines how organizational leadership influences excellent internal communication by building the linkage between transformational leadership, symmetrical communication, and employee attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. The results showed that transformational leadership positively influences the organization's symmetrical communication system and employee–organization relationships. The effects of transformational leadership on employee relational outcomes are partially mediated by symmetrical internal communication. Symmetrical communication demonstrates large positive effect on the quality of employee–organization relationships, which in turn leads to employee advocacy. Effects of symmetrical internal communication on employee advocacy are fully mediated by employee–organization relationships. Significant theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Saxton, Gregory D.; Waters, Richard D.

2014 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/1062726X.2014.908721

Although public relations scholarship has often discussed the possibilities of dialogue and engagement using social media, research has not truly explored this dynamic. Instead, research on social media platforms has focused on measuring the content and structure of organizational profiles. This study seeks to enhance the field's discussion about social media engagement by determining what organizational content individual stakeholders prefer on Facebook in terms of liking, commenting, and sharing. A content analysis of 1,000 updates from organizations on the Nonprofit Times 100 list indicates that, based on what they comment on and like, individuals prefer dialogic, as well as certain forms of mobilizational, messages; however, they are more likely to share one-way informational messages with their own networks. These findings are interpreted using practical and theoretical implications for the practice of public relations.