Public Relations: A Values-Driven Approach [Paperback]

David Guth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999 | ISBN-10: 0205295746 | ISBN-13: 978-0205295746

In a time when society is holding individuals and organizations to high standards of conduct, Public Relations teaches students how to build ethical, productive relationships with strategic constituencies. By placing public relations in a broad social context, Public Relations: A Values-Driven Approach provides an introduction to a dynamic, growing, and honorable profession. Steeped in the traditions and theories of public relations, the book features a lively, informal tone designed to engage the audience. It abounds with lively anecdotes. A sustained focus on how public relations activities reflect and affect an organization's core values is a thread that runs through every chapter.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In a time when society is holding individuals and organizations to high standards of conduct, Public Relations: A Values-Driven Approach teaches students how to build ethical, productive relationships with strategic constituencies. By placing public relations in a broad social context, Public Relations provides an introduction to a dynamic, growing, and honorable profession. Steeped in the traditions and theories of public relations, the book features an engaging, informal tone. It abounds with lively anecdotes and comes in at a reasonable price for students. A sustained focus on how public relations activities reflect and affect an organization's core values is a thread that runs through every chapter.

New to the Third Edition

• A new chapter on “Public Relations in the Digital Age” shows students the implications of the digital revolution.
• New and timely examples such as the use of public relations in the war on terror and the war in Iraq, as well as the Madonna—Britney kiss, Super Size Me, and the breakup of Barbie and Ken, bring public relations into the cultural world of students and energize class discussions.
• Expanded ethics chapter includes corporate responsibility, providing guidance in the aftermath of corporate scandals.
• Information on recent developments in the law, including Sarbanes-Oxley and Regulation FD, Kasky v. Nike, and new database-restriction legislation, helps students navigate the shifting grounds of the laws and regulations that affect public relations.
• Coverage of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communications Management’s new international ethics code and the PR Alliance’s report “Restoring Trust in Business” show the growth of international standards for public relations and the importance of public relations in preventing future corporate scandals.
• Enhanced discussion of theoretical concepts including SWOT analysis, framing theory, ROI (return on investment), and AVE (advertising value equivalency) gives students a variety of tools to understand and analyze public relations practices.
• Nine new case studies and sidebars on international and multicultural public relations expose students to public relations practices and issues on the global stage.

Praise for Public Relations: A Values-Driven Approach

“The material is fresh, easy to understand, current, and covers the most appropriate areas of Public Relations for a semester-long course.”
Robert A. Bergman, Lewis University

“Its prescriptions for writing are very good, and the text provides the best discussion of planning processes of any of the introductory books.”
Michael Smilowitz, James Madison University --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 588 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205295746
• ISBN-13: 978-0205295746
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,308,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Public Relations and Morals When the Paths Cross, September 9, 2010

By 

Apethegr8t - See all my reviews

This review is from: Public Relations: A Values-Driven Approach (4th Edition) (Paperback)

I ordered this book for my Principles of Public Relations class and, just like any other beginners class you just learn about half of what PR really is. It covered the basics of the subject and told the history of public relations. Which I find helpful because if you want to do PR it is important to know the history of it because, it will help you with public relations problems you may run into today.
Something that this book does inform you on is the difference between your morals and your company's morals. Your morals will be challenged in public relations, and this book shows you how to deal with it. It also has an emphasis on ethics when concerning public relations. It also applies to advertising. How you can't accept gifts and things of that nature from a company that wants to do business with you.
All in all, this book is pretty good for a beginner in public relations. You get to understand enough of it without feeling like a whole bunch is thrown at you at once.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good intro to PR book, April 6, 2004

By 

Sara Swihart (Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Public Relations: A Values-Driven Approach (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

I am minoring in Public Relations and this was the required book for the class. It is pretty straight forward and easy to understand. The layout is great and has been easy to follow.

One thing that this book could really use are examples. They only talk about PR plans and news releases, they don't show you what one looks like or how to get started. For those who haven't seen a news release, writing one can been a challenge. A PR plan is almost impossible without at least seeing an example first.

However, for just the basics this is a good book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Needs the companion book, then 5+ stars, April 21, 2004

By 

John "Graphic Designer" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Public Relations: A Values-Driven Approach (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

Guth and Marsh know what they are talking about when it comes to PR. If you are in the business or thinking about it, get this book. For excellent, clear examples, get Marsh's 'quick and not dirty guide'.