Includes bibliographical references (p. 335-354) and index.

pt. 1. Public relations: role, practice and origins. 1. PR roles and responsibilities : International consistency of PR practice ; What does public relations practice involve? ; Role and function for organizations: 10 basic principles ; Why the need to know this about PR? ; The job of the PR practitioner ; The function of public relations in business and society -- 2. PR's origins and evolution : Seeking the PR "source spring" ; The beginnings of PR in the USA, 1600-1799 ; Communicating/initiating: the era of press agentry and publicity, 1800-1899 ; Reacting/responding: the time of reporters-in-residence, 1900-1939 ; Planning/preventing: the growth of PR as a management function, 1940-1979 ; Professionalism: PR in the era of global communication, 1980-present -- pt. 2. Research for PR. 3. Research: planning, monitoring and evaluating : The basics: record keeping and retrieving ; Finding and using research resources ; Using research for planning and monitoring ; Using research to plan and to evaluate outcomes ; Informal research ; Formal research ; Audience information ; Research and problem solving -- 4. Stakeholders and interactions : Identifying and describing publics ; Issues: identification, monitoring, evaluation and management ; Issues and the role of the PR practitioner ; Perceptions and public opinion ; Public opinion research and public relations.

pt. 3. Theory, ethics and laws affecting PR practice. 5. Theoretical underpinnings for PR : Origins in sociology and psychology ; Organizational theory ; Communication theories ; Persuasion and change ; A way to look at media: source, message, source + message, media, receivers -- 6. PR ethics and responsibilities : Complexities in ethical decision making ; Responsibility in advertising and sponsorships ; Responsibility in publicity ; Individual responsibilities -- 7. PR and the law : The liabilities of practicing ; Government regulations ; Court rulings and legal responsibilities ; Revisiting the hypotheticals -- pt. 4. PR in action. 8. Strategic management in PR practice : PR's role in the organizational structure as part of the management team ; Issue monitoring and managing for organizations ; Planning and managing PR work -- 9. Communication channels and media : Choosing the medium ; Choosing the message: advertising and publicity ; Traditional hybrid: direct mail ; Developing hybrids -- 10. Tactics and techniques: details that make PR strategy work : Advertising ; Publicity and publications ; Publicity through the mass media ; On the job with media people ; Goofs and glitches ; Talking back and correcting -- 11. Campaigns : Types of campaigns ; Characteristics of successful campaigns ; Planning a campaign ; Implementing the campaign ; Evaluating the campaign ; Campaign outline ; Changing behavior ; Government campaigns -- 12. Crisis and credibility : Anticipating a crisis ; Dealing with a crisis ; Recovery and evaluation.

"Ideal for the beginning student or the experienced public relations practitioner, This is PR: The realities of public relations, Eleventh Edition, covers the world of public relations with a strong emphasis on fundamentals such as history and research, as well as emerging issues such as technology, ethics, and the international aspects. With numerous examples, strategies, tactics, and case studies, you'll have resources you can take away from the classroom."--Publisher's website.