THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORY OF PUBLIC RELATIONS CONFERENCE 2011 Held at Bournemouth University July 6-7, 2011 Conference Chair and Proceedings Editor: Professor Tom Watson PROCEEDINGS INDEX AUTHOR PAGE PAGE Historiography W. Timothy Coombs Privileging an activist vs. corporate view of public relations 4 & Sherry J. Holladay history in the US Robert Crawford & An ‘outside-in’ PR history: Identifying the role of PR as 19 Jim Macnamara history, culture, and sociology Martin David-Blais PR History: Narrative and Counter-Narrative 38 Ryszard Lawniczak From admiration to critical approach: The historical evolution 56 of post-socialist/communist PR scholarship History & Events John Brummette Trains, chains, blame, and elephant appeal: A case study of 73 the public relations significance of Mary the Elephant Francis X. Carty The influence of state and church on the growth of public 86 relations in post-independent Ireland - 1922 to 1973 Conor McGrath Early journalistic and parliamentary references to ‘lobbying’ 96 and ‘lobbyist’ in the UK Ian Somerville & Public relations and peace-building in a divided society: 124 Shane Kirby Engagement, reconciliation and the ‘Good Friday Agreement’ in Northern Ireland Heather Yaxley Exploring the origins of careers in public relations 144 Lynn M. Zoch, Debra The development of the image of public relations in the New 163 R. Van Tuyll, & Mark York Times – 1904-1934 K. Dolan National Histories Alina Dolea Stages of institutionalization and professionalization of 176 government public relations in Romania 1989 – 2010 Carroll Edwards Mixed models: The growth and development of public 194 relations in Jamaica, West Indies Barbra Natifu & Amos PR in Uganda: The nature, status, understanding and use of 215 Zikusooka PR in Uganda (1890-2009) Inga Pure Development of public relations in Latvia: Prehistory and 240 periods of development Marianne D. Sison, Colonial and other influences in the history of public relations 256 Zeny Sarabia-Panol, in the Philippines Caterina Lorenzo- Molo & Ritzi Villarico-Ronquillo Napawan Tantivejakul The practice of public relations in building national unity: A 276 & Prichaya Manmin historical view of the kingdom of Thailand (1238-1932) Loan T. H. Van Public relations in Vietnam: History in the making 298 Professional & Practice Richard Bailey & Lucy Public relations education in Britain: a case history [Abstract] 310 Laville Thomas Beke Litigation public relations: The evolution of a specialist 311 practice in England Nicky Garsten & Jane The evolution and significance of public relations specialisms 327 Howard in contemporary Britain (1985-2010) [Abstract] Anne Gregory Government and the dance with communication: Coming full 329 circle in the 21st century Rachel Kovacs Senior practitioners’ definitions of CSR and their impact on 350 implementation of CSR initiatives Larsåke Larsson A history of the government press conferences in Sweden 368 Amisha Mehta & The essence of crisis action: Tracking and defining moments 384 Robina Xavier of crisis process and practice Tom Watson The evolution of evaluation – the accelerating march towards 398 the measurement of public relations effectiveness Proto-PR Simon Moore Ideals and realities: Renaissance state communication in 413 More’s Utopia and Machiavelli’s The Prince Christian Schnee Augustus – Public relations and the making of an imperial 427 reputation Cylor Spaulding & A historical account of the public relations activities and artful 444 Melissa Dodd devotion of Hildegard von Bingen Theories of PR Soojin Kim & Kelly Conceptual evolution of situational theory as a generalized 459 Vibber theory in public relations ABSTRACT Public relations education in Britain: a case history Richard Bailey MCIPR ([email protected]) and Lucy Laville MCIPR, Leeds Metropolitan University Public relations has been taught as a degree-level qualification for only two decades in the UK (L’Etang 2004). Of the three UK universities to begin teaching the subject at BA level in academic year 1989-1990, two (Bournemouth and Leeds Metropolitan) remain well- established providers of public relations education. These two decades, coinciding with a period of expansion of higher education (Tight 2009), have also been a time of growth for the discipline. Public relations has typically been taught in post-1992 ‘new’ universities – and its perceived low academic status has been countered by the success graduates have achieved in the workplace, and the need of employers for a pool of talented young people during a period of rapid expansion in the sector (Miller and Dinan 2000). Drawing on information from archives and on interviews, the authors will present a case study history of a well-established UK provider of public relations education. The paper will explore the establishing of the course, its emergence to prominence within the faculty and the university, the continuing definitional and domain issues alongside other subject disciplines, the relationship with professional bodies, the struggle for professional and academic respectability, and the development of a range of provision from undergraduate, to postgraduate and professional qualifications. After this period of rapid expansion, higher education faces a challenging future with many institutions chasing declining numbers of demanding, fee-paying students – and with all seeking to attract greater numbers of international students. Not only is there competition from similar-ranked institutions, but the same pressure to justify a ‘return on investment’ is encouraging older universities to diversify into business and vocational education. Oxford University, though not offering a public relations degree course, has for example, appointed a visiting professor of Corporate Reputation at its Centre for Corporate Reputation, established in January 2008. The authors proceed from their institutional case history to ask some questions about the possible development of public relations in higher education in Britain and to present some future scenarios for discussion. References L’Etang, J (2004) Public Relations in Britain: A History of Professional Practice in the 20th Century, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Miller, D and Dinan, W (2000) The rise of the PR industry in Britain 1979-98. European Journal of Communication, 15 (1), pp 5-35 PR Week http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/1028463/Oxford-University-names-Professor- David-Whetten-corporate-reputation-professor/ [accessed 24 November 2010] Said Business School, Oxford. Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/centres/reputation/Documents/CCR%20Annual% 20Report%2008-09.pdf [accessed 24 November 2010] Tight, M (2009) The Development of Higher Education in Britain Since 1945, Open University Press 1 The rise and scope of litigation public relations in England Thomas Beke, PhD Candidate, Department of Film, Media and Journalism University of Stirling, Scotland [email protected] Acknowledgment: This paper is a small proportion of an extended empirical research, a PhD thesis on the historical evolution of Litigation PR in England between 1992 and 2010. Abstract Purpose – This paper takes a closer look at the field of Litigation PR, focusing on the circumstances of the rise and the main attributes of this new branch of public relations in London, in the English common law jurisdiction. The purpose of this paper is concerned with describing what this branch of PR is about and why the new institution of Litigation public relations evolved in England. Design/methodology/approach – Personal correspondence, legal regulations and transcripts of oral interviews were reviewed in order to achieve the main purpose of this paper. Findings - This specialised PR practice has been growing in the U.S. since the 1980s. This paper argues that the development and the main attributes of Litigation PR in England were different to that of the US as it reflected very different legal, political, economic and historical traditions of the English common law jurisdiction. Originality/value – The paper reflects on the academic writings of different scholars who argue that public relations history need more detailed academic works to add value to the discipline. The original research enriches our understanding about a new field of knowledge has been considered one of the most highly specialized and lucrative areas of PR in England and was not formally defined and documented until now. Keywords: public relations history, legal and litigation public relations, crisis, issue and corporate communications, Thatcherism, legal reforms Introduction This paper is based on an extended empirical research that examines the field of Litigation PR, focusing on the circumstances of the rise and the main attributes of this new branch of public relations in London, in the English common law jurisdiction. This paper discusses the evolution of this new and, arguably, under-researched branch of public relations and reflects on the academic writings of different scholars who argue that public relations history need more detailed academic works to add value to the discipline (L‘Etang, 2008; Pearson, 1990; Lamme, 2008; Hoy et al., 2007; Olasky, 1987; Miller and Dinan, 2000). The evolution of Litigation Public Relations is an interesting example for the occupation, “establishing itself as a distinct and commercially viable service” (L‘Etang 2006, p. 278) 2 The growth and complexity of lawsuits and the more litigious cultural and media environment opened up