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Much new work has been undertaken in the field of strategic management in recent years. Corporate planning, especially popular in the 1980s, has given way to new and dynamic management models. Similarly, various techniques for making organisations more effective such as ‘management by objectives’ (MBO) and ‘total quality management’ (TQM) have been employed. Business process re‐engineering (BPR) as proposed by Hammer and Champny was regarded as a radical leap forward in business organisation, but that is being challenged by the newer business transformation as propounded by Gouillart and Kelly and by the concept of the supply chain. Whatever management techniques are used, slimmer, flatter organisations are emerging as ‘right‐size’ and re‐organised organisations. The role of public relations in strategic management and organisation is crucial. Management theorists agree that good communication is vital to successful organisations. Despite the problems associated with it, BPR and its successors are expected to be major infuences on the way in which enterprises are organised. What is now required is a re‐thinking of the structure and role of public relations within process‐oriented organisations. This paper offers some initial thinking on how this could be done and the inherent difficulties. Some of the ideas are borrowed from BPR, but no judgement is made as to whether BPR is a ‘right’ approach. The paper then goes on to look at the implications for the way in which public relations can effectively contribute to ‘new’ organisations and the critical role of information technology.

To appraise progress towards “the professional project” for the public relations profession in the UK using the Royal Charter application as a pivotal assessment point in the journey.

Primary and secondary, qualitative research, with participant observation and chronological and thematic analysis of archival documents at the time of the Charter process: 2003 to 2005. Two expert interviews were also conducted for a view on progress. The study is contextualised within the professions literature and the 2019 State of the Profession study undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

The Institute faced significant challenges during the Charter application raised by Institutions such as the Government Department for Education and Skills, including the diversity of the profession, standards of education and training, practitioner standards, including ethical, as indicated by their levels of membership and commitment to ongoing professional development. These challenges remain.

Diversity, social acceptance, qualifications and professional progress provide an important, ongoing research agenda.

Social acceptance, qualifications and professional progress remain elusive for the practice and more radical action is required to achieve progress.

The profession is making limited progress towards legitimacy. Continued press ambivalence, recent scandals, such as the Bell Pottinger affair in South Africa and jurisdictional infringement by other professions continue to threaten its attempts to move towards social closure.

This is the first academic article to chronicle the charter journey using the original documentation as source materials and the first to review progress towards the goals that chartered status signified for public relations.

This research explores approaches to, impacts of and reflections on the Covid-19 pandemic for professional communicators in the English National Health Service. It was undertaken in order to understand and analyse their lived experience and make recommendations for improving future system-wide performance.

Given the work pressure and additional commitments that communication practitioners have when working in crisis, the researchers chose a single data collection method. Qualitative and quantitative data collection was undertaken using an extensive self-completion survey instrument.

Ten distinct themes covering four time phases: crisis preparedness, entering the crisis, pandemic peak and post “first-wave” are discussed. They examine crisis readiness, to shifts in priorities and communication approaches to system-wide leadership and integration and the re-positioning of communication as a central player in pandemics.

The research outlines a number of areas for improvement along with practical recommendations for actions in the health system in readiness for future pandemics.

This is the first time the lived experience of communicators working through a pandemic at all levels in a national health system has been researched in the public relations literature.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there are information leaks immediately before CEOs change and – if so – whether some investors take financial advantage of such prior knowledge. It thirdly investigates the ethical, practical and professional options for communication managers to deal with such situations.

Working from sentiment theory of financial markets, the authors studied Internet search patterns for incoming CEO names and stock market movements immediately prior to the public mention or speculation of CEO change.

The authors find that in nearly a quarter of CEO changes at Fortune 500 companies, the name of the future CEO seems to have been leaked. Additionally, nearly half of those companies also experience extreme, otherwise unexplainable movements in the stock market.

This paper discovers the prevalence of extreme stock market movements for a company when the name of that company's next CEO has likely been leaked. Such leaks are an opportunity for unscrupulous investors, but they create ethical dilemmas for organizations. Communication managers typically respond by organizing tighter governance. However, to keep up with the speed of information and investments traveling through algorithms, organizing radical transparency could become an alternative instead.

The purpose of this study is to explore how Indonesian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) select and “manage” employee influencers in order to engage more effectively with younger generations.

The study applies a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were obtained by analyzing Instagram content with samples for analysis being taken from company-related posts from June 2018 to June 2020. Qualitative data collection was by two focus group discussions (FGD). The FGDs comprised in total, 22 employee influencers representing the 11 sectors of SOEs in Indonesia.

The article examines how employee influencers engage with others; how they are chosen by their organizations; how they are managed and the support they need from their employers. It was discovered that a careful triangulation is required between employees as influencers, their followers and SOE communication hubs. A key factor is maintaining the authentic relationship between employee influencers and their followers. A conceptual model of employee influencer management for Indonesia is proposed.

The research provides useful insights for communication management, marketing, and human resources in developing and supporting the role of employee influencers.

The research provides useful insights for communication management, marketing and human resources in developing and supporting the role of employee influencers. The suggested model is of practical utility for SOEs for managing employee influencers in Indonesia and provides valuable indicators for other countries.

The study of SOEs’ employee influencers has not been explored previously in the literature. This, combined with the Indonesian perspective, brings new insights to the field. Social media use is especially high in Indonesia, so it acts as a good exemplar for the field. It also builds on the growing literature about the importance of employees as influencer, especially in the social media space. The model also make a theoretical contribution.

Evaluation and measurement (E&M) remains a critical and debated topic among communication scholars and practice. Substantial research and professional efforts have been devoted to discussing what should be measured and which methods should be applied. Most of the E&M models seem to carry a positivist imprint. But, in real-life, organizations could not have clear aims, enough resources, or adequate informative systems to support E&M. Moreover, several contextual factors could affect the implementation of E&M management processes. The communication literature rarely highlights these factors. To fulfill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to theorize the contextual factors relevant to the management of the evaluation process.

A scoping literature review was carried out exploring the role of contextual factors and impact of contextual factors on E&M management processes. More specifically, the review examines the contribution provided by program evaluation and performance measurement (PM) fields of research.

The paper provides a scoping review of program evaluation and PM approaches. Additionally, it explains how both streams of thought argued the importance of contextual factors, such as organizational, relational, cultural and communicative factors, for the success of any evaluation processes. The study underlined that the main evaluation models used in the field of communication have overlooked these studies and put on evidence the role of contextual factors in effectively executing communication E&M.

The paper enriches the dominant rationale concerning the E&M management processes by incorporating literature on: program evaluation; and PM. The analysis could provide useful insights also from a professional perspective, by helping practitioners for a contextual assessment of strategic communication programs and activities.

The emergence of public relations as an academic and practitioner discipline has benefited from input from many sources: social science, behavioural science, engineering, philosophy, business and management. One of the main theoretical underpinnings is systems theory, with parallels being drawn between systems and how communication is practised. Most public relations texts, however, including some of the most influential, do not do justice to the richness of systems theory, especially the most recent thinking on the subject. In this paper the author reviews the use of the better known systems theories, and examines some of the newer developments and applies these to the contemporary practice of public relations. The French school of thought called actor‐network theory is also alluded to in order to extend the discussion. The paper is in three sections. The first focuses on the older systems theories and their traditional application to public relations practice as propounded in the prevalent Grunig and Hunt public relations models. The second looks at some of the newer models in systems thinking, notes how they differ from the older ones and examines how they have relevance to modern practice. In the third section the author uses two practical examples, the breaking down of organisational barriers and current and potential uses of the Internet, to demonstrate the inadequacies of the older systems approach and the applicability of the new theories.

The Internet has brought about change in the way that public relations is practised. Not only has it provided another channel of communication, but the communication dynamic itself has changed because of the Internet’s unique combination of characteristics. Much public relations practice is still posited on dated theories of the system of communication along the linear lines of sender, channel, receiver (with feedback). The public relations professional is there to transmit a message with the purpose of persuading publics to the point of view being promulgated. There have been suggestions that a new model of communication is required in order to explain the Internet medium. This paper re‐examines three of the older communication systems models to establish whether there are elements within them that can be helpful in explaining the dynamics of Internet‐based communication. The authors use the three models, in turn, to examine this medium by focusing on the message sender, the channel itself and the user of the Internet. The conclusion is that together they can throw valuable light on Internet‐based communication and that there are lessons to be drawn from these models that are useful for the contemporary public relations practitioner.

Public consultation and engagement in public services has become increasingly important to UK governments. This has taken on greater significance for the Labour government as it releases increased funding into the public services. This paper provides a case study in stakeholder involvement in the development of the vision, values and goals of a new National Health Service Mental Health Trust. It does so within the context of the relationship model of public relations and the deontological ethical tradition. The case demonstrates how active stakeholder involvement can help formulate an effective mission and organisational structure which determine management priorities and organisational behaviour. It argues that the ethical motivation for such involvement is driven by a strong sense of duty and community rather than organisational advantage.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a status report on the development of the public relations profession in the UK in the first decade of the twenty‐first century. This is the most comprehensive review to date and its aim is to provide a definitive overview of developments and trends in the UK and the issues it faces.

A review of three major surveys of the public relations profession taken at three points in the first decade of the twenty‐first century, along with six other reference reports, supplemented by appropriate literature.

The report provides a perspective on the profession as a whole, the work and demographics of professionals and CEO views on the profession and the issues and opportunities facing it.

The main three research studies are based mainly on membership of the professional body in the UK and therefore could have a potential bias. The four research studies which includes CEO interviews have limited numbers of participants and two studies are based on National Health Service CEOs only so the results may not be entirely representative.

The uses of this study are fourfold: first, the UK public relations profession is second in size to the USA and worth investigating in its own right. Second, the study will allow comparison with other benchmark investigations in other countries. Third, the study will identify the state, issues, trends and challenges of the profession in the UK and help those studying the practice into setting a research agenda which will help the profession practically and generate opportunities for theory building and testing. Fourth, it will inform curriculum content for those designing study programmes in public relations and corporate communication.

The findings presented here provide the most comprehensive study of the UK profession's development over the first decade of the twenty‐first century to date.