Public Relations Specialists Research Articles

Competence-based ranking in training of specialists in the field of strategic communications, advertising and public relations

The article represents the authors’ methodology in assessing the level of professional training of specialists in the field of advertising and public relations within the framework of competence-based approach to education. The authors consider it insufficient to rank the students based on purely academic performance and suggest changing the existing criteria to assess the level of acquired skills and competences required in the future profession. To increase the learning motivation, it is suggested to use the creative potential of future public relations specialists. The authors’ approach involves the introduction of gamification elements, including scenes and vocabulary known to students from computer games. Special attention is paid to transparent and visual organisation of ranking tables. Such ranking has been tested at MGIMO – University for a number of years and has shown an increase in motivation and, as consequence, learning outcomes. This methodology may be used to improve the efficiency of the educational process in advertising, strategic communications, public relations, branding, and similar disciplines in humanities and social studies where competences are an integral part of professional training.

Towards a Methodological Basis the Study of the «Fourth Power» as an Institution of the Political System within Modern Society

Introduction. This article considers the mass media as the «Fourth Power» in the political system of modern society with the aim of illuminating the place of mass media in the latter. The authors had attempted to achieve this goal in terms of structural-functional, institutional and other explanatory concepts. From a theoretical point of view, the media attract the attention of both political scientists and sociologists, philosophers, historians, journalists and public relations specialists. Research in this direction requires a multiparadigmal methodological approach, since all theoretical and empirical resources for such analysis are available in modern science. Methodology and sources. In the framework of these methodological positions (multiparadigmal methodological approach) “The Fourth Power” appears in various aspects, which also allows to study the latter as an institution of the political system of society, in which the media are not only an indicator of the development of civil society, but also indicate the degree of openness of the political elite and the ruling political class. As methodological sources, this article uses the works of such founders of the concept of “Fourth Power” as J. S. Mill, J. Bentam, J. Habermas, F. Siebert, T. Peterson, W. Schram, etc. Results and discussion. The article studies the possibilities of applying the basic provisions of general scientific and specialized approaches to the study of the concept of «Fourth Branch of Power» as an explanatory methodological approach in modern political and sociological researches. The authors made an attempt to theoretical interpretation of the basic categories and to highlight their conceptual analogues in modern science.Conclusion. The results of the work show that the mass media (“The Fourth Power”) definitely play an ever-increasing role in terms of control over public power and are one of the institutions of civil-political society. Although it is known that the use of the term “The Fourth Power” to denote this political role of the media may cause objections and be a reason for discussion.

Professional Values of Public Relations Specialists

The article is devoted professional values of public relations specialists in the context of the formation and management of public opinion in the context of current social challenges. The media space of media specialists is associated with certain professional risks. The high level of media activity of students increases the level of such risks. Negative consequences are associated with the possible occurrence of professional deformation, violation of a specialist’s psycho-emotional state of a (professional burnout, etc.), the destabilization of his system of value orientations. The analysis of theoretical and empirical material, including the results of the author’s research of future public relations specialists’ media literacy, indicates that there are certain concerns about the understanding and formation of professional value among future media specialists. Public relations specialists are directly involved in the formation and filling of the information space and its agenda. They have a significant impact on the mood in society and social reality, on the preferences and views of the target audience. The results of the study allow the authors to assert that in modern conditions it is necessary to create a system for the development of professional values of public relations specialists, taking into account the new risks of modern social reality. Such system should be aimed at creating a safe information space, protected from fake and deliberately false information, negative manipulation of public consciousness, destabilization of political, social, economic and other processes and the values of citizens.

Taktik Komunikasi Efektif dalam Kampanye Lingkungan : Peran Humas dalam Kesadaran dan Aksi Bersama

In contemporary environmental discourse, the role of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) and collaborative efforts between Public Relations (PR) practitioners and environmental experts hold significant relevance. This study explores the pivotal role of communication strategies in environmental campaigns and the collaborative mechanisms between PR and environmental specialists within various organizational contexts. Estaswara (2000) underscores the strategic necessity of integrated communication in marketing, emphasizing its transformation from a mere promotional tool to a strategic business process. The findings highlight the insufficiency of environmental awareness alone in inciting tangible action. Discussions center around designing campaign messages to effectively drive concrete and sustainable behavioral changes. Collaboration between PR and environmental experts is articulated through several methods. Firstly, monitoring emissions involves joint efforts to develop and manage emission monitoring systems like Continuous Industrial Emission Monitoring Information System (CISPEK) and Continuous and Networked Effluent Water Quality Monitoring System (SPARING). Secondly, Performance Rating Program for Environmental Performance (PROPER) is used by PR to establish cooperation and enhance public trust in environmental management. Thirdly, effective communication and community engagement leverage social media and communal activities to disseminate information and amalgamate feedback from the public. The jurnal asserts the vital role of PR in fostering public participation, guiding communities on critical issues, and encouraging their contribution to sustainable development. By providing pertinent explanations, PR elevates societal awareness regarding crucial issues like environmental sustainability, climate change, and public health, stimulating active involvement in sustainable development endeavors..

Intentionality and Its Representation in Monologue Campaign Speeches within the Framework of the US 2020 Election Discourse

Modern linguistics pays more and more attention to the issues of political discourse as a communicative activity that attracts a large amount of public attention. Politicians’ campaign speeches, widely studied by public relations specialists, are an effective tool for promoting certain ideas during election campaigns and events. This approach is especially common in the United States of America where political figures running for a particular post often make monologue campaign speeches on the national television and/or directly in front of the voters. From a linguistic point of view, the question how various linguistic means of expressing an intentional orientation are implemented in pre-election campaign speeches of prominent US politicians seems to be a most interesting one. The purpose of this article is to consider the phenomenon of speech intention in the context of monological campaign speeches in the discourse of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, as well as to identify intentional patterns in their public speech construction. The object of the study is the intentionality of the political figures’ speech behavior as the most important factor in their speech interaction with the audience. A selection of monologue speeches by politicians during the 2020 election campaigns were used as material for the study. One of our objectives is to identify the specificity of the use of intentional vocabulary, grammatical and stylistic means that contribute to the expression of the intentional component by the chosen US politicians in their campaign monologues. The author of the article believes that the intentionality of the American politicians’ speech behavior presupposes a pragmatic effect on the mass recipient. At the same time, the addressee, whether s/he is an ordinary voter or a linguist, must be able to decode the intentions of the addressor, realized by him/her through the intentional speech behavior.

DIGITAL TRANSLATION OF ABBREVIATIONS IN THE FIELD OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

This article focuses on various features of digital translation of public relations (PR) abbreviations in a computer-assisted environment. The relevance of this research is determined by the new digital era. Digitalization of professional activity of specialists in various fields of knowledge leads to the creation of new conditions and revision of approaches to professionally-oriented translation. Digital translation plays a special role in information exchange and its dissemination. The aim of this research is to identify the advantages and disadvantages of using digital tools to meet the needs of PR specialists from the standpoint of linguistics. PR abbreviations functioning in the professional PR discourse are taken as material for analysis. The use of digital translation technologies within PR activities enables the improvement of the quality of information collection and processing, its translation, abstracting and dissemination. PR abbreviations acquire a highly specialized meaning within the target language (TL), demanding a particular algorithm for translation into Russian, which is due to the insufficient PR terminology development, especially in terms of translating abbreviations. To achieve the object in view, the method of continuous sampling, the method of comparative analysis and the method of linguistic description have been used. As a result of the investigation, it has been established that together with digital translation gaining momentum, as it makes it possible to transfer a large amount of information into different languages in a short time, a number of issues remain unresolved and need to be researched.

ОСОБЕННОСТИ PR В РАЗНЫХ СТРАНАХ

The article is devoted to revealing differences in the sphere of public relations (PR) in different countries on the basis of the analysis of the publications on this topic. The concept «PR» is considered, the significance of mass media in this issue is emphasized. The purpose of the article is to systematize the availa-ble information and make a comparative analysis to create the most complete picture of international PR, identify the work specifics of PR specialists from different countries.

Creation of an English for special purposes textbook for university students – future public relations practitioners

The purpose of the study is to present the author’s experience in creating the ESP textbook “Public Relations. Textbook in English”. The academic novelty of the paper lies in the fact that for the first time the process of creating an ESP textbook for third-year students of an international university (MGIMO-University, Russia) who study English at an advanced level is considered in detail. The paper looked at all stages of writing an English for Special Purposes (ESP) textbook, i.e. book concept development, overall project management, format selection and standardization.As a result, the necessity of using methodological approaches to writing a textbook that could help students develop the competencies of future public relations specialists, as well as enable them to succeed in their careers at the international level, was proved. In addition, examples of language exercises are provided that can be used to develop basic linguistic skills, as well as specific competencies related to the future profession of public relations specialists.course of German-language media on the cognitive consciousness of the audience is argued.

Creation of an English for special purposes textbook for university students – future public relations practitioners

The purpose of the study is to present the author’s experience in creating the ESP textbook “Public Relations. Textbook in English”. The academic novelty of the paper lies in the fact that for the first time the process of creating an ESP textbook for third-year students of an international university (MGIMO-University, Russia) who study English at an advanced level is considered in detail. The paper looked at all stages of writing an English for Special Purposes (ESP) textbook, i.e. book concept development, overall project management, format selection and standardization.As a result, the necessity of using methodological approaches to writing a textbook that could help students develop the competencies of future public relations specialists, as well as enable them to succeed in their careers at the international level, was proved. In addition, examples of language exercises are provided that can be used to develop basic linguistic skills, as well as specific competencies related to the future profession of public relations specialists.course of German-language media on the cognitive consciousness of the audience is argued.

Changes in Crisis Management PR and Digital PR Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article aims to show to what extent and in which areas the COVID-19 pandemic changed the services available on the public relations (PR) market. In particular, the paper focuses on crisis management and digital PR. The article was based on data obtained from 242 PR specialists. The research was carried out using the CAWI technique in the period April-May 2020, during the largest lockdown restrictions that were recorded in Poland in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. The collected data enabled the verification of a hypotheses stating that during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, the role of those two PR task spheres was strengthened.

Methods of tackling unreliable information

This article examines the processes of fake news creation and dissemination and, in particular, the technology used to combat disinformation. The material presents fake news from the point of view of the modern model of information consumption in connection with other phenomena, such as the "information bubble" and the "infodemie". The aim of the article is to identify the main tools to combat fake news and describe these processes using the example of different countries, national and fact-checking organizations. The article presents the methods of fact-checking based on the use of computer technologies, especially through open databases and neural network technologies. Separately, the relevance of developing a new content policy for the media, which includes direct and indirect proposals, is considered. Indirect proposals shed light on the technological side of the fight against fake news, while direct proposals deal with the professional competence of journalists and public relations specialists in the age of infodemics. The theoretical basis of the study was data from open sources, the results of foreign sociological studies, scientific articles by Kazakh authors, and materials from world and local media.

Новое коммуникативное мышление – новые ценности в современном языке PR

The article examines the language of public relations (PR) discourse, which conveys both universal and culture-specific values in the professional activities of PR councilors. Within the framework of modern communication studies, the focus is on the change of value orientations caused by the paradigmatic transformations of communicative thinking in the new era promoted by the Western world. The objective the article is to analyze the particularities of modern value concepts implemented in the language of PR specialists, both at the local and global levels. The methodology of the work is based on linguistic research and achievements in the field of communication studies of Russian and foreign theorists of leading scientific schools. Research methods include content analysis, continuous sampling, philological analysis, as well as general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis. Modern PR communication participated in values shift and modification of ideological ideas through communicative practices inherent in PR discourse. In conclusion, it has been found out that new value concepts within the framework of PR discourse are a new volatile reality of Western society, which must be studied to expand interdisciplinary knowledge and increase the pragmatic component of communicative research. The novelty of the research lies in the identification of ideological shifts embodied in the practice and language of PR communication, which also determines the practical significance of the presented work. In conclusion, it is noted that public relations specialists need to create messages taking into account the transformations taking place in modern global society. The obtained research results can be used in the process of teaching the theory of communication studies, intercultural communication and public relations writing practice.

Зв’язки з громадськістю у системі стратегічних комунікацій Збройних Сил України як типова модель комунікації у публічному управлінні

The article considers the peculiarities of public relations in the system of strategic communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and defines their role and place from the standpoint of public administration. The main components of the functioning of the strategic communications system in NATO member countries are analyzed. Emphasis is placed on NATO’s strategic communications standards and policies. Strategic communications in the field of public administration are aimed at the interoperability of government and society. But depending on the structure of public administration, this area has its own specifics in terms of content and communicative aspects. Differing in functional composition and scope of coverage, all structures of public administration are still interconnected. The main tasks and directions of strategic communications in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the context of reforming the military sphere and ensuring the effectiveness of the course of Ukraine ’s membership in NATO are substantiated. In the system of strategic communications of the world’s leading countries, the work with specialists in public relations of the armed forces has been built as efficiently as possible. The article also mentions the system of strategic communications of the leading countries of the world, in particular the United States of America and Canada, which have built the requirements for their public relations specialists in the armed forces as productively and conveniently as possible. Specialists of units of the armed forces at the tactical, operational and strategic levels are described, which always meet all possible information challenges of time and new circumstances, which is extremely relevant for use in the domestic army. Therefore, aspects of these developments are also considered in the article as an important experience that should be actively implemented in the domestic army.

The Tourism Sector in Country Branding: An Assessment on Health Tourism in Turkey

Investments made and resources owned in the field of health in Turkey have increased the interest in health tourism, which is one of the types of tourism with the highest added value. In consequence of factors such as globalization, international collaborations, the expansion of people’s travel opportunities, the increase in the elderly population, the rising awareness of people who want to live healthy and long, and the fact that people can have instant information about new treatment methods thanks to the effect of digitization, health tourism is of critical importance for countries to promote themselves and raise their reputations. Health tourism, which can be served throughout the year regardless of a season, differs from other types of tourism both in this respect and due to the diversity of its target audience. This study aims to examine the place of health tourism in general country promotion strategies by discussing the promotional activities in health tourism at the national and international levels. This study, which is based on literature analysis, aims to determine the potential of the country, to discuss different promotion strategies and methods that can be created in accordance with the target audiences, and to deal with communication activities. In the light of the researches, if Turkey can manage its health tourism well, it has the potential to be increasingly preferred over the years by international patients, especially in some branches (plastic surgery, ophthalmology, dentistry, gynecology, otolaryngology, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation, etc.), due to its thermal resources, trained manpower, and treatment methods adapted to the latest technologies. Travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the changing priorities of medical tourists, and the reports on the health policies of countries have directly affected the accelerating health tourism. In this context, it is predicted that countries that manage this crisis well will increase their reputation and credibility in health tourism. It is believed that assessing medical tourism within the country branding and presenting it with current examples will benefit all stakeholders in the field. Additionally, it is believed that the study will be a guide for marketing professionals, public relations specialists, advertisers, and researchers who will carry out promotional activities in this field.

ИМИДЖ ПОЛИТИЧЕСКИХ ПАРТИЙ В ЦИФРОВУЮ ЭПОХУ РАЗВИТИЯ РОССИЙСКОГО ОБЩЕСТВА

The modern digital development of society dictates that political parties not only engage in daily activities that are traditionally characteristic of them, but also develop their digital presence in the Internet space. The article discusses the image of political parties in Russia within the framework of the digital society development and proves the need for them to use their official accounts in social networks. It also explains the relationship between the further promotion of political parties among the population of Russia and the active maintenance of their party publics in social networks. The paper argues that such activities should help attract new party members to their ranks or allow parties to improve their image. The article was written based on the results of a studying the party telegram channels and accounts on the VKontakte social network. A number of comments are made on the further formation of the political parties image in the context of digitalization. The findings of the study can be used to further study the image of political parties in the digital development of Russian society, and can also be used by political parties, public relations specialists in terms of developing and promoting party accounts in social networks.

Information and image support of the activities of the Agrarian University

The article examines the activities of public relations specialists of Michurinsk State Agrarian University in its information and image support. The paper analyzes communication technologies aimed at promoting the higher educational institution of an agrarian profile, agricultural education and agrarian science in general. It is argued that the formation of a positive image of Michurinsk State Agrarian University is facilitated by the organization of effective interaction with the media, positioning of the activities of the university, its scientists, students; regular media monitoring; formation and strengthening of corporate culture; development of corporate identity, mission, slogan, logo; organizing and holding special events; preparation and participation in exhibitions and fairs; maintaining a corporate website; production of a corporate publication, advertising activities. Specific examples of the use of communication technologies in an educational institution are given. The conclusion is made that with the creation of a department for public relations and management of public relations, press and office work, the communicative activity of the agrarian university began to be carried out professionally and in a coordinated manner. The existing communication system ensures the formation of an effective positive information field of the university. The communicative policy of the educational institution is focused on the long-term prospect of building a serious positive dialogue with target audiences, on the prospect of trust.

CHANGE IN COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT ROLES DUE TO GLOBALIZATION: A CASE OF COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES MAPPED BY INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATIONS (2015–2020)

Research background: The role of communication has now become much more critical than during previous periods, not only to compete with other organisations in the stream of communicating messages but also to develop and implement organisational strategies and support the organisation’s top-level managers and decision-makers. The goal of public relations (PR) associations is to develop PR professionals’ competencies. Comprehensive research at the European level signals the need for constant improvement of competencies, especially business development and technologies (Zerfass et al., 2020; Adi, 2019). A vast majority of practitioners across Europe highlight the importance of digitalising stakeholder communications and building a digital infrastructure to support internal workflows (Zerfass et al., 2021). However, instead of technical and managerial training, PR practitioners continue to overwhelmingly offer communication training and development opportunities (Tench et al., 2013; Zerfass et al., 2018; MacNamara et al., 2017; Feldman, 2017; The USC Annenberg Centre for Public Relations, 2017; Communicating AI, 2019). There are discrepancies between the perceived importance of competencies and the current qualifications of professionals due to digital transformation and changes impacted by globalisation. Purpose: To identify changes in PR specialists' competencies due to the impact of globalisation. Methods: Content analysis of information provided in the webpages of international professional PR associations for the period 2015–2020. Findings and value added: The study results show that professional PR associations do not respond to the challenges of the changing environment in a timely manner by providing training, but present and discuss relevant topics with the help of specialists from other fields while encouraging the sharing of good practices. Such a functioning position occupied by professional PR associations in developing the model of competence for PR specialists reveals that PR associations are engaged in strengthening or maintaining competencies, but not developing them.

Changes in the demand for CSR activities and stakeholder engagement based on research conducted among public relations specialists in Poland, with consideration of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic.

Care for the external and internal environment of the company, ethics and human resources, as well as the organizational culture, is a crucial element for the importance and competitive advantage of the company. It was especially noticeable during the SARS‐COV‐2 pandemic. Companies began to grapple with difficulties, which contributed to an increased interest in crisis management competencies. The pandemic has permanently changed the functioning of society and the image of many industries, including public relations. The analysis of changes in the demand of companies for CSR‐related activities after the pandemic becomes a valuable element of the direction of innovative research. Recognizing the interest, these aspects of the company were verified. The article uses data obtained in the course of the implementation of three independent research projects realized in Poland. The first study concerned crisis management from the perspective of a public relations agencies. The structures of the offer of public relations services (including CSR strategies) were examined. The responses of some public relations specialists regarding CSR and activities in this area after the COVID‐19 pandemic were extracted from the second research project. The last, third project involved specialists employed in PR agencies. The research area covered changes in the demand of companies for CSR‐related activities after the pandemic and the desired areas of training and personal development, with particular emphasis on CSR. The common denominator of all three projects is CSR campaigns and the way they are implemented by PR specialists.

Comprehensive image of state power as a tool of social management

Importance. The practice of recent years clearly demonstrates the tendency of the population to decline in confidence in the activities of the authorities. The further development of this process is unacceptable, since in such a case the work of all state structures becomes ineffective even if it is absolutely expedient and justified. The reasons for public distrust of the authorities can be divided into three groups: communicative, organizational and cultural-historical problems. Communicative problems arise due to violations or disregard for the requirements of communication theory. Organizational difficulties in the vast majority of cases are associated with the low qualification of specialists responsible for interacting with society (usually PR specialists or public relations specialists). Cultural and historical problems are due to the dominance in our society of an established model of behavior of citizens, which stably reproduces the situation of opposition to the authorities. In our opinion, the most significant group - communication problems - requires priority attention. Perpose. Communication problems arise from the misplaced positioning of power structures, that is, from the inability to clearly and arguably explain the significance and appropriateness of planned or already implemented measures. Accordingly, it is necessary to identify/develop, in a short time, technologies, methods and tools to eliminate communication barriers, and in some cases communication failures, public-governmental interactions. Research methodology. To achieve the goal, the author's approach was applied, which is based on the principles of systematics, flexibility, mobility and adequacy (they served as the basis for the need to develop an integrated image). The theoretical base is the works of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of public relations management [11,12,14,15,16,17,18,19]. Methods for the study of soft systems are used: theoretical typology, formal extrapolation, factographic methods based on information analysis (analogy method, content analysis), forsyth modeling (technology for working with images of the future. Results. In order to increase the rating of public confidence in the activities of state structures based on the study, systematization and analysis of the causes and consequences of communicative failures and barriers to effective interaction between these switches, an approach based on the principles proposed by the author (systematics, adequacy, flexibility, mobility) and the use of such a social management tool as image is proposed. An option of developing a comprehensive image of the state structure, including a corporate and personal image, has been proposed and justified. Its development technology is recommended, providing an integrated approach to solving the problem of effective interaction using modern public relations management tools.

Социальная специфика имиджа: формат методологии и аудирования

The modern period of demand for image-logical knowledge allows raising questions not only about image-enlightenment and image-education, when information and telecommunication technologies become the determining factors in the development of society, but also about the peculiarities of teaching image-logical knowledge in higher educational institutions. At this stage, there is also the need to introduce the scientific and applied direction of the discipline “Imageologyˮ, as a component of social education, into the system of training specialists for a wide range of professions in the “person-to-personˮ sphere. The article explores a number of innovative approaches to teaching a special educational course “Imageologyˮ for students of humanitarian and social profiles. The article contains an analysis of scientific studies of the main methodological principles, tasks and parameters of the development of imageology as a practice-oriented sociological direction in the context of the training of Masters and specialists, sociologists, psychologists, journalists, advertising and public relations specialists. The authors identified the most important ways and directions for the formation of the sociology of the image, determined the subject and purpose of the discipline. For seminars and practical classes, as well as for students 'independent work, specialized scientific topics, an original image analysis questionnaire scheme are offered, and scenarios of specific events and actions in image creation are modeled for the development of students' professional and creative abilities.