Public Relations Research European and International Perspectives and Innovations

Introduction Sriramesh, Van Ruler & Zerfass Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, Betteke van Ruler & Ansgar Zerfass One could make a reasonable argument that public relations is an ancient practice (going back millennia) although it has been popularly perceived as a 20th century phenomenon. Scholarship in public relations, however, is more recent in origin with a history of less than four decades. During these formative years, the body of knowledge has expanded signi- cantly, which is laudable. However, there is potential for growth and improvement in many areas of the public relations literature. Over the decades, among other things, public re- tions scholarship has largely remained parochial to specific regions such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America, German speaking Europe, etc. as evidenced in the bibliographic references of many essays in this volume itself where authors predo- nantly cite work from their own regions. This is often necessitated by linguistic differences with only English serving as the universal language that helps permeate knowledge through most regions. Pedagogical and methodological factors also have played a role in the regionalization of the body of knowledge. However, we believe that knowledge flo- ishes most when it is shared across different kinds of barriers. Globalization has made it essential for us to recognize this reality more than ever. This volume tries to bridge the gap and presents theories and concepts from researchers around the world.

Chapters written by: Robert L. Heath - James E. Grunig – Larissa A. Grunig – Steve May – Ronél Rensburg – David McKie – Jaquie L’Etang – Dejan Vercic – Peggy Simcic Brønn – Jesper Falkheimer – Jakko Lehtonen – Susanne Holström – Finn Frandsen – Claudia Mast – Anna Maria Theis-Berglmair – Romy Fröhlich – Ulrike Röttger – Peter Szyszka – Juliana Raupp – Benno Signitzer – Kurt Imhof – and many more

Ansgar Zerfass is professor in Communication Management at the University of Leipzig, Germany. He is engaged in various professional organizations and member of the executive board of EUPRERA, the European Public Relations Education and Research Association.
Betteke van Ruler is professor in Communication Science and Communication Management at the University of Amsterdam. She serves as chair of the ICA International Communication Association’s Public Relations Division.
Krishnamurthy Sriramesh is one of the leading researchers in public relations worldwide. He has taught at Purdue University, the University of Florida, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He serves on the editorial board of severeal international journals.