Shaping the Future: Discursive Practices in Promoting Public Relations Education at UK Universities

ZELER, Ileana and BRIDGEN, Elizabeth (2024). Shaping the Future: Discursive Practices in Promoting Public Relations Education at UK Universities. Journal of Communication Management.

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Abstract

Purpose (limit 100 words) This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of how discursive practices shape the promotion of public relations undergraduate programmes in the context of market-driven UK higher education. Design/methodology/approach (limit 100 words) Research combines a descriptive analysis of the UK universities offering public relations undergraduate degrees and a critical discourse analysis of the online prospectus entries of 25 public relations undergraduate programmes (‘courses’ in the UK) focusing on the course/programme overview and career path sections Findings (limit 100 words) This wide-ranging review of UK universities’ communication of their public relations provision demonstrates that although the student as consumer has choice, the presentation of the programmes is sometimes ‘headline grabbing’ and often positions public relations as a tactical subject, emphasising promotion and practical skills. Overall, public relations is taught alongside subjects such as marketing, journalism and advertising and it is these subjects that are foregrounded in promotional material when discussing teaching and potential career paths. Public relations is a difficult subject to explain within the confines of a university prospectus with the result that it is frequently presented as a promotional practice with little connection to management, leadership, or academic research. Originality/value (limit 100 words) To the best authors' knowledge, this is the first study exploring the discursive practices that shape the promotion of public relations undergraduate programmes in UK universities.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	** Article version: AM ** From Emerald via Jisc Publications Router ** Licence for AM version of this article: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ** Peer reviewed: TRUE **Journal IDs: issn 1363-254X **History: accepted 10-06-2024; rev-recd 29-05-2024; submitted 21-09-2023
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Branding, Organizational behaviour, Image, Framing, Public Relations, Reputation, Career Development
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1108/jcom-09-2023-0097
SWORD Depositor:	Colin Knott
Depositing User:	Colin Knott
Date Deposited:	08 Jul 2024 13:30
Last Modified:	08 Jul 2024 15:40
URI:	https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/33919

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