Title of Project : Evaluation in the Public Relations Context: Attitudes, Practice, Methodologies
Project Description :
The main field of inquiry is that of evaluation applied to a Public Relations (PR) Context. The aim of the research is to quantitatively and qualitatively investigate attitudes towards, practice of, and methodologies used for, the evaluation of PR in Northern Ireland. To this end a three-strand mixed method programme of research was designed consisting of postal questionnaires distributed to members of PR professional associations on the island of Ireland as well as a series of qualitative depth interviews with evaluation experts and PR decision makers. A contextualised model of PR evaluation was then developed illustrating how a range of organisational and personal factors affect PR evaluation practice. The systematic evaluation of PR from the three combined perspectives of PR practitioners, evaluation experts and PR buyers presents an innovative and comprehensive research approach. In addition, the focus on the wider evaluation environment provides the current study with one point of differentiation from previous research activity in the field of PR evaluation.
Evaluation is a significant area of social research (Parlett and Hamilton, 1977) and this rapidly developing field is important in any area in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and impact (Rossi and Freeman, 1989). However, much confusion exists concerning the terms 'evaluation', 'measurement' and 'return on investment' (Gordon, 1991). There have been calls for a greater understanding of evaluation purposes and processes (Weiss, 1972) and of the nature and concepts of the core discipline (Scriven, 1996). This study makes a significant contribution to the body of research and theory on evaluation by extending the application of the discipline to the field of PR.
Historically PR has not had a particularly strong basis in academia. Described as having a poor body of knowledge (Pieczka, 2000), it is claimed that PR as a profession is driven more by practical questions than theoretical considerations (Rogers and Storey, 1987) so that often intuition rather than intellectual procedures are used to solve PR problems (Grunig and Hunt (1984). This study therefore characterises a unique investigation that helps to redress the deficit of both research and theory in the field of PR.
Despite a number of initiatives spotlighting evaluation, research has consistently found that although the importance of research and evaluation is widely acknowledged, in everyday practice, it is often neglected (Cutlip et al., 1994) so that the effectiveness of the €400 billion worldwide PR industry (Valin, 2004) is often judged by subjective opinion (Campbell, 1993), is relatively ad hoc and informal (Hon, 1998) and mainly takes the form of media analysis rather than audience centred research (Pinkleton, et al, 1999; Cowlett, 2000; Pieczka, 2000). This failure to be widely implemented in practice indicated the need to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of evaluation programmes in PR. Furthermore, since the majority of existing research in the area is US-based, little is known about how PR evaluation is approached in this country. Therefore, this study represents a comprehensive and in-depth analysis charting the current state of practice of PR evaluation on the island of Ireland.
Other Information :
Published Papers:
McCoy, M. and Hargie, O. D. W. (2003) “Implications of Mass Communication Theory for Asymmetric Public Relations Evaluation”, Journal of Communication Management, 7:4:304-316.
McCoy, M. and Hargie, O. D. W. (2001) “Evaluating Evaluation: Implications for Assessing Quality”, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 14:7:317-327.
The latter article won a Highly Commended Award in the MCB University Press Emerald Literati Awards for Excellence.
Accepted Papers:
McCoy, M. and Hargie O. D. W. (2006) “Evaluating the Effects of Personalization and Envelope Color on Response Rate, Speed and Quality Among a Business Population”, Industrial Marketing Management.
Conference :
McCoy, M. (2005) “Evaluating Public Relations’ Effects: Implications from Mass Communication Theory and Research”, Chartered Institute of Public Relations Academic Conference, Lincoln, UK, March.
Professional Association Membership:
International Communication Association
International Association of Business Communicators
If you would like to learn more about how we can help further your studies and career opportunities, please contact us.
Project Description :
The main field of inquiry is that of evaluation applied to a Public Relations (PR) Context. The aim of the research is to quantitatively and qualitatively investigate attitudes towards, practice of, and methodologies used for, the evaluation of PR in Northern Ireland. To this end a three-strand mixed method programme of research was designed consisting of postal questionnaires distributed to members of PR professional associations on the island of Ireland as well as a series of qualitative depth interviews with evaluation experts and PR decision makers. A contextualised model of PR evaluation was then developed illustrating how a range of organisational and personal factors affect PR evaluation practice. The systematic evaluation of PR from the three combined perspectives of PR practitioners, evaluation experts and PR buyers presents an innovative and comprehensive research approach. In addition, the focus on the wider evaluation environment provides the current study with one point of differentiation from previous research activity in the field of PR evaluation.
Evaluation is a significant area of social research (Parlett and Hamilton, 1977) and this rapidly developing field is important in any area in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and impact (Rossi and Freeman, 1989). However, much confusion exists concerning the terms 'evaluation', 'measurement' and 'return on investment' (Gordon, 1991). There have been calls for a greater understanding of evaluation purposes and processes (Weiss, 1972) and of the nature and concepts of the core discipline (Scriven, 1996). This study makes a significant contribution to the body of research and theory on evaluation by extending the application of the discipline to the field of PR.
Historically PR has not had a particularly strong basis in academia. Described as having a poor body of knowledge (Pieczka, 2000), it is claimed that PR as a profession is driven more by practical questions than theoretical considerations (Rogers and Storey, 1987) so that often intuition rather than intellectual procedures are used to solve PR problems (Grunig and Hunt (1984). This study therefore characterises a unique investigation that helps to redress the deficit of both research and theory in the field of PR.
Despite a number of initiatives spotlighting evaluation, research has consistently found that although the importance of research and evaluation is widely acknowledged, in everyday practice, it is often neglected (Cutlip et al., 1994) so that the effectiveness of the €400 billion worldwide PR industry (Valin, 2004) is often judged by subjective opinion (Campbell, 1993), is relatively ad hoc and informal (Hon, 1998) and mainly takes the form of media analysis rather than audience centred research (Pinkleton, et al, 1999; Cowlett, 2000; Pieczka, 2000). This failure to be widely implemented in practice indicated the need to investigate the factors influencing the adoption of evaluation programmes in PR. Furthermore, since the majority of existing research in the area is US-based, little is known about how PR evaluation is approached in this country. Therefore, this study represents a comprehensive and in-depth analysis charting the current state of practice of PR evaluation on the island of Ireland.
Other Information :
Published Papers:
McCoy, M. and Hargie, O. D. W. (2003) “Implications of Mass Communication Theory for Asymmetric Public Relations Evaluation”, Journal of Communication Management, 7:4:304-316.
McCoy, M. and Hargie, O. D. W. (2001) “Evaluating Evaluation: Implications for Assessing Quality”, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 14:7:317-327.
The latter article won a Highly Commended Award in the MCB University Press Emerald Literati Awards for Excellence.
Accepted Papers:
McCoy, M. and Hargie O. D. W. (2006) “Evaluating the Effects of Personalization and Envelope Color on Response Rate, Speed and Quality Among a Business Population”, Industrial Marketing Management.
Conference :
McCoy, M. (2005) “Evaluating Public Relations’ Effects: Implications from Mass Communication Theory and Research”, Chartered Institute of Public Relations Academic Conference, Lincoln, UK, March.
Professional Association Membership:
International Communication Association
International Association of Business Communicators
If you would like to learn more about how we can help further your studies and career opportunities, please contact us.