Journalism can be seen as an autonomous social system that fulfils a unique function in society: to provide subject matter for the public discussion through its observation of society from the perspective of a disinterested professional. PR, however, is part of other social systems like business...

This chapter discusses the relevance of business knowledge and management education for the success of communication managers. Invitations into senior management circles or an enhanced cross-department employability are, amongst other factors, valued as indicators of success. From a sample of...

One of the most important challenges of our society is to cope with the transition of our society into a more and more digital one. Thus, the political and governmental system has to face and adapt to those transitions as well. This chapter focuses on the social media communication of the...

From the earliest days of PR history, PR professionals have restricted their specific contribution to the communicator’s role; they saw themselves as experts in storytelling, in ‘packaging’ the corporate mission or politics, rather than rooting their own activities deep in the heart of...

In today’s media society, political communications play an essential role within the scope of politics. It has become a necessity for political actors in modern democracies to inform and involve citizens in the process of political decision-making, as there is a need for legitimisation towards...

"[…] to exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly." (Bergson, 1911: 7). Whilst these words were originally referring to "a conscious being" (Bergson, 2011: 7), they can also be applied to organisations. They are facing new threats and...

Global, fast-moving societies also require organizations to provide increasingly flexible structures and thinking patterns. This not only applies to commercial corporations and companies, but also ministries, such as the German Federal Foreign Office (FFO). Referring first to Change, Network and...

To remain competitive in a more and more interactive world, organisations need to align their actions with new social developments. The main role of Public Relations (PR) is to seek legitimacy to act not only to external stakeholders of an organisation, but also to the internal ones. Social...

As PR increasingly becomes part of general management, it is ever more important that PR professionals are well trained as leaders. But just how qualified are these professionals to lead organizations? Based in part on the authors' own research, this article analyses the current situation...