Michigan State University Extension
Diversity and Pluralism - DP120358
12/95/
ERIC TITLE NUMBER: ED255961 AUTHOR: Wakefield, Gay; Cottone, Laura Perkins
TITLE: The Academic Preparation Recommended by Public
Relations Employers.
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1985
NOTE: 21 p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the
Central States Speech Association (Indianapolis, IN, April
46, 1985). Funding provided by a faculty development grant
from Central Missouri State University.
ABSTRACT: Questionnaires were mailed to 261 agencies
involved in public relations and publicity services, 56
agencies involved in advertising, and public relations
directors of 183 corporations and other nonagency
organizations in order to determine the knowledge and skill
areas important to agency and organizational public
relations employers. In an effort to reduce subject
tendency toward social response, the survey title,
instructions, and cover letter made no reference to "public
relations," using the term "communication" instead. Th data
from the 188 usable returned questionnaires revealed that
public relations executives rank (in order of importance)
marketing, advertising campaigns, public relations
campaigns, speech communication, advertising and collateral
pieces, business, basic public relations perspectives,
management, organizational communication, basic advertising
perspectives, publicity, and case studies in advertising
ahead of journalism course work. Though nonagency
organizations hired more new college graduates than did
agencies, agencies indicated that they were even more
willing than organizational public relations employers to
interview new college graduates if the students were
properly prepared for agency public relations work. (HOD)
KEY DESCRIPTORS: Communication-Research; Job-Skills; Job
Training; Organizational-Communication;
Speech-Communication
KEY DESCRIPTORS: *Advertising-; *Employment-Practices;
*Employment-Qualifications; *Knowledge-Level; *Occupational
Surveys; *Public-Relations
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