Lessons Earned in Our Nation's Capitol
Erin Streeter, IPR Trustee, SVP of Communications and Brand Strategy, National Association of Manufacturers
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I hate to admit it has been more than two decades since I set out from the University of Kansas, journalism degree in hand, with all the confidence in the world. I was ready to conquer the media industry. In my mind I knew everything about how to build a career; in reality, I knew virtually nothing.
Through a combination of sheer will, lucky breaks, hard work and not knowing any better, I navigated my way through the industry. I had gigs in TV journalism, the nonprofit sector, on Capitol Hill, and a political appointment at the Department of Homeland Security. Eventually I landed in my current job, running communications and brand strategy for the nation’s largest industrial trade association, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
With the PR landscape shifting dramatically, I am asked often how to succeed in this environment. There are three key takeaways I encourage professionals to consider.
Read the rest of Erin Streeter's blog to learn her three key takeaways for success in the current PR landscape.
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An Analysis of Leadership Letters to Shareholders During the 2008 Financial Crisis
Josef Scheuerlein, Ph.D., & Helena Chládková, Ph.D., Mendel University
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Dr. Josef Scheuerlein and Dr. Helena Chladkova analyzed letters from CEOs of major U.S. companies to shareholders during the 2008-2009 financial crisis.
A content analysis of 594 letters from 104 CEOs to shareholders between 2006 and 2011 was conducted.
Key findings include:
- The use of first-person plural pronouns (such as "we") strongly increased during the crisis.
- Researchers suggest that this indicates an effort to promote group solidarity and cohesiveness.
- Language indicating a powerful CEO stayed constant throughout the crisis.
- There was no significant change in first-person singular pronouns (such as "I") throughout the crisis.
- The base rate of first-person singular pronouns was low.
- There was a decrease in risk words throughout the crisis, indicating that CEOs became more cautious about taking risks during the crisis.
- CEOs continued to use more first-person plural pronouns after the crisis and discussion of risk continued to decrease, illustrating that the crisis had an impact on the communication styles and language use of leaders.
Read more to see how CEO language changed or remained the same throughout the 2008-2009 financial crisis.
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Systemic Racism: The Existential Challenge for Business
Edelman
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Edelman released a fall update for the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer. Following the shooting of Jacob Blake, researchers explored Americans' perceptions surrounding racism in America and the role of the media and corporations in the fight against racism.
An online survey of 2,000 Americans was conducted from August 14-21, 2020.
Key findings include:
- 80% of Black Americans said that brands and corporations must speak out against systemic racism, compared to 66% of Latinx Americans and 54% of Asian Americans.
- 62% of Americans said the media "focuses far too much on the rioting and not enough on the peaceful protests."
- 54% of Americans said there has not been sufficient focus in the news media on "the underlying issues that sparked the protests."
- 52% of respondents said that businesses have heard the call for racial justice, compared to 36% of respondents who said that the government has heard the call.
- 81% of Black Americans believe that businesses should publicly speak out against racial injustice, compared to 54% of white Americans.
Read more to learn about Americans' perceptions surrounding racism in America and the role of corporations and the news media in the fight against racism.
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Black Women with Natural Hair Face Biases from Employers
Christy Zhou Koval, Ph.D., Michigan State University; Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, Ph.D., Duke University
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This summary is provided by IPR based on the original study published in Social Psychological and Personality Science
Dr. Christy Zhou Koval and Dr. Ashleigh Shelby Rosette examined the relationship between Black female hair type and job recruitment.
Four experimental studies were conducted. Researchers predicted that Black women with natural hairstyles would receive lower evaluative ratings from recruiters compared to Black women with straight hair and white women with curly and straight hair. Relationships between hair type and industry were also examined.
Key findings include:
- Black women with natural hairstyles were rated as less professional and competent and received lower interview recommendations than Black women with straightened hair.
- White women with straight hair were rated as more professional, competent, and more likely to receive a job interview than white women with curly hair.
- Overall, Black women with natural hairstyles were evaluated lower than Black women with straightened hair, white women with curly hair, and white women with straight hair.
- The same Black applicant received different evaluations purely based on hairstyles, whereas this was not the case for white applicants.
- In the consulting industry, Black applicants with a natural hairstyle were perceived to be less professional and received lower interview recommendations.
- In the advertising industry, no significant difference in either professionalism or interview recommendation was found based on hair type.
Read more to learn about the relationship between Black female hair type and job recruitment.
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Diversity, Inclusion, and Education: The Role of Leaders in Bringing About Change
Nilanjana Bardhan, Ph.D.,Southern Illinois University Carbondale; Karla Gower, Ph.D., University of Alabama
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This abstract is summarized by IPR from the original journal article published in the Journal of Public Relations Education. The authors would like to thank the Plank Center for funding support.
Dr. Nilanjana Bardhan and Dr. Karla Gower explored current public relations education and how it teaches students to be D&I leaders in their future careers.
Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted. Ten interviews were conducted with PR student leaders dedicated to D&I efforts, and the remaining ten were conducted with PR faculty/educator leaders engaged with D&I research and pedagogy.
Based on the interviews, Bardhan and Gower offer four suggestions for improving the state of D&I.
- Organize D&I leadership forums and networks that connect students, faculty/educators, and industry leaders to continue the conversation, strategize change, and track the school-to-industry D&I flow.
- Develop D&I courses and content.Including one singular course on the topic is not sufficient; D&I needs to be woven into each aspect of the curriculum and inclusive learning environments must be nurtured.
- Develop strategies and eliminate barriers for the recruitment and retention of diverse students and faculty.
- Enable students within and across institutions to work together to emphasize the importance of D&I, continue the conversation, and educate all involved that D&I knowledge, abilities and skills are necessary entry-level qualifications to reach success.
Read more to discover the current public relations education landscape and how it teaches students to be D&I leaders in the future.
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A Majority of Young Adults in the U.S. Live With Their Parents for the First Time Since the Great Depression
Pew Research Center
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Pew Research Center explored the current living situations of 18- to 29-year-olds in the United States.
Data were collected from decennial censuses from 1900-1990, Current Population Survey annual averages from 2000-2019, and Current Population Survey monthly records in 2020.
Key findings include:
- 52% of young adults resided with one or both of their parents in July of 2020.
- Growth was the sharpest for ages 18 to 24 and for white young adults.
- 9% of respondents said they "relocated temporarily or permanently" due to the coronavirus outbreak.
- Among all young adults who moved due to COVID-19, 23% said the most important reason was because their college campus had closed.
- 18% said it was due to job loss or other financial reasons.
Read more to learn about young adults' current living situations in the United States.
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