Corporate Public Relations A New Historical Perspective

This volume presents a historical and objective overview of the field of public relations in the past century. It discusses some of the landmark cases in public relations, critiques the philosophies of innovators such as Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays, and explores how corporate public relations has affected economic and political trends. The author concludes by offering long-term alternatives for the future of public relations valuable to both practitioners and corporate executives.

Contents: Preface. Introduction: Asking Basic Questions. Voluntarism and Restraint: Early 19th-Century Public Relations. Onto the Gravy Train: 19th-Century Railroad Public Relations. Railroad Executives and The Interstate Commerce Commission. Two-Front War: Early 20th-Century Utility Public Relations. Minimizing Competition Through Public Relations: The Work of Ivy Lee. The Movie Industry Gets a Czar: 1921-1934. Come the Depression: Corporate Public Relations and the National Recovery Administration. "Bringing Order Out of Chaos": The Public Relations Theory of Edward Bernays. The Triumph of Manipulation: Bernays Becomes Publicist No. 1. Public Relations Adds Sugar. Last Stand For Steel. Governmental Relations and Contributions Policies: 1962-1982. Ministers or Panderers: Issues Raised by the PRSA Code of Professional Standards: 1954-1986. The Four-Fold Discipline. Conclusion: A Word to Corporate Executives.

Marvin N. Olasky