Fundamentals of communication, P.R. and leadership

This book provides a refreshing introduction to the three fascinating and fundamental subjects of communication, public relations and leadership. Aimed primarily at University undergraduate and postgraduate students (as well as those studying A-levels) in business schools, within the humanities and social sciences, and communication and media studies, the book examines and explores in a unique, provocative and iconoclastic manner the major theories, models and trends in the three fields.

Content

Prolegomena

Part One – Communication

1. Communication is a universal phenomenon
   1. System of 4 components
   2. Communication among ants and bees
   3. Communication among canines & felines
2. Human Communication
   1. The scheme of human communication
   2. Defining human communication
   3. Language in human communication
   4. Words in a language
   5. Signs and Symbols
   6. Semiotics and Semiology
   7. The role of context and effect in communication
   8. Barriers to communication
3. Body language
   1. Darwin’s contribution
   2. The ‘intrigue’ of body language
   3. Keeping matters at ‘arm’s length’
   4. The role ‘culture’ plays
   5. Focusing on the human face
   6. Ardrey’s ‘territorial imperative’
4. Mass Media & social media
   1. From stone inscription to the printing process
   2. Enter the ‘penny press’ innovation
   3. From the wired telegraph to wireless telegraphy
   4. AM and FM radio come to existence
   5. Birth and development of television
   6. The digital age & ‘www’
5. The Role of attitudes in human communication
   1. Defining Attitudes
   2. The components of attitudes
   3. Attitude functions for the personality
   4. Our attitudes can change
   5. Attitude measuring scales

   Part Two – Public Relations

6. The birth of a speciality
   1. Tracing P.R. roots in antiquity
   2. A historic glimpse at the USA in late 19th and early 20th Century
   3. Defining the field of Public Relations
   4. Misconceptions of public relations
   5. Brief profiles of four pioneers in P.R. history
7. Publics, Public Opinion and its moulders
   1. Historical evolution of the term ‘public’ 
   2. Public Opinion
8. Rhetoric, Persuasion and Propaganda
   1. From Rome with…’love’
   2. Not one but a multitude of definitions
   3. A variety of propaganda types
   4. World Wars & the use of Propaganda
   5. The Korean War and “Brainwashing”
9. Corporate Communication & Responsibility
   1. Corporate Communication
   2. Corporate responsibility or CSR
   3. P.R. vs. marketing and advertising
10. Press releases, special events and sponsorships
    1. An in-house P.R. specialist vs. the services of a P.R. consultancy
    2. The ‘press release’ or ‘news release’
    3. Form & structure of a ‘press’ or ‘news release’
    4. Content and Style of the ‘press or news release’
    5. Different ‘releases’ to different Media
    6. Emphasis on ethos, pathos and logos
    7. Special events and sponsorships
    8. Crisis management

    Part Three – Leadership

11. Leaders and Leadership
12. Leadership, Power, Authority & Charisma
    1. A glimpse at recent political, financial and religious events
    2. Starting with Plato and Aristotle
    3. Max Weber’s theoretical viewpoint
    4. Enter Machiavelli, Sennet & Habermas
    5. The era of ‘scientific management’ and the Hawthorne studies
13. Leadership research at the Universities of Iowa, Ohio & Michigan
14. Modern theories of leadership in Private and Public Enterprises and Organizations
    1. Contingency and path-goal theories
    2. Transformational leadership – ‘Charisma’ revisited?’
15. Instead of an epilogue: Women leaders remain under a ‘glass ceiling’
    1. Women in Politics
    2. Women in the Economy and in Higher Education
16. References / Bibliography
17. The Author