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Journal Article 5.1: Kim, J.-N., Ni, L., & Sha, B.-L. (2008). Breaking down the stakeholder environment: Explicating approaches to the segmentation of publics for public relations research. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 85(4), 751-768.

Abstract: This article reviews approaches to the segmentation of organizational stakeholders, recommending specifically that in the early (stakeholder) stage of strategic management, publics should be segmented using cross-situational approaches grounded in the notions of “consequences” and “resources.” In the later (public and issue) stages, publics should be segmented using situational approaches, derived from notions of “problem” and “issue.” The review and synthesis seeks to help scholars theorize more systematically about segmenting publics in public relations and to enable practitioners to more strategically segment and prioritize their organizational stakeholders.

Journal Article 5.2: Macnamara, J. (2014). Emerging international standards for measurement and evaluation of public relations: A critical analysis. Public Relations Inquiry, 3(1), 7-29.

Abstract: After 30 years of modest progress in measurement and evaluation of public relations since Jim Grunig uttered his cri de coeur about lack of evaluation, a flurry of activity has occurred in the past few years. A new momentum started with the Barcelona Declaration of Measurement Principles in 2010. In 2011, a Coalition for Public Relations Research Standards was formed by three leading international PR and research organizations. In 2012, the group expanded to 11 professional associations which worked in collaboration with advertising and media organizations and companies representing employer perspectives to publish a number of definitions and standards for measurement and evaluation in 2012 and 2013. Concurrently, there have been renewed debates about measurement concepts such as Return on Investment (ROI). As the industry reaches the 20th anniversary of the International Public Relations Association ‘Gold Paper on Evaluation’ published in 1994, it appears that progress is at last being made. This paper welcomes and commends initiatives taken, but presents a critical analysis that reveals continuing gaps and problematic issues to address in the latest efforts to measure the value of PR and a substantial gap between theory and practice.