Neighborhood Recovery or Its Not Just PR

Neighborhood Recovery: Reinvestment Policy for the New Hometown

Author: John Kromer

How can we help distressed urban communities recover from a generation of economic loss and reposition themselves for success in today's economy? Although many have proposed solutions to the problems of neighborhoods suffering from economic disinvestment, John Kromer, in his role as Philadelphia's housing director, has actually put solutions to work. Part war story, part how-to manual, and part advocacy for more effective public policy, and community initiative can produce successful and lasting results.
Neighborhood Recovery presents a policy approach that cities can use to improve the physical condition of their neighborhoods and help urban residents compete for good jobs in the metropolitan economy. Kromer's experience in Philadelphia reveals challenges and opportunities that can decisively influence the future of neighborhoods in many other American cities.
Kromer's framework for neighborhood recovery addresses topics such as:

• home ownership and financing
  
• the role of community-based organizations
  
• work-readiness and job training for neighborhood residents
  
• housing for homeless people and others with specialized needs
  
• ncthe importae of advocacy in advancing neighborhood reinvestment policy
  

What People Are Saying

Kurt L. Schmoke
From Kurt L. Schmoke, mayor of Baltimore.

Neighborhood Recovery presents a unique perspective on the problems and promise of urban American. John Kromer was a community activist who was given the opportunity to enter local government and make it work for people. His experiences help us understand better why there is hope for America's cities.

Edward G. Rendell
From Edward G. Rendell, mayor of Philadelphia.

Honest and intelligent. A creative response to the biggest challenge facing urban America today.

New interesting textbook: Office Planning and Design Desk Reference or Fundamentals of Quality Control and Improvement

It's Not Just "PR": Public Relations and Society

Author: Sherry J Holladay

Public relations shapes and spins our news, influencing society’s values, knowledge, and perceptions. Despite this, it often goes unnoticed. It's Not Just "PR" takes a balanced approach in assessing its impact, drawing on a diverse range of contemporary examples from global corporations through to the power of PR in the non-profit sector.

• Investigates a broad range of examples, from Coca-Cola and corporate pharmaceutical companies, to the non-profit sector and reform labour practices in Latin America.
  
• Charts new territory by focusing on the effects and influence of public relations, both intended and unintended, in a discipline that has all too often concentrated on skills with little or no reflection on societal impact.
  
• Helps reveal why public relations is useful to society and how it has developed a negative public reputation.
  
• Includes practical debate about power issues in public relations theory and practice.

Table of Contents:

Introduction     1
Does Society Need Public Relations?     5
Media Use and the Term "PR"     6
Criticisms of Public Relations     8
Popular press attacks on public relations     9
Common themes in critiques of public relations     14
Popular Press Books Describing the Importance of Public Relations     17
Professional and Academic Defense of Public Relations     21
The profession: The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)     21
Academics defend the practice     21
Public Relations and the Marketplace of Ideas     23
Re-focusing Public Relations     24
Conclusion     27
Ethical Implications of Public Relations     28
What is Public Communication?     29
Ethical Responsibilities of PR as a Form of Public Communication     30
Ethical Perspectives     31
Professional Associations and Ethics     33
The Boundary-spanning Role of the PR Professional     35
Tensions for PR Practitioners     39
Power Relationships     40
The Power of PR Professionals in the Corporation     43
A Postmodern Perspective on PR     44
Conclusion     48
Who Practices Public Relations?     49
Corporate-centric Histories of Public Relations     50
Antagonistic Views of Corporations and Activists     52
Power and Marginalization     53
First Reform Era: Abolitionism and Temperance     62
Public relations aspect     65
Second Reform Era: The Muckrakers     65
Public relations aspect     68
Saul Alinsky: Activism in the 1960s     68
Public relations aspect     70
Internet Activism     70
Public relations aspect     73
Labor Unions and Public Relations     73
Public relations aspect     75
Conclusion     75
Public Relations Influences Society     76
Marketplace of Ideas     76
Issues Management: A Framework of Effects on Public Policy     80
EPA bans Alar under pressure     84
AMA's objection to national health insurance     86
Local battles: retailing and health care     89
Shaping Public Behavior     91
Keep America Beautiful     93
Online sexual exploitation     94
Ready.gov: preparing for disasters     96
Germany and social change      97
Nazi anti-Semitic communication     97
Nazi anti-tobacco campaign     98
Mixing Social and Policy Changes: Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and Big Pharm     98
Conclusion     103
Global Effects of Public Relations     104
Public Diplomacy: Government Public Relations Goes Global     105
Private Voluntary Organizations: Activism Goes Global     109
Corporations: Increased Demands from a Global Network of Relationships     111
Expectation gap complications     122
Conclusion     125
Where We Have Been     126
References     129
Index     139