Chapter 8: Research

Introduction
Research is the natural starting point for any public relations assignment from promoting a product to designing a program to confronting crisis.
Essentiel Frist Step
Every public relations program or solution should begin with research.
Research should be applied in public relations work both at the initial stage, prior to planning a compaign, and at the final stage to evaluate a program's effectiveness.
What is Research?
Research is the systematic collection and interpretation of information to increase understanding.
Research skills are partyly intuitive, partly on outgrowth of individual temperament and partly a function of acquired knowledge.
The real challenge lies in using research, knowing when to do what, with whome, and for what purpose.
Principles of Public Relations Research
The institute of public relations and research education offered seven guiding principales in setting standards for public relations research.
1. Establishing clear program objectives and desired outcomes tied directly to business goals.
2. Differentiating between measuring public relations ouputs, generally short temr and surface, and measuring public relations outcomes.
3. measuring media content as first step.
4. understanding that no one technique can be expected to evaluate PR effectiveness.
5. Being wary of attempts to compare PR effectiveness with ads. effectiveness.
6. organization should have a clear identified key messages, target audiences, and desired channeles of communication.
Types of PR Research

Research is conducted to do 3 things :
1. describe the process, situation or phenomenon
2. expalin why somthing is happening, what its causes are, and what effect it will have
3. Predict what probably will happen if we do or don't take action.
Applied research solves practical problems and theoretical research aids understanding of a PR process.

Applied Research
it can be either strategic or evaluative.
1. strategic is used in program development.
2. Evaluative research , called somtimes summative research, is conducted to determine whether a PR program has accomplished its goals and objectives.
Theoritical Research
It is more abstract and conceptual than applied research.
it helps build theories in PR work about why poeple communicate, how PO is formed and how a public created.
Knowledge of theoretical research can help practitioners not only understanding the basis of applied research findings but also temper management's expectations of attitude and behavioral change resulting from PR programs.
Secondary Rsearch
It is research on the cheap.
it allwos you examine or read about and learn from someone else's primary research.
it uses data that have been collected for other purposes than your own.

Methods of PR Research
Observation is the foundation of modern social science.
Three primary forms ofPR research dominate the file :
1. Surveys
2. Communications audits.
3. Unobstusive measures.

Survey
it is the most frequently used research methods in PR.
it can be applied to broad societal issues or more focuses issues.
surveys come in two types :
1. Descriptive surveys.
2. Expkanatory surveys.
surveys consist of four elements:
1. Sample, 2. Questionnaire, 3. Interview, 4. Analysis of results

Sample
Random sampling or nonrandom sampling
Interview :
Focus Group
Telephone interviews
Mail interviews
Drop-off inteviews
Interceot Interviews
Delphi interviews
Internet inteviews