ABSTRACT
Gable (2003) set out ‘five major PR issues for the next decade’. First, the need to improve strategic planning and the link to communications was stressed. The next issue was the encroachment on public relations services by other consultants such as management consultants, lawyers and accountants. This was connected to the third issue, credibility. Public relations was still seen as a profession of spin rather than strategic communications and reputation management. The fourth issue reverted back to the question of defining public relations and a feeling that it was still a misunderstood profession. One of the most important ways to improve understanding and relevance was felt to be an emphasis on evaluation and measuring long-term effectiveness. The last issue was finding enough properly qualified staff by promoting public relations as an attractive industry to college students. Gable added five other headings to this list: improving public relations curricula and education; overcoming the loss of faith in business ethics; countering the slump in the economy and resisting clients’ tendency to want to do things cheaply rather than strategically; improving professional standards in agencies; and emphasising the public interest side of public relations to stress its contribution to society.
