ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the traditional concept of publics in public relations, and the more modern thinking around organisational stakeholders. This is part of a trend by which PR’s traditional base of communication theory is now drawing on management thinking to a greater degree. A range of methods by which stakeholders can be mapped and prioritised are reviewed. We consider two areas of PR practice in which stakeholders are usually said to be key – sponsorship and community relations – and argue that in fact the power relationship between the organisation and stakeholders in both cases is firmly skewed towards the interests of the organisation. Corporate social responsibility is an increasingly important area of public relations activity, but it presents significant questions around PR’s presentation and performance. There are concerns over whitewashing or greenwashing, the substitution by PR of words for action. The reporting of CSR by firms is often more symbolic than substantive.
