PR 660 Lecture 29: Issues Management Theories

• School: Ball State University
• Department: Public Relations
• Course: PR 660
• Professor: Becky McDonald

Document Summary

Issues management emerged after the decades of the 1960s and 1970s when activist groups demanded changes in business activities and policies. It is a management philosophy and set of strategic functions designed to reduce friction and increase harmony between organizations and their stakeholders. Issues management is considered by most people a subcategory of public relations. A rhetorical perspective on public relations draws on the rich rhetorical heritage of western civilization that originated with the writings of ancient greeks and romans. This heritage offers rationale for the ethical practice of public relations. It explains how public relations participates in the creation and implementation of value perspectives that shape society. It supports the practice of public relations in the marketplace and public policy arena, where values are brought to bear on economic and sociopolitical matters. The rhetorical heritage of public relations features the role of public discourse through which ideas are contested, issues are examined, and decisions are made collaboratively.