WORLD PUBLIC RELATIONS FORUM Research Stream Toronto, Canada May 29, 2016

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1 WORLD PUBLIC RELATIONS FORUM Research Stream Toronto, Canada May 29, 2016 BACKGROUND Research Stream and the World Public Relations Forum Every two years since 2001, the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management has brought together public relations and communication professionals and scholars from around the world to share their experiences and knowledge and to reflect together on major issues affecting the profession. The three-day World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) begins with a Research Stream, which was initiated in This is a full day of discussions and presentations featuring the world s leading educators, researchers and practitioner thought-leaders. The Research Stream has become a unique opportunity to engage professionals, academics and students from across the world in the key challenges facing the profession, to advance thinking and research and share best practices. It builds a bridge between the academic and practitioner communities and is for the benefit of both. The 9 th World Public Relations Forum to be held May 29-31, 2016 in Toronto, Canada, has as its theme Communication across Cultures. The practice of public relations and communication management requires communication across many diverse cultures, and recognizes that globalization is creating a growing cultural hybridity. This cross-cultural communication imperative covers not only geographic, ethnic, linguistic and political differences, but also addresses cultures within organizations. To gain a place at the top table PR leaders must work to prove value in order to actually participate in decision-making rather than just explain it. Today s PR leaders must be strategic, understand public mood and deal with stakeholder expectations in all their diversity and richness. To do so requires that combination of strategic thought, operational execution and cultural understanding. That is the challenge the Research Stream will examine. 1

2 As one of the world s most culturally diverse cities, within a country known globally for its embrace of multiculturalism, Toronto is a living laboratory for this new reality. Canada has a long list of organizations that are seen as leaders in communication and in adapting communication to cultural diversity. Toronto is the ideal place for exploring communications across cultures. We will discuss how global brands manage different cultural experiences and expectations, how corporate culture shapes internal communications, and how world-wide access to social media brings new challenges in communicating to various cultures simultaneously. WPRF 2016 participants will come away with a better understanding of communications across cultures, build stronger relationships with fellow PR practitioners and leaders and understand how we can bring greater cultural understanding to the practice of public relations. By being adept at this we will learn how communication can and does change organizations and society. CALL FOR ABSTRACTS/PAPERS Because so much knowledge is generated by transdisciplinary work, the Research Stream invites speakers from many branches of knowledge. Researchers, educators, students and academic thought-leaders from around the world are invited to submit 1,500-word abstracts, in English, that relate to the main theme, Communication across cultures. Good papers will be eligible to be considered by at least one refereed journal in the field. Abstracts will be available online as part of conference proceedings. Research Stream Submissions and Review An international panel of scholars, the Abstract Reviewing Committee, will blindreview the submissions and choose the authors of the highest quality abstracts who will be invited to submit full papers for presentation at the Research Stream. Abstracts not selected for full paper presentations may be invited to participate in a Research Roundtable discussion during the Research Stream. Research Stream Presentations Each full paper presenter will be allocated 20 minutes for presentation with an additional 5 minutes to answer questions. Authors of abstracts accepted for discussion at one of the Research Roundtables during the Stream should prepare a handout and will have approximately 10 minutes to summarize their research before opening the session to discussion. Research Stream Topics Public relations and communication has changed, not just in their use of channels but also in the very nature of conversations and their purpose, reach and effect. This requires communicators to reconsider a range of issues and topics affecting culture. For example, communicators have to be more aware than ever that their actual audiences may be far more wide ranging than their intended audiences. The digital 2

3 divide means that additional efforts have to be made to include those who might be excluded. Furthermore, the all-embracing and changing nature of public relations and communication means that it is not enough for professional communicators to maintain a narrow focus on their organizations and cultures and how they benefit, but to be aware that communication is changing the very nature of culture and society. What are the implications of all of these developments? We welcome contributions to the Research Stream on themes and topics such as: 1. Cross cultural communication. 2. Cultural thought leadership 3. Writing and storytelling across cultures 4. Understanding fragmented public mood and diverse stakeholder expectations 5. Mentoring and coaching the next generation of practitioners 6. Building community relations 7. Social responsibility and brand management 8. Exploring the cultural role of new channels such as gaming 9. Measuring cross-cultural communication 10. Employee engagement and loyalty through communications 11. Media landscapes 12. PR Without Borders: developing conversations in a globalized world 13. Co-creation and co-construction of organizational culture 14. Role of public relations in culture and society 15. Any other topic relevant to the theme Communication and culture Abstract Submission Guidelines Please ensure that you have read these guidelines before submitting your abstract. Abstracts not submitted in this format will not be considered for review. All abstracts must be submitted using the form provided on the website. TITLE ABSTRACT TEXT 12 point Arial bold, maximum of 15 words The abstract must be approximately 1,500 words (excluding references), 12 point Arial with single line spacing. Authors should use Microsoft Word s word count function and should enter their total number of words where indicated on the submission form. Abstracts are to be submitted in PDF (Adobe Document File) format only. Abstracts should be submitted in English. Authors should check submissions thoroughly for spelling and grammar before submission. No images may be submitted as part of an abstract submission. 3

4 KEYWORDS REFERENCES Authors should provide five keywords for their abstract to facilitate online searching. References must follow the American Psychological Association (APA) format. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION 7 December 2015 TO SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT CLICK HERE CONDITIONS OF ABSTRACT/PAPER SUBMISSION AND ACCEPTANCE Once you have successfully submitted your abstract, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, check your spam mailbox to see if the acknowledgement was delivered there. Do not submit an abstract more than once. For each separate abstract, it is necessary to submit a new form. If you need to submit a revised version of the abstract after it has already been submitted, please submit a new form and contact national office by (lweston@cprs.ca) before December 7, 2015 to request the previous abstract be removed. If you are invited to submit a full paper, you must register (and pay) to attend the Research Stream by March 4, 2016 and must affirm that your paper does not breach copyright law. If you do not register, your paper will be removed from the program and will not appear in any subsequent publication or abstract collection. If your abstract is selected for a Research Roundtable discussion, you must register (and pay) to attend the Research Stream by March 4, 2016 and affirm that your handout does not breach copyright law. The presenting author(s) you identify on your submission form is the person who will be attending and presenting at the Research Stream at either a Research Roundtable or paper session. For technical queries, please contact Lorianne Weston CTDP, Director Accreditation and Education, CPRS: lweston@cprs.ca 4

5 For content-related queries, please contact Amy Thurlow, Ph.D., APR, Department of Communication Studies, Mount Saint Vincent University: Key Research Stream Dates and Deadlines 21 October 2015 Submission of abstracts opens 7 December 2015 at 11:59 p.m. ET Submission of abstracts closes 3 February 2016 Notification of abstract decisions, authors of accepted abstracts to be invited to submit full papers 3 March 2016 Deadline for conference registration by presenting authors of papers and handouts. 28 April 2016 Submission of full papers deadline 29 May 2016 Research Stream in Toronto, Canada 5