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While a number of studies have looked at the image of public relations practitioners as portrayed in films and other media, few if any of those studies have focused primarily on the pedagogical perspective of using films. Therefore, a benchmark international survey of public relations educators was undertaken to answer questions about how (or whether) to use films as a teaching tool. Among other things, the findings of the study shed light on how often PR instructors use films in the classroom; the value that films provide; why some professors decline to use them; which specific films and television shows are being used; and guidelines for utilizing movies and television programs as an effective pedagogical technique.

Even after 40 years of philosophical discussions about whether “customer” terminology is appropriate in the context of education, health care, religion, government, and other social institutions, virtually no research has been conducted to identify actual public attitudes on the subject. Thus, a large-scale, five-country study was conducted to examine the question: Should patients, students, news media readers/viewers/listeners, political constituents, and members of religious organizations be treated as “customers”? In addition to collecting and analyzing quantitative responses, the study explored the reasoning behind respondents' attitudes, provided benchmark data for future research, and highlighted critical implications for both public and private policy.

This exploratory study aims to adopt an identity-centered approach for evaluating Iowa's destination image among industry partners, who are often seen as a less-important stakeholder group in place branding research. Brand identity attributes of the ongoing branding strategy, ‘Iowa Life Changing’, were first identified through a document analysis and an elite interview. A random stratified sampling was then used in a telephone survey with 200 industry partners. Of the 114 valid responses, the gap between the brand identity and brand image of Iowa as a travel destination and respondents’ strength of identification with the Iowa Tourism Office were measured. Specifically, results showed a consistency and some dynamic linkages among the three constructs. Practical implications and future research directions on industry partners are also discussed.

The study reported here provides an examination of the attributes of selected public relation educators and their institutions in relation to the teaching of international public relations as a course or as a part of a course.