Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Pt. 1. Introduction: Mind, Self, and Society / Robert L. Heath -- Ch. 1. Public Relations in the Enactment of Civil Society / Maureen Taylor -- Ch. 2. Strategic Management of Communication: Insights from the Contingency Theory of Strategic Conflict Management / Augustine Pang, Yan Jin, Glen T. Cameron -- Ch. 3. Seeing the Forest through the Trees: The Behavioral, Strategic Management Paradigm in Public Relations and Its Future / Jeong-Nam Kim and Lan Ni -- Ch. 4. The Cursed Sisters: Public Relations and Rhetoric / Oyvind Ihlen -- Ch. 5. Implications of Complexity Theory for Public Relations: Beyond Crisis / Dawn R. Gilpin and Priscilla Murphy -- Ch. 6. Signs of the Times: Economic Sciences, Futures, and Public Relations / David McKie -- Ch. 7. Publics and Public Relations: Effective Change / Shirley Leitch and Judy Motion -- Ch. 8. Correspondence(s) to Reality: A Reconstructive Approach to Public Relations / Günter Bentele -- Ch. 9. Dialogue as a Basis for Stakeholder Engagement: Defining and Measuring the Core Competencies / Nigel de Bussey -- Ch. 10. "Making it Real": Anthropological Reflections on Public Relations, Diplomacy, and Rhetoric / Jacquie L'Etang -- Ch. 11. Social Construction and Public Relations / Katerina Tsetsura -- Ch. 12. Public Relations and Power / Peter Smudde and Jeffrey Courtright -- Ch. 13. Power and Public Relations: Paradoxes and Programmatic Thoughts / Robert L. Heath, Judy Motion, and Shirley Leitch -- Ch. 14. "Race" in Public Relations / Lee Edwards -- Ch. 15. Toward an Intersectionality Theory of Public Relations / Jennifer Vardeman-Winter and Natalie T. J. Tindall -- Ch. 16. Does Public Relations Scholarship Have a Place in Race? / Damion Waymer -- Ch. 17. Feminist Scholarship and its Contributions to Public Relations / Brenda J. Wrigley -- Ch. 18. Reflective Management: Seeing the Organization as if from Outside / Susanne Holmström -- Ch. 19. Symmetry and Its Critics: Antecedents, Prospects and Implications for Symmetry in a Post-Symmetry Era / Robert E. Brown -- Ch. 20. Strategy, Management, Leadership, and Public Relations / Finn Frandsen and Winni Johanesen -- Ch. 21. Reputation, Communication, and the Corporate Brand / Peggy Simcic Bronn -- Pt. 2. Introduction: The Practice of Public Relations as Change Management / Robert L. Heath -- Ch. 22. The Use of Research in Public Relations / Marcia W. DiStaso and Don W. Stacks -- Ch. 23. Reputation Models, Drivers and Measurement / Tom Watson -- Ch. 24. Come Together: Rise and Fall of Public Relations Organizations in the Twentieth Century / Julie K. Henderson -- Ch. 25. Public Relations Identity: Evolving from Academic and Practitioner Partnerships / Bonnie Neff -- Ch. 26. Relationship Management Projects Public Relations Image: Analysis of Living History and Dreams from My Father / Gayle M. Pohl -- Ch. 25. Public Relations Identity: Evolving from Academic and Practitioner Partnerships / Bonnie Neff -- Ch. 26. Relationship Management Projects Public Relations Image: Analysis of Living History and Dreams from My Father / Gayle M. Pohl -- Ch. 27. Activism 2.0 / Michael Smith and Denise Ferguson -- Ch. 28. Activism in the 20th and 21st Centuries / Pamela G. Bourland-Davis,William Thompson, and F. Eric Brooks -- Ch. 29. Public Relations Practitioners and the Leadership Challenge / Bruce K. Berger and Juan Meng. Ch. 30. Embedding Issue Management: From Process to Policy / Tony Jaques -- Ch. 31. Risk Communication / Michael J. Palenchar -- Ch. 32. Community Engagement and Risk Management / Katherine McComas -- Ch. 33. Crisis Communication: A Developing Field / W. Timothy Coombs -- Ch. 34. Expanding the Parameters of Crisis Communication: From Chaos to Renewal / Matthew W. Seeger, Timothy L. Sellnow, and Robert R. Ulmer -- Ch. 35. Red Cross Crisis Communication in the Wake of September 11, 2001 / Kimberly A. Schwartz -- Ch. 36. Defining the Relationship Between Public Relations and Marketing: Public Relations' Most Important Challenge / James G. Hutton -- Ch. 37. Being Public: Publicity as Public Relations / Kirk Hallahan -- Ch. 38. The Role of Public Relations in Promoting Healthy Communities / Jeffrey K Springston and Ruthann Weaver Lariscy. Ch. 39. Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility / Robert L. Heath and Lan Ni -- Ch. 40. The Nature of Good in Public Relations: what Should Be Its Normative Ethic? / Shannon A. Bowen -- Ch. 41. Military Spokespeople and Democracy: Perspectives from Two Israeli Wars / Margalit Toledano -- Ch. 42. Sports Public Relations / Tom Isaacson -- Ch. 43. Investor Relations / Alexander V. Laskin -- Ch. 44. Public Relations Media / Kirk Hallahan -- Ch. 45. Directions in Social Media for Professionals and Scholars / Michael L. Kent -- Pt. 3. Introduction / Robert L. Heath -- Ch. 46. Why Culture is Still Essential in Discussions about Global Public Relations / Robert Wakefield -- Ch. 47. The Local, National, and Global Challenges of Public Relations: A Call for an Anthropological Approach to Practicing Public Relations / Marina Vujnovic and Dean Kruckeberg -- Ch. 48. Cross-National Conflict Shifting: A Transnational Crisis Perspective in Global Public Relations / Juan-Carlos Molleda -- Ch. 49. Globalization and Public Relations: Opportunities for Growth and Reformation / Krishnamurthy Sriramesh -- Conclusion and Reflection / Robert L. Heath -- Reflections on the Field / Elizabeth L. Toth.

The SAGE Handbook of Public Relations offers a comprehensive and detailed examination of the field. It gives academics, practitioners and students a solid review of the status of the academic literature, stressing the role that public relations can play in building relationships between organizations, markets, audiences and publics. The Handbook is divided into five parts:
- defining the field, seeking to explain the role public relations plays in society
- examining the state of the practice by delving into the cutting-edge issues of management, ethics, gender, evaluation, public relations, education and media
- challenging academics and practitioners to identify best practices that shape their daily activities
- examining the fascinating and daunting challenges the new communication technology poses for scholars and practitioners
- a global view of the theories in international public relations as well as the trends in practice that will shape the field in the coming years.

No other book in public relations is as comprehensive in its authorship and coverage of academic research, theory and best practices. Global in scope, the book's contributors constitute an academic 'who's who' of the public relations discipline. The Handbook offers a definitive source of the best insights into the definition of the field of public relations, the practice and best practices. It analyzes the impact of new communication technologies and the global challenges of international public relations.