University Communication Departments. Analysis of the Situation in Spain

Abstract

Although public relations has grown considerably in the last years, communication officers in Spain still focus on oneway models and adopt a technician role. That is to say, they behave more like journalists in residence than communication managers. Nevertheless, this research shows that several positive aspects of public relations (such as having a communication plan, evaluating publics’ actions and behaviors or making a bigger effort on research, planning and evaluation) relate to other beneficial public relations aspects. These actions involve, among others, the likeliness of defining concrete goals and linking them to the organization’s overall objectives and taking part or, at least, being consulted by the strategic planning team.