A general framework of academic public relations based on Shannon-Weaver model of communication towards its evaluation

Abstract

In this paper, we apply the Shannon-Weaver model of communication to the academic public relations (PR) and propose a general framework that can be used to develop an evaluation system for the academic PR. To sketch out the current landscape of the academic PR, a survey on documents of PR principles in Japanese universities and research institutes is conducted. Based on this analysis, we 1) apply the Shannon-Weaver model, 2) identify the three levels of communications problems, that is technical, semantic, and effectiveness, introduced by Weaver clearly in the scenario of the academic PR, and 3) discuss the framework as an evaluation system of the academic PR. Finally, we apply this framework to analyse PR practitioners' abilities and skills.