Bruce Berger

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Bruce K. Berger, Ph.D., is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations in the College of Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. He also serves as Director of The Betsy Plank Center for Public Relations Studies in the College. Previously he was Associate Professor of Public Relations and Director of the MA Program in the department. Berger teaches public relations writing, management, and campaigns courses at the undergraduate level, and courses in persuasion, communication campaigns, and international public relations at the graduate level.

Berger earned his Ph.D. in Communication in 1999 at the University of Kentucky, where he also taught courses in public relations and organizational communications. In 1997 he received an Excellence in Teaching Award (1997) from the College of Communications & Information Studies at UK.

Professional Experience

Prior to entering academia, Berger was a public relations professional and executive for 20 years. From 1975-1989 he worked at the (then) Upjohn Company, a pharmaceutical research and manufacturing company. Following assignments as a speechwriter and newsletter editor, he began work in international public relations in 1978. From 1982-85 he served as Public Affairs Manager for the company, based in Brussels, Belgium, and was responsible for public relations programs in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. From 1985-89 he was Director of Worldwide Human Health Public Relations for Upjohn, responsible for media relations and public relations marketing support programs in 25 countries. In 1988 Berger and colleagues received the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Silver Anvil Award for Upjohn’s public relations diabetes education program for Hispanic Americans.

In 1989 Berger became Vice President of Public Relations for Whirlpool Corporation, a (now) $12 billion global manufacturer and marketer of home appliances headquartered in St. Joseph, Michigan. He was responsible for developing and implementing the company’s first global strategic public relations plan. In 1991 he was named Corporate Vice President, Corporate Affairs, and President of the Whirlpool Foundation. As the senior public relations officer he was responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation of worldwide public relations, government affairs, financial relations, employee communications, and philanthropic activities.

Berger’s leadership in innovative employee communications programs received national recognition. In 1993 he and his colleagues received the Big Apple Award from the PRSA New York Chapter, and a PRSA Certificate of Commendation, for the company’s employee communication initiatives. In 1994 Berger received an Inside Public Relations All-Star Award for communication leadership and development of The Whirlpool Management Journal.

Service

During his career, Berger has been active in professional and community service. At Whirlpool he was a Director of the U.S. Public Affairs Council, the Conference Board Council of Communication Executives, the Salvation Army of Southwest Michigan, and WNIT (Channel 34) Public Television in South Bend, Indiana. He also was a member of the Public Relations Society of America, the International Association of Business Communicators, and the American Public Relations Vice Presidents Forum. At Upjohn, he was a Director of the International School in Brussels, Belgium, and a member of the European Public Relations Roundtable. He also was a frequent speaker at professional association meetings.

He is currently a member of PRSA, the International Communication Association, the National Communication Association, and the Association for Education In Journalism and Mass Communication. He also serves as a member of the editorial review boards for the Journal of Public Relations Research and the Atlantic Journal of Communication.

Research and Publications

Berger’s current research focuses on power and influence in public relations and the uses of new information technologies in the practice. He has published more than 20 academic and professional articles in leading scholarly journals and trade publications, including the Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, Asian Pacific Journal of Communication, Communication Yearbook, and Journal of Employee Communication, among others.

Berger’s dissertation, which examined the role and influence of business organizations in public policy formation, received the Outstanding Dissertation Award in the Public Relations Division of the International Communication Association in 2000. Berger and a co-author received the Robert Heath Top Paper Award in the PR Division of ICA at its conference in New York in 2005.

Academic Book (In process)

Berger, B. K., & Reber, B. (In process). Gaining Influence in Public Relations: The Role of Resistance in Practice. Theoretical book scheduled for publication in February 2006 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Academic Journal Articles

Berger, B. K. (2005). Power Over, Power With, and Power to Relations: Critical Reflections on Public Relations, the Dominant Coalition, and Activism. Journal of Public Relations Research, 17(1), 5-28.

Reber, B. H., & Berger, B. K. (2005, June). Framing analysis of activist rhetoric: How the Sierra Club succeeds or fails at creating salient messages. Public Relations Review, 31, 185-195.

Park, D-J, & Berger, B. K. (2004). The presentation of CEOs in the Press, 1990-2000: Increasing salience, positive valence, and a focus on competency and personal dimensions of CEO image. Journal of Public Relations Research, 16(1), 93-125.

Berger, B., & Park, D-J. (2003). Public relationships or private controls? Practitioner perspectives on the uses and benefits of new technologies. The New Jersey Journal of Communication, 11(1), 78-99.

Park, D-J, & Berger, B. K. (2003). Korean and American companies in cyberspace: Comparing public relations models reflected in web sites. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 13(1), 75-94.

Berger, B. K., Hertog, J. K., & Park, D-J. (2002). The political role and influence of business organizations: A communication perspective. In W. B. Gudykunst (Ed.), Communication Yearbook 26 (pp. 160-200). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Berger, B. K. (2002, June). Applying active learning at the graduate level: Merger issues at Newco. Public Relations Review, 28, 191-200.

Berger, B. K. (2001). Private issues and public policy: Locating the corporate agenda in agenda-setting theory. Journal of Public Relations Research, 13(2), 91-126.

Berger, B. K. (2001). “Restructuring” justifications in annual reports: Legitimizing job loss and sweeping change. The New Jersey Journal of Communication, 9(2), 122-144.

Berger, B. K. (1999). The Halcion affair: Public relations and the construction of

ideological world view. Journal of Public Relations Research, 11(3), 185-203.

Academic Book Reviews

Berger, B. K. (2004). The Death of a Thousand Cuts: Corporate Campaigns and the Attack on the Corporation by Jarol Manheim. Political Communication, 21(1), 137-138.

Berger, B. K. (2004). Crisis Communications: Lessons from September 11 by A. Michael Noll (Ed.); and Responding to Crisis: A Rhetorical Approach to Crisis Communication by Dan P. Millar and Robert L. Heath (Eds.). Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 81(3), 702-704.

Professional and Trade Publications

Berger, B. K. (1996). Getting communication on senior management’s agenda. In D. Murray (Ed.), Employee communication: The comprehensive manual for those who communicate with today’s employees (pp. 417-446). Chicago, IL: Lawrence Ragan Communications.

Berger, B. K. (1996, September/October). The communicator’s manifesto. Journal of Employee Communication Management, 7-14.

Berger, B. K. (1996). Revolution at Whirlpool: A case history. In R. L. Dilenschneider (Ed.), Dartnell’s Public Relations Handbook (4th ed., pp. 197-205). Chicago, IL: The Dartnell Corporation.

Berger, B. K. (1996, May). Value of a process model for communication. Communicator, 13 (5): 1-2, 5.

Berger, B. K. (1996). The communicator’s manifesto. Journal of Employee Communication and Crisis Response Readiness, 1 (1); 32-43.

Berger, B. K. (1995). Communications for Whirlpool leaders: A two-day training program. Benton Harbor, MI: Whirlpool Corporation.

Berger, B. K. (1995). The new orientation. In the Conference Board’s Pursuit of Quality: Views From the Leading Edge, 39-41.

Berger, B. K. (1994, November). Revolution at Whirlpool. Internal Communication Focus--North America, 1 (1): 3-6.

Berger, B. K. (1994). The communication process model. Benton Harbor, MI: Whirlpool Corporation.

Berger, B. K. (1993). Feedback: A reference manual for Whirlpool communicators and communication suppliers. Benton Harbor, MI: Whirlpool Corporation.