Edwards, L. and Aulakh, S. orcid.org/0000-0001-7120-9176 (2024) PR recruitment as boundary-making: The client, the ‘fit’ and the disposability of diversity. Public Relations Inquiry, 13 (1). 93 -112. ISSN 2046-147X
Abstract
In this article we explore the ways in which specialist recruitment practices for the PR industry influence the pursuit of diversity in the profession. Drawing on interviews from an exploratory study of specialist PR recruitment in the UK, we combine Abbott’s theory of boundary-making between professional fields with existing research on the exclusionary dynamics of recruitment in professions, to explain how PR recruitment consolidates the focus on client and candidate ‘fit,’ and is likely to work in favour of preserving the dominance of middle-class, white and gendered identities in the profession. In this context, diversity is perceived as a risk rather than an opportunity and becomes a casualty of professional logic.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2023. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). |
Keywords: | Public relations recruitment; diversity; discrimination; professional field; boundary-making |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Work and Employment Relation Division (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 02 Nov 2023 16:47 |
Last Modified: | 09 Dec 2024 15:45 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/2046147X231210277 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:204850 |