Research on newspaper journalists' perceptions of online public relations and the effects of organizational structure on employee communications were among the top winners in the competition at the 4th Annual Interdisciplinary Public Relations Research Conference held March 22-25 at the University of Miami.

The annual conference in Coral Gables, FL, attracts scholars from traditional public relations education along with behavioral scientists and business school professors who hold research discussions on public relations and corporate communications. The event, which is coordinated by the Educators Academy of PRSA, is sponsored by the Arthur W. Page Society, The Institute for Public Relations, the Council of Public Relations Firms, Burson-Marsteller, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, GCI Group, Hill and Knowlton, ITT Industries, Johnson & Johnson and Ketchum Public Relations.

A $500 cash award was presented to Sansup Jo of the University of Florida for the top faculty paper in the Communication Sciences category, "Newspaper Journalists' Perceptions of Online Public Relations." The paper, which was co-authored by Jaehwa Shin of the University of Missouri, found that arts and entertainment reporters had more favorable perceptions about Web sites and online press releases than business and local news journalists did. The study suggested that greater mutual understanding may be possible with further research into the embedded expectations of journalists and public relations practitioners.

Dr. Derina R. Holtzhausen of the University of South Florida received a $500 award for her first place finish in the Business Sciences division. Her paper, "The Effects of Divisionalized and Decentralized Organizational Structure on a Formal Employee Communication Function," studied the relationship between process implementation and workplace communication in a restructured organization. Significant relationships were observed between process implementation and the improvement of information flow and face-to-face communications. The process was less successful in changing the communications behavior of managers.

The Page Society sponsorship is a part of an ongoing effort to encourage research in public relations and corporate communications, both in public relations and business school education programs.