La evolución de las relaciones públicas hacia la dirección de comunicaciónAproximación histórica en el contexto académico español

Abstract

The objective of this study is to reflect on the origin, evolution and possible concomitances between the "public relations" and "communication management" concepts as they are understood in Spain. After a brief review of the historic evolution of public relations, the concept of communication management is analyzed based on the most relevant literature published in Spain since 1993. The role assigned to public relations in said texts is also assessed. It is observed that existing texts on communication management or corporate communications reduce public relations to a mere technique or ignore the concept altogether, albeit appropriating its structural elements as their own. It is suggested that although the term "communication management" is used as a global concept, public relations must be understood, at the least, as one of its relevant parts, avoiding the disgregation of its components.