Public relations is, by design, the least visible of the persuasive industries. It operates behind the scenes, encouraging us to consume, vote, believe and behave in ways that keep economies moving and citizens from storming the citadels of power. In this important new book, Sue Curry Jansen explores the ways in which globalization and the digital revolution have substantially elevated PR's role in management, marketing, governance and international affairs. Since the best PR is invisible PR, it violates the norms of liberal democracy, which require transparency and accountability. Even when it serves benign purposes, she argues, PR is a commercial enterprise that divorces communication from conviction and turns it into a mercenary venture. As a primary source of what now passes as news, PR influences much of what we know and how we know it. Stealth Communications will be an indispensable guide for students of media studies and public relations, as well as anyone interested in the radical transformation of PR and the democratization of public communication.

Public relations is, by design, the least visible of the persuasive industries. It operates behind the scenes, encouraging us to consume, vote, believe and behave in ways that keep economies moving and citizens from storming the citadels of power. In this important new book, Sue Curry Jansen explores the ways in which globalization and the digital revolution have substantially elevated PR's role in management, marketing, governance and international affairs. Since the best PR is invisible PR, it violates the norms of liberal democracy, which require transparency and accountability. Even when it serves benign purposes, she argues, PR is a commercial enterprise that divorces communication from conviction and turns it into a mercenary venture. As a primary source of what now passes as news, PR influences much of what we know and how we know it. Stealth Communications will be an indispensable guide for students of media studies and public relations, as well as anyone interested in the radical transformation of PR and the democratization of public communication.

Because fine-tuning the parameters of a system is critical to a developer's success, Performance Optimization of Digital Communications Systems examines particular optimization problems in digital communications, presenting analytical techniques in combination with SystemView and MATLAB simulations. Consisting of ten chapters, this monograph presen

The political economy deals with the structure of production and the social relations of people in production. With its focus on structures and practices, the political economy also analyzes the contradictions of capitalism and suggests resistance and intervention strategies using methods from history, economics, sociology, and political science. The dominant commercial media in capitalism operates both as a product of economic and political structure and as an industrial institution with economic and political functions. Current Theories and Practice in the Political Economy of Communications and Media is a collection of innovative research on new approaches in the political economy of communication in the process of globalization. While highlighting topics including consumer behavior, news production, and public relations, this book is ideally designed for newscasters, broadcasters, journalists, marketers, advertisers, production managers, researchers, industry professionals, academics, and students seeking to extend the border of standard political economy of communication studies into relatively undiscovered areas.

Drawing together a variety of perspectives, this accessible yet comprehensive Research Handbook provides an in-depth analysis of the most significant issues pertaining to the legal regulation of cartels. An interdisciplinary team of respected experts explores the theoretical, legal, economic, political, and comparative discourse surrounding cartel regulation.

David Middleton was a towering figure of 20th Century engineering and science and one of the founders of statistical communication theory. During the second World War, the young David Middleton, working with Van Fleck, devised the notion of the matched filter, which is the most basic method used for detecting signals in noise. Over the intervening six decades, the contributions of Middleton have become classics. This collection of essays by leading scientists, engineers and colleagues of David are in his honor and reflect the wide influence that he has had on many fields. Also included is the introduction by Middleton to his forthcoming book, which gives a wonderful view of the field of communication, its history and his own views on the field that he developed over the past 60 years. Focusing on classical noise modeling and applications, Classical, Semi-Classical and Quantum Noise includes coverage of statistical communication theory, non-stationary noise, molecular footprints, noise suppression, Quantum error correction, and other related topics.

Political Marketing in the United States explores how politicians and parties utilize marketing concepts and tools, providing an up-to-date and broad overview of how marketing permeates U.S. politics. The volume focuses on current and recent elections and leaders, and covers a range of topics, including market research, marketing parties and volunteers, strategy and branding, communications, delivery, and marketing in government. The main themes and objectives of the book are to cover: New and emerging trends in political marketing practice Analysis of a broad range of political marketing aspects Empirical examples as well as useful theoretical frameworks Discussion of state/local level as well as presidential politics This is the first comprehensive treatment of the subject available and captures the field as it is rapidly growing. It is a must-read for students and scholars of political parties, political communication, applied politics, and elections.

In looking at the remarkable proliferation of democracies since 1974, this volume offers important insight into the challenges and opportunities that democracy faces in the twenty-first century. Distinguished contributors detail difficulties that democracies face from within and how they deal with them. Among the contemporary threats to democracy emanating from internal sources are tensions arising over technology and its uses; ethnic, religious, and racial distinctions; and disparate access to resources, education, and employment. A democratically elected government can behave more or less democratically, even when controlling access to information, using legal authority to aid or intimidate, and applying resources to shape the conditions for the next election. With elections recently disputed in the United States, Mexico, Lebanon, and the Ukraine, debates about the future of democracy are inescapably debates about what kind of democracy is desired. Contributors are W. Lance Bennett, Bruce Bimber, Jon Fraenkel, Brian J. Gaines, Bernard Grofman, Wayne V. McIntosh, Peter F. Nardulli, Mark Q. Sawyer, Stephen Simon, Paul M. Sniderman, and Jack Snyder.

So you think you understand the world you live in? Don't bet your life on it. This world is not safe. This world is not sane. This world is a ticking time bomb, and the lives of billions hang in the balance. Knightlight, an organization founded in 1947, is a government-sanctioned agency that deals with non-military threats. They deal with madmen and monsters. They are at war, and have been for nearly seventy years. But the enemy is ancient and has an agenda of its own. The enemy has had all the time in the world to prepare. The first phase of the plan-destroy Knightlight, and any resistance, removing them all from the field of battle. There are terrible things soon coming upon the Earth ... terrible things. We live in a short slice of time referred to as the "Prelude to the Dark Messiah." Knightlight knows it can't protect mankind from the future, but until the end comes, they will hold the line. Forget what you believe you know about the Bigfoot phenomenon. Ignore what you think you understand about aliens. Unlearn what you've been taught about ghosts, vampires, and werewolves. None of the above exist, but what does exist will gladly drag you to the pit of hell and devour you on the way.