Issue management as a strategic function of public relations: Analysis of issue management in an airline company

Since the beginning of the 21st century, progress in communication technologies has not only enabled people to get information in all areas quickly but internal and external environment of an organization has also been more dynamic and challenging than ever. In today's complex environment, which rapid changes are experienced, expectations of groups that are side or aside with the organizations have constantly increased and the competition has increasingly hightened; organizations have to understand and respond rapidly to shifting public values, rising expectations, demands for public consultation and increasingly intrustive news media. Today, an organization is faced with a wide range of publics in different areas and more likely be faced with a lot of different issues to meet with success accordingly. Therefore, it is basic necessity for an organization to establish and implement processes which identify these issues in a proactive approach; analyze, evaluate and manage them with the appropriate strategies. In pursuance of this necessity, within the first part; developing and changing function of the public relations and the foundations of the transition process from traditional to strategic formation are discussed. Furthermore, planning and implementation for the actions of communication to new trends are dealt. In the second part, as a means of social (enterprise) strategy development and a two-way communication process including subjects like creating a mutually benefical environment and reconciling differences between organization and stakeholders the concept "issue management" are discussed. Moreover, the importance, effectiveness and necessity of the issue management as a function of strategic public relations are explained and a variety of issue management approaches in strategic aspect raised in years in the literature are examined. In the third and final part of the research, the approach to strategic issue management of an international civil aviation company which is active in one of the most riskiest industries in the world are examined and the results obtained from semi-structured interviews with department heads of sub-units of this airline organization are presented to provide an overall statement in conjunction with the measurement of applicability of the 'approach' in civil aviation sector. Keywords: Public Relations, Strategic Public Relations, Issue Management, Civil Aviation, Analysis of Issue Management